January book club meeting report.
The Man Who Was Thursday: a nightmare, by G. K. Chesterton - January 8, 2010
As we recovered from the festive season, we started the New Year by discussing an unsual book, The Man Who Was Thursday - A Nightmare, by G. K. Chesterton. An introduction to the book compares it to a literary somersault, states that "description is impossible, except by a series of exclusions," and says that "the real characters are the ideas." When Julie, who led the discussion, suggested the book, she said that it is "one of the hidden hinges of 20th century writing," and is a "metaphysical thriller" and full of things to discuss. The story, set in turn-of-the-century London and first published in 1908, centers around the activities of a secret society of anarchists, whose council is made up of seven men whose code names are the days of the week.
Chesterton's writing was influenced by Lewis Carroll, and, in turn, influenced Franz Kafka. The book is an interesting addition to our list, and, as Julie noted, we hadn't read anything about anarchists before.
Chesterton's writing was influenced by Lewis Carroll, and, in turn, influenced Franz Kafka. The book is an interesting addition to our list, and, as Julie noted, we hadn't read anything about anarchists before.
