The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare
by G.K. Chesterton
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Read in February, 2008
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Read in January, 2008
First book of the year. I started it in Oxford, because it seemed like a good one to read there (sadly, I never got to read any of it while sitting in The Eagle and Child), and I finished it on the train to Scotland...just minutes before our train pulled into Glasgow. I love it when timing works out like that.
The story begins with Gabriel Syme, a "philosophical policeman" who is hunting anarchists, being invited to attend a secret meeting with the promise of it being an entertainin...more
The story begins with Gabriel Syme, a "philosophical policeman" who is hunting anarchists, being invited to attend a secret meeting with the promise of it being an entertainin...more
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plot summary: what happens, when & where, central characters, major conflicts[return]detective syme embarks upon a strange adventure after meeting a man spouting anarchist poetry in the park. he engages him in a poetical debate and ends up following him to a secret meeting of a group of anarchists, who are about to elect their next representitive to the central anarchist council--"thursday" (the council members going by alias's named after the days of the week). along the way sym...more
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This short novel is intriguing, humorous, clever, and spotted with stunning descriptions. Ostensibly, it is a tale of an undercover police man (Syme) seeking to infiltrate an organization of anarchists, controlled by the "Council of Seven Days" under the leadership of a man named Sunday. The novel is not as obviously allegorical as The Ball and The Cross, at least not until near the end, when it become entirely symbolic. I struggled with Chesteron's meaning when I concluded the novel...more
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Read in October, 2007
Fun read, all the way. It's an adventure/detective story where the main character, Gabriel Syme, joins the Central Anarchist Council as "Thursday." The twists and turns of the plot will hold you to the pages until the truly bizarre ending, which I'm still attempting to fathom the implications of. (Hint: at the end of the story consider Chesterton's subtitle to the book; "A Nightmare") I knew Chesterton had me hook, line and sinker in the fourth chapter when the protagonis...more
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Read in March, 2008
this book is enjoyable on many levels: as a compelling mystery, as a humorous and well-crafted yarn, as classic british literature (1908), and as penetrating allegory. chesterton's novel excels at each count, and was composed without a trace of sanctimony.
more aptly, writing about the man who was thursday in 1929, chesterton asserts, "the bolshevists have done a good many silly things; but the most strangely silly thing that i ever heard of was that they tried to turn this a...more
more aptly, writing about the man who was thursday in 1929, chesterton asserts, "the bolshevists have done a good many silly things; but the most strangely silly thing that i ever heard of was that they tried to turn this a...more
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Read in February, 2008
When I first started reading this book I found the plot rather predictable, at least for the first 3/4 of the story. It was witty and short enough that I kept reading. The character development was timed exquisitely to continue evenly throughout the entire book. The language of the characters and the author was intelligent and in tune with the era. Initially, my only complaint was I had thought this was going to be an extended allegory for some Christian/Atheist battle of intellect and will, and...more
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Read in February, 2008
Though I enjoyed the story, The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare parts of the story left me in the dark. It is of keynote to remember that the story is a nightmare and not really occurring in the real world.
Summary: Styme becomes a police detective assigned to a special task force to root out the anarchists that threaten the world.
Breakdown Review:
Storyline: I give 5 out of 5 stars Not another story out there quite like this one. Unique and insightful all in one.
Writing style:...more
Summary: Styme becomes a police detective assigned to a special task force to root out the anarchists that threaten the world.
Breakdown Review:
Storyline: I give 5 out of 5 stars Not another story out there quite like this one. Unique and insightful all in one.
Writing style:...more
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Read in February, 2008
G.K. Chesterton's morality play offers a template for later distopias, especially Orwell's: prim prose, insistent caricature, switchback plot twists, verbal mind-battles, and moral backlighting provided by the author's absolute sense of right and wrong.
Despite a strong opening gambit featuring anarchists debating at a bohemian garden party, Chesterton quickly loses solid descriptive ground of London streets to a vast a completely unbelievable underground populated by what we today would cal...more
Despite a strong opening gambit featuring anarchists debating at a bohemian garden party, Chesterton quickly loses solid descriptive ground of London streets to a vast a completely unbelievable underground populated by what we today would cal...more
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recommends it for:
Fans of detailed imagery, fantastic wit
A brilliant novel. This is actually my favorite novel of all time. I suppose i have a sort of literary crush on GK Chesterton-- I fall in love with his whimsical, clever writing and so even a short book like this can take me weeks just because I savor his lovely sentences. As I pour through his perfectly-chosen words, I can’t help but feel deeply inspired and impressed.
My favorite: “… his black seemed richer and warmer than the black shades about him, as if it were compounded of p...more
My favorite: “… his black seemed richer and warmer than the black shades about him, as if it were compounded of p...more
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Read in July, 2007
Whoa.. most of this book was like any other British literature of its time, but then when you get to the end, the author goes way out on a limb and makes you STREEETCH your imagination, and comprehension. The whole thing kept me waiting and wondering what would happen at the end, and then when I got to the end, I was like.. "What the??" Keep in mind, the title includes the words "A Nightmare". The end was definitely more dream-like than realistic, and my brain spent many days...more
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Read in May, 2008
This is not normally the kind of book I would read or like. It’s allegorical, it’s about anarchists, and there are no pretty girls. But Susanna Clarke – who wrote my most favorite Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell - lists it as one of her favorites and I loved the title, so I got it, and it was a delight. It’s a philosophical screwball comedy mixed into a spring night’s love song between Gentlemen. It feels more like a movie or a kid’s book than a grown-up one and, I’m sorry, but it...more
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Read in March, 2008
This is a surreal political thriller from a hundred years ago. I was laughing a lot at the first chapters, it's kind of amazing how little things have changed. Back then, the scary terrorists were anarchists, but other than that... it's the same 'Nightmare.' My only complaint is that none of the characters were women. This is especially a problem with the character who is the 'sabbath.' But I guess we can forgive some sexism in a book of this age. The author believed that a certain kind of relig...more
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Read in January, 2007
This is a classic adventure story, and brainy and British no less. Fast-paced action and lively dialogue permeate these 180 pages. Chesterton indicts anarchy in the midst of all the good fun.
"Being surrounded with every conceivable kind of revolt from infancy, Gabriel had to revolt into something, so he revolted into the only thing left--sanity." Gabriel Syme is a British policeman who goes undercover to foil an anarchist council's assassination plot and gets caught up in the group...more
"Being surrounded with every conceivable kind of revolt from infancy, Gabriel had to revolt into something, so he revolted into the only thing left--sanity." Gabriel Syme is a British policeman who goes undercover to foil an anarchist council's assassination plot and gets caught up in the group...more
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Read in August, 1997
recommends it for:
Anyone
G.K. Chesterton is one of the greatest all-around communicators the world has ever known. In this book full of allegory, Chesterton takes on anarchy in a bigger frame than anti-government groups. I took this book as a challenge. I fought to get through it and then re-read it. With a little help from other Chesterton novels like The Napoleon of Notting Hill, I was able to understand the kind of allegory that Chesterton deals in, namely Christian allegory. But this should not be thought of as a re...more
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Read in January, 2008
I cannot yet really critique this book. I loved it but don't even know all the reasons why. I'm still trying to sort it out and understand all he was saying through it. My book group is going to discuss it this next week, and I hope in talking together we can help each other. It is very rich in how he uses language and creates drama that you want to follow. I knew going in that there was much to uncover, so I think I was more worried about trying to understand it than just enjoying the stor...more
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Read in October, 2007
recommends it for:
nobody
This book is a recommendation from a beloved friend. Which sucks because about 40 pages in I knew exactly what was going to happen AND I couldn't shake the sensation that the whole novel was a cheap Bugakov/Kafka knock-off. The elements of the grotesque and fantastical are barely even grotesque or fantastical but there's a sensation that the author is attempting to put the read agast. All I'm thinking is "Ok wow, he has a really BIG FACE. how is that so terrifying?" This book was blah ...more
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Read in January, 2006
recommended to Dylan by:
Matthew Hassellrecommends it for: the philosophically or theologically inclined
I've never read anything by Chesterton, but I found his caricature of anarchists circa 1900 to be amusing. He seemed to me to have somewhat of a negative view of anarchists, typical of the bomb-throwing nihilist stereotype that originated during that time. The wikipedia entry seems to indicate that the anarchism in the book was primarily a metaphor for a rebellion against God. That is more than likely the intention from what I know of Chesterton's other work.
I found the writing to be unusual...more
I found the writing to be unusual...more
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Read in February, 2008
recommended to Jonathan by:
Lit. class
This book does start out very promising. G. K. Chesterton had a brilliant mind, and you will inevitably discover well crafted and insightful elements in anything he's done - but on the whole, this book doesn't work. And to be honest, his attempt to convey the paradoxical horror and elusive beauty of the book of Job in a 'crime/mystery/adventure' format, really strikes me the wrong way! He did write a wonderful introduction to the actual book of Job though, so read that if your interested in a...more
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Read in August, 2007
This is one strange book. It starts out as a standard Victorian genre novel - a gripping spy thriller, but then, as the subtitle indicates, turns into a spiritual fever dream. Along the way, Chesterton's wit makes it a pleasure to read (even when you're not sure what's going on). One little gem: "Thieves respect property. They merely wish the property to become their property that they may more perfectly respect it." It reminded me in places of "The Master and Margarita" beca...more
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