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The Harlequinade: An Excursion
Excerpt from The Harlequinade: An Excursion
Not to put too fine a point to it, this isn't a play at all, and it isn't a novel, or a treatise, or an essay, or anything like that; it is an excursion, and you who trouble to read it are the trippers.
Now in any excursion you get into all sorts of odd company, and fall into talk with persons out of your ordinary rule, and you borrow a match and get lent a magazine, and, as likely as not, you may hear the whole tragedy and comedy of a ham and beef carver's life. So you will get a view of the world as oddly coloured as Harlequin's clothes, with puffs of sentiment dear to the soul of Columbine, and Clownish fun with Pantaloonish wisdom and chuckles. When you were young, you used, I think, to enjoy a butterfly's kiss, and that, you remember, was when your mother brushed your cheek with her eyelashes. And also when you were young you held a buttercup under other children's chins to see if they liked butter, and they always did, and the golden glow showed and the world was glad.
Not to put too fine a point to it, this isn't a play at all, and it isn't a novel, or a treatise, or an essay, or anything like that; it is an excursion, and you who trouble to read it are the trippers.
Now in any excursion you get into all sorts of odd company, and fall into talk with persons out of your ordinary rule, and you borrow a match and get lent a magazine, and, as likely as not, you may hear the whole tragedy and comedy of a ham and beef carver's life. So you will get a view of the world as oddly coloured as Harlequin's clothes, with puffs of sentiment dear to the soul of Columbine, and Clownish fun with Pantaloonish wisdom and chuckles. When you were young, you used, I think, to enjoy a butterfly's kiss, and that, you remember, was when your mother brushed your cheek with her eyelashes. And also when you were young you held a buttercup under other children's chins to see if they liked butter, and they always did, and the golden glow showed and the world was glad.
96 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1918
About the author
Dion Clayton Calthrop
78 books6 followersDion Clayton Calthrop (1878-1937) was a British author, artist, and costume designer known for his works on fashion history and theatre.
His brother, Donald Clayton Calthrop (11 April 1888 – 15 July 1940) was an English stage and film actor.
His brother, Donald Clayton Calthrop (11 April 1888 – 15 July 1940) was an English stage and film actor.
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
March 7, 2013
I read this book because I was interested to learn about the mysterious Harliquin and Harlequinade; and I did learn more about the history of the Harlequinade (supposing this book is factual) then I knew before. However, the book wasn't an easy read. It is hard to understand what is going on since the author rambles endlessly and goes off on random tangents. The style seems very much in keeping with such wordy old English children's books as the Water Babies and Our Island Story. It was just the style of the time. Overall, I would only recommend this book to people who are very curious about the fable of the Harlequinade.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review