The Man Who Was Thursday by G. K. Chesterton

[kandaurov]

A book with such a title has a lot of promise, especially when published by Penguin Classics. It starts very well, by setting a witty, satirical tone. Indeed, the initial descriptions and dialogues, full of entertaining aphorisms and interesting plot twists gave me an impression that I was in for a great read. I was wrong. Second only to the overuse of aphorisms, plot twists and metaphors, the great mistake of this novel is that it takes itself too seriously. Had the author distanced himself from the story and kept the characters "flat" he would have written something quite enjoyable to read. Instead, he created... this novel. On the one hand we have Syme, the main character, who is almost supposed to be perfect. He's the sort of character who could do a myriad of amazing things simultaneously and, sitting calmly and nonchalantly, still enjoy a fine cigar. In a word, he got on my nerves, a terrible thing to happen when we're talking about the character who runs the show. On the other hand, his nemesis, Sunday, is supposed to be the perfect enemy. Physically and psychologically, he's supposed to be fearsome, all-powerful and absolutely ruthless, yet he inspires no fear in the reader at all, and all of the worrying done by the "good guys" seems to be quite exaggerated; he's a complete misfire. Among painfully pedant dialogues and some way too dramatic lines, Chesterton also indulges in increasingly outrageous (and so frequent that they become frightfully predictable) plot twists and begets a terrible, oh so terrible ending, which makes the novel a big dull metaphor.

Oh, yes, and this book is about the policeman-poet-philosopher-savant?-hero Syme, who wants to stop a anarchist organization that wants to end with the world and "abolish God" (not a spoiler: this is said in the first 30 pages or so).

3/10. The 3 points are only for the beginning.

(sorry, I'm afraid I don't know how to do the poll thing, could someone add it for me please? I would really like to know what others make of this one)

[Nossa]

I read this book a few years ago and I didn't quite get it actually. It was boring to tell you the truth. And I'm almost left with nothing of it now. I don't think I'll re-read it any time soon.
I'd give it 1/10...not more.

[JCamilo]

The Book is awesome and you are missing the point if you think it takes it too seriously. All the time Chesterton, which favorite way of expression is irony, is mocking society, doubts, lack of faith, atheism.
The book is not about a dude who wants to stop an anarchist revolution, it is about how in the end of century "ideals" such as science, modernity, communism, etc are failing because they are as illogical and basead on faith as much as the religion they claim to replace.
I found it one of the great books of XX century, a father of Magical Realism, the momment when Chesterton's skills as narrator went as close as Stevenson's Arabian Nights. Presenting life as as such chaotic, confuse world, where someone is lost and the resemblance between reality and imagination is not perceptible was a way for Chesterton to claim every fantasy is possible, which was pretty much part of his eternal arguments with likes of Bernard Shaw or H.G.Wells. arguments which he sustained without looking like a fool because Chesterton humor and phrase construction is notable.

[kandaurov]

Thanks for the insight, JCamilo, your response seems to be a nice and thorough countercritique, and thanks for taking pains to justify your view. I did get that they were afraid of what they didn't understand (mainly because Syme said it like fourteen times), and that primal fear made them, like you said, doubtful, and atheist, and so on. I just not sure at all that science, modernity and communism are seen as being illogical and based on faith, I'd appreciate it if you could elaborate on that point.

By the way, do you think that the notes Sunday threw at people are supposed to be a defense of the idea that God is sending signals everyday, like in the puritans' belief? And did you make any sense of those notes? Because I didn't, and I'd be grateful if someone could enlighten me.

[JCamilo]

Chesterton was a defender of faith for faith'sake. The problem is that in the end of the XIX century and begining of XX the trust for Science and Reason was too strong. One counter-argument (which is not exactly acceptable, but since we are talking about an artist and not a philosopher, it needs only too look acceptable) is that Faith in Science replaced Faith in God, as many claims of science are rather fantastic and needed a "Leap of faith" as well. It is the old "science is a belief just like religion".
So, Chesterton appointed how irrational to the commun man to trust science so much and at sametime claiming it was irrational to not trust religion anymore. To him, both are equally irrational (his advantage is that he was allowed to believe in fairies thus his world was considerable richer than the world of those who do not believe in anything, as he said himself).
Sunday notes may be seen as Chesterton defense of the daily miracles that we refused to see. He told once told a story about a dude who didn't believed in god but in an adversating painted in the back of bus.
Chesterton is a bit illogical, but he is too witty to be caught without "Pants" to wear, I would recomment to read his essays, very interesting.

[kandaurov]

I see. You're right, we must always see what was said in its temporary and spatial context. The fact that he lived the transition of centuries does makes this work more justifiable as a counter-argument to the rise of Science, I guess. He still comes across to me in this novel as a bit obstinate and preachy, though, and I still can't make sense of what was written in the notes, it seemed completely random! His prose is terrific, I'll give you that, but his story telling really disappointed me; to me he came across him more like a man of ideas who turned them into a story to make a point, so his essays should be an interesting read, obrigado pela sugestão! I'm actually planning on reading "The Dragon's Grandmother", I've heard very good things about it.