Introduction
Welcome to my corner! Last week, I shared my thoughts about The Black Cat (1934), Horror of Dracula (1958) and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) movies that I watched for the Halloween season. This week, we're returning to the way it was before spooky season... (/ T o T )/
I'll be sharing "The Imperial Message" by Franz Kafka and "The Doer of Good" by Oscar Wilde. I'll share my thoughts at the end of each. Enjoy!
An Imperial Message
Franz Kafka
The Emperor - so they say - has sent a message, directly from his death bed, to you alone, his pathetic subject, a tiny shadow which has taken refuge at the furthest distance from the imperial sun. He ordered the herald to kneel down beside his be and whispered the message in his ear. He thought it was so important that he had the herald speak it back to him. He confirmed the accuracy of verbal message by nodding his head. And, in front of the entire crowd of those witnessing his death - all the obstructing walls have been broken down, and all the great ones of his empire are standing in a circle on the broad and high soaring flights of stairs - in front of all of them he dispatched his herald.
The messenger started off at once, a powerful, tireless man. Sticking one arm out and then another, he makes his way through the crowd. If he runs into resistance, he points to his breast where there is a sign of the sun. So he moves forwards easily, unlike anyone else. But the crowd is so huge; its dwelling places are infinite. If there were an open field, how he would fly along, and soon you would hear the marvellous pounding of his fist on your door. But instead of that, how futile are all his efforts. He is still forcing his way through the private rooms of the innermost palace. Never will he win his way through. And if he did manage that, nothing would have been achieved. He would have to stride through the courtyards, and after the courtyards through the second palace encircling the first, and, then again, through stairs and courtyards, and then, once again, a palace and so on for thousands of years.
And if he finally burst through the outermost door - but that can never, never happen - the royal capital city, the centre of the world, is still there in front of him, piled high and full of sediment. No one pushes his way through here, certainly not someone with a message from a dead man. But you sit at your window and dream of that message when evening comes.
Franz Kafka was an Austrian-Czech novelist and writer from Prague. He is widely regarded as a major figure of 20th-century literature; he wrote in German.
He is most famous for his novels The Trial and The Metamorphosis. "An Imperial Message" was published in 1919.
I had to ready this one twice before I understood it, but that's not unusual for me. My reading comprehension has always been slow. "An Imperial Message" is surprisingly comical.
The whole story is building up to The Imperial Message, from the Emperor, and then we, the readers, never get tot know what it is. There are far too many obstacles for the messenger to get passed. I let out a little giggle out at the end of it. You're only left to dream about what it might have been.
The Doer of Good
Oscar Wilde
It was night-time and He was alone.
And He saw afar-off the walls of a round city and went towards the city.
And when He came near He heard within the city the tread of the feet of joy, and the laughter of the mouth of gladness and the loud noise of many lutes. And He knocked at the gate and certain of the gatekeepers opened to Him.
And He beheld a house that was of marble and had fair pillars of marble before it. The pillars were hung with garlands, and within and without there were torches of cedar. And He entered the house.
And when He had passed through the hall of chalcedony and the hall of jasper, and reached the long hall of feasting, He saw lying on a couch of sea-purple one whose hair was crowned with red roses and whose lips were red with wine.
And He went behind him and touched him on the shoulder and said to him, 'Why do you live like this?',
And the young man turned round and recognised Him, and made answer and said, 'But I was a leper once, and you healed me. How else should I live?'
And He passed out of the house and went again into the street.
And after a little while He saw one whose face and raiment were painted and whose feet were shod with pearls. And behind her came, slowly as a hunter, a young man who wore a cloak of two colours. Now the face of the woman was as the fair face of an idol, and the eyes of the young man were bright with lust.
And He followed swiftly and touched the hand of the young man and said to him, 'Why do you look at this woman and in such wise?'
And the young man turned round and recognised Him and said, 'But I was blind once, and you gave me sight. At what else should I look?'
And He ran forward and touched the painted raiment of the woman and said to her, 'Is there no other way in which to walk save the way of sin?'
and the woman turned round and recognised Him, and laughed and said, 'But you forgave me my sins, and the way is a pleasant way.'
And He passed out of the city.
And when He had passed out of the city He saw seated by the roadside a young man who was weeping.
And He went towards him and touched the long locks of his hair and said to him, 'Why are you weeping?'
And the young man looked up and recognised Him and made answer, 'But I was dead once and you raised me from the dead. What else should I do but weep?'
Oscar Wilde was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became on eof the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s.
He is most famous for his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray and on his comedies Lady Windermere's Fan and The Importance of Being Earnest. "The Doer of Good" was published in 1894.
This one was interesting, and not what I expected. Despite being healed by this do-gooder, the characters revert back to their humanly ways of sin. The do-gooder is justifiably bewildered, as are the readers. Unfortunately, it's easier to resort to routine than to change...
I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving! Next week, I might be diving back into movie reviews... 😉
That's it for this week! What were your thoughts? Feel free to share them with us! You can call us, email us, visit us at the office, leave us a comment or message on Facebook, or even mail us something. Keep the comments, suggestions, questions, submissions, etc. coming our way! We'd love to hear from you!
