Our previous view of the HMS Snark rounding Cape Nietzsche has now been clarified to reveal a striking scene of disembarkation, a full complement of rather displeased Snarkonauts with accompanying baggage, unceremoniously dumped in the less-fashionable suburbs of Fit the Second.
And what is this baggage they carry? It is the expectation that they would enjoy the view, a great expectation to be sure but sadly unfulfilled in this stanzel.
No one likes to be confronted with chasms and crags after a long sea voyage, even if they are nothing more than a painted backdrop. In fact, the painted backdrop only makes things worse, it reminds the viewer that they are participating in a communal illusion and that their feelings of discomfort are thus self-inflicted.
‘Tis all a matter of that Good Ol’ Maya, that world-spinning dance of grand illusions and also further proof of Lewis Carroll’s crypto-Hindu sympathies, sympathies which he kept well-hidden in his customized Samsaronite® portmanteaux.
(Shhh. It is unsafe, O Keeper of Secrets, to expose the communal illusion.)
ReplyDeleteI cannot wait to buy your book. Pre-ordered baby.
Olson
Thanks, Martin. Readers should be aware that Martin's novel, The Invasion Manual of Earth, is coming out next spring. Toss aside your zombie and vampire lit, kiddies, Martin has gone to the next level … and illustrated in the fullest splendor of black & white imaginable by the great Tony Millionaire & yours truly.
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