《Slapstick or Lonesome No More!》Slapstick vs. Solitude: A Tale of Two Moods!

Prelude里作者说得没错，整个故事其实就是一篇高度改编的自传，是对prelude里提及的一切的扩写。Wilbur一生被love&commondecency困扰，对前者的抗拒和对后者的遵从看似对立，实则融为一体。CosthoughasElizaputit:sayingiloveuislikepointingagunagainstoneshead,ineffect,whentheyweretogether,theywereone,oneheart,onemind,theresnoneedtospeakoflove。Andwhentheygotseperated,therewassimplynotraittobelovedwithinBetty&BobbyBrown。Gonetheking&queenofourlittleappleastroid,goneourprivateArcadia……Idontbelievethatloveexists,andyethereiaminthissupernova-litnight,hearingandsayingloveinthemostprimitiveform,ourcodedsonnet。Istilldontbelievethatloveexists,butibelieveinthatshadowlessnight。Whenonesdeprivedofhome,heismadeintoawanderer。Liketheafter-wargeneration,likeWilburhere。BuildingextendedfamiliesseemstobeanationalUtopiaact,butitsactuallyawithheldcrycomingoutofdeeppersonallosses。AnditsdefinitelydifferentfromLeGuinsTheDispossessed。TheUtopiahereisfarfromasalvation,insteadevenbecomingthecauseofmafia,cult,newwar&slavery(…),whichonlyleftuswithapresidentwithnoonetorepresent,akingwithnolandtorule,justtypicaloldpoopstryingtokissthelastlingeringshadowoftheirformerselves。So,historyismerelyalistofsurprises。Delicatelypatternedandlaughablymeaningless。MaybeafterlifeisjustaTurkeyFarm,repetitiveandboringtostiff。Maybeallofthisisjustaspookypoetry。Butafterall,wedeserveourownOdyssey。Wedeserveaneventfuljourneyfulloftragedies&comedies,likeMelody,andanidealending,likeWilbur,standingamongathousandglowingcandles—asthoughiwasGod,uptomykneesintheMilkyWay。Hiho。