APS TOGETHER
Day 31
New Grub Street by George GissingChapter 31
December 6, 2023 by Yiyun Li
In the opening two paragraphs of this chapter, Gissing did something extraordinary (for Gissing): he stepped from behind the story and addressed directly the readers.
“Nothing is easier than to condemn a type of character which is unequal to the coarse demands of life as it suits the average man.”
“The sum of their faults was their inability to earn money.”
Yes, I feel very much chastised for my previous impatience with Reardon.
Biffen’s rescue of his manuscript: a melodramatic turn executed expertly. All the time I worried that he would die in the fire, or he would live but lose the manuscript in the fire, or else he would rescue the manuscript and then collapse in exhaustion and die. What joy to know that my pessimism surpasses Gissing’s bleakness.
Postfire, Biffen and Reardon’s meeting, with their reminisce of the past and their wishful thinking of visiting Greece together: Gissing rarely gives us warmth but this is a touching moment of two friends who have stayed loyal to each other through thick and thin.
