Wuthering Expectations is kicking back

Wuthering Expectations will be on vacation until, oh, I don't know, August 18th. Or 19th. It's summer, and I've thrown caution to the very winds. We will be wandering about the United States, visiting babies, and perhaps other people.

I suppose a computer will be available now and then, I can still respond to comments, correct errors, suggest recipes, and so on.

If a Chinese poem or two suddenly shows up, that means I scheduled something in advance.

My great regret about going on vacation now is that it curtails my participation in the Villette discussion at The Valve. I regret this because I will be unable to propound my new crackpot theory, that the novel has not one but two imaginary authors, that it's collaborative. Lucy Snowe puts pen to paper, but parts of the novel are dictated to her by someone else.

Now I need to reread the book and decide which author is responsible for which part. See Chapter 33; search for "dictation." This theory requires a certain spin on the novel's ending. And its beginning. Also, the parts in the middle. But it is consistent with the crackpot theory that the main characters are secretly Jewish, so that's a plus.

Villette lends itself to this nonsense. Here's how Lucy describes her own approach to art, in Chapter 19: "Meantime, I was happy; happy, not always in admiring, but in examining, questioning, and forming conclusions."

Have a nice summer. Read some good books.