felicitous serendipity

[truepenny]

I'm rereading Devil's Cub as I languish in the thrall of this damnable virus (with the Greek Chorus of Guilt in the background chanting sotto voce: Kristeva, Kristeva, Kristeva).

I had forgotten Vidal's yacht is called the Albatross.

Since Vidal is one of my earliest literary crushes, and since he continues to be one of my favorite guilty pleasures, this pleases me all out of proportion to its worth.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

I would like to eat a wombat.

[larryhammer]

<successfully resists the urge to post "that's nice, dear">

[truepenny.livejournal.com]

Cicero was very fond of that rhetorical trope.

[larryhammer]

So am I. "I will not discuss the rumors that my opponent has fornicated with pigs, because this campaign is not about character — it's about issues."

But my humble apologies — I meant that as a reply to the wistful marsupiophagist, not you. (A purely personal response — I used to use the handles Wombatty and Pseudowombat, in other venues now departed.) I like Devil's Cub quite a bit myself, tho' perhaps not as much as Sylvester, and found your correspondences amusing. Sorry if you thought I was waxing sarcastic about the post.

---L.

[truepenny.livejournal.com]

I did misconstrue your antecedent. Thanks for the clarification.

[leaina.livejournal.com]

Heyer herself was quite fond of praeteritio. Here's the Dowager Countess of St. Erth, from The Quiet Gentleman:

"I daresay it is the influence of Lady Penistone, but on that head I shall maintain silence, for although I never liked her, and, indeed, consider her a fast, frivolous woman, I do not forget that she is your grandmother; and if I am persuaded that her third son was fathered by Roxby, as no one could doubt who had ever clapped eyes on him, I am determined that nothing shall prevail upon me to say so!"

[larryhammer]

I was afraid of that...

[truepenny.livejournal.com]

Thank you. Because (a.) I can never remember the word praeteritio and (b.) I am so very fond of that particular quote.