Talk:Gadsby

Chronology
"Dating of this work's various portions is not in its original manuscript, but is built upon its implicit chronology, including its First World War allusions." To say a word or two about that, and working backwards: I put Gadsby's conclusion (that is, Addison's first Thanksgiving) as 36 months past that war's Austro-Hungarian Army loss and its formal Armistitium (in that fighting was at a standstill right around Thanksgiving also). But "six months" in Part 40 cannot also start from that mark (that is, a conclusion of World War around Thanksgiving): April and May and Labor Day occur prior to Part 40. So I put "Mars [throwing] down his cannons" (that is, Wright's starting point for Part 40's "six months") as dating from Norman's arrival back, just prior to Labor Day, and/or from Wilson's formal conclusion of hostility with Italy in that prior Spring. Six months, plus an unknown quantity of additional months, brings narration to Christmas.

Thus, starting war in April, narration follows with a troop train in May; a gap until an April Fools' Day; four short parts, at which point it is still Spring; four months or so; Armistitium; April and May again (and Wilson's signing) and Norman's arrival, in all, making about 30 months of formal war. Continuing with Labor Day, and adding six months, many additional months until Christmas, a Spring, a July, and a Thanksgiving, totals 36 months from signing of Armistitium. Lillian was almost two as war was starting, so was right about six (though still a "baby") at Addison's first Thanksgiving (first for that holiday in Harding's administration also).

Working backwards again, Lillian, almost two in April, was born in Nancy and Frank's third Autumn, with Frank marrying on May 4 and proposing that prior August; that subtracts four and a half from my dating. Finally, municipal activity which starts this book subtracts an additional six, as follows, and counting forwards: first, Spring and July; following that, July again and Autumn; third, school in, school out, Autumn again, and Thanksgiving; fourth, a campaign, a voting day, and Christmas; fifth, Autumn and a (biannual) Washington campaign; sixth, building a zoo and an airport, and August (prior to Frank proposing in August again). So Wilson's mobilization minus 4½ minus 6½ is Spring of aught-six (as is only fitting for Wright's continuity; I could not, naturally, put it off past that any at all).

I would ask all contributors to this talk to honor Wright's stylistic and orthographic idiom, as I do. Thank you kindly!


 * I have removed the "chronology" additions. Wikisource is for representing texts exactly as they were published. Interpretative editorial additions like those added here have no place in this project. Future Perfect at Sunrise (talk) 09:38, 28 October 2010 (UTC)


 * I have restored them. We are constantly adding dates to works.--Longfellow (talk) 11:51, 29 October 2010 (UTC)
 * This is not about the date of the work (i.e. its date of creation or publication), which is obviously a legitimate part of the metadata. This is about an interpretative addition to the content of the work. Can you show me any legitimate case where something analogous has been done elsewhere? (Sorry for the late reply, didn't see this last year.) Future Perfect at Sunrise (talk) 14:02, 19 September 2011 (UTC)