American fiction -- 20th century; Short stories, American
Aunt Georgy was perfectly delighted. She saw that psychoanalysis was
going to make life in Jefferson infinitely more entertaining. The
sphere of gossip was so remarkably extended. In old times one could
only talk about what had been done, said or written; but now what was
dreamed, what was desired, and, best of all, what was entirely omitted
could be made as interesting as a crime. She wriggled down into her
chair with pleasure as he went on to take up the question of the types
that people fell in love with. Of course, we have all noticed how
people tend to fall in love again and again with the same type. The
spoiled weak son is forever looking for a mother type to take care of
him; the girl brought up under the domination of the father idea is
attracted by nothing but protective older types of men.
Lisburn went on to describe such cases in greater detail so accurately
that all through the audience married couples were nodding to one
another and themselves. He described also a variant of this: How some
people always abused the type that attracted them most; the virile man
who is forever making fun of feminine weaknesses, the womanly woman
always taking on about man's wickedness; they're afraid of the black
magic they attack; they are trying to exorcise the spell--
As soon as the lecture was over, and while eager members of the
audience were crowding to the platform to discuss with the speaker the
cases of mysterious friends who had dreamed this and forgotten that,
Aunt Georgy beckoned to Norma.
"Do," she said, "go and disentangle that interesting young man from his
votaries, or whatever they are, and bring him down to be introduced to
me."
"It was interesting, wasn't it?" said Norma, with an effort at
detachment.
"I can never be sufficiently grateful," answered Aunt Georgy. "It is so
satisfactory the way he lays the strictly virtuous open to attack--the
sort of people we've wanted to catch in a scandal and never been able
to."
Norma nodded.
"Oh, yes," she said, "Ken thinks people like that have a very foul
unconscious."
Aunt Georgy gave a slight snort and asked Norma if she remembered the
Bab Ballad about:
_For only scoundrels dare to do_
_What we consider just and true;_
_And only good men do in fact,_
_What we should think a dirty act._
But Norma did not enjoy a humorous approach to a subject which she had
only recently made her own. She withdrew; frowning slightly, and saying
that she would try to get a word with him.
"Oh, don't let's wait," said Evie after a few minutes, during which the
crowd on the platform increased.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account