With William Safire demanding to get in on the next game. 
With William Safire prowling the sidelines, making snide comments and demanding to get in on the next game.
Ah, that’s embarrasing. Let’s all pretend that I only posted that once, kay?
Only if you will tell me what book it is.
Or perhaps I mean, only if you see fit to inform me as to the title of the worthy tome to which reference was hitherto made in this most valuable forum.
No, that didn’t really work, did it? Perchance I require more practice.
Celyn said “Right author - different book!”
I would have sworn…
OK, must be Earthly Powers.
Yes! jcgmoi dead right. (Or, of course, the fulsomeness of the quality of your complete and utter correctness impresses me…Oh never mind.)
Actually, your earlier answer had me wondering too, and I thought I must be going mad, but I had left the book “Earthly Powers” that is, beside the computer so it was easy to check again.
So, your turn now then? What horrors do you have in store?
Celyn said:
Please, don’t let me interrupt you.
In the spirit of the season, here’s an easy one. Author is male, Brit, Victorian, prolific.
“Mr. [name removed so as not to make this baby-capable], who was usually very late in the mornings, save upon those not infrequent occasions when he was up all night, was seated at the breakfast table. I stood upon the hearth-rug and picked up the stick which our visitor had left behind him the night before. It was a fine, thick piece of wood, bulbous-headed, of the sort which is known as a ‘Penang lawyer’.”
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I don’t know which Sherlock Holmes story it is, though … I could cover several bases and say “The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes.” Or, since you said it’s in the spirit of the season, is it the story “The Blue Carbuncle?”
Yeah i agree with the author. Its got to be him.
We do a lot of Brits here, don’t we?
Jekeira has it. It’s from The Hound of the Baskervilles. I agree The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle would be more appropriate but it never occurred to me. Anyway, I wanted a novel.
FTR, from TAOTBC: ‘I had called upon my friend Sherlock Holmes upon the second morning after Christmas, with the intention of wishing him the compliments of the season. He was lounging upon the sofa in a purple dressing-gown, a pipe-rack within his reach upon the right, and a pile of crumpled morning papers, evidently newly studied, near at hand.’
Well, I truly came up dry on good novel quotes, so I scrounged around and found a nonfiction work from my college days. I hope it’s not too hard. The author is not what you’d call a runaway bestseller, but any number of students have been forced to read him, and his style should be immediately recognizeable to anyone who has had the, um, pleasure.
“The Universal Will displays its activity immediately through that of the individual: the latter has no self-cognizance at all in antithises to Substantial, positive being, which it does not yet regard as a power standing over it – as, (e.g.) in Judaism, the “Jealous God” is known as the negation of the Individual. In China the Universal Will immediately commands what the Individual is to do, and the latter complies and obeys with proportionate renunciation of reflection and personal independence. If he does not obey, if he thus virtually separates himself from the Substance of his being, inasmuch as this separation is not mediated by a retreat within a personality of his own, the punishment he undergoes does not affect his subjective and internal, but simply his outward existence. The element of subjectivity is therefore as much wanting to this political totality as the latter is on its side altogether destitute of a foundation int he moral disposition of the subject. For the Substance is simply an individual - the Emperor - whose law constitues all the disposition.”
And so on. Hints will be dispensed as necessary.
Some really mellow fun character like Kant or Nietszche? Well, Jekeira, I shall no longer find that I always associate your name with the Babel “dead horses” passage.
Neither Kant nor Nietsche, but you’re definitely on the right track. Author is a rather influential 19th century German thinker. The book is one of the two reasons not to become a history major (the other, of course, being that historians don’t make any money).
So what do you associate my name with now, Celyn?
Either heavy intellectual stuff or the Pythons’ Philosophers Song. So, as you specified that this author is not a best-seller, (which my other suspect arguably is), how about Hegel’s Philosophy of History for this one?
Ding Ding Ding!
You win!
Well, so long as I don’t win a copy of the blasted book, I’m happy. As a recovery from Hegel, I’m cheating - this isn’t a book, but is from a seasonal silly poem. If that’s not acceptable, I don’t mind if someone else has a book quotation that they want to use instead.
…
Merryholly
Happyjolly
Jollyjelly
Jellybelly
Bellymerry
Hollyheppy
JollyMolly
…
Barrymerry
Jarryhappy
Happyboppy
Boppyjolly
Jollymerry
Merrymerry
Merrymerry
MerryChris
Ammerryasa
Chrismerry
AsMERRYCHR
YSANTHEMUM
I’ve taken a few lines from the beginning and from the middle, but I’m sure I have not detracted greatly from the flavour of the work.!
Sounds like Shel Silverstein, kind of…that close?
Zoggie, I’m glad you’re here. I was afraid this was turning into the Celyn and Jekeira show.
My guess is Walt Kelly. Sounds Pogo-ish.
Aw I’m glad that you’re glad I’m here. I just purchased two novels from the bookstore. So I’ll be able to use them if so needed…Celyn, are you there?
Hmmm … well, until Celyn comes back, do you want to give a qote, Zoggie? (Or anyone else?)