Victor Mollo -- Bridge in the Menagerie
Nov. 12th, 2007 05:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jackWhenever you play bridge, someone always mentions the bridge in the menagerie books. These are mostly waaaay out of print, but a few have been reprinted, and all seem to have a timeless charm.
The characters play in their gentleman's club, nicknaming each other after various animals.
The characters
The Hideous Hog is the best player, and aggressive, arrogant, and obnoxious with it, he's almost always right, and always in your face about it.
The Rueful Rabbit is mild-mannered and hopeless, always distracted, and despite trying to do his best, hopelessly out of his depth, but his guardian angel always sees that he always commits worse and worse errors, that rebound to luckier and luckier effect.
The Professor of Bio-Sophistry, aka the Secretary Bird on account of his manners and habits, treats knowing the laws as a hobby, and always seizes on any excuse to apply them. Walter (the Walrus) is the same with point counting. "I had twelve and a half, that should be plenty for slam opposite your opening." The Timothy (the Toucan) is unnaturally mild-mannered, at least compared to everyone else.
Analysis
The characters reflect all the styles of play and personality you see. And yet, despite them all objectively being horrible to be around, their rants are a joy to let wash over you. Perhaps because *you* don't have to be there.
Or perhaps, despite the overbearingness of some and the cringeworthiness of others, they obviously care about each other. The Hog defends the Rabbit from criticism from anyone else. They all choose to spend time with each other, and dine with each other, and play with each other, and obviously have learned not to take each others' habits personally.
The monks of St Titus
This struck me about another series, inevitably described as something like "The best bridge stories since Victor Mollo", also a collection of short articles.
They're perfectly entertaining, no criticism to them, but they don't seem the same thing at all. The main and only joke seems to be that the Abbot isn't as good as he thinks he is. But he's in a direct position of authority over a lot of novices and young monks, so being nasty and condescending to them at bridge nights which you basically have to attend to fit in in the monastery, I can't pass off as a peccadillo, but seems more like sustained bullying.
And after browsing a couple of stories, I can't really tell you anything about anyone else. They're all either competent, and show up the abbot whilst being polite, or vague and lucky, and show up the abbot while being polite. In Mollo, every character is instantly visible as soon as they're mentioned.
Bridge-worthiness
Not really for education, just entertainment, as I assume you know, but ought to mention.
The characters play in their gentleman's club, nicknaming each other after various animals.
The characters
The Hideous Hog is the best player, and aggressive, arrogant, and obnoxious with it, he's almost always right, and always in your face about it.
The Rueful Rabbit is mild-mannered and hopeless, always distracted, and despite trying to do his best, hopelessly out of his depth, but his guardian angel always sees that he always commits worse and worse errors, that rebound to luckier and luckier effect.
The Professor of Bio-Sophistry, aka the Secretary Bird on account of his manners and habits, treats knowing the laws as a hobby, and always seizes on any excuse to apply them. Walter (the Walrus) is the same with point counting. "I had twelve and a half, that should be plenty for slam opposite your opening." The Timothy (the Toucan) is unnaturally mild-mannered, at least compared to everyone else.
Analysis
The characters reflect all the styles of play and personality you see. And yet, despite them all objectively being horrible to be around, their rants are a joy to let wash over you. Perhaps because *you* don't have to be there.
Or perhaps, despite the overbearingness of some and the cringeworthiness of others, they obviously care about each other. The Hog defends the Rabbit from criticism from anyone else. They all choose to spend time with each other, and dine with each other, and play with each other, and obviously have learned not to take each others' habits personally.
The monks of St Titus
This struck me about another series, inevitably described as something like "The best bridge stories since Victor Mollo", also a collection of short articles.
They're perfectly entertaining, no criticism to them, but they don't seem the same thing at all. The main and only joke seems to be that the Abbot isn't as good as he thinks he is. But he's in a direct position of authority over a lot of novices and young monks, so being nasty and condescending to them at bridge nights which you basically have to attend to fit in in the monastery, I can't pass off as a peccadillo, but seems more like sustained bullying.
And after browsing a couple of stories, I can't really tell you anything about anyone else. They're all either competent, and show up the abbot whilst being polite, or vague and lucky, and show up the abbot while being polite. In Mollo, every character is instantly visible as soon as they're mentioned.
Bridge-worthiness
Not really for education, just entertainment, as I assume you know, but ought to mention.
no subject
Date: 2007-11-12 05:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-13 12:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-13 11:09 am (UTC)You should talk to Ralph about him sometime; he's a bit of a fan :)
no subject
Date: 2007-11-15 01:54 pm (UTC)