Parrot pie
In the same way that Poe used his schoolmaster’s real name but changed everything else about him to suit the purposes of the story, the real Manor House School bore little resemblance to Poe’s description of it. The ancient Elizabethan labyrinthine building with gothic windows (where, even after several years, the narrator is unable to say exactly which part he sleeps in) described in William Wilson is perfectly suited to a story of doubling, repetition and reflection: and it sticks so firmly in the reader’s mind that to deny having seen it altogether would be impossible. Taking all of this into account, Perrott’s acquaintance could not have answered in any other way.
By Bridget Penney.
Three Lessons for Christopher Christopher
The young woman slowly peels the thin moustache away and lets it fall like a hair-slug onto the ground — and her beauty is revealed as if by a magic spell. ‘Do not judge a book by its cover, Chris. Do not let your lute lead you into quarrelsome ways. And try not to discriminate against public performances involving dwarves called Andy and women with false moustaches.’ ‘No-one has ever called me Chris before,’ says Christopher Christopher with a look of happy dismay. The young woman smiles and Christopher Christopher feels his heart swooning and his cheeks redden. And so he pulls out his lute and starts to sing.
By Alan McCormick & Stefan Wiese.