Short Fiction · Chapter
The Romancers explained
Morton Crosby, sitting in Hyde Park, is approached by a persistent beggar who tries to elicit sympathy and a loan.
What happens
Morton Crosby, sitting in Hyde Park, is approached by a persistent beggar who tries to elicit sympathy and a loan. Crosby deflects each attempt with elaborate fictions about his Afghan heritage and the customs of the fictional town of Yom, ultimately refusing the loan by claiming that Afghan November has already begun.
Themes in this chapter
Hypocrisy and Moral Facade
Crosby presents himself as a generous follower of Yom's customs while using a fabricated taboo to avoid giving charity.
Imagination vs. Reality
Crosby constructs an elaborate fictional identity and backstory to manipulate the conversation, contrasting with the beggar's real poverty.
Characters to notice
- Morton Crosby
The main character, a man who enjoys inventing elaborate fictions to evade a beggar's requests.
Key passages
“It was autumn in London, that blessed season between the harshness of winter and the insincerities of summer; a trustful season when one buys bulbs and sees to the registration of one’s vote, believing perpetually in spring and a change of Government.”
Autumn in London is a hopeful time, bridging the cold of winter and the false promises of summer, when people optimistically plan for the future.
Sets the ironic, detached tone of the story.
“Nowadays there is no demand for marvellous things that have really happened; the professional writers of fiction turn these things out so much better.”
Real-life marvels are less interesting than well-crafted fictional stories.
Crosby dismisses the beggar's attempt to share his life story, foreshadowing his own use of fiction.