Such Is Life · Chapter
Endnotes explained
The author provides a brief note correcting a factual error regarding the ratio of sunlight to moonlight intensity, explaining his choice of the lower proportion due to a personal aversion to effect.
What happens
The author provides a brief note correcting a factual error regarding the ratio of sunlight to moonlight intensity, explaining his choice of the lower proportion due to a personal aversion to effect.
Themes in this chapter
The Nature of Truth and Narrative
The note highlights the author's concern for factual accuracy and the tension between truth and stylistic effect.
Characters to notice
- Tom Collins
The author and narrator, who corrects a factual error in the text.
Key passages
“The proportional intensity of sunlight to moonlight is subject to fluctuations, from many causes, and is therefore variously stated. The highest accepted ratio is 600,000 to 1; the lowest 200,000 to 1. A constitutional repugnance to anything savouring of effect prompted me to indicate the lower proportion. The error in the text unfortunately escaped observation. — T. C.”
The ratio of sunlight to moonlight varies due to many factors, so different figures are given. The highest is 600,000 to 1, the lowest 200,000 to 1. I chose the lower number because I dislike anything that seems exaggerated, but I failed to catch the mistake in the main text.
The author explains his deliberate choice of the lower ratio and acknowledges the error.