The Book of Wonder · Chapter
The Coronation of Mr. Thomas Shap explained
Mr.
What happens
Mr. Thomas Shap, a businessman, begins to escape his mundane life by imagining a fantastical Eastern city called Larkar, where he becomes king. His imagination grows increasingly vivid and consuming, leading him to neglect his real-world responsibilities. He eventually proclaims himself king over all the lands of Wonder and prepares for a grand coronation, but the chapter ends with him being told to go to bed in a mental institution.
Themes in this chapter
Escape and Wonder
Shap's entire journey is an escape from his dreary life into a vivid fantasy world of his own creation.
Ambition and Greed
Shap's desire to conquer more and more cities in his imagination mirrors the insatiable greed of real-world rulers.
Madness and Imagination
The line between imagination and madness blurs as Shap's fantasies consume his ability to function in reality.
Characters to notice
- Mr. Thomas Shap
The protagonist, a businessman who escapes into a fantasy world where he becomes king, ultimately losing touch with reality.
Key passages
“It was the occupation of Mr. Thomas Shap to persuade customers that the goods were genuine and of an excellent quality, and that as regards the price their unspoken will was consulted.”
Mr. Shap's job was to convince customers that the products were authentic and high-quality, and that the price matched what they secretly wanted.
Establishes Shap's mundane and deceptive occupation.
“After all, the fancy is as real as the body, he said with perfect logic.”
He reasoned that imagination is just as real as physical existence.
Key moment where Shap justifies his retreat into fantasy.
“The doctors downstairs were sitting over their supper, the warders softly slipped from room to room, and when in that cosy dormitory of Hanwell they saw the king still standing erect and royal, his face resolute, they came up to him and addressed him: 'Go to bed,' they said—'pretty bed.'”
In the mental hospital, the staff found Shap standing like a king and told him to go to bed.
Reveals that Shap's coronation was a delusion occurring in an asylum.