The Tragedy of Arthur (2011) (edit title/settings)

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit see section history

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Characters/People edit see section history

• Arthur Philips: Protagonist and narrator. Arthur is writing the introduction to a lost owrk of Shakespeare given to him by his father.
• Dana: Add a description of this character.
• Prince Arthur
• William Shakespeare
• Petra
• Ted Constantine
• Jana
• Jennifer Hershey
• Maria
• Artie
• Mr. Phillips
• Duke
• Uter
• Tom
• Gunter
• Alexander
• Joan
• Sumner
• Doug
• Chuck Glassow
• Vermeer
• David
• Lincoln
• Heidi
• Love
• Sil
• John
• Mary
• Philip
• Marlowe
• James
• Bert
• Brown

Quotes edit see section history

• “A child's memory is poor because extraordinary events--I went to a party! I tied my shoes!--occur in a world where Fridays are frequent but irregular, and hours swell and shrink. Older brains fritz because no event is sharp enough to trench into memory's gravel. Eventually, little occurs that hasn't occurred in a thousand identical yesterdays, yesterday and yesterday and yesterday sinking back out of view behind you, and your neck is daily stiffer, resists turning to look.”

• “I turned on my side, away from the window, to see the old dolls under her bed, sidelit from the hall, ignored for years now but still carefully glued in position under their sleeping mistress, awaiting her renewed interest, voices, animation, never to return. Their tea poured, glances forever discreetly exchanged in the crowded tea party, hopes forever suppressed behind pursed plastic lips.”

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• the evaporation of jealousy is as pleasurable an emotion as any I know;

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• “All our skill at disproving things is like a wall we build between us and wonder. To jump that wall, you need a long running start.”

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• But dye sets in, and what was once an affectation can become our truest self.

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• The first stage of turning a writer into a god requires some intellectual bullying: if you don’t like him, you might be slow.

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• “My dear Watson, I cannot agree with those who rank modesty among the virtues. To the logician all things should be seen exactly as they are, and to underestimate one’s self is as much a departure from truth as to exaggerate one’s own powers.”

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• Our father amazed us and won our love not because he treated us like children, but because we thought he was treating us like adults, and adulthood was just a much better childhood.

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• More pop psychology: the writer writes to create a world he can control and manipulate because he finds himself stymied by what the rest of you so blithely call “reality.” Yes, possibly.

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• She was a marathon parent, not a sprinter, an old-fashioned parent who could exist in her own world without longing to be part of ours.

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• to be reassured of one’s importance is proof positive of one’s failure to be preeminently important.

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• Over the years, I have pulled out all these meanings as needed to garb my naked actions. Philosophy is inclination dressed in a toga.

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Setting & Locations edit see section history

• Gloucester
• Cumbria
• London
• Britain
• Minneapolis
• England
• Guenhera
• New York
• Saxons
• Scotland
• Wales
• Minnesota
• Cornwall
• Venice
• Prague
• Ireland
• Random House
• France
• Pictland
• Stratford
• Shylock
• Bohemia
• Holinshed
• Caerleon

First Sentence edit see section history

Series & Lists edit see section history

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. Arthur Phillips (Author) - Phillips is the author of the best selling novels Prague, The Egyptologist, Angelica and The Song is You.

First Edition edit see section history

Classification edit see section history

• Library of Congress: PS3616.H45 T73 2011
• Dewey: 813.6

Subjects edit see section history

• Books › Literature & Fiction › Literary

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

• Arthur Phillips official website
• New York Times Book Review: With “The Tragedy of Arthur” Mr. Phillips has created a wonderfully tricky Chinese puzzle box of a novel that is as entertaining as it is brainy. If its characters are a little emotionally predictable, we don’t mind all that much: we’re more interested in seeing how the author cuts and sands his puzzle pieces, assembles them into a pretty contraption and then inserts lots of mirrors and false bottoms.