The New Trollope. Mad Towers and MP

My favorite 19the century novelist is Anthony Trollope. As critics have pointed out you can't always remember the plot of his novels,but it's the characters that live with you.

Well, Trollope is gone so what do we do to find such 'memorable' friends. In this age of new and faster forms of communication, I go to Mad Towers blog. The characters are rich in slight quirks and are a delight to follow. Where else can you find Mimi, Jim, 'doxy', DAH-veed, Elizabeth, Tracie, IT and so many other hard to forget characters. In the days ahead, I shall attempt very brief sketches of the above and others. They will not be offended if a posibly unkind remark slips in due to misinterpretation; they do not read this blog---which gives me a good deal of latitude.

But first, a brief introduction to the master of Mad Towers. We actually know very little about him, but his general character is rather easily determined by reading his writings. We know little about his physical bearing since he apparently uses a flattering caraciture on the pages of his journal. One suspects that he is older than is shown and, based on a remark here and there, a bit more...porcine?

He is married to a desperate or saintly librarian. He loves to call himself Mad Priest, possible as a preemtive strike. Mad, as used here, has two possible denotations. Mad, as in mentally unbalanced; mad as always angry at the world in general. The best critical guess would be a combination of both uses.

MP, as he is sometimes called, tells us in one of earlier writings (indeed in a sermon) that he was confined to a mental institution(I hate to use the 'old' word asylum) for several years . He clearly is not writing of mild depression or bi- polar syndrome but a catatonic state brought about by fear of the world outside his cell---excuse me, room. At some time---it is not clear---he was released. As they say about cancer, you are never cured, but just a survivor. The left overs of his problem are still apparent as his writing clearly show. He still presents, to a degree, an exaggerated fear for his shaken self image by striking out, often to an extreme, at any who do not lavish him with praise---even including the members of his "community" or his "neighborhood" as he now calls his cyber friends.

As to the second meaning of "Mad," this is confirmed by his blatant striking out at the church he works for. After many years as a curate in the Church of England---a curate being just an assistant---not a vicar, much less a higher status---MP, in his resentment, should be a prime candidate for an "anger management" tutorial.

From the two "madnesses", MP likes to see himself as the first cyber prelate. To achieve this status he, until recently, kept a constant plead for money at Mad Towers, usually as he admits for his own use. He has now dispensed with his "love gift" appeals as even his most devoted followers thought it was in bad taste.

But there is good news. MP needs a support group. We all do. Most find such a group from their families and friends. Lacking these, apparently, he finds his support in the cyber world. And a loyal and kind group they are. The basic routine is this: He 'posts' something and is showered with acclaim. If the acclaim is not great enough MP lashes back with a blistering response. The recipient of the response (maybe with a touch of masochism) or fear, or kindness follows up with an abject apology.

Now those who think we might see the beginning a cult here, may be right. But hold your judgement, till we can examine some of the characters in his world. Is MP the new Jim Jones(of mass suicide fame) or the new Trollope?I lean to the latter.