May 23, 2023
The language here is fantastic, but as notably: It’s such a pure instance of Clive’s self-denial.
THIS is his moment of clarity? He’s standing in for actors (most of which he vouched were “that way inclined,” at that) in a theatre that was played on for centuries.
The stage wasn’t empty. Poor Clive shrank himself into the role of a conformist squire, stranded himself from true affection, and called it enlightenment.