Welcome to 1830s Bermondsey, London’s most notorious slum, a land of gang wars, freak shows and boxing matches. Dr. Grant, a disgraced physician, adopts Wynfield, a ten-year old thief savagely battered by the gang leader for insubordination. The boy grows up to be a slender, idealistic opium addict who worships Victor Hugo. By day he steals and resells guns from a weapons factory. By night he amuses filthy crowds with his adolescent girlfriend, a fragile witch with wolfish eyes. Their tragicomic idyll ends when Wynfield falls under the spell of an elusive benefactress and leaves his bohemian, semi-criminal circle to follow her to Westminster. There, in the company of blue-blooded outcasts, he learns the secret of his origin and the role he is destined to play in the history of England. Invoking the ghosts of English anarchists, Guy Fawkes and Oliver Cromwell, Wynfield enters the world’s biggest tavern – the Parliament, where he meets the most ruthless boy gang in the world – the British aristocracy. Using the mixture of chemicals, satire and horror, Wynfield stages an unforgettable performance and subdues the ruling class – if only for one day.In this scene Wynfield addresses the English aristocracy:
"Let me tell you what is unnecessary - This leather-padded jewelry box! If it goes up in flames with everyone inside, it won’t be the end of England. If anything, it will be a new beginning. We’ll have a miniature America right here. There is much more to England than the vermin that congregates in the Westminster Palace. You won’t be missed one bit, I assure you. Shivering already? I haven’t reached the best part yet. You careless gluttons!” he shouted suddenly. Your own cellars are bursting with wine barrels, yet you still grasp at a chance to get drunk at another man’s expense. You didn’t even think to question what’s inside these cases. You just assumed it was wine, all for you, just like everything else in this world. I don’t expect you pity the children who lose fingers inside factory machines producing your guns. Nor do I expect you to pity the soldiers who are forced to fight with defective weapons. No, you shouldn’t be disturbed by any of this. Your duty is to suffer from migraines, melancholy and insomnia. And my duty is to end your sufferings. Now do not mistake me for a defender of the misfortunate, gentlemen. I myself am just another calloused, unapologetic exploiter. Like the rest of you, I deserve to die. But before I die, I reserve a right to have one last smoke. Start praying, my lords. One spark fallen from the tip of my cigar, and there will be nothing left of the English aristocracy except for a crushed pocket watch. Start praying. Louder! I don’t think God can hear you. . Well, I suppose I’ll have to lead you in prayer. Almighty, have mercy on these selfish cowards, for they don’t know the extent of their vice. Also, we also pray for the people of England, the dirty axel of the golden carriage. Raise them from their gutter and make them all republicans. In the spirit of Guy Fawkes, Oliver Cromwell and my own late father, I pray. Amen."
About Marina Julia Neary:
M.J. Neary is an award-winning historical essayist, multilingual arts & entertainment journalist, poet, playwright and actor. Her poetry has appeared in various literary journals such as Alimentum and The Recorder. She serves on the editorial staff of the Bewildering Stories Magazine. Her historical tragicomedy Hugo in London, featuring the adventures of the French literary genius in England during the Crimean War, was produced in Greenwich, followed by a sequel, Lady with a Lamp: An Untold Story of Florence Nightingale.
In 2007 she was commissioned to collect and publish the memoirs of residents from a retirement community in Stamford, CT. The project involved interviewing over forty senior citizens over the age of ninety. A new Connecticut-based leisure publication Norwalk Beat has recently brought her on board as a steady contributor.
In addition to her writing, Neary has had a career in the performing arts. She has starred in several independent films shot in CT and NY; and, in the 1990s, she competed in various talent pageants in New England.
Find out more at:
www.fireshippress.com
Influences:
http://musicandmeaning.com/forster/works.html
http://charlesdickenspage.com/
Related fiction:
Soulless (The Parasol Protectorate) by Gail Carriger
http://www.gailcarriger.com/
Infernal Devices by K.W. Jeter
http://www.kwjeter.com/
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