Thursday, December the 16th, 2004
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I appear to have misunderstood the heading of the previous item, which means that what I wrote above is complete nonsense. The club of the title is not a society or association. It is, rather, a bludgeon. “The cardboard club” refers to a weapon made of cardboard which was used as a theatrical prop during the Bodger's Spinney Variety Theatre's production of Istvan Scrimgeour's Pinteresque drama A Few People Sitting Around In The Dark Hating Each Other. The cardboard club appears in the following scene in Act XVIII:
The Iris Murdoch Character : Shall we go on a picnic?
The V S Naipaul Character : (after a pause) Say that again and I'll bash out your brains with a cardboard club.
The Iris Murdoch Character : I expect you will, but what's your motivation?
The V S Naipaul Character : (after a longer pause) Put a sock in it.
The Iris Murdoch Character : Dust and ashes. Ashes and dust.
The V S Naipaul Character bashes the Iris Murdoch Character over the head with the cardboard club, repeatedly. She falls to the ground.
The V S Naipaul Character : Don't say I didn't warn you. I'm going to go and write one of my well-regarded novels.
Exit