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The Arrow
From the dust cover flap: "Dame Venus, Love's lady, was born of the sea," says the old madrigal. The starting point of this nimbly malicious fantasy is a theme rare enough in fiction, an exact suggestion of the psychic and psychological effects of a sea voyage on a young masculine temperament. Not without some definite intention was the head of Aphrodite carved over the transatlantic steamship piers along the Hudson River. Passing from shipboard to the opal twilights and languors of London autumn the victim encounters the famous little statue of Eros in Picadilly Circus.
85 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1927
14 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Morley
372 books194 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
American writer Christopher Darlington Morley founded the Saturday Review, from 1924 to 1940 edited it, and prolifically, most notably authored popular novels.
Christopher Morley, a journalist, essayist, and poet, also produced on stage for a few years and gave college lectures.
American writer Christopher Darlington Morley founded the Saturday Review, from 1924 to 1940 edited it, and prolifically, most notably authored popular novels.
Christopher Morley, a journalist, essayist, and poet, also produced on stage for a few years and gave college lectures.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 11, 2011
2.5
A bizarre 1927 novella about a young American man in London, a Rhodes scholar (as Morley was himself), who is literally hit by one of Cupid's arrows, while crossing Picadilly Circus (where apparently there is a statue of the god). The arrow protrudes from his chest and his back, and is a great inconvenience, because although it's invisible to others, it can be felt, and he's in constant danger of poking people. Navigating bustling 1920s London in this condition is an embarrassment and a challenge for the young man, who finds the arrow impossible to remove and gloomily foresees a life of celibacy. I often enjoy Christopher Morley, who was a literary bigwig in his day but is quite unfashionable now. I think of him as the literary equivalent of a grandfather who remains lovable despite a certain fustiness to his opinions. I especially enjoy his novels Thorofare and Kitty Foyle, but this little book was just too odd, and ultimately too cutesy.
A bizarre 1927 novella about a young American man in London, a Rhodes scholar (as Morley was himself), who is literally hit by one of Cupid's arrows, while crossing Picadilly Circus (where apparently there is a statue of the god). The arrow protrudes from his chest and his back, and is a great inconvenience, because although it's invisible to others, it can be felt, and he's in constant danger of poking people. Navigating bustling 1920s London in this condition is an embarrassment and a challenge for the young man, who finds the arrow impossible to remove and gloomily foresees a life of celibacy. I often enjoy Christopher Morley, who was a literary bigwig in his day but is quite unfashionable now. I think of him as the literary equivalent of a grandfather who remains lovable despite a certain fustiness to his opinions. I especially enjoy his novels Thorofare and Kitty Foyle, but this little book was just too odd, and ultimately too cutesy.
December 12, 2023
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And here we have one of my favourite novels.
The Arrow is a whimsical novella by Christopher Morley. It packs a lot of story into just 85 pages, slowly building to a thrill of an ending.
Or, maybe I'm just a romantic.
Our twenty-two year old narrator sails from New York to London for school, marvelling at the rhythm of the sea and watching the passengers - Americans already missing the ways of home and the Europeans eager for return, and one special woman whose grey evening dress and elegant neckline catches his eye.
They were not to meet.
In London, he walks Shaftsbury Avenue, SoHo, and Charing Cross, pausing in Picadilly Circus to view the centre statue of Anteros, the God of requited love (often mistaken for Cupid).
"His curved wings, tremulous to poise him so, seemed visibly to spread and flatten in the diamond air. Along a slant of shadow, where light was grained with slopes of sunset, sped the unseen flash" and suddenly he is struck through the chest with a shining golden arrow! And only that morning he put on his first British tweeds. Firmly lodged inches in front and inches behind him, but he is the only one who can see it! Seeking help from police and then a doctor, they see just the hole in his shirt - although it inhibits his sitting back, and he is constantly accidentally poking people with its sharp point. Seeking help from his Embassy, he meets an old school friend who gives him an invitation to a society party. That night, across the floor, he looks over to a beautiful woman, and she looks back - their eyes lock - a beautiful woman in a grey evening dress. With a hole in it.
Christopher Morley poetically elevates this little fantasy filled with charm and wit. I love his writing and was lucky to find a small hardcover, first edition from 1927. The first portion is our narrators insightful view of the new world around him. By his accident at the halfway mark, the story turns comical, and there seems no cure. Enter the female, for a romantic and really joyful ending, right up to the final line. I'd love to tell you the whole story, but as my husband said, "stop, stop, I want to read it myself."
A complete pleasure.
And here we have one of my favourite novels.
The Arrow is a whimsical novella by Christopher Morley. It packs a lot of story into just 85 pages, slowly building to a thrill of an ending.
Or, maybe I'm just a romantic.
Our twenty-two year old narrator sails from New York to London for school, marvelling at the rhythm of the sea and watching the passengers - Americans already missing the ways of home and the Europeans eager for return, and one special woman whose grey evening dress and elegant neckline catches his eye.
They were not to meet.
In London, he walks Shaftsbury Avenue, SoHo, and Charing Cross, pausing in Picadilly Circus to view the centre statue of Anteros, the God of requited love (often mistaken for Cupid).
"His curved wings, tremulous to poise him so, seemed visibly to spread and flatten in the diamond air. Along a slant of shadow, where light was grained with slopes of sunset, sped the unseen flash" and suddenly he is struck through the chest with a shining golden arrow! And only that morning he put on his first British tweeds. Firmly lodged inches in front and inches behind him, but he is the only one who can see it! Seeking help from police and then a doctor, they see just the hole in his shirt - although it inhibits his sitting back, and he is constantly accidentally poking people with its sharp point. Seeking help from his Embassy, he meets an old school friend who gives him an invitation to a society party. That night, across the floor, he looks over to a beautiful woman, and she looks back - their eyes lock - a beautiful woman in a grey evening dress. With a hole in it.
Christopher Morley poetically elevates this little fantasy filled with charm and wit. I love his writing and was lucky to find a small hardcover, first edition from 1927. The first portion is our narrators insightful view of the new world around him. By his accident at the halfway mark, the story turns comical, and there seems no cure. Enter the female, for a romantic and really joyful ending, right up to the final line. I'd love to tell you the whole story, but as my husband said, "stop, stop, I want to read it myself."
A complete pleasure.
August 26, 2011
The Arrow by Christopher Morley is his first book to disappoint. Up till now I had thoroughly enjoyed each book I had read by him. There is little of Morley's wit and humor in this telling of the fable of Cupid and Psyche.
What we have is a young American man headed by steamship to England as a Rhodes scholar. Aboard ship he becomes very susceptible to the moods of the sea and especially entranced by a little grey dress. "It was an exquisitely attractive thing, a sort of cool silky stuff with crisp little pleats. Its plain simplicity made it admirably piquant. Somehow I had the feeling that anyone who would wear so delicious a costume must be interesting." He thinks about the dress often during the journey, but never manages to meet its owner. Once in England, he is sampling the delights of London before heading to college and is suddenly stuck by an arrow while in the middle of Picadilly Circus. It is an arrow that only he can see...but which is quite sharp and he must be careful how he stands or walks lest he jab others without meaning to. He has, quite literally, been struck by Cupid. He spends some time trying to remove the thing, visiting a doctor about it, and finally appealing to his Embassy. He is sent to a lecture (to take his mind off his troubles) and there he meets a young woman in a similar predicament.
This is a somewhat interesting story of what happens when Cupid's dart strikes home. As a fable itself, it's not bad. But it definitely lacks the usual Morley pizazz. After Kathleen and The Haunted Bookshop my expectations were quite high. The excitement and adventure just were not there. Two and a half stars.
What we have is a young American man headed by steamship to England as a Rhodes scholar. Aboard ship he becomes very susceptible to the moods of the sea and especially entranced by a little grey dress. "It was an exquisitely attractive thing, a sort of cool silky stuff with crisp little pleats. Its plain simplicity made it admirably piquant. Somehow I had the feeling that anyone who would wear so delicious a costume must be interesting." He thinks about the dress often during the journey, but never manages to meet its owner. Once in England, he is sampling the delights of London before heading to college and is suddenly stuck by an arrow while in the middle of Picadilly Circus. It is an arrow that only he can see...but which is quite sharp and he must be careful how he stands or walks lest he jab others without meaning to. He has, quite literally, been struck by Cupid. He spends some time trying to remove the thing, visiting a doctor about it, and finally appealing to his Embassy. He is sent to a lecture (to take his mind off his troubles) and there he meets a young woman in a similar predicament.
This is a somewhat interesting story of what happens when Cupid's dart strikes home. As a fable itself, it's not bad. But it definitely lacks the usual Morley pizazz. After Kathleen and The Haunted Bookshop my expectations were quite high. The excitement and adventure just were not there. Two and a half stars.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews