A monomaniac's love story

I saw an image of Donald Trump and his children during a recent convention, and I thought it was a portrait of a Stepford family. There was a heatwave, which was about to cool off. But it seemed like I didn't leave the university at all. It would be normal to have small obsessions, but a single fixation could lead to despair. I should know too well after studying literature for two years. I found out that the obsessives weren't the lucky ones in the world.

Captain Ahab came to mind, as scurvy didn't stop him from searching high and low for the albino whale. Maybe he lost his faith, and the Pequod kept his sanity all these years. My professor (in American literature) didn't fancy it. Apart from that, she was impressed at my paper (on "Moby Dick"). She looked at me thoughtfully, as she tried to figure out if I was another literary giant in the making. It made me uncomfortable until I learned a universal truth in fiction. Compulsive reading would bring out the monomania out of anyone. In the case of authors, this could be seen in their prolific works. It was hard to tell if it was a normal thing after reading "Rebecca". I was nervous of Mrs. Danvers, as her extreme case of devotion and loyalty could scare off anyone. As for Dorian Gray, everyone would relate to obsession to youth. But this won't be Oscar Wilde's message to his readers.

Consumed by a single conquest

I was supposed to take a breather, but I kept on thinking about the coursework. Perhaps this could be the flip side of being a budding writer. My housemates looked at me differently after I revealed my views on the other fields. An accountant may turn out to be the most feared individual in the workplace, who was immune from office politics. Human resources tend to be the biggest gossip within the office. A salesperson would be the laziest of them all. I would know, as my neighbor plies that trade. He seemed paranoid and self-centered, which made me dismissive of him. (A marketing without a degree.)

I would embrace this obsession, as it made me a perceptive lad. An unusual trait for teenagers, but studying literature could be an introspective journey. It won't surprise me if Roald Dahl wasn't a pleasant man, as his characters were cruel to children and animals. And they could be insufferable. But he managed to turn their stories into an entertaining romp. It also reflected the black-and-white attitude of kids. My tutor believed his short stories deserved a mention. She wouldn't forget the chill she felt after reading a tale of a woman poisoning young men and turning them into taxidermist models. I thought I was hearing someone else.

I have one year to go, and I would think about a graduate degree. My tutor would attest that an academic career could be intellectually challenging and fun. I didn't doubt it after imagining myself looking through manuscripts, which must be handled with care. I was studying Medieval English, and these documents might provide salacious details on Shakespeare. The original version of "Much Ado About Nothing" could raise eyebrows.

But I must take my mind off the coursework. Surrealism inspired David Bowie. The Little Prince's reminders during these heartless times. The madman in Trump's castle. Interesting headlines.