The Fat Man in History (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Peter Carey
- First Published: 1974
- Type of Plot: Absurdist
- Time of Work: A vague post-revolution future
- Setting: Unspecified English-speaking country
- Principal Characters: Alexander Finch, Milligan, Glino, May, Fantoni, The-man-who-won’t-give-his-name, Nancy Bowlby
- Genres: Short fiction
- Subjects: Politics, Sex or sexuality, Leadership, Revolutions, Future, Food, Corruption, Obesity, Cannibalism, Experiments
The Story
Alexander Finch, gross and obese, walks out of a department store with bed sheets he has stolen, as well as with several cans of smoked oysters that fill the large pockets of his floppy trousers. Struggling through the revolving door, he reflects on the irony that, since the revolution, to be fat is to be an oppressor. Before the revolution, “most fat men were either Americans, stooges for the Americans, or wealthy supporters of the Americans.” However, with the collapse of the “old Danko regime,” everything has changed. Finch had once been a lovable blimp, a...
[The entire page is 1376 words long]
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