Quia Imperfectum 1918

Quia Imperfectum 1918

The work explores the allure of unfinished artistic endeavors, positing that incomplete works possess a unique charm that captivates the imagination. The narrator reflects on the significance of such pieces, contrasting them with completed masterpieces, and suggests that the potential of unfinished art invites deeper contemplation. The narrative centers on the relationship between a renowned poet and a painter, detailing their collaboration on a portrait that remains incomplete due to the painter's sudden departure. The poet, celebrated for his literary genius, embarks on a journey to Italy, where he meets the painter, who is eager to capture his likeness. Their initial camaraderie flourishes as they explore Rome, with the painter diligently working on the portrait. However, as their travels continue, the painter's enthusiasm wanes, leading to a rift between them. The poet's desire for artistic collaboration clashes with the painter's personal ambitions, culminating in the painter's decision to abandon the project for a new romantic interest. The narrative delves into the complexities of their relationship, highlighting the poet's disappointment and the painter's struggle between duty and desire. The unfinished portrait becomes a symbol of their fractured partnership, representing not only the painter's failure to fulfill his artistic promise but also the poet's unfulfilled aspirations. The work concludes with a poignant reflection on the nature of art, creativity, and the enduring impact of unfinished endeavors, leaving the reader to ponder the fate of the incomplete portrait and its significance in the broader context of artistic expression.

By Max Beerbohm · First published 1918 · Genre: Literary Criticism, Essay, Philosophical · 6,010 words

First lines

I have often wondered that no one has set himself to collect unfinished works of art. There is a peculiar charm for all of us in that which was still in the making when its maker died, or in that which he laid aside because he was tired of it, or didn't see his way to the end of it, or wanted to go on to something else. Mr. Pickwick and the Ancient Mariner are valued friends of ours, but they do not preoccupy us like Edwin Drood or Kubla Khan. Had that revolving chair at Gad's Hill become empty but a few weeks later than it actually did, or had Samuel Taylor Coleridge in the act of setting down his dream about the Eastern potentate not been interrupted by 'a person on business from Porlock' and so lost the thread of the thing for ever, from two what delightful glades for roaming in would our fancy be excluded! The very globe we live on is a far more fascinating sphere than it can have been when men supposed that men like themselves would be on it to the end of time. It is only since we heard what Darwin had to say, only since we have had to accept as improvisible what lies far ahead, that the Book of Life has taken so strong a hold on us and 'once taken up, cannot,' as the reviewers say, 'readily be laid down. ' The work doesn't strike us as a masterpiece yet, certainly; but who knows that it isn't -- that it won't be, judged as a whole?

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Quia Imperfectum 1918 is listed on Textopian as a short story by Max Beerbohm, dated 1918 CE.

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Satire · Humor · Social Commentary · Literary Fiction · Novel · English Literature · 20th Century Literature · Absurdism · Dark Comedy · Critique of Society · Class Satire · Intellectual Humor

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