Charles Heber Clark – författare

Light humour, 1860s style, via short chapters that are self-contained stories but with some recurring characters. True to the subtitle there is no plot. A fun read. (Goodreads)

Excerpt: “If Peter Menuit had never been born, it is extremely probable that this book would not have been written. Mr. Menuit, however, had nothing to do with the construction of the volume, and his controlling purpose perhaps was not to prepare the way for it. Peter Menuit was a Swede who in 1631 came sailing up the Delaware River in a queer old craft with bulging sides and with stem and stern high in the air. Moved by some mysterious impulse, he dropped his anchor near a certain verdant shore and landed. Standing there, he surveyed the lovely scene that lay before him in the woodland and the river, and then announced to his companions his determination to remain upon [Pg 26] that spot. He began to erect a town upon the bank that went sloping downward to the sandy beach, and his only claim to the immortality that has been allotted to him is that he created what is now New Castle. It would be pleasant, if it did not seem vain, to hope that New Castle will base its aspirations to enduring fame upon the circumstance that another humble personage came, two hundred years and more after Menuit''s arrival, to live in it and to tell, in a homely but amiable fashion, the story of some of its good people, and to say something of a few of their peculiarities, perplexities and adventures."

The story of a professor and his daughter shipwrecked on a magical island stuck in the Middle Ages. This story led to rivalry with fellow humorist Mark Twain. Clark accused Twain of plagiarising parts of “The Fortunate Island” in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court.

Elbow-room: A novel without a plot embraces humor and playful digression in place of a conventional storyline, offering a series of lively episodes centered on village life. Rather than building toward dramatic resolution, the narrative delights in everyday absurdities, presenting eccentric personalities whose conversations and mishaps highlight the quirks of human behavior. The idea of elbow room becomes a metaphor for personal freedom, suggesting the desire for space in thought, action, and social expectation. Through exaggerated situations and ironic commentary, the work gently satirizes ambition, domestic tensions, and community pretensions. Its loosely connected sketches create a rhythm driven by wit rather than suspense, allowing reflections on relationships and small town dynamics to unfold with cheerful unpredictability. The village setting serves as a stage for observing vanity, misunderstanding, and harmless folly, transforming ordinary events into comic spectacle. Beneath the light tone lies an affectionate portrait of shared imperfections and social bonds. By discarding rigid structure, the book celebrates imagination and spontaneity, inviting readers to find amusement in the freedom of narrative wandering and the charm of unrestrained storytelling.