Gossamer

The narrator, recovering from a battle wound, reflects with friends on the corrosive effects of patriotic fervor after their companion Ascher is spiritually torn by loyalty; another friend, Gorman, embodies energetic but theatrical nationalism while balancing literary ambitions. Episodes shift between domestic conversations and travel scenes, including the narrator's arrival in New York, observations of urban life and social liminality, and a comic evening at a circus that exposes personal contrasts. Through wry satire and character study the work examines identity, belonging, the performative nature of politics, and the tensions between artistic temperaments and public life.