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Peter Whiffle

Chapter 4: TO THE MEMORY OF MY MOTHER, ADA AMANDA FITCH VAN VECHTEN
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About This Book

This work presents a fictional biography of an enigmatic character named Peter Whiffle, exploring his life, thoughts, and artistic struggles through the lens of his friend and literary executor. The narrative delves into Whiffle's complex relationship with writing and creativity, highlighting his reluctance to publish and his philosophical musings on art and existence. The author reflects on their friendship, the impact of Whiffle's ideas, and the legacy he leaves behind, despite never having completed a work of his own. Themes of uncertainty, the nature of artistic expression, and the bonds of friendship permeate the text.

TO THE MEMORY OF

MY MOTHER,

ADA AMANDA FITCH VAN VECHTEN

"'Tingling is the test,' said Babbalanja, 'Yoomy, did you tingle, when that song was composing?'

"'All over, Babbalanja.'"

Herman Melville: Mardi.

"We work in the dark—we do what we can—we give what we have. Our doubt is our passion, and our passion is our task. The rest is the madness of art."

Dencombe: The Middle Years.

"Les existences les plus belles sont peut-être celles qui ont subi tous les extrêmes, qui ont traversé toutes les températures, rencontré toutes les sensations excessives et tous les sentiments contradictoires."

Remy de Gourmont: Le Chat de Misère.

"The man who satisfies a ceaseless intellectual curiosity probably squeezes more out of life in the long run than any one else."

Edmund Gosse: Books on the Table.

"O mother of the hills, forgive our towers;
O mother of the clouds, forgive our dreams."

Edwin Ellis.