Death of Darius

Friday, April 13th., Cadogan Square, London.

Bit under the weather today. Nothing very specific. Usual gastric symptoms. Just felt a little off-colour. Still, I had a decent walk this afternoon and got a few ideas.

I have been wondering if I should have handled the death of Darius in "Clayhanger" differently. I could have had him die whilst in Edwin's care, during the night. Would that have improved the scene and thus the book? Perhaps not. It might have been an indulgence by myself in Edwin as the central character - I think realism demanded that the death occur quietly, and almost unobserved. The other thing that struck me whilst re-reading yesterday was that I make much of Darius' invocations of the name of Clara, but I don't acknowledge through the other characters that he was in fact crying out for his sister-in-law, not his daughter. I can envisage now how Darius might have called out for Clara whilst Edwin and Maggie were both present, their realisation of his meaning, and the exchange of shared understanding by a look.

Come to think of it, if I were writing the book now I would be less circumspect about sex. There is a good deal of hinting at sexual feeling in the book but it stops short of realism in that regard. Times change.