Column Chronicles
 
The rise of Humpty Dumpty's fall, part one
 
 
Frank Cotolo
April 5, 2018
 
No nursery rhyme has ever been more analyzed or scrutinized more than Humpty Dumpty. Made into a children's tale to disguise it for being a political satire, its author - still unknown - told the story of an anthropomorphic egg that sat on a wall and fell, cracked and could not be fixed by the king's men.
 
Through the years Humpty's references to history have been theorized by one man in particular - the renowned Professor Reginald B. Spacey. Before his death in 19-something or other, Dr. Spacey wrote numerous volumes discussing many literary angles about the egg man and his brief fame.
 
Recently, at auction, what is thought to be a complete set of all Spacey's Humpty Dumpty volumes was sold to a multi-billionaire whose name was kept a secret. No one knows the exact order in which the books were written. Spacey was a recluse and published the books himself, writing each copy by hand and selling them out of a wagon he disguised as a medicine show. He made a meager living selling the books and raised chickens near his broken down home, selling their eggs under the HD label.
 
The books include the following titles and premises:
 
The Audacity And Ignorance of Humpty Dumpty - The motivations and goals leading to Humpty Dumpty's sit-down upon the brick wall and incidental evidence as to what the egg thought of the action as a statement against the military and royalty of the era.
 
Theories, Controversies, Themes And Political Consequences Involving The Case Of Humpty Dumpty - The author called upon some major philosophers and historians of the times and each contributed an essay about various themes relating to the egg's serious intentions and what they could prove, based upon conjecture, since the egg left no documentation of his actions.
 
The Rise And Fall Of Humpty Dumpty, Volume One - The author attempts to trace the early life of the egg, from his hatching in the early part of the century to growing up as a young egg in a tumultuous time of unrest. Humpty's battle with his own weight is seen as a metaphor for the development of his interest in politics and how it was doomed from the start to fail, though he persisted with the plan that eventually brought him down, literally.
 
The Rise And Fall Of Humpty Dumpty, Volume Two - Spacey concentrated on a stream of events that followed the egg through his primary years and how the influences of humans around him contributed to the radical move that brought him to the brick wall and his demise.
 
To be continued...
 
Frank Cotolo can be found hosting the talk and interview programme Cotolo Chronicles. You can send him an e-mail at this address: frank@148.ca.
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