Winter Dreams pt. 5

Winter Dreams pt. 5

By Asa Montreaux

The new man of literary psychoanalysis had a charm about him so enticing, that you forgot after a while that you had felt lured by the strength of the charm in the first place. You were positively intoxicated by the power of his charm.

‘It’d be delightful if you accompanied Rosemary and I on our ski trip this weekend. We would love to have you.’ After he said it, he looked Amory in the eyes, and smiled extraordinarily warmly. Though his smile had that touch of subtlety, not too large, not too forced, that always filled it with an authentic seeming charm.

‘We do not have any plans this weekend. Genevra, darling, would you like to go with them?’

‘Why, I am not sure. It would be marvelous fun. Yes, I think that would be alright.’

‘Yes,’ Amory said. ‘The housekeeper can watch the children again. Richard, we are in for that adventure.’

‘Most excellent,’ Richard said, ‘Most excellent.’ He began eating, and finished a few forkfuls before he spoke again.

‘And then do you think you’ll be returning to New York Amory?’

Amory looked at Richard trustingly, and tried to say what approximately their plans were. ‘Why, yes. We will be returning in the fall. In just a couple months. Then, I will publish my book, assuming it is done. And we will return to society life, hopefully being once again the talk of the town of New York.’

‘That all sounds marvelous,’ Richard said. ‘You have started your new book, yes? How is that going?’

Amory was slightly choked up thinking of how to reply. After a moment or two he said, ‘Well, yes. I have started it. I’ve made it through fifty pages. On a previous draft, I made it through a hundred pages, then threw it out. It was trash. This one, I’ve made it through fifty. It’s better. Though I am not sure it’s good enough.’

‘If you are stuck now. Might I offer a suggestion. Why not use psychological theory in your novel? You should use that to craft the plot of the novel.’

He was so good at giving advice, it was like a scam. Amory thought about what he said and replied, ‘That sounds good, but if you could explain more. I’m not sure quite what you mean.’

‘Certainly,’ Richard said. ‘What if your characters were driven by deep psychological motivations, explained by psychoanalysis. And what if the plot hinged on their psychological motivations? If the mystery of the novel involved figuring out what their psychological motive was?’

Amory felt his eyes water slightly. It was the best idea he had ever heard. ‘Why, Richard, that is brilliant. Never have I had such a good idea, and this is the second time tonight I have thought that.’