"My Novel" — Volume 12

A lively, if chaotic, family reunion sets the stage as the Caxton clan gathers around their narrator, each eager to steer the fate of the characters they adore—or despise. Mothers, fathers, captains, and eccentric relatives volley opinions about lovers, villains, and tragic heroines, invoking literary precedents and even the absurd science of phrenology to justify their theories. Their frantic debate turns the scene into a theatrical chorus, blurring the line between audience and author.

Amid the clamor, a calm, almost iron‑willed narrator—Pisitratus—asserts that once a character awakens, it escapes the writer’s control, bound instead to its own inevitable destiny. This meta‑dialogue mixes humor with a sly critique of Victorian melodrama, exploring how personalities, society, and unseen forces shape outcomes. Listeners will be drawn into a witty, self‑aware tale that questions who truly holds the pen: the creator, the characters, or the unseen currents of fate.