E.V Lucas The Town Week Summary

The essay begins with the idea that “Mondayish” is the only word that conveys a positive and peculiar character, as it is not the only day with a specific character. The other words, such as “Tuesdavish” or “Wednesdavish,” also convey similar meanings, but Monday’s flatness is considered a virtue compared to Tuesday’s flatness.

Monday can be flat enough, but in a different way from Tuesday. Monday is flat because one has been idling, perhaps unconsciously absorbing notions of living like the lilies, and so many days must pass before the week ends. However, Tuesday has the essential flatness of nonentity, and it is nothing. On Tuesday, you touch the depths, and the menu is difficult to spell.

With all its faults, Monday has a positive character, bringing a feeling of revolt and reconciling us to the machine. It is not surprising that recent American revivalists held no meetings on Mondays, as it was a mark of their astuteness. However, Tuesday evening’s glittering star is of the brightest, as nothing comes a flat day as the death of it.

With Wednesday, the week stirs itself, turns over, and begins to wake. There are matinées on Wednesday, some of the more genial weekly papers come out, and the very word has a good honest round air. Things and adventures might happen very naturally on Wednesday, but that nothing ever happened on a Tuesday. In summer, Wednesday has often close finishes at Lord’s, and it is a day on which one’s friends are pretty sure to be accessible.

Even politicians realized for many years that Wednesday was a day on which they had no right to conduct their acrimonious business for more than an hour or so. Much of the tailure of the last Government mav can be traced to their astute decision no longer to remember Wednesday to keep it holy.

On Thursday, the week falls back a little, and the stirring of Wednesday is forgotten; there is a return to the folding of the hands. Thursday is a good honest day, but not strong and downright and fine about it.

Friday is grouped with Wednesday as a day that can be friendly to me, but it has not Wednesday’s quality. Wednesday is calm, assured, urbane, while Friday allows itself to be a little flurried and excited. Friday stands alone, but it has some virtue: it is the beginning of the end, the forerunner of Saturday and Sunday. If anticipation is better than realization, Friday is perhaps the best day of the week, as one spends much of it in thinking of the morrow and what of good it should bring forth.

Saturday and Sunday pass from the region of definable days, as they are what we individually make of them. For most people, Saturday is not exactly a day at all, but a collection of hours, part work, part pleasure, and all restlessness. Sunday is even more different as people are different.