lackblogger
SasqWatch
- Joined
- November 1, 2014
- Messages
- 4,778
In a book I'm reading currently, published in 1954, I suddenly came upon these lines of text on page 157:
A truly serendipitous line of dialogue to come across in current year. I'm sure I've seen this plot-line/philosophy before in other villains/philosophies. I wonder what work first popularised the idea or whether it was some kind of common thought at some point.
While this isn't the plot of this book, they way they use the phrase so casually but also so specifically suggests to me that this premise goes way back.
"Oh, that." He seemed to come back from far away. "I don't know why he should be dangerous to me, but it's true that by all accounts he's a dangerous sort of chap."
"In what way?"
"Well, he's one of those half-balmy idealists who would quite happily kill off half of humanity if they thought for some reason it would be a good thing."
"I know the sort of person you mean."
A truly serendipitous line of dialogue to come across in current year. I'm sure I've seen this plot-line/philosophy before in other villains/philosophies. I wonder what work first popularised the idea or whether it was some kind of common thought at some point.
While this isn't the plot of this book, they way they use the phrase so casually but also so specifically suggests to me that this premise goes way back.
- Joined
- Nov 1, 2014
- Messages
- 4,778