establishment

read the tellier establishment by guy de maupassant the other day. it's a short story, translated from french.

sometimes i think irony is the most misused word in english. some people say ironic when they mean unlucky. some say ironic when they mean coincidental. some say it when they mean incorrect.

the tellier establishment is ironic. it is ironic in a delicious way. it isn't cruel or flashy but sharp and witty (and sometimes cruel and flashy). it actually makes you physically smile as you read it. it's double cream irony; irony with no victim and no snobbery. you don't have to be an english literature professor or an expert on 19th century french history to wallow in the irony, you just have to be a fully paid up member of the human race. it's irony that enlightens; is weightless and free. it's freshly washed and pressed white cotton sheets on a sunny bed.

what is the story about? whores of course. and drinking and sex. yes: irony. delicious irony.