Diary of a Nobody

In amidst the scandal books of the Victorian era George Grossmith wrote The Diary of a Nobody. It is a narrative of stark banality, following the everyday happenings of Charles Pooter. My OUP edition reliably informs us that Pooter is the 'English archetype. anxious, accident-prone, occasionally waspish... (he) epitomizes English Suburban life'. Well yes he does. Although what this should suggest to you is that the narrative is incredibly boring. From encounters with workmen to petty competition with the neighbours it serves as evidence that nothing much changes, one generation takes over the concerns of the other seamlessly. As down in the mouth as all that seems it is not a bad book, brilliantly written and funny, Weedon Grossmith's illustrations pick-up on all the nuances of George's narratives. It has provided a small spring of inspiration.

Moving home from the hectic whirlwind of university to the quiet and foreign realm of my hometown has made be think again over this book. University offers a capsule of responsibility and independence which offers anyone willing incredible opportunities but outside that dome those things which were so important fall by. A new year's committee takes your place. I am not so sad about this. I had a wonderful time and am happy to be moving on. I have things to look forward to come September but just for now, for these 2 months, I have Blackpool.

To this strange nutshell of nostalgia and neglect I return. It really is a lovely place, if you know where to look, at the moment I don't but I am looking. Going to university in York perhaps has spoilt me but it is also encouraged me to find what it is that is good about Blackpool. To start we have a tower and some amazing buildings. No manor houses, castles, cathedrals or ancient libraries but sites of popular culture. Sites of my family's history.

Back to Diary of a Nobody... this might be inconsequential, the details trivial but like the character of Charles Pooter this is life experienced by the majority, why not shine a light on its nuances to find difference?

So here I go, looking