Reading the "Novel of Manfred MacMillen" by Jiří Karásek ze Lvovic , a turn of the century decadent author . The novel is suposedly weird too , like his "Gothic Soul" novelette . As for his short fiction I have read in the past : the aforementioned novelette and the stories dealing with paganism , as well as one or two christian ones were okay , but most of his other stories - especialy his "Legend of Marie Electa from Jesus" , were nothing more then gigantic advertisements for christianity , the oposite of what he was hailed as a writer of in the book's introduction .
Worse that short story features stuff like an eight year old girl being so saintly she not only almost does not eat , but whatever she must eat she infests with a repungent essence , just so she won't enjoy eating.......yeah the whole thing is pro hardliner catholic , all about the virtues of self denial , life long incarceration , self mutilation etc. It's prety bad when a work has a general premise you disagree with , but when it literaly presents ideas and thesis' - and these as absolutely correct and the only truthfull- on every page with which you not only disagree with - but violently disagree with , it doesn't make for too enjoyable of a read .
Oh and in one part of the story a woman , descended from one of the protestant families who rebelled against the Habsburgs , and whose 27 leaders were executed - which is seen as one of the largest national tragedies leading to a period of little to no independence and full germanisation of the country , comes to Marie Electa because she thinks she is damned by the sin of her blood - and the dear Marie does the one thing logical to console her : she kills her .
In a "miraculous" way so that it's actualy a feat of her saintlyhood , rather then just plain out murder , but stil she bloody well kills her nonetheless and everyone seems happy with it .
So you could say I'm a little worried .
-Obligatory shout out to J.D. due to my lenghty absence-
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