I made a Something Understood about Procrastination, focused on heroes. From the world of statecraft we have JFK’s use of delay to avert World War III in the Cuban Missile Crisis, and in contrast Dr Martin Luther King challenging the shameful call from some religious leaders in 1963 for “patience”. Even as the determined opponents of civil rights used every delaying tactic in the battle against segregation.
In the world of fiction I looked at Billy Liar, Hamlet (as performed by Samuel West) angst-ridden Charlie Brown and then the curious case of Jane Austen’s Edward Ferrars. Maybe something got lost between the early 19th century and now, but not telling your beloved that you’ve been secretly engaged to someone else for 4 years doesn’t quite a modern hero make.
Listen again here (till Sunday): And more about the making of it here on the R4 blog.
Further reading
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