The Truth About Pyecraft
Encyclopedia
"The Truth About Pyecraft" is a British
fantasy
-comedy
short story
by H.G. Wells. It was originally published in The Strand Magazine (April 1903), and then included in the Twelve Stories and a Dream story collection, in 1903. It has been frequently reprinted.
Mr. Pyecraft is a patron of a London
club, who usually pesters Mr. Formalyn, to the point that the latter eventually decides to write Pyecraft's true story, for revealing an unbelievable, yet embarrassing, secret which is shared by both.
In the beginning of Formalyn's account, the rotund Pyecraft usually annoys him, with his boring stories and particularly about his obesity troubles. Eventually, Formalyn brings an orphic weight-loss recipe of his Hindustan
i great-grandmother, and Pyecraft tries it for some time. Then, Pyecraft telegraphs Formalyn to the club, and so he gets to Pyecraft's Bloomsbury
house, where the housekeeper tells that Pyecraft has been cloistered in his own living room
for the last twenty-four hours. There, he is found, as rounded as ever, floating helplessly in the air, against the ceiling. They conclude that, erroneously, they have literally expected to reduce his weight, not to reduce his fatness.
Formalyn helps then, adding divers handling aids for Pyecraft, so he can live up there. Whereas portable stairs help for serving him at the top of the bookcase
, Pyecraft gets down through handling a couple of heavy tomes of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. Some time later, it occurs to Formalyn that Pyecraft's garments could be stuffed with heavy lead
pieces, and so he would get definitively aground. Even, he tells, Pyecraft could sail not fearing a shipwreck, for he could just hover ashore after removing some of such weight.
Such system works efficiently indeed, and so Pyecraft returns to the club with Formalyn's assistance, although his porcine life hasn't changed at all. Initially, both agree that they would keep the secret for themselves, as it is embarrassing that an individual has forcibly to do such things, like to creep against the ceiling of a room. However, the obsessive Pyecraft soon starts to annoy him too much.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
-comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by H.G. Wells. It was originally published in The Strand Magazine (April 1903), and then included in the Twelve Stories and a Dream story collection, in 1903. It has been frequently reprinted.
Plot summary
The repellently fatObesity
Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...
Mr. Pyecraft is a patron of a London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
club, who usually pesters Mr. Formalyn, to the point that the latter eventually decides to write Pyecraft's true story, for revealing an unbelievable, yet embarrassing, secret which is shared by both.
In the beginning of Formalyn's account, the rotund Pyecraft usually annoys him, with his boring stories and particularly about his obesity troubles. Eventually, Formalyn brings an orphic weight-loss recipe of his Hindustan
Hindustan
Hindustan or Indostan, literal translation "Land of River Sindhu ", is one of the popular names of South Asia. It can also mean "the land of the Hindus"...
i great-grandmother, and Pyecraft tries it for some time. Then, Pyecraft telegraphs Formalyn to the club, and so he gets to Pyecraft's Bloomsbury
Bloomsbury
-Places:* Bloomsbury is an area in central London.* Bloomsbury , related local government unit* Bloomsbury, New Jersey, New Jersey, USA* Bloomsbury , listed on the NRHP in Maryland...
house, where the housekeeper tells that Pyecraft has been cloistered in his own living room
Living room
A living room, also known as sitting room, lounge room or lounge , is a room for entertaining adult guests, reading, or other activities...
for the last twenty-four hours. There, he is found, as rounded as ever, floating helplessly in the air, against the ceiling. They conclude that, erroneously, they have literally expected to reduce his weight, not to reduce his fatness.
Formalyn helps then, adding divers handling aids for Pyecraft, so he can live up there. Whereas portable stairs help for serving him at the top of the bookcase
Bookcase
A bookcase, or bookshelf, is a piece of furniture, almost always with horizontal shelves, used to store books. A bookcase consists of a unit including two or more shelves which may not all be used to contain books or other printed materials. Shelves may be fixed or adjustable to different positions...
, Pyecraft gets down through handling a couple of heavy tomes of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. Some time later, it occurs to Formalyn that Pyecraft's garments could be stuffed with heavy lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
pieces, and so he would get definitively aground. Even, he tells, Pyecraft could sail not fearing a shipwreck, for he could just hover ashore after removing some of such weight.
Such system works efficiently indeed, and so Pyecraft returns to the club with Formalyn's assistance, although his porcine life hasn't changed at all. Initially, both agree that they would keep the secret for themselves, as it is embarrassing that an individual has forcibly to do such things, like to creep against the ceiling of a room. However, the obsessive Pyecraft soon starts to annoy him too much.
Adaptations
- The story was adapted as part of the third episode of the 2001 miniseries, The Infinite Worlds of H. G. WellsThe Infinite Worlds of H. G. WellsThe Infinite Worlds of H. G. Wells is a four-hour miniseries conceived by Nick Willing and released in 2001 by the Hallmark Channel. It is based on a number of short stories by H. G. Wells, and in some territories was titled The Scientist.-Production:...
.