Memoirs of a Midget · Chapters

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Chapter companions for Memoirs of a Midget by Walter de la Mare.

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Chapter 1
Dedication
The author dedicates the work to the memory of their mother.
Chapter 2
Epigraph
The epigraph presents three quotations that evoke themes of wildness, captivity, and the tension between earthly existence and celestial grace, setting a contemplative and somewhat melancholic tone for the book.
Chapter 3
Memoirs of a Midget
The narrator reflects on their unique perspective as a person of small stature, navigating a world not built for them. The chapter explores themes of otherness, performance, and self-discovery through the narrator's interactions with society and their own internal world.
Chapter 4
Lyndsey
The chapter introduces Midget Lyndsey, a performer at the circus, and explores the dynamics of the circus world, touching on themes of performance, otherness, and the strange allure of being on display.
Chapter 5
I
The narrator introduces herself, correcting a false newspaper account of her life. She describes her birthplace in Lyndsey, Kent, and her childhood home, Stonecote. She recounts early memories: watching her father shave, a jackdaw at the window, and an encounter with the cat Miaou. She portrays her father as a gentle, scholarly man with many unfinished projects, and her mother as a beautiful, sometimes distant figure. The chapter establishes the narrator's small stature, her love of nature, and the bittersweet atmosphere of her early years.

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