Over the Plum Pudding

"Over the Plum-Pudding" by John Kendrick Bangs is a collection of humorous and fantastical stories, likely written in the early 20th century. The book presents a whimsical narrative that combines the Christmas spirit with a playful commentary on the literary world, framing a series of tales around an imagined Christmas publication that was never realized due to comedic circumstances involving famous authors. The main character, Horace Wilkinson, serves as the editor and narrator, sharing his misadventures and the humorous mishaps that thwarted the publication of this Christmas anthology. At the start of the narrative, the character Horace Wilkinson addresses the curious public about why a promised Christmas book never came to be. He humorously attributes the failure to various renowned authors, including Rudyard Kipling, whose vibrant characters wreak havoc across the stories intended for the collection. As Wilkinson recounts his entanglement with an elite set of literary contributors, he details the amusing anecdotes tied to their contributions, laying the foundation for a satirical exploration of the publishing world while promising an abundance of merriment and mirth characteristic of the holiday season. The opening sets a tone of playful irony, suggesting that while the stories may never have come to fruition, the joy and chaos they imply are very much alive. (This is an automatically generated summary.)