AHPETC – A classical novel in the making

In schools, literature books are often used for character analysis whereby the characters were slowly revealed a little at a time as they entered the story, through their actions, inactions, what they said, what they did not say, and the truths and the lies they committed. The Water Margin is one of the four Chinese classics that told the stories of 108 heroes, wronged by the system, made victims of the state and turned bandits, and then returned to the fold of officialdom.

A book like AHPETC, standing for All Human Personalities Exposed Through Controversy or Conspiracy, would be an interesting addition to the list of local literature books that deserved a place among the great books chosen by MOE for our students. This book is easy to write and very current, and all that needs to be done is to compile all the speeches made in Parliament or articles printed in the local media will do.

And there is a compelling story behind the AHPETC to back up the characters with plots and counter plots, with conspiracies mixed with truths and half truths, with fabricated truths and lies, with virtues and pretentious virtues, and everything that is needed to make a great story. But as the book’s title stands for, it is a fascinating way to reveal the characters, fake and real personalities and goodness of 108 or 109 heroes or anti heroes in the story now playing in Parliament.

Among the sub plots of loyalty, infidelity, deceit and honour, righteousness, treachery, heroes defending the common folks against crooks and bandits, the use of power and threats, oppression, friendship and betrayal, every character will be carefully painted out in great details. There will be the honourable, the generous, the honest, the religious, the reasonable man, the righteous, the statesmen versus the dark side of the vicious and dishonourable, the cheats, the devious, bandits, gangsters, liars, ball lickers, cronies, the untrustworthy, the deceitful, the corrupt, and the sly, and many shades of human characters all at play individually or in combination. Of course the hypocrites would be aplenty. Then there would be the heroes fighting for the poor men against injustice, the plotters and conspirators plotting against the enemies, and for good measures one could even see spies, agents, moles, infiltrators, subversive elements all in the story.

And there is always the moral of the story of the good versus the bad and how the good will triumph over the bad, or evil over goodness, all built around the main plot, the Crime of the Century. The subplots could include coercion and pressure, harassments, subversions and cloak and daggers stuff. Great stuff.

I am so eager to start working on this book for the good of posterity. It would become a classic on understanding human characters and their motivations and ambition, how they compromised themselves for selfish interests. It would join the Hard Truths and other great books like From Third World to First World and the impending and highly expected modern classic From Third World to First World as literary treasures.

Would there be anyone willing to sponsor the publication of such a great classic in the making? I think it will in good company with George Orwell’s Animal Farm and 1984.