The clan of the flapdragon and other adventures in etymology

These adventurous essays include lampoons on writing, language, and literature, and the collection is a delightful spoof of much in contemporary culture - especially areas of intellectual pretension. Readers will be entertained by anachronistic allusions, improbable parodies, whimsical etymologies, tongue-in-cheek word play, and stunning purple prose - examples of just some of the liberties Schrapnel takes with the language.

The eccentric Dr. Schrapnel includes a variety of audience reactions in the form of bogus letters from fictional readers, confirming that language and literature are everyone's business.