The Flying Inn

Dover Book

Text Box with description of Book

    As with many of Chesterton's books, we often get the feeling of "I guess you had to be there." There always seems to be so many inside jokes that are lost on the modern reader, and this one contains more than the usual number. Chesterton seems to like to build stories around events current in England at the time, and there are two issues here that are intertwined throughout the book. The first is prohibition, from whence the title comes. Humphrey Pump is forced to close his public house because the sale of liquor is now banned, with the exception of certain establishments (that serve the wealthy and prestigious, of course). Therefore the law is that one may only purchase alcoholic beverages where there is a standing sign.
    The other underlying theme is Chesterton's commentary on "Modernism," which in this case is the integration of Eastern lifestyle into modern English society, particularly the embracing of the Moslem religion. But (and this is my personal opinion), what Chesterton really excels in is baloney, and this book is certainly full of it!
As in The Ball and the Cross, this one also has a weak beginning and ending. (In all honesty, I'm not really sure what happens in the end), and if you expect the revealing of the owner of the estate next to Ivywood to be an "aha," you will be disappointed. I didn't even know who the character was—I had to go back to the beginning to find the name, which only appeared in brief. The beginning is equally confusing.
    But let us backtrack. . . .The book begins as Lady Joan Brett strolls the seaside, observing the local nuts, prophets and orators set up along the way, to preach to anyone who has an ear to listen. One in particular catches Joan's attention—a Turk expounding the superiority of the Islamic religion by means of his own very twisted theories including the symbolism of the Crescent, and the necessity of abstinence from alcoholic beverages.
    The next chapter makes less sense than the first, so, upon completing the book, I did a little research. We are transported to Olive Island, (yes there actually is an "Olive Island", in the Mediterranean, named Ugljan), where we meet the King of Ithaca, who it turns out, is formerly of the English Navy, a behemoth Irishman named Patrick Dalroy. In this particular scene, we see a meeting of Dalroy with Lord Ivywood, Dr. Gluck, the German Minister, and the fierce warrior Oman Pasha, in what amounts to a British surrender to the Turks, and the end of Olive Island. The King replied "I offer you an olive branch, and with his enormous strength, pulled up the olive tree behind him and hurled it into the sea, then the second one, then the last remaining olive tree on the island, and said he was going home.
    As a personal note, I had no idea what the symbolism was here, so after reading the book, I did a little research. This book was first published in 1914, but in 1916, the British did lose a battle with the Turks during WWI, and were forced to surrender in a humiliating situation. Interestingly, two important players in the real war were commander Khalil Pasha, Baghdad's military governor who was willing to negotiate with Sir Charles Townshend, commander of the 6^th (Poona) Division , but was instructed by the Minister of War Enver Pasha to demand total surrender by Townshend. Anyways, keep this in mind as you read this book, and also remember the names in the paragraph above, and the book will make quite a bit more sense!
    Now that the characters have been (sort of) established, let us return to England where we see how they interact. We find Patrick Dalroy at The Old Ship, his favorite drinking establishment in the town of Pebblewick. Humphrey Pump has learned that prohibition is now in effect, thanks to the overzealous Lord Phillip Ivywood, and the agents will soon come to close him down. Dalroy, the adventurer, has the brilliant idea to grab a cask of rum, a huge round of cheddar, and of course, the sign in front of the Inn. The fugitives are on the run, just before the agents arrive to smash what remains. (Chesterton seems to be obsessed with the "fugitive" theme, because it constantly appears in his books, sometimes as running away from something, or just running to have adventures.)
    Now, remember, the law at present is that alcohol may be served wherever there is a sign, so Pump and Dalroy use this clause to get up Ivywood's nose. The remainder of the book is a cat-and-mouse game, where the two fugitive mice always end up one step ahead of the cat.
    But Ivywood proves to be even more obnoxious than we at first realize. Remember the Turkish Muslim preaching at the seaside in the first chapter? Ivywood, now that Britain has been forced to surrender to the Turks, decides to elevate this Misysra Ammon to the status of prophet. No longer does he preach on a soapbox, but now in a public building to the local elite. Ivywood's idea of "Modernism" is to integrate Islamic beliefs and customs into British life, which also includes vegetarianism and filling his own personal mansion with "Oriental" art. All Pump and Dalroy (and most of the other characters) want is to be able to visit a pub as they please, and continue with the normal life they have been accustomed to. The story is a constant clash between the two, with Dalroy uncovering quite a few "inconsistencies."
    Of the three Chesterton books I have read thus far, this one is my least favorite. I have some real issues here. First, I couldn't care less about prohibition. I have never had an interest in consuming alcohol, and I find Chesterton's glorification of drunkenness distasteful. But even more offensive, is the foolish way he portrays the Muslim religion. I really don't think he meant it as an insult to those of the Islamic faiths—in fact, I think he was more at pointing out the ignorance of the British hierarchy—but in any case, I think a book like this would be condemned by many in our current age. And lastly, I think all the "songs" and "poetry" could have been deleted and the book would have read much better, and probably fifty pages shorter. But, as I always say, even when a book is not a favorite—I am still glad I read it. (If I didn't like it that much, it would have gone into the bag of Goodwill donations, unfinished.) There are many moments of humor, and points to ponder. Chesterton was most likely a very unique guy, with a creative way of putting his ideas into his characters. See for yourself!

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