Upton Abbey

Of course I watched Downton Abbey-- in case you ever need proof against imputations of any saintly stature on my part.

The ending of the last episode, where a sister marries a titled fellow is the climactic logic of the whole series, and thereby a revelation of contemporary values. Think about that a minute--- the 21st century, and marrying someone with an aristocratic bumper sticker, is the summit of human accomplishment?

Or so I once thought. Could Fellows actually have been hinting at a subtler vision wherein verbal complexities unite and push forward human understanding of our universal precipitous condition? 'Title' then might be pointing to verbal reality itself, and 'marriage', the present moment, which must assume an illusory completeness, actually shredding in the breath of speaking.

Surely I joke...