Exhibitionism of a Cheap and Demeaning Nature

They're screening Bleak House on the ABC at the moment. It seems to consist, for the main part, of wigs, frilly dresses, and anaemic actors bustling about reciting obscure names at one another. The English on the whole do seem to be rather fond of drama with actors bustling about and reciting names at one another. In fact, this description could probably apply to all English drama, from any period whatsoever. It goes right back to Shakespeare; all that other stuff with actors running around and chopping one another's heads off and so on is essentially just superfluous detail. You can't just have Mr X and Mrs Y running about stage slaughtering everyone. If they don't have any names, then you just can't feel any sympathy with them. This is why the English came to rule the world: it's all very well to get sent off to war by some English commander with a moustache, but if you learn that that chap with the moustache is designated with the eponym 'Kitchener', then your feelings become altogether more warm and amiable ...

On an unrelated note, there's a film on late-night ABC tomorrow that the critic describes as "Exhibitionism of a cheap and demeaning nature, and you have to feel sorry for those who agreed to assist in its production." Gosh, now he puts it that way, how can you not watch it?