When Does "The Lost Chinese" (1959) Take Place?
"The Lost Chinese" (released to American audiences as "The Case of the Difficult Husband") is a comedy short story written by Robert Graves that released December 1959. So when is "The Lost Chinese" set?
It takes place in the year:
We know this because as the main action is beginning, the narrator tells us "Just before the rockets soared up in honour of San Pedro two years later," just after the final New Year's Day 1955 AD part of the prologue.
1957 AD
We know this because as the main action is beginning, the narrator tells us "Just before the rockets soared up in honour of San Pedro two years later," just after the final New Year's Day 1955 AD part of the prologue.
1,955 + 2 = 1,957.
Additionally, the narrative starts with an extended multi-part prologue:
-First, very early on the narrator directly labels the beginning: "This was June 1952 - just before Willie Fedora appeared in Muleta and rented a cottage. The United States Government was paying Willie a modest disability grant, in recognition of 'an anxiety neurosis aggravated by war service in Korea' "... Indeed, the United States of America had become involved in and it is most likely June of 1952 AD.
-Next, "In 1953, Muleta suffered a financial crisis." So presumably the next section takes place in 1953 AD.
-Finally, we’re directly told that "On New Year's Day, 1955, he"... so this short portion of the tale is set on January 1st, 1955 AD.
