12) “The Dream-Gown of the Japanese Ambassador” by Brander Matthews

Plot:

World traveler Cosmo Waynflete has just returned to New York, having amassed a collection of curiosities from nearly every corner of the globe. Exhausted, he dons the elaborately embroidered silk robe of the title—one he bought “in a little curiosity-shop in Nuremberg”—and stares into the sunlight hitting a crystal ball he found in a shop within sight of “Fugiyama.” He believes he sees people in the crystal ball. This strikes him as perfectly natural.

He finds himself among the people, no longer Cosmo Waynflete, but a samurai, seeking vengeance for the death of his beloved master. He lies, waiting… and finds himself no longer in Japan, but in ancient Persia, pursued by a dragon. If his steadfast horse were less attentive, it would have been curtains for Cosmo.

These two are just the beginning of Cosmo’s heroic visions/dreams. None of them is resolved.

Thoughts:

Half the fun of this story is Cosmos’s adventures. What is happening? What will happen? It doesn’t have to make sense. It’s one good yarn after another. By the time a friend arrives to wake Cosmo—interrupting one dream—it’s a letdown. That friend then goes on to give routine explanations for every adventure Cosmo had.

Spoilsport.

While this one was enjoyable, the ending was disappointing. A final trick tries to redeem the spirit of the piece. While it was cute, it didn’t quite make up for the letdown.

The story can be read here.

Bio: Brander Matthews (1852-1929) was an American essayist, drama critic, novelist, and first U.S. professor of dramatic literature. He was admitted to the bar but never practiced law. He was a professor of literature at Columbia University and a critic for The New York Times. His best remember novel is A Confident Tomorrow (1899). He also wrote biographies of French playwright Molière and English playwright Shakespeare.

Title: “The Dream-Gown of the Japanese Ambassador”
Author: Brander Matthews (1852-1929)
First published: Tales of Fantasy and Fact, 1896