Against the Day. Semi-spoiler for some.

[Mark Kohut]

Have reread in a class-- in preparation for seeing-- The Tempest. Again.
But it has been decades, although reread since.. (Saw a production
in a New York Park but not THE PARK one).
This was one of my favorite Shakespeare plays back in my youthful
tempest-toss'd days.

Anyway, we know TRP alludes to The Tempest more than a few times, and very
noticeably at the beginning of AtD.
Even echoing 'cheerly' right off. The Chums world a brave new world (before
Huxley's meanings), at least it is the vision
at the Chicago World's Fair, right?

Anyway, reencountering some deeper themes in ithe play again, this
possibility, among a few others, hit me the strongest:
The island is 'enchanted' by Prospero via Ariel, magic mingling with the
non-magical until, at the end, all the revels
are ended and magic is gone.

AtD is full of magic from the Chums of Chance themselves, thru invisibility
thru the little ball of fire thru Lew's divining until,
when the two sets of Chums almost preternaturally-- magically-- merge and
fly off as we know...leaving a disenchanted world?
Resting, as Prospero's island, on pure rationality in history. (with, of
course, P's deep irony added)