Original artwork, not a still
Mostly Harmless • 1992
The main town was called OhWell. There weren’t any other towns to speak of. Settlement on NowWhat had not been a success and the sort of people who actually wanted to live on NowWhat were not the sort of people you would want to spend time with.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The discouraging place names prepare the reader for an account of failed settlement. The final observation makes the population another reason to avoid the place: wanting to live there becomes a mark against the residents. Description and judgment combine to make the failure seem thoroughly uninviting.
Context reviewed
