The Black Prince Editor's Postscript Summary

  • In his own postscript to "The Black Prince," P. Loxias begins by revealing that Bradley Pearson succumbed to cancer after the other postscripts had been collected. (No, he didn't get the chance to read them before he died.)
  • Given Bradley's death, Loxias says, he's not going to write the long analytical essay that he had planned to include at the end of the book—one that would offer a definitive commentary on Bradley's narrative and the (false, in his opinion) claims made by the various dramatis personae who participated in Bradley's life.
  • Loxias does make a few general comments about the authors of the book's other four postscripts, noting how all of them seem to believe that Bradley was in love with them, and how all of them also use their comments to advertise themselves or polish their public images.
  • Loxias also takes issue with Julian's comments about the nature of art, and he devotes some paragraphs to expounding his own theory on that subject.
  • As he draws his postscript to a close, Loxias describes Bradley's last days. He then responds to the other writers' comments on his identity, though he doesn't reveal himself explicitly.
  • Finally, making a few final comments about the importance and the durability of art, P. Loxias—whoever he may be—signs off.