As "fun" gained influence, mentions of "pleasure" fell by a factor of four.
It's a rare pleasure, falling asleep on a train, especially when the air outside has finally begun to cool.
Bourne, a Brit with a populist streak (remember his Tony-winning "Swan Lake"?), gives his audience a lot of pleasure: falling snow, young love, adorable topiary, and potent music (by Terry Davies, incorporating Danny Elfman's themes from the movie).
The closing passages contain some luxuriant language — "he that loves pleasure must for pleasure fall" more or less encapsulates the entire play — but all the visual extravagance imaginable can't make a compelling whole out of a series of rhetoric-heavy face-offs interspersed with peculiar set pieces: A parade of the seven deadly sins is the most tedious of the lot.
And if not, does pleasure fall into several kinds, one of which — call it "true pleasure" — does?
Venus in the prologue, having enchained the negative denizens of the kingdom of love (Jealousy, Troubles, Suspicions, etc)., finds Cupid and the Pleasures falling asleep: without some abrasion, love becomes boring.
While "Picon Pie" has its nostalgic pleasures, it falls short of a satisfying treat.
For those for whom art is both business and pleasure, the fall-out from the credit crunch has taken a heavy toll.
McCarty's people, like his dogs, may be shaped liked sausages, but their expressions show astonished pleasure in falling leaves, pigskin and (rare, in a picture book) the big game on TV.
If you've ever experienced a rush of achievement from vigorous exercise, or the deep pleasure of falling in love, you have endorphins, oxytocin, neuroproteins and hormones to thank.
