Precipitating Their Downfall

convective precipitation

Old saws like "when it rains it pours" are basically predicated on the pathetic fallacy wherein nature reflects an inner state. For instance, the above makes no meteorological sense. Sometimes a forecast of rain turns into just a wet mist or drizzle. The homily is used in a Casandra-like way to predict doom but also as a sign of good fortune. Taken too far by immature characters who suffer from distortions of perception, you get Don Quixote chasing windmills. The fact is, rain is not a sign of good or bad fortune. Remember those urban legends, tidy summaries of phenomenon based on anecdotal evidence, prized more for their poetic value than veracity? 

read the review of The Kafka Studies Department by Francis Levy in Booklife

and listen to Mr. Pitiful by Otis Redding