Enigmatic Variations 1629 Ceaselessly by Curmudgeon

There is a quotation around the perimeter missing ‘Ceaselessly’ and extra letters in down clues give an instruction.

A pretty straight forward EV this week – some uncommon words but nothing too difficult to deduce.

The extra letters in the downs spell out LAST LETTERS OF CLUES with the last letters of the across clues spelling out SHAFDE WHO SPEAKS GATSBYS END.

The perimeter reveals itself as So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past uttered by NICK CARRAWAY in the fourth row from the base starting in the first column.

The Great Gatsby being the theme – Thanks Curmudgeon for a gentle work out

Key: * anagram, DD double definition; rev. reversed; underline definition

Across
8 Novels perhaps essentially in language of some Swiss (7)
romans (novels) + h (perHaps essentially) = ROMANSH

10 Urinates over old ultimately rubbishy homemade fireworks in Perth (6)
pees (urinates) around o(old) + y (ultimately rubbishy) = PEEOYS

11 Drank small mouthfuls of Pepsi on front of deck at sea (6)
(pepsi + d) * = SIPPED

12 Gathers into herd and gloats around dead (6)
crows (gloats) around d(dead) = CROWDS

13 Pleasure-boat mostly overturned to roughly seize (4)
Rev. barge (pleasure boat – contemporary it is) – e = GRAB

15 Odd pence for joint from cow (4)
rum(odd) + p (pence) = RUMP

16 Hang tough from time to time with eager relish (4)
hAnG tOuGh = AGOG

17 Confused state runs place for unloading cargo (4)
pie (confused state) + r (runs) = PIER

18 Curiously apropos male chromosome in plant development without spores (8)
(apropos + Y)* = APOSPORY

20 Growing out initially nasty afro within summer in Gap (5)
N + A (initially nasty afro) in ete (summer in Gap (France) = ENATE

21 Spirit I’d backed in Islamic judge (4)
ka (spirit) + Rev. I’d = KADI

22 Fearless human endlessly involved in means inadequate for proposed idea (12, two words)
(fearless huma)* = HALF MEASURES

25 Deceptive lack of reality of our silliness running amok (12)
(our silliness)* = ILLUSORINESS

30 Official Yankee shop selling drinks (4)
off (official) + y (yankee) = OFFY

32 Might in the past primarily shed togs after last month of spring (5)
may (last month of spring) + s + t (primarily shed togs) = MAYST

34 Receptacles for treasure muddling a new sherpa (8)
a n sherpa)* = HANAPERS

35 Toughness is great in Tarbert (4)
DD GRIT

36 Devil to arrest in casual circles (4)
DD NICK

37 Vehicle with resistance in area of boggy scrub (4)
car (vehicle) + r (resistance) = CARR

38 Directions of motion of cycling sway (4)
cycle sway = WAYS

39 Restrain revolutionary in ranks (6)
Tie (restrain) + red (revolutionary) = TIERED

40 Independent set in Middle East showing attribute (6)
I (Independent) + put(set) in me (middle east) = IMPUTE

41 Cooked fat’s OK in meatballs in the Deccan (6)
(fats OK)* = KOFTAS

42 Old-fashioned derision of pre- exam test period (7)
mock (pre-exam test) + age (period) = MOCKAGE

Down

L 1 Banking system turning up in every novel (8)
Rev. giro (banking system) + in + all (every) = ORIGINAL

A 2 Make known to Ed base chart skill (6)
e(base) + map (chart) + art (skill) = EMPART

S 3 Europe’s land deployed for coating of seeds (10)
(europes land)* = ENDOPLEURA

T 4 Pushes forward responsibilities admitting empty heart (7)
trusts(responsibilities) around ht (emptty heart) = THRUSTS

L 5 Form of prole, now those considering themselves underprivileged (7, two words)
(prole now)* = NEW POOR

E 6 Cover with gloom lake bottom and ancient vessel even for poets (8)
bed (lake bottom) + ark (ancient vessel) + een (even for poets) = BEDARKEN

T 7 Bard’s proverbial reproach in section of treaty wordiness (6)
Hidden treATY WORDiness = AYWORD

T 9 Quarrel without end about small child’s bags for balls (6)
scrap(quarrel) – p about tot (small child) = SCROTA

E 14 Sincere with reference to beer (4)
re (with reference to ) + ale (beer) = REAL

R 19 Emit in a stream pamphlet including Ireland in outdated vivid description (10)
pour (emit in a stream) + tract (pamphlet) around ir (Ireland) = POURTRAICT

S 23 Sly monkey at heart intent to juggle cheques between accounts (8, three words)
fly (sly) + saki (monkey) + te heart of inTEnt = FLY A KITE

O 24 Helper employed by Picasso is terrific (8)
Hidden picASSO IS TERrific = ASSISTER

F 26 Having keen sight, Errol, say takes in schema now and then (7)
flynn (Errol say) around sChEmA = LYNCEAN

C 27 Big shot comes over maintaining well-informed rule (7)
Rev. comes around up (well-informed) + r (rule) = SUPREMO

L 28 Paramour does not half exaggerate (6)
lover (paramour) + does – es = OVERDO

U 29 Nest’s beauty occasionally with rook young at first (4)
bEaUtY + r (rook) + y (young at first) = EYRY

E 31 Charge one sweetheart in Scotland advanced for fruit (6)
fee(charge) = i (one) + jo (sweetheart in Scotland) + a (advanced) = FEIJOA

S 33 Long story regularly updated in love feasts (6)
saga (long story) + uPdAtEd = AGAPAE