tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48531879376017418682024-03-12T23:23:59.222+00:00The Talking Oak's Popular Victoriana CompendiumA collection of Victorian personalities and art in late 20th & early 21st Century popular culture. thetalkingoakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10090259987219038836noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853187937601741868.post-833359570952790732016-06-08T12:26:00.001+01:002016-06-08T12:27:33.346+01:00Interlude: A return to the Island in the Lake<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I know, I know for a blog called the Talking Oak I have been silent since December. My PhD schedule has been crazy and finding inspiration for blogging when your mind is on academic stuff is really hard. But I have my annual review on Monday so will be back blogging during the lull in studies after that. The good news is my thesis 'The Celticist Infulences of Tennyson' is coming a long really well, I'm really proud of it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For now though I would like to have a little return to musical versions of The Stolen Child by Yeats that I covered in <a href="http://thetalkingoak.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/chapter-6-come-away-oh-human-child.html">chapter 6</a>. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Recently a beautiful new version by the fabulous American Cellist/Singer <a href="http://www.unwoman.com/">Unwoman</a> as part of a collection of poems put to music.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/unwoman/photos/a.481689922192.277867.83847082192/10152545291692193/">facebook</a></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I
have been a fan of her's for a long time and it is really cool to hear
her tackle one of my favourite poems. I also love how different it is to
the versions I have already talked about. It is amazing that the same
words can be used in so many different ways. While maybe not as mornful
as The Waterboys or Loreena McKennitt's versions, there is still a
sinister darkness that befits the intent of the Faeries in the poem. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Take a listen for yourself:</span></span></div>
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thetalkingoakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10090259987219038836noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853187937601741868.post-5074991472086349942015-12-18T16:21:00.000+00:002015-12-18T16:22:04.802+00:00Chapter 25 - Of Splendour Falls and Roleplaying<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I am a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Role-playing_game">roleplayer</a>. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">It started when I was 12 in the early 90s with <a href="http://dnd.wizards.com/">Dungeons and Dragons</a> and now I spend my Wednesday evenings with friends rolling dice and pretending to be <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire:_The_Masquerade">Vampires</a> in a story one of them devised. One of my favourite games is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Changeling:_The_Dreaming">Changeling The Dreaming</a> by <a href="http://www.whitewolf-publishing.com/">White Wolf Games</a> and the title of the short story anthology to go with the game should be familuar to fans of Victorian Poetry.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Splendour Falls comes from Alfred Tennyson's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Princess_%28Tennyson_poem%29">The Princess</a> (1847). Inspired by a holiday he took in Ireland to visit fellow poet <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aubrey_Thomas_de_Vere">Aubrey Thomas de Vere</a>, it makes up one of the many "songs" that interject the main narartive of the poem. </span></span></div>
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<pre><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The splendor falls on castle walls
And snowy summits old in story;
The long light shakes across the lakes,
And the wild cataract leaps in glory.
Blow, bugle, blow, set the wild echoes flying,
Blow, bugle; answer, echoes, dying, dying, dying.
O, hark, O, hear! how thin and clear,
And thinner, clearer, farther going!
O, sweet and far from cliff and scar
The horns of Elfland faintly blowing!
Blow, let us hear the purple glens replying,
Blow, bugles; answer, echoes, dying, dying, dying.
O love, they die in yon rich sky,
They faint on hill or field or river;
Our echoes roll from soul to soul,
And grow forever and forever.
Blow, bugle, blow, set the wild echoes flying,
And answer, echoes, answer, dying, dying, dying.</span></span></pre>
<pre><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span></pre>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Sadly none of the stories in the collection are Victorian based (Changeling is game about Faeries set in Modern times) but this is a moment when two of my loves combine.<br /> <br />The book is long out of print but you can sill buy copies if you are a Faerie or Urband fantasy fan: <a href="http://amzn.com/1565048636">US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1565048636">UK</a><br />
<br />Also there is a Kickstarter for a new edition of the game. <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/200664283/deluxe-changeling-the-dreaming-20th-anniversary-ed">Check it out</a>. </span></span></div>
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thetalkingoakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10090259987219038836noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853187937601741868.post-57488066765262988722015-12-05T12:28:00.001+00:002015-12-05T12:28:55.919+00:00Chapter 24 - In the Bleak Midwinter<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Another quick post due to PhD work.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Today is the 185th anniversay of the birth of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christina_Rossetti">Christina Rossetti</a>, one of the best of all Victorian poets. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Photo from <a href="http://www.pnreview.co.uk/cgi-bin/scribe?item_id=8469">PN Review</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">As many of you will know her posthumously published poem <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Bleak_Midwinter"><i>In the Bleak Midwinter</i></a> has become a popular Christmas carol after being set to music by the English composer <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_Holst">Gustav Holst</a>. To celebrate both Rossetti's birth and the festive season here is Canadian singer/songwriter <a href="http://www.sarahmclachlan.com/home/">Sarah McLachlan</a> performing her version of the carol (found on her 2006 festive album <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wintersong">Wintersong</a></i>). </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Buy Wintersong by Sarah McLachlan <a href="http://amzn.com/B00138KEZ4">US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000HBKCDC">UK</a></span></span><br />
<br />thetalkingoakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10090259987219038836noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853187937601741868.post-28379783425441059142015-11-25T20:23:00.001+00:002015-11-26T11:59:16.030+00:00Chapter 23: Sir John Gielgud and Dame Ellen Terry<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is a quick entry as I am busy with PhD work, but the amazing <a href="http://preraphaelitesisterhood.com/">Stephanie Graham Pina</a> reminded me about this today when we were discussing the Victorian actress <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_Terry">Dame Ellen Terry</a> on Facebook.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ellen Terry</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Her <span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody">great-nephew </span></span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000024/">Sir John Gielgud</a>, considered one of the greatest actors of the 20th Century, performed a wonderful version of part of Tennyson's Ulysses for a 1996 commercial for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Bank_of_Switzerland">Union Bank of Switzerland</a>. </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody">I
really like that it has the lines: "Come, my friends, 'Tis not too late
to seek a newer world. Push off, and sitting well in order smite the
sounding furrows; for my purpose holds to sail beyond the sunset, and
the baths of all the western stars, until I die" in it as they are
perhaps my favourite lines in the history of poetry. Gielgud's voice was perfect for a performance of the poem. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Terry herself perfomed Tennyson on stage in a number of his plays (Not as well known as his poetry but he did write a number of them). Most notability in the 1893 production of Becket (Photos of her in the role of Rosamund can be found <a href="http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw135921/Ellen-Terry-as-Fair-Rosamund-in-Becket?LinkID=mp04458&wPage=5&role=sit&rNo=117">here </a>and <a href="http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw134704/Ellen-Terry-as-Fair-Rosamund-in-Becket?LinkID=mp04458&wPage=5&role=sit&rNo=116">here</a>)</span></span></span></span>thetalkingoakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10090259987219038836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853187937601741868.post-54799539770238839702015-11-15T16:38:00.000+00:002015-11-26T11:58:51.726+00:00Chapter 22: How They Met Themselves<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Happy <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1645780495711517/">#PRBday</a> everyone. To celebrate here is a use of the Pre Raphaelites that inspired the creation of this very blog. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When<a href="http://thetalkingoak.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/chapter-12-mr-brownings-vertigo-days.html"> I last looked at Neil Gaiman</a> I spoke about the writers use of the</span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> "story behind the story" trope. This is where a fictionalized
version of an established writer or artist' work is inspired by a event
that happened to them in the fictionalized world of the story they
appear in. This is another case of the trope in Gaiman's work, this time within his famous <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sandman_%28Vertigo%29">Sandman series</a>.</span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How they Met Themselves by D.G.Rossetti</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">First published in the comics anthology <a href="http://www.comics.org/issue/63167/">Vertigo: Winter's Edge #3</a> (2000) The Sandman: How They Met Themselves imagines the story behind <a href="http://www.rossettiarchive.org/docs/s118.r-1.rap.html">Rossetti's painting of 1860-1864</a> as being based on a jounrey that he, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Siddal">Lizzie Siddal</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algernon_Charles_Swinburne">Algernon Charles Swinburne</a> took. During this winter excursion they meet the personifiaction of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desire_%28DC_Comics%29">Desire</a> (Sister/Brother of Dream, the main character of the Sandman), leading to the events that inspire the painting.</span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From Absolute Sandman vol.3 </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Gaiman's use of the character is perfect, from Rossetti using the Guggums nickname for Lizzie and his brash egotistical characterization, Lizzie's jealously and fears over losing Rossetti and </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Swinburne's plee to Desire (Which I will not spoil, but people who know his history will get a kick out of it). The story is helped by the beautiful artwork of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Zulli">Michael Zulli</a>, an artist with noticeable </span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pre Raphaelite infulences. His likenesses are beautiful. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I wish I could say more about the story but I can't as that would spoil it. It is a narartive that needs you need to come to without much infomation because spoliers rob it of it's imapct. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While you can still find copies of Winter's Edge cheeply, you could alternatively buy the much more expensive <a href="http://www.neilgaiman.com/works/Comics/The+Absolute+Sandman,+vol.+3/">Absoulte Sandman Volume 3</a>, if only to see Zulli's beautiful artwork in a larger format. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Buy Vertigo: Winters Edge #3 <a href="http://amzn.com/B000Q12JSE">US</a>|<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005UD1WIQ">UK</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Buy Absolute Sandman vol.3 <a href="http://amzn.com/B012HVL788">US</a>|<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1401210848">UK</a></span></span></div>
thetalkingoakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10090259987219038836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853187937601741868.post-43612191327619680622015-10-31T10:19:00.000+00:002015-10-31T10:19:13.972+00:00Chapter 21 - Happy Halloween from Crimson Peak<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Happy Halloween everyone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">To celebrate I'm bending the rules of the blog a little bit to talk about a film that while set in the Victorian period doesn't feature any real life personalities or art but is still an excellent example of the tropes of the Gothic; <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2554274/">Crimosn Peak</a>.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaoCfpu0QP4ixYoigv0QvBL6A6Kbnnug6tzLfDxMCtzQ1rNLb-V6Xunx6ipIpaRYEaKcS9Eg4JNbJ2iZx1VXxAW66XJlTfiIiJfP0Evhi2EsD3R_5Q_niPKQo0SWOMrmbRZGSkFKtmw5lW/s1600/Crimson_Peak_theatrical_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaoCfpu0QP4ixYoigv0QvBL6A6Kbnnug6tzLfDxMCtzQ1rNLb-V6Xunx6ipIpaRYEaKcS9Eg4JNbJ2iZx1VXxAW66XJlTfiIiJfP0Evhi2EsD3R_5Q_niPKQo0SWOMrmbRZGSkFKtmw5lW/s400/Crimson_Peak_theatrical_poster.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">As I mentioned in my post about <a href="http://thetalkingoak.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/chapter-17-tennyson-in-hellboy.html">Hellboy 2</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0868219/">Guillermo del Toro</a> is my favourite director and this, his ninth feature, is one of his best films. There may be some light spoliers in this review but I will try to keep them as vague as possible. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The story concerns Edith Cushing (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1985859">Mia Wasikowska</a>), a young American writer who falls in love with Sir Thomas Sharpe (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1089991/">Tom Hiddleson</a>), an English baronet who is seeking the investment of her industrialist father. After her father is murdered, Edith moves with Thomas, and his sister Lucille (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1567113/">Jessica Chastain</a>) to Allerdale Hall, also known as Crimson Peak, the Sharpe's ancestral home in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumbria">Cumbria, England</a>. But the house is haunted and Edith has to investigate exactly what has happened there, </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from <a href="http://www.playbuzz.com/samlocklin10/which-crimon-peak-character-are-you">playbuzz</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">To call this a ghost story is a misnomer though. It is not a Gothic <i>Horror</i> story but a Gothic <i>Romance</i> that harks back to the original Gothic traditions of the Romantic and Victorian periods. The ghosts exist to aide Edith in her investigations not serve as menace. It draws on the works of writers like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Radcliffe">Ann Radcliffe</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheridan_Le_Fanu">Sheridan Le Fanu</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_James">Henry James </a>& <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bram_Stoker">Bram Stoker</a> (the interest in new technology contrasting with old world mysteries reminds me a lot of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracula">Dracula</a>) along with echos of<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluebeard"> Bluebeard</a></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> and creates a story that would have not been out of place in 19th Century fiction. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibGo4K5p2AGjBV7Is6eVXI0TzXVfQ-iOxCUS-1oIMtrY8k-KAm6lbaQ7cC6DWWmh3rwPYXDHmVnA9CgiwLwvNEylq9gctxayZNKG5J1AmlENZTCAumbAoK7_CoY1mZQIq3QLUz4WEqn8UP/s1600/crimson-peak1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibGo4K5p2AGjBV7Is6eVXI0TzXVfQ-iOxCUS-1oIMtrY8k-KAm6lbaQ7cC6DWWmh3rwPYXDHmVnA9CgiwLwvNEylq9gctxayZNKG5J1AmlENZTCAumbAoK7_CoY1mZQIq3QLUz4WEqn8UP/s200/crimson-peak1.jpg" width="135" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJzyd8DFTpp63m5HVfzAkC1kNlPCd94zConf4zXSwR4xSNf1jaOs8itD4iGflq0f-dmxQEoY-RIdieO_8zYpsT0xY25D-Zr7zzX0cFZj-MtzP3TZ_z06H0ph3WmVBkJLgTjFuHkqs4v4rp/s1600/Jessica-Chastain-Crimson-Peak-Movie-Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJzyd8DFTpp63m5HVfzAkC1kNlPCd94zConf4zXSwR4xSNf1jaOs8itD4iGflq0f-dmxQEoY-RIdieO_8zYpsT0xY25D-Zr7zzX0cFZj-MtzP3TZ_z06H0ph3WmVBkJLgTjFuHkqs4v4rp/s200/Jessica-Chastain-Crimson-Peak-Movie-Poster.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDEsHeswSN0M0M0gmgTIZ3OiP_fxTQqfh-qt3JRl_oluw1sFcho5xoSNznUYLnpj00AQCvaMeVgpIP0rxDfIqTdV0CAB0bsiWTXhXctJ-w9YkaiZ0yuhHbwdTFvRbmrdc_ywUEjAgqZOdd/s1600/crimson-peak-tom-hiddleston-poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDEsHeswSN0M0M0gmgTIZ3OiP_fxTQqfh-qt3JRl_oluw1sFcho5xoSNznUYLnpj00AQCvaMeVgpIP0rxDfIqTdV0CAB0bsiWTXhXctJ-w9YkaiZ0yuhHbwdTFvRbmrdc_ywUEjAgqZOdd/s200/crimson-peak-tom-hiddleston-poster.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The acting is excellent. Jessica Chastain and Mia Wasikowska in particular shine as the two female leads (It is a very feminine movie, suiting the Gothic traditions it is drawing upon.) Tom Hiddleson, one of my favourite actors, also impresses in his role as Thomas. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from <a href="http://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/crimson-peak-set-visit-guillermo-del-toro-interview/">digital trends</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The costumes and sets are beautiful, It being a del Toro film means that a lot of care and attention has gone into everything from the elegance of the dresses worn by the ladies in the parties in America to the house itself which has to be one of the most amazing sets you will ever see in film. The ghosts are for the most part practical effects rather than computer generated. As someone who grew up in the period before CGI, I appreciate this. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">del Toro on set with <span style="text-align: start;">Jessica Chastain (photo from <a href="http://www.lamag.com/theclutch/crimson-peaks-gorgeous-costumes-make-us-want-to-live-in-a-gothic-mansion/">Los Angeles Magazine</a>)</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">All in all this is an easy film to recommend and sits just behind <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0457430/">Pan's Labyrinth</a> as my favourite of the directors work. </span>thetalkingoakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10090259987219038836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853187937601741868.post-37999625865799861082015-10-26T10:41:00.000+00:002015-10-26T10:41:35.757+00:00Chapter 20 - Murdoch Mysteries <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqoCoy4ANv4vW9Ube117y15wOOuY6YkY3V0n6wk4mrUYP_eMUTLXwF9uMUZpUR8au0JlNemmSm0DY0FcHgWZTbBiMFwmluI25UvWrffvZxQEX1m4ldnT_lTmAmmuq6YtaL0O1x57aHliJR/s1600/515986g87IL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqoCoy4ANv4vW9Ube117y15wOOuY6YkY3V0n6wk4mrUYP_eMUTLXwF9uMUZpUR8au0JlNemmSm0DY0FcHgWZTbBiMFwmluI25UvWrffvZxQEX1m4ldnT_lTmAmmuq6YtaL0O1x57aHliJR/s400/515986g87IL.jpg" width="281" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1091909/">Murdoch Mysteries</a> is a Canadian crime drama currently in it's 9th season. Based on a series of novels written by Maureen Jennings it follows the adventures of late 19th Century (early 20th Century in later seasons) Toronto Detective William Murdoch (played by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0084370/">Yannick Bisson</a>). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">While most of the crimes Murdoch solves involve ordinary criminals, several of his cases have involved teaming up with notable personalities of the era, including: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_Tesla">Nikola Tesla</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Conan_Doyle">Arthur Conan Doyle</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._G._Wells">H.G. Wells</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Goldman">Emma Goldman</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_London">Jack London</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Graham_Bell">Alexander Graham Bell</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred,_Hereditary_Prince_of_Saxe-Coburg_and_Gotha">Prince Alfred of Edinburgh</a> and, of course, a host of Canadian personalities. He has saved the life of Queen Victoria and captured <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_the_Ripper">Jack The Ripper</a>. The show doesn't take itself too seriously with some Steampunk elements creeping into the show, including death rays and killer German robots but it is well written and it's fun to see all the historical characters mix it up with </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Bisson's </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Murdoch who is a likable and charismatic lead. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I have to admit I haven't seen the show since the end of series 5 (The end of the 19th Century) so I can't comment on how well it covers the Edwardian period but for the early seasons are an easy recommendation for fans of Victorian Detectives. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Buy Murdoch Mysteries Box sets:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_7?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=murdoch+mysteries&sprefix=Murdoch%2Caps%2C232">Amazon US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_2_4/278-2571736-5891405?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=murdoch%20mysteries&sprefix=murd%2Caps%2C153">Amazon UK</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>thetalkingoakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10090259987219038836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853187937601741868.post-64362669353040022282015-10-20T15:55:00.001+01:002015-10-20T15:55:27.384+01:00Chapter 19 - Virginia Clemm<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I have a confession to make: I totally adore the Norwegian band <a href="http://www.katzenjammer.com/">Katzenjammer</a>. </span><div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;">Marianne Sveen, Solveig Heilo,</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;">Anne Marit Bregheim, and Turid Jørgensen (photo from <a href="http://static.universal-music.de/asset_new/273764/881/view/Katzenjammer-auf-Tour.jpg">Universal Germany</a>)</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">It is hard to describe their style as the group consisting of </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Marianne Sveen, Solveig Heilo,</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Anne Marit Bregheim, and Turid Jørgensen play everything from folk and country to more punky and pop sounds with a multitude of different instruments. I love all three of their studio albums and the concert I went to earlier this year was the best I've attended bar none. I am really looking forward to seeing them again next month. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Today I just want to spotlight a song of theirs that has a connection to Victorian era literature from their <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Pop">first album</a>: Virginia Clemm (Music by Helio with lyrics by Mats Ryb</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">ø)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Eliza_Clemm_Poe">Virginia Clemm</a> was the wife of </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Allan_Poe">Edgar Allan Poe</a> who he married when she was 13 and he was 26. Their marriage was an unhappy one with Poe being involved in scandals with other women. She died of tuberculosis aged 24, leaving Poe to a number of poems involving a man outliving his wife, including <a href="http://thetalkingoak.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/chapter-14-quoth-raven.html">The Raven</a>.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Virginia Clemm (photo from wikipedia) </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The song, written from perceptive of the dead Clemm, is a haunting examination of the relationship between her and her husband and a message to Poe that she is his inspiration. A beautiful song from an excellent album.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Buy Le Pop by Katzenjammer</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://amzn.com/B003H8WSLG">Amazon US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003H8WSLG">Amazon UK</a> </span></div>
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thetalkingoakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10090259987219038836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853187937601741868.post-41833484068569963692015-10-19T15:28:00.001+01:002015-10-19T15:28:42.497+01:00Chapter 18: The Ghost of a Murderer<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Last week the new British crime drama <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4258440/">River</a> staring <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001745/">Stellan Skarsgård</a> started on <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcone">BBC One</a>. The main character, D.I. River, solves crimes while being haunted by ghosts (real or imagined) of his dead partner, victims of the crimes he is solving and a villain who died because of him. I enjoyed the first episode for the acting and the Scandinavian style mood but I wasn't as sold on the story as much. I'm still looking forward to the rest of the series though.]</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Along with the modern ghosts that haunt him, River is also visited by the manifestation of Victorian murderer Dr Thomas Neill Cream, otherwise known the Lambeth Poisoner (Played by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0550371/">Eddie Marsan</a>, recently seen in the Napoleonic set, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2548418/">Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell</a>), whom he is reading a book about in the show. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8OVydv3NZ7pOAz20Uv6FW6W6pvDDEZlALDLizNVwnmTAPX_KmuUBgXTmLk3ME8p7js5WkW054BokUyv9WndzdAbfc62Kd-zfTARWM-vcy47DRkkYU4YDqbBqOPBEl2rCqbWyI5RCWZ1UN/s1600/b7378e71-e5dc-4355-9af4-4eb1455f8107-2060x1236.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8OVydv3NZ7pOAz20Uv6FW6W6pvDDEZlALDLizNVwnmTAPX_KmuUBgXTmLk3ME8p7js5WkW054BokUyv9WndzdAbfc62Kd-zfTARWM-vcy47DRkkYU4YDqbBqOPBEl2rCqbWyI5RCWZ1UN/s320/b7378e71-e5dc-4355-9af4-4eb1455f8107-2060x1236.jpeg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Marsen as Cream in the show (photo from <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/oct/13/river-bbc-skarsgard-season-one-episode-one">The Guardian</a>)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The real life Cream, a Canadian, is known to have killed five people in both England and the United States. In 1881 he was imprisoned by the United States authorities for the murder of Daniel Stott in Chicago and released in 1891. He then moved to England where he killed four women before being captured and hanged for his crimes the following year. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyphenhyphenSjmiG1AxAeJhqy3pPgC594qeEoI_ST_GU_pLujYN7i6MZSOiF67KNbd5JkI5EM121WqIS2AV0GGL49ufYj3E42ODPtCBTNs8hpO0vtZpRnZXATiWCr3fFv0TssIFQ7aFZvDwLNhLe5g/s1600/Neil-cream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyphenhyphenSjmiG1AxAeJhqy3pPgC594qeEoI_ST_GU_pLujYN7i6MZSOiF67KNbd5JkI5EM121WqIS2AV0GGL49ufYj3E42ODPtCBTNs8hpO0vtZpRnZXATiWCr3fFv0TssIFQ7aFZvDwLNhLe5g/s1600/Neil-cream.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Real Dr Cream (Photo from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Neill_Cream#/media/File:Neil-cream.jpg">Wikipedia</a>)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">While I was not familiar with Cream's name initially, while looking over articles in preparation of this blog I did realize I had come across him before in this panel from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/From_Hell">From Hell</a> by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Moore">Alan Moore</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Campbell">Eddie Campbell</a>:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwucnyIJaVNVBBqWVE3HSdq0qxLXsYJD6iqFiYe8qmtggXCBqNR-zPougB4QWxD67G7U3YWlka85t23Wdc5HbkputE0P3_47UXdEW55ffzyAciRgBwCtEUQGNbDDZIG6-8RZsIhyphenhyphenxUKgH5/s1600/12088214_650415111762648_5255192975574275983_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwucnyIJaVNVBBqWVE3HSdq0qxLXsYJD6iqFiYe8qmtggXCBqNR-zPougB4QWxD67G7U3YWlka85t23Wdc5HbkputE0P3_47UXdEW55ffzyAciRgBwCtEUQGNbDDZIG6-8RZsIhyphenhyphenxUKgH5/s320/12088214_650415111762648_5255192975574275983_n.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From Hell</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Despite this confession Cream could have not possibly been the Ripper as he was a. not in the country when the Whitechapel killings took place and b. was in prison anyway. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">More information on Cream:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Neill_Cream">Wikipedia</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.casebook.org/suspects/cream.html">casebook.org</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/doctor-death-article-1.241690">New York Daily News article</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">River continues on BBC One Tuesdays 9:00pm BST/GMT (First epsiode on <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b06jkmtf/river-episode-1">iplayer</a> for UK residents)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Buy From Hell</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://amzn.com/0958578346">Amazon US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0861661419">Amazon UK</a></span>thetalkingoakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10090259987219038836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853187937601741868.post-38736716341068828252015-10-16T12:37:00.001+01:002015-10-16T12:37:03.583+01:00Chapter 17: Tennyson in Hell(boy)<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0868219/">Gullermo del Toro</a> is perhaps my favourite movie director and his new film, the Victorian based Gothic Horror <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2554274/">Crimson Peak</a> is out in cinemas today. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I'm not going to be able to see the film until tomorrow but I did want to celebrate the release by showcasing his use of Tennyson's <a href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/In_Memoriam_A._H._H.">Im Memoriam</a> in his 2008 film <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0411477/">Hellboy II: The Golden Army</a>. Here Princess Nuala (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0910472/">Anna Walton</a>), who has escaped the clutches of her brother, the main villain of the movie, discovers a volume of Tennyson in the Library of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bureau_for_Paranormal_Research_and_Defense">B.P.R.D</a> while being looked after by Abe Sapien (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0427964/">Doug Jones</a>). </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">(0:16 - 0:44 for the Tennyson bits. video by youtube user <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEWzsfRY3qS0PEgjabH50xA">Laura McGillicuddy</a>)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Despite being a comic book based movie I think Hellboy II is well worth a watch for del Toro's amazing imagination and beautiful moments like this one. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Buy Hellboy 2</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">DVD: <a href="http://amzn.com/B001F7MSFM">Amazon US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001DZA2K4">Amazon UK</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Blu-Ray: <a href="http://amzn.com/B001F7MSG6">Amazon US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001G136LC">Amazon UK</a></span>thetalkingoakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10090259987219038836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853187937601741868.post-68925523037451447732015-10-11T10:47:00.000+01:002015-10-11T12:02:54.450+01:00Chapter 16: Celebrating Ada Lovelace Day early. <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ada Lovelace (Photo from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ada_Lovelace#/media/File:Ada_Lovelace_portrait.jpg">wikipedia</a>)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Tuesday is <a href="http://findingada.com/">Ada Lovelace Day</a>, an annual event celebrating the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering and maths.<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 19.5px;"> </span></span><span style="line-height: 19.5px;">It is named for</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 19.5px;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 19.5px;"><a href="http://findingada.com/about/who-was-ada/">Ada Lovelace</a>, the daughter of romantic poet <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Byron">Lord Byron </a>and the person who is recognized as the world's first computer programmer. I think this day is extremely important as women are marginalized in these areas in the 21st Century and we need reminding that that historically women have made extremely important contributions to STEM. Sadly I will be away on Tuesday but I wanted to post something in honor of this important date so you get it two days early. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Picture from the official website. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 19.5px;">I first became aware of <a href="http://sydneypadua.com/2dgoggles/author/">Sydney Padua</a>'s webcomic <a href="http://sydneypadua.com/2dgoggles/">The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage</a> through it being mentioned in <a href="http://www.jeffvandermeer.com/">Jeff Vandermeer</a> and <a href="https://selenachambers.wordpress.com/">S.J.Chambers</a>' <a href="http://steampunkbible.com/">the Steampunk Bible</a>. It is the (mostly) true story of the first computer programmer and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Babbage">Charles Babbage</a>, the man who invented <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Difference_engine">the Difference Engine</a>, the world's first computer who use science to fight crime in Victorian London, even though those crimes are mostly street music and poetry*. The strip is simply wonderful and while it is a "what if", it is extremely well researched and Padua's notes that accompany each installment are really good for people wanting to know more about the period. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 19.5px;">The two main characters are really well written and drawn. The pipe smoking, poetry-hating Ada has to be one of the best female characters in comics right now. Other personalities of the time appear include, Victoria (natutally), </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Wellesley,_1st_Duke_of_Wellington" style="line-height: 19.5px;">The Duke of Wellington</a><span style="line-height: 19.5px;"> (with his horse, </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copenhagen_(horse)" style="line-height: 19.5px;">Copenhagen</a><span style="line-height: 19.5px;">) and </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isambard_Kingdom_Brunel" style="line-height: 19.5px;">Isambard Kingdom Brunel</a><span style="line-height: 19.5px;"> (portrayed as a </span><a href="http://sydneypadua.com/2dgoggles/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/isambardbrunel.jpg" style="line-height: 19.5px;">Arnold Schwarzenegger-esque, cigar chomping super engineer</a><span style="line-height: 19.5px;">). One of my personal favourite moments is a </span><a href="http://sydneypadua.com/2dgoggles/lovelace-and-babbage-vs-the-organist-part-4/" style="line-height: 19.5px;">poetry slam</a><span style="line-height: 19.5px;"> performed by </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Barrett_Browning" style="line-height: 19.5px;">Elizabeth Barrett Browning</a><span style="line-height: 19.5px;"> (complete with someone who looks a lot like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred,_Lord_Tennyson">Tennyson</a> in attendance). I mean who wouldn't want to see that? :)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 19.5px;">All-in-all this is an excellent webcomic (Perhaps my favourite along with </span><a href="http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php" style="line-height: 19.5px;">Hark! A Vagrant</a><span style="line-height: 19.5px;"> and <a href="http://gingerhaze.com/nimona/comic/page-1">Nimona</a></span></span><span style="color: #111111; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 19.5px;">) and an excellent introduction to the world of science and technology of the day and of course the amazing personality that is Ada Lovelace. (</span><a href="http://sydneypadua.com/2dgoggles/lovelace-the-origin-2/" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 19.5px;">Jump in here</a><span style="color: #111111; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 19.5px;">!) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 19.5px;">There is a book of the webcomic but I haven't read it yet... (Hoping I might find it under the Christmas tree this year) but you can buy it from <a href="http://amzn.com/0307908275">Amazon US</a> & <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0141981512">Amazon UK</a>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.5px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">As a student of poetry, does that make me an accessory to crime? </span></span></span><br />
<br />thetalkingoakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10090259987219038836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853187937601741868.post-6282937695626432592015-10-09T13:27:00.004+01:002015-10-09T13:27:51.383+01:00Chapter 15 - Nuclear Powered Victorians<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I was 11 in 1993 and two things kick-started my interest in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steampunk">Steampunk</a>. The first was a showing on British television of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0594503/">Hayao Miyazak</a>i's <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092067/">Castle in the Sky</a> and the second was seeing the cover and reading the description for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Ice">Anti-Ice</a> by <a href="http://www.stephen-baxter.com/">Stephen Baxter</a>. I sadly didn't get to read the book until many years later but when I did I enjoyed the alternative 19th Century it presented (I also didn't get to see Castle in the Sky again till many years later, but that is not a story for here) </span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I love alternative histories, it is always so much fun seeing what could have happened if things had gone differently. Anti-Ice asks what if the 19th Century British discovered a substance (the "Anti-Ice") that generates energy analogous to nuclear power. The answers are obvious: not only do they have technology far beyond the same period in our reality, including space travel, but also the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimean_War">Crimean War</a> is ended by the atomic bombing of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sevastopol">Sevastopol</a>. Many real world personalities appear throughout novel: most notably <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Ewart_Gladstone">William Gladstone</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_von_Bismarck">Otto Von Bismarck</a>. Victoria herself is absent from this world as she chose to abdicate after <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert,_Prince_Consort">Prince Albert</a>'s death, instead </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco-Prussian_War">Edward VII</a> has become king much earlier than in reality. The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco-Prussian_War">Franco-Prussian War</a> is also featured in the novel,of course with a much different outcome. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">If people are looking for a good introduction to Steampunk fiction, this is a excellent book to pick up. I enjoyed Baxter's </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">alternative history</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> and the characters that fill it. Yes it has all the weird science that we expect of the genre but it seeing how the world is effected by this science is the main draw for me. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The Book is OOP but you should be able to pick it up for a reasonable price on amazon (<a href="http://amzn.com/0061054216">US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0061054216">UK</a>) or ebay.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">There is also a short story anthology ebook entitled Newton's Aliens: Tales From the Anti-Ice Universe. (<a href="http://amzn.com/B00U9BD3V8">US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00U9BD3V8">UK</a>). I have yet to read this but when I do I will review it on the blog. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">PS: I now have a like page on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/popularvictoriana">facebook</a>. Don't have facebook? Alternatively can follow me on <a href="https://twitter.com/TheTalkingOak">twitter</a> to keep up-to-date with all entries on the blog. :)</span></div>
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thetalkingoakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10090259987219038836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853187937601741868.post-22811369223862061592015-10-08T08:57:00.001+01:002015-10-08T08:57:59.723+01:00Chapter 14: Quoth the Raven<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">On October 7th 1849, the American master of the macabre, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Allan_Poe">Edgar Allan Poe</a> died. As with many people of my generation I first encountered Poe not in books but through the medium of television. Yes, today I'm spotlighting <a href="http://www.simpsonsarchive.com/">The Simpsons</a> version of <a href="http://www.eapoe.org/works/poems/ravena.htm">The Raven</a> from the 1990 episode <a href="http://www.simpsonsarchive.com/episodes/7F04.html">Treehouse of Horror</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The wonderful thing about this version is while it retains much of the horror of the original poem it adds a commentary on the changing face of horror with Bart's comments. What terrified people in the 1840s, isn't as scary in the 1990s. I also adore <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000469/">James Earl Jones</a> as the narrator and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0144657/?ref_=tt_cl_t1">Dan Castellaneta's</a> over the top performance as the terrified Homer. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Buy The Simpsons Season 2</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://amzn.com/B007KFZ7UQ">Amazon US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00005UWTG">Amazon UK</a></span>thetalkingoakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10090259987219038836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853187937601741868.post-46540104237194784952015-10-06T07:51:00.000+01:002015-10-06T07:55:54.207+01:00Chapter 13: Crossing the Bar<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">On this day in 1892, Alfred, Lord Tennyson left this world aged 83. I feel that it is only appropriate to post this song version of <a href="http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/174588">Crossing the Bar</a> (the poem he wanted to close all his collections) by British folk band <a href="http://falselights.co.uk/">False Lights</a> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>thetalkingoakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10090259987219038836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853187937601741868.post-31458084079953729002015-10-04T17:32:00.000+01:002015-10-04T17:32:22.345+01:00Chapter 12: Mr Browning's Vertigo Days<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">To me <a href="http://www.vertigocomics.com/">Vertigo Comics</a> has produced some the best comic books that I have read. From <a href="http://neilgaiman.com/">Neil Gaiman</a>'s<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sandman_(Vertigo)"> The Sandman</a>, through <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Books_of_Magic">The Books of Magic</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandman_Mystery_Theatre">Sandman Mystery Theatre</a> to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Secrets_(Vertigo)">The House of Secrets</a>, the imprint of DC Comics fills my bookshelves. Which is part of the reason I have chosen to look at a use of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Browning">Robert Browning </a>in a 1994 "crossover series" published by the imprint entitled <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Children%27s_Crusade_(comics)">The Children's Crusade</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The story, which unites The Sandman, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swamp_Thing">Swamp Thing</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Orchid_(comics)">Black Orchid</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doom_Patrol">Doom Patrol</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_Man">Animal Man</a> and The Books of Magic, utilizes what I like to call the "story behind the story" trope. This is where a fictionalized version of an established writer or artist' work is inspired by a event that happened to them in the fictionalized world of the story they appear in, abet with a twist in this case. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Here, Neil Gaiman as lead writer of the project uses Robert Browning's version of The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pied_Piper_of_Hamelin">Pied Piper of Hamelin</a> (and the real life <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children%27s_Crusade">Children's Crusade</a> of 1212) as a jumping on point to tell a story of children being stolen away to a magical land by nefarious forces. Browning himself is shown being told the "true version" of the tale several years after he has already written his poem. While the poet is not directly shown being inspired, it still presents the subject of his work as being based on a truth. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Art by <a href="http://www.chrisbachalo.net/profile.html">Chris Bachalo</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">"story behind the story" trope is one that we shall return to both in the work of Gaiman and others in the future. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">As an extra nod to Browning one of the sub-chapters is entitled '</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Charles Rowland to the Dark Tower Came'. Combining the name of a character from the story and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Childe_Roland_to_the_Dark_Tower_Came">Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The series was recently collected, abet in a altered form, as a hardcover and comes recommended to anyone who loves fantasy.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAE7uMRVdlhw5gHNywKz4EMLhk4yQuAEued4WEt3VZjZ2kt_eHJ21CMPhgM_brs_-gToPXqcelalHH3n3FIgG6CklrbHI6r2XlUYfCSHJ-zcQ0nB_spAI20w9ePAZ-_OCoVx-SSmpr8k1q/s1600/614GWeNwOaL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAE7uMRVdlhw5gHNywKz4EMLhk4yQuAEued4WEt3VZjZ2kt_eHJ21CMPhgM_brs_-gToPXqcelalHH3n3FIgG6CklrbHI6r2XlUYfCSHJ-zcQ0nB_spAI20w9ePAZ-_OCoVx-SSmpr8k1q/s320/614GWeNwOaL.jpg" width="206" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Art by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Buckingham">Mark Buckingham</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Get it from:</span><div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://amzn.com/1401242413">Amazon US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1401242413">Amazon UK</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
thetalkingoakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10090259987219038836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853187937601741868.post-7943358214153286492015-10-02T14:37:00.000+01:002015-10-02T14:37:01.595+01:00Chapter 11: ‘Tis better to have loved and lost<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even before I knew who Tennyson was I knew the line </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20.8px;">‘Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all'. After all who hasn't heard it? Originating in <a href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/In_Memoriam_A._H._H.#XXVII">stanza 27</a> of </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 20.8px;">In Memoriam A.H.H. i</span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20.8px;">t has become a </span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 20.8px;">cliché in modern speech. Today I want to spotlight two uses of the line in two of my favourite things ever.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 20.8px;">The first is in episode 51 of the popular podcast <a href="http://www.welcometonightvale.com/">Welcome to Night Vale</a>. The podcast is about the community radio station of a fictional town somewhere in the United States where Government Conspiracies are common, Lovecraftian monsters are worshiped and whose citizens include an intelligent Glow Cloud (all hail), several angels and a literal five headed dragon. Narrated by the amazing voice of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CecilEdwardBaldwin">Cecil Baldwin</a></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20.8px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 20.8px;"> Night Vale has become a must listen series for me and was really excited to hear a line by Tennyson used in the show. Skip to 14:27 for the line.</span></span><br />
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VTWW7KlnxLY/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VTWW7KlnxLY?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 20.8px;">Alternatively there is a transcript <a href="http://cecilspeaks.tumblr.com/post/93481913806/episode-51-rumbling">here</a>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 20.8px;">The second use of the line is from the 2013 video game <a href="http://thecavegame.com/">The Cave</a> developed by <a href="http://www.doublefine.com/">Double Fine Productions</a>. Since childhood I have been a big adventure game fan and in particular I loved the work of <a href="http://grumpygamer.com/">Ron Gilbert</a> at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LucasArts">Lucasarts</a> games (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maniac_Mansion">Maniac Mansion</a>, Monkey Island <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Secret_of_Monkey_Island">1</a> & <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_Island_2:_LeChuck%27s_Revenge">2</a>) so again it was really cool to hear a quotation of Tennyson in one of his games. The Cave is the story of a sentient cave and the people who enter it in search of the thing their heart most desires. The line appears in the story of a Hillbilly and must count as the oddest use of Tennyson in history. Skip to 6:17 for the line. (Video by youtube user <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMhDL-BLChwxDqvWCpoGVrQ">FluffyNinjaLlama</a>)</span></span><br />
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/MLCeaQ4qpY0/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MLCeaQ4qpY0?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 20.8px;">Buy The Cave for PC from:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 20.8px;"><a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/221810/">Steam</a> | <a href="https://www.humblebundle.com/store/p/thecave_storefront">Humble </a></span></span><br />
thetalkingoakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10090259987219038836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853187937601741868.post-45293524648185479052015-09-29T11:07:00.000+01:002015-09-29T11:07:55.023+01:00Chapter 10: Google Doodles<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Today's post was inspired by simply opening my browser today and seeing the really cool <a href="https://www.google.com/doodles/evidence-of-water-found-on-mars">Google Doodle about water on Mars.</a> So here, dear reader, are some awesome Victorian era based doodles for your viewing pleasure.You can find these and more in the <a href="https://www.google.com/doodles#archive">doodle archive</a>. :)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8rzFQ333XcF6TWErmJ7S_ZGDrQLQTqGNugvKgZMigAwN_DUBoYCu8qsw_Ol_yewCBmL5itjpf-Q760vjzX3YO18fjMpvbfr3aroAzL2mg7WpJNk04-Ce-gW8mMxQf8McOKeCpwqNJmyzr/s1600/elizabeth-brownings-208th-birthday-4799610719567872-hp2x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8rzFQ333XcF6TWErmJ7S_ZGDrQLQTqGNugvKgZMigAwN_DUBoYCu8qsw_Ol_yewCBmL5itjpf-Q760vjzX3YO18fjMpvbfr3aroAzL2mg7WpJNk04-Ce-gW8mMxQf8McOKeCpwqNJmyzr/s320/elizabeth-brownings-208th-birthday-4799610719567872-hp2x.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.google.com/doodles/elizabeth-brownings-208th-birthday">Elizabeth Barrett Browning's 208th Birthday</a> (6th March 2014 - UK and Ireland only) </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAy_7BfRxvL6HCcoOUnW9cgAPabC7f1Gj6QYIUSISUaFwckmDVaP7R3VkBjXzPB8WQk4WomuVe38cCqUR5jRR9-RT_NHUhDJUC2xI6KwBCF3NsS3RgyCbTPBFgWe1GIID-qrq_FXepJcJS/s1600/unnamed+%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="123" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAy_7BfRxvL6HCcoOUnW9cgAPabC7f1Gj6QYIUSISUaFwckmDVaP7R3VkBjXzPB8WQk4WomuVe38cCqUR5jRR9-RT_NHUhDJUC2xI6KwBCF3NsS3RgyCbTPBFgWe1GIID-qrq_FXepJcJS/s320/unnamed+%25284%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.google.com/doodles/ada-lovelaces-197th-birthday">Ada Lovelace's 197th Birthday</a> (10 December 2013)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQwg2u06ucWuIjlrhg2OTX-M5xAEm-jHRFYZ4a3P5-eA-YvlemsbfgArIWZ7j6XIp6wFHgg_m9vRIgC67oH5khSfA4bwq7BG0uU6x9AD0y-kXRYnYJPjT9mC0VK7ywzw-9JLEtTfvzTjI7/s1600/unnamed+%25285%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQwg2u06ucWuIjlrhg2OTX-M5xAEm-jHRFYZ4a3P5-eA-YvlemsbfgArIWZ7j6XIp6wFHgg_m9vRIgC67oH5khSfA4bwq7BG0uU6x9AD0y-kXRYnYJPjT9mC0VK7ywzw-9JLEtTfvzTjI7/s320/unnamed+%25285%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.google.com/doodles/175th-anniversary-of-the-penny-black-stamp">175th anniversary of the Penny Black stamp</a> (1 May 2015)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid_cDsopG55fFf3UyOraPO-8-PizZbYXynEWMyJ5pI857r_71rjS3Fa9wBwn2Fd9LBljdnwkssyMu0kziEbQdOnw3hYxGZF73EL2Z8YaKhyphenhyphen_xiC800j7eCyogKaUcrwrSNHTYLbHvy9Nt3/s1600/unnamed+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid_cDsopG55fFf3UyOraPO-8-PizZbYXynEWMyJ5pI857r_71rjS3Fa9wBwn2Fd9LBljdnwkssyMu0kziEbQdOnw3hYxGZF73EL2Z8YaKhyphenhyphen_xiC800j7eCyogKaUcrwrSNHTYLbHvy9Nt3/s320/unnamed+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.google.com/doodles/charles-dickens-200th-birthday">Charles Dickens 200th Birthday</a> (7 February 2012)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXI4Duf8V_irmkEuQkGWfux-Qbref0iL29pBOXrdgXoB_WM0F0JNrjdladafO24MMJJC2N81R9XeSF9bMFfioXRX109FMfBslX9l6pKbwrZZbI4shZQNkj39pTdvxW8RRBVv2thSaXGCIj/s1600/unnamed+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXI4Duf8V_irmkEuQkGWfux-Qbref0iL29pBOXrdgXoB_WM0F0JNrjdladafO24MMJJC2N81R9XeSF9bMFfioXRX109FMfBslX9l6pKbwrZZbI4shZQNkj39pTdvxW8RRBVv2thSaXGCIj/s320/unnamed+%25283%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.google.com/doodles/birthday-of-hg-wells">Birthday of H.G. Wells</a> (21 September 2009)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheukTnnSHPa7h_6RKV-PUt18xe91aIe4XHQEl-B8fCwocJKbOutOGtiFX2JEcZXYwNsUrDnNWBbstsZtRRnf6dRTsvupza3c0o_WzyrkCxze4-gK9ueoXri4_vla_FyZ_eiPnaaUqnzZGY/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheukTnnSHPa7h_6RKV-PUt18xe91aIe4XHQEl-B8fCwocJKbOutOGtiFX2JEcZXYwNsUrDnNWBbstsZtRRnf6dRTsvupza3c0o_WzyrkCxze4-gK9ueoXri4_vla_FyZ_eiPnaaUqnzZGY/s320/unnamed.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.google.com/doodles/bram-stokers-165th-birthday">Bram Stoker's 165th Birthday</a> (8 November 2012)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZWz2ubMgFBk9MFzhLBJh7A7d3upKVhuz9EOL_zXVMeJbTmjv2xk0JjDG28whRrPB00hsoMBxgNH2VWLnZeK4k9KqK_itkn7I-wEmTNeypldNEGB3OURnUZGtcFPw1918sjF3elfQR6ACu/s1600/edvard-griegs-172nd-birthday-4903333009555456.2-hp2x.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZWz2ubMgFBk9MFzhLBJh7A7d3upKVhuz9EOL_zXVMeJbTmjv2xk0JjDG28whRrPB00hsoMBxgNH2VWLnZeK4k9KqK_itkn7I-wEmTNeypldNEGB3OURnUZGtcFPw1918sjF3elfQR6ACu/s320/edvard-griegs-172nd-birthday-4903333009555456.2-hp2x.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.google.com/doodles/bram-stokers-165th-birthday">Edvard Grieg's 172th Birthday</a> (15th June 2015 - Scandinavia only) </span></td></tr>
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<br />thetalkingoakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10090259987219038836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853187937601741868.post-33930506172280782422015-09-28T16:05:00.001+01:002015-09-28T16:05:16.416+01:00Chapter 9: Snakes and Ladders<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Moore">Alan Moore</a> is widely recognized as one of the best writers working in the medium of comics. Personally I have mixed feelings about his work, I'm not a fan of his celebrated <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watchmen">Wacthmen</a> superhero graphic novel (art by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Gibbons">Dave Gibbons</a>) but think <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/From_Hell">From Hell</a></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">(art by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Campbell">Eddie Campbell</a>)</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">, his graphic novel dealing with the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_the_Ripper">Jack the Ripper</a> murders to be one of my favourite works of fiction. I will be covering From Hell at some point in the future but today I want to look at a lesser known work of his that deals with the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-Raphaelite_Brotherhood">Pre-Raphaelites</a>: Snakes and Ladders. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Unlike his more famous works, Snakes & Ladders did not start life as as a comic but rather a spoken word performance. The death and disinterment of model, poet and artist <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Siddal">Lizzie Siddal</a> is connected with that of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Cromwell">Oliver Cromwell</a> along with the life and writing of Welsh author, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Machen">Arthur Machen</a>. Along with Siddal, her husband <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dante_Gabriel_Rossetti">Dante Gabriel Rossetti</a> and his friends <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Morris">William Morris</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Burne-Jones">Edward Brune-Jones</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ruskin">John Ruskin</a> also appear. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">One of notable and interesting aspects of much of Moore's work is connecting seemingly unconnected events and personalities from history and he succeeds here by creating a wonderfully dark and mysterious work. This is added by Moore's reading (he has the perfect voice) and the music by <a href="http://www.perkisound.com/Biography.html">Tim Perkins</a>. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">When the performance was made available on CD in 2003, images of Siddal, Rossetti, Morris, Brune-Jones and Ruskin featured in the liner-notes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">There is also a comics adaptation (published in 2001) of the performance with art by Eddie Campbell that mixes the artist's excellent likenesses of the real life characters and use of existing art. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">You can find both the recording and the comic on <a href="https://archive.org/download/AlanMooreCollectionDiscography/Snakes_and_Ladders/">archive.org</a> (all images taken from the scans found there), however, those wishing to buy copies of the CD can comic can find them at:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">CD: <a href="http://amzn.com/B000088EIV">Amazon US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000088EIV">Amazon UK</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Comic: <a href="http://amzn.com/0957789653">Amazon US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0957789653">Amazon UK </a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>thetalkingoakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10090259987219038836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853187937601741868.post-62485400979281895592015-09-26T14:50:00.000+01:002015-09-26T14:50:01.582+01:00Chapter 8 - "To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield"<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">In 2012 the BBC put out an wonderful advert for their BBC 2 television station containing a Cento composed by <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/aboutthebbc/entries/9dac826b-9c32-3127-b6fb-db94dfa18402">Alison Chisolm</a> and narrated by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0134922/">Peter Capaldi</a>. In this poetic mash up she used lines from Victorian area poets: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Wadsworth_Longfellow">Henry Wadsworth Longfellow</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_O%27Shaughnessy">Arthur O’Shaughnessy</a>,<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Savage_Landor"> Walter Savage Landor</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred,_Lord_Tennyson">Alfred, Lord Tennyson </a>(Along with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Keats">John Keats</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percy_Bysshe_Shelley">Percy Bysshe Shelley</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Elroy_Flecker">James Elroy Flecker</a> and Chisoln herself)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">If you are wondering who wrote what, <a href="https://wordkern.wordpress.com/2013/07/11/bbc-2s-cento-theres-always-more-to-see/">this blog</a> should help. ;)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">But the final line "To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield". from Tennyson's 'Ulysses' was having quite the year in 2012. Not only was it memorably used in<a href="http://thetalkingoak.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/chapter-1-introduction-and-james-bond.html"> Skyfall</a> but it was also the motto of the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2011/mar/04/tennyson-verse-inspire-olympic-athletes">2012 London Olympics</a>. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJDcd2VfORghPGMy5wyMW3KjYUCOojx1KfVCGWFqXPYW7X5mHm9TUJHNsHtCsPo0VI9nKgVdnVilentM3JfYJAXUqlKELtvm2uXZqZWh6dHUtzrFr5mfLCgR1FdjMDH2flCW6HDZKIWcfp/s1600/Ulysses-Alfred-Lord-Tenny-006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJDcd2VfORghPGMy5wyMW3KjYUCOojx1KfVCGWFqXPYW7X5mHm9TUJHNsHtCsPo0VI9nKgVdnVilentM3JfYJAXUqlKELtvm2uXZqZWh6dHUtzrFr5mfLCgR1FdjMDH2flCW6HDZKIWcfp/s320/Ulysses-Alfred-Lord-Tenny-006.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/gallery/2012/jul/27/poetry-olympic-park-london-2012">the Guardian</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>thetalkingoakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10090259987219038836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853187937601741868.post-82237071216201384022015-09-25T16:53:00.005+01:002015-09-25T16:53:56.913+01:00Chapter 7: Kate Beaton<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihMSo2WIVK0Owy7H-1TWyifrzGsOQF15DQ32sVjTFD9qRxwN9zvzywdE-3niFzHjK15aSiuH_9WkGWd_jJgFl_lkV2lhZbl49ldNxrVtPb011P_Ky1XmTQoLJ8KuuDWiCU4HImFRZBFj7q/s1600/25-Kate-Beaton-by-Sam-Javanrouh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihMSo2WIVK0Owy7H-1TWyifrzGsOQF15DQ32sVjTFD9qRxwN9zvzywdE-3niFzHjK15aSiuH_9WkGWd_jJgFl_lkV2lhZbl49ldNxrVtPb011P_Ky1XmTQoLJ8KuuDWiCU4HImFRZBFj7q/s320/25-Kate-Beaton-by-Sam-Javanrouh.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from <a href="https://www.drawnandquarterly.com/blog/2011/10/kate-beaton-cbc-q-jian-ghomeshi-today">Drawn and Quaterly</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I am a huge fan of Canadian cartoonist Kate Beaton and her excellent <a href="http://www.harkavagrant.com/">Hark, a vagrant</a> webcomic especially when she deals with Victorian subjects. Here are just a few of her strips to do with people from that period that anyone with even a passing interest in Victoriana should get a good giggle out of. (Lady of Shallot is one of my favourite Tennyson parodies ever) ;)</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=42">Neitzsche in, 'Thereafter Pretentious Men May Quote Me Ad Nauseum' </a></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=46"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Robert Peel, you can do it</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=117"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">chimney sweep</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=156">You are trying to seduce me Albert</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=160">victorians want tshirts</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=174">Mary Seacole</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=187">Victoria Day</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=213">Poe and Verne</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">There are others so it is well worth going through her archives and even reading some of her non-Victorian work. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">There are also books:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Hark! A Vagrant <a href="http://amzn.com/1770460608">Amazon US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0224094149">Amazon UK</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Step Aside Pops <a href="http://amzn.com/1770462082">Amazon US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1910702226">Amazon UK</a></span></div>
thetalkingoakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10090259987219038836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853187937601741868.post-49823598864481114132015-09-23T16:04:00.003+01:002015-09-23T16:13:10.547+01:00Chapter 6: Come away, O human child! <span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._B._Yeats">W.B Yeats</a> is usually seen as a early 20th century poet but my favourite of his poems <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stolen_Child">The Stolen Child</a> was published in 1889. I love it's beautiful and heartbreaking tale of the taking of a child by faeries, the final stanza in particular brings me to tears. And much like my experiences disovering Tennyson, I first discovered the poem by way of music.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There have been many musical versions of the poem, however the first one that I heard and fell in love with was recorded by <a href="http://www.mikescottwaterboys.com/">The Waterboys</a> (which spoken word sections by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom%C3%A1s_Mac_Eoin">Tomás Mac Eoin</a>) for their 1988 record album <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fisherman's_Blues">Fisherman's Blues</a>. I really think it captures the heartbreaking otherworldliness of the poem with Mike Scott's haunting vocals matching up perfectly to Mac Eoin's reading of the text.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I also love <a href="http://loreenamckennitt.com/">Loreena McKennitt</a>'s version from her 1985 album <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elemental_%28Loreena_McKennitt_album%29">Elemental</a>. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">More recently my brother played me a version by British folk act <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merrymouth">Merrymouth</a> from their 2012 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Fowler's_Merrymouth">debut album</a> witch is also extremely good.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I know that there are other song versions of the poem but these are the three I'm most familiar with so sorry if I missed out anything. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Waterboys - Fisherman Blues <a href="http://amzn.com/B000008M54">Amazon US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000008M54">Amazon UK</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Loreena McKennitt - Elemental <a href="http://amzn.com/B000J233SU">Amazon US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000000LXB">Amazon UK</a> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Merrymouth - Simon Fowler's Merrymouth <a href="http://amzn.com/B00ZB8YWS2">Amazon US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00ZBBHVN2">Amazon UK</a></span></span> thetalkingoakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10090259987219038836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853187937601741868.post-4565281555297745312015-09-22T15:43:00.002+01:002015-09-22T15:49:02.221+01:00Chapter 5: 1864<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Yesterday I
looked at one <span data-dobid="hdw">under-represented aspect of the 19th Century
in English speaking nations: Japanese history and today I will look at another;
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Schleswig_War">The Second Schleswig War</a>.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Earlier this
year the 2014 Danish drama <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1753353/">1864</a> was screened on <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour">BBC 4</a>. As a big fan of
Scandinavian film and television I was really excited. After all it was set in
the Victorian period and stared many of my favourite Danish actors <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1561982">(PilouAsbæk</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0110334/">Nicolas Bro</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0540038/">Søren Malling</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0461746/">Sidse Babett Knudsen</a> in particular). I
was not disappointed. Beautifully writen and acted it has some wonderful highs
and some brutal lows (the Prussian storming of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Dybb%C3%B8l">Dybbøl</a> is extremely difficult to
watch).</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/hL9nX3UTAeg/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hL9nX3UTAeg?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span data-dobid="hdw">I
knew very little about the war coming into watching the series, but it made me
want to look into it more. The reasons behind the war are complex. As British
Prime Minister <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_John_Temple,_3rd_Viscount_Palmerston">Lord Palmerston</a> (played by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0289038/">James Fox</a> here) put it: <span data-dobid="hdw"> “Only three people have ever really understood the
Schleswig-Holstein business—the Prince Consort, who is dead—a German professor,
who has gone mad—and I, who have forgotten all about it.". The ending of
the war would have a huge impact on 19th and 20th century history, however. The
Prussian victory gave <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_von_Bismarck">Otto von Bismarck</a> (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0090674/">Rainer Bock</a> in the series) the
confidence to declare war on the Austrian Empire<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austro-Prussian_War"> two years later</a>, the resulting
defeat of Austria giving Prussia total infulence over the German Confederation.
Then of course a the same confidence resulted in a German victory over France in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco-Prussian_War">1871</a> bringing about the
unification of the country and leading, in part, to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I">Great War</a> of 1914-18. </span><span data-dobid="hdw">The Schleswig War may be mostly forgotten but it did have an
impact.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The series is,
however, mostly shown from the Danish POV and doesn’t hold back from showing
the horrors the vastly outnumbered and unprepared army went through. Alongside
this we see the insanity of the politicians in Copenhagen, who believing they
could win the war refused to withdraw from Dybbøl and ensured the bloodbath
when the Prussians finally stormed the fortifications (Bro’s performance as the
Danish Prime minister <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ditlev_Gothard_Monrad">Monrad</a> is a highlight of the series). Amid the horrors of
war there are stories of love, jealously and personal tragedy. For us
literature geeks, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Christian_Andersen">Hans Christian Andersen</a> makes a cameo in a couple of
episodes. I cannot recommend this series enough. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">1864: <a href="http://amzn.com/B00XEGTWLA">Amazon US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00XEGTWLA">Amazon UK </a></span></span><br />
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<![endif]-->thetalkingoakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10090259987219038836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853187937601741868.post-8038161192452474562015-09-21T09:39:00.000+01:002015-09-21T10:05:11.719+01:00Chapter 4: Japanese Clockwork<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhszWTkhZFimfYq_hx709CQclx_lhVC5dut0kJo2iWmLtqJLZyt9YYkHAGIUB9hdmyjhZCA5pyrfMesQMoAtVn_pLhdCMoW31Bx9essw3hVjvVsi5e8rBK02x4i-toiq7dBpKuttPNaDTLt/s1600/1430287227.86.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhszWTkhZFimfYq_hx709CQclx_lhVC5dut0kJo2iWmLtqJLZyt9YYkHAGIUB9hdmyjhZCA5pyrfMesQMoAtVn_pLhdCMoW31Bx9essw3hVjvVsi5e8rBK02x4i-toiq7dBpKuttPNaDTLt/s320/1430287227.86.jpg" width="210" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I finished reading <a href="http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/the-watchmaker-of-filigree-street-9781408854280/">The Watchmaker of Filigree Street</a> by <a href="https://twitter.com/natasha_pulley">Natasha Pulley</a> last night. It is an excellent Victorian based magical realist/clockpunk tale that touches on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fenian_dynamite_campaign">Fenian bombing campagin of the 1880s</a>, LGBT themes and challenging gender norms.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What really intrested me, however, was the use of Japan and the Japanese in the story. In western socities we tend to focus on the Euro-American history of the 19th Century, which is a shame as the end of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edo_period">Edo</a> period and begining of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meiji_period">Meji</a> of the country are fascinating with the transition from a medieval feudal society to a modern one. Pulley symbolizes this period of change with flashbacks to the buying of a Samurai castle by the state, represented by future prime minster <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%C5%8D_Hirobumi">Ito Hirobumi</a>.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkOGu75X61TdjxkqR5B3X0YbcLQ0UGF3Hl1-_e1txhgM8SUO27LVEY04NYWPmqseGZROwPmKngyOiN0_Ihn9TPbbqLmw5s3zvSMthDWPMiU8VWU7OKMzctBMvJkPKyAb5mdNzZitzK9aTU/s1600/220px-It%25C5%258D_Hirobumi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkOGu75X61TdjxkqR5B3X0YbcLQ0UGF3Hl1-_e1txhgM8SUO27LVEY04NYWPmqseGZROwPmKngyOiN0_Ihn9TPbbqLmw5s3zvSMthDWPMiU8VWU7OKMzctBMvJkPKyAb5mdNzZitzK9aTU/s1600/220px-It%25C5%258D_Hirobumi.jpg" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ito Hirobumi (photo from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%C5%8D_Hirobumi">wikipedia</a>)</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Another plot thread involves the reserach undertaken by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilbert_and_Sullivan">Gilbert and Sullivan</a> (who both appear as characters) for their 1885 opera <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mikado">The Mikado</a>.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhcpztakAzzHmKc_Kd6CUOapQanwnysbhEuRUSjnVcpUbYlME2rYJBDtkVZtjWiYXsbP0juL8yvKeRlPsh1_qgYFudMbIxDuQtt8BEbl7MhYT5VjHcuEaSZP5_GvWR-byJJt6QRUaS4K0T/s1600/Gilbert_and_Sullivan.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhcpztakAzzHmKc_Kd6CUOapQanwnysbhEuRUSjnVcpUbYlME2rYJBDtkVZtjWiYXsbP0juL8yvKeRlPsh1_qgYFudMbIxDuQtt8BEbl7MhYT5VjHcuEaSZP5_GvWR-byJJt6QRUaS4K0T/s320/Gilbert_and_Sullivan.png" width="320" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Gilbert and Sullivan (Photo from <a href="http://arts.louisiana.edu/">http://arts.louisiana.edu</a>)</span></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This leads the reader into a world that I was totally unaware of: the mock<a href="http://www.victorianlondon.org/entertainment/japanesevillage.htm"> Japanese Village</a> bulit in London for an exhibition of the culture of the country in the 1880s. In fact, because of my lack of knowelge of the exhibition, when it was first encountred in the novel I belived that the characters had been magically transported to Japan.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I don't want to get too much into the plot as I believe this is a novel that needs to be read without too many spoilers. But I do believe that beneath it's magical realism and clockwork octopuses lies an excellent introduction to Japan and the Japanese in the 19th Century. It works on both levels, however, and comes with a strong recomendation from me. </span></span>thetalkingoakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10090259987219038836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853187937601741868.post-86962217978246495032015-09-20T13:42:00.002+01:002015-09-20T13:43:32.684+01:00Chapter 3: The Doctor & The Queen<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Doctor Who returned to our
screens last night so this is a nice opportunity to talk about some of the long
running show’s trips to the Victorian Period. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I was born in 1982 and grew up with the final few years of the classic series. While I remember some of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Baker">Colin Baker</a> years I really became a fan when <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvester_McCoy">Sylvester McCoy</a> took over in 1987 (and he remains my Doctor). One of the stories that stuck with me for the rest of my life was the 1883 based <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Light_%28Doctor_Who%29">Ghost Light</a> (1989) writen by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Platt_%28writer%29">Marc Platt</a>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">It is an incredibllly complex tale of fear and evolutiuon set in a gothic house under the control of an alien intelligence. The performances are excellent and the sets and costumes are beautiful by the standards of the 1980s. I would say this is one of the stories that people who only know the post 2005 series should check out. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This was not the Doctor's first trip to the period. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Troughton">Patrick Troughton</a> battled the Victorian inventers of a time machine who had teamed up with his deadliest foes in 1967s (now sadly missing) <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Evil_of_the_Daleks">The Evil of the Daleks</a>. <a href="http://Tom Baker">Tom Baker</a> doned Sherlock Holmes' Dearstalker and faced another time traveling threat on the streets of post Jack the Ripper London in 1977's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Talons_of_Weng-Chiang">The Talons of Weng-Chiang</a>. An excellent story that introducted the characters of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Gordon_Jago">Jago</a> & <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professor_George_Litefoot">Litefoot</a> who would go on to have an equeally excellent series of audio plays from <a href="http://www.bigfinish.com/ranges/v/jago-litefoot">Big Finish</a>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">And, of course, the Doctor has met some of the more prominent figers of the age. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">In 1985's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timelash">Timelash</a>, Colin Baker's version of the Time Lord met a young H.G. Wells (played by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1530478/">David Chandler</a>) taking him into the future and inspiring the writing of The Time Machine.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4AJ3_as0mi7nOgnM5fS8ZIBNhSNJF5MA3To25lAgIvKVdybetIu7oPgCataQthkbUGKQuNDM7g66Modj5GxU9VgJP_2CLYUD8UZ1bcoAL4SMo_owKFZBYNhg8O2WJS-Gtpzgp0iIoeyok/s1600/Herbert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4AJ3_as0mi7nOgnM5fS8ZIBNhSNJF5MA3To25lAgIvKVdybetIu7oPgCataQthkbUGKQuNDM7g66Modj5GxU9VgJP_2CLYUD8UZ1bcoAL4SMo_owKFZBYNhg8O2WJS-Gtpzgp0iIoeyok/s320/Herbert.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture from the <a href="http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/H._G._Wells">Tardis Data Core</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">When the series was rebooted in 2005, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Eccleston">Christopher Eccleston</a> hunted ghosts with the ade of Charles Dickens (played by the wounderful <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Callow">Simon Callow</a>) in the </span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Gatiss">Mark Gatiss</a> (One of my favourite Writers of Who) penned <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Unquiet_Dead">The Unquiet Dead</a>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">A year later, the then showrunner, </span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell_T_Davies">Russell T Davies</a> had <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Tennant">David Tennent</a> meet Queen Victoria (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pauline_Collins">Pauline Collins</a>) in the Warewolf themed <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth_and_Claw_%28Doctor_Who%29">Tooth and Claw</a>, a title that is, of course, taken from Tennyson's 1850 poem<i> In Memoriam A.H.H.</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Both <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Smith_%28actor%29">Matt Smith</a> and the current Doctor, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Capaldi">Peter Capaldi</a>, would later go on to have more adventures set in the period with the absolutely wonderful <a href="http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Paternoster_Gang">Paternoster Gang</a>. </span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I may return to Doctor Who in the future to fully cover some of these adventures. </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">But </span></span>I hope the tradtion of Victoriana in the series continues because there are many intresting events that the Time Lord could visit and people he could meet.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Ghost Light - <a href="http://amzn.com/B0007VY5QM">Amazon US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00029QXBO">Amazon UK</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Evil of the Daleks (Audio) - <a href="http://amzn.com/B0009JON6E">Amazon US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002SQ347A">Amazon UK</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Talons of Weng-Chiang </span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">- <a href="http://amzn.com/B0055ASXLI">Amazon US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009BOSEEA">Amazon UK</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Timelash </span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">- <a href="http://amzn.com/B00114XLZU">Amazon US </a>| <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000NVI2G0">Amazon UK</a></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Doctor Who Series 1 (2005) </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">- <a href="http://amzn.com/B0089AD8IO">Amazon US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0009AK57Y">Amazon UK</a></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Doctor Who Series 2 (2006) - </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://amzn.com/B008KHIKWK">Amazon US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00M85WO5O">Amazon UK</a></span></span> </span></span> </span></span> </span></span></div>
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thetalkingoakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10090259987219038836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4853187937601741868.post-26671424664029337492015-09-19T14:20:00.000+01:002015-09-19T14:20:11.146+01:00Chapter 2: Or How I got into this mess. <span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">How does one become a Victorian arts & litereature geek in the modern world?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I don't know about other people but my entry point was <a href="http://loreenamckennitt.com/">Loreena McKennitt</a>'s song version of Tennyson's Lady of Shallott from her 1991 album <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Visit_%28Loreena_McKennitt_album%29">The Visit</a>. </span></span><br />
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/T-71gWjeqEM/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/T-71gWjeqEM?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The song bewitched me, even though it wasn't untill later that I discovered that it was based on a poem. But when I did discover this I had to read more and more Tennyson, it became a passion. When I got to University I was expecting to study folklore but for some reason Tennyson wouldn't leave me and now I'm working on a PhD about him. The song had that much of an impact on me.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">But it didn't stop there. Through Tennyson I discovered the Brownings, Christina Rossetti, Algernon Charles Swinburne, Matthew Arnold and other giants of Victorian poetry. Because I got intrested in JH Waterhouse's painting of the lady I discovered the PRB bortherhood, Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">So therefore it is quite right that I should have a blog about </span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="PXLWASD-o-a">Victoriana in popluar culture as that was how I first found my passion. </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="PXLWASD-o-a">The Visit can be bought at <a href="http://amzn.com/B000J233U8">Amazon US</a> or <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0000C665Z">Amazon UK</a></span></span></span></span>thetalkingoakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10090259987219038836noreply@blogger.com1