Continuing with Oscar Wilde month…
It’s most dangerous nowadays for a husband to pay any attention to his wife in public. It always makes people think that he beats her when they’re alone.
— Lady Windermere’s Fan
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A Year of Quotes 1.8.1
Another classic from Mr. Wilde…
To love oneself is the beginning
of a lifelong romance.
–An Ideal Husband
A Year of Quotes 1.7.1
Another wonderful quote by Oscar Wilde…
Miss Prism: No married man is ever attractive except to his wife.
Chasuble: And often, I’ve been told, not even to her.
–The Importance of Being Earnest
A Year of Quotes 1.5.16
Continuing with Oscar Wilde month here’s a gem about the state of matrimony from Lady Windermere’s Fan. The play premiered on February 22nd, 1892 at London’s St. James’s Theatre.
Our husbands would really forget our existence if we didn’t nag at them from time to time, just to remind them that we have a perfect legal right to do so.
—Lady Windermere’s Fan
(Yes, I’m going to run out of Oscar Wilde images before the month is out. Indulge me while I can still come up with new ones.)
A Year of Quotes 1.4.16
Mr. Wilde is at it again… This one comes from his play, A Woman of No Importance. The play was originally staged at London’s Haymarket Theatre in the Spring of 1893. Wilde wrote it at the urging of the Haymarket’s actor-manager, Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who wanted to duplicate the success of Lady Windermere’s Fan which premiered a the St. James Theatre the previous season.
One should never trust a woman
who tells one her real age.
A woman who would tell one that,
would tell one anything.
–A Woman of No Importance
Here’s a link to the free e-book of the play courtesy the Guttenberg Project.
A Year of Quotes 1.3.16
Continuing with Oscar Wilde month…
My experience is that as soon as
people are old enough to know better,
they don’t know anything at all.
–Lady Windermere’s Fan
A Year of quotes
I’ve already blown one of my New Years Resolutions… to post a quote every day… but I’m giving myself a break and starting today instead.
Since my wonderful friend, Angie, gave me a book of quotes from Oscar Wilde and one of quotes by Charles Dickens I thought I’d start with those fine fellows and continue with a famous author a month. Lets start with Mr. Wilde, shall we…
To get back my youth I would do anything in the world,
except take exercise, get up early,
or be respectable.{The Picture of Dorian Gray}
St. Thomas Day and the ‘Mumpers’
American Holly [Island Creeks ecology ]
December 21st is St. Thomas Day. It was traditionally the day when Regency housewives would begin their Christmas preparations in earnest. With houses cleaned to a spit shine the Holiday baking could begin.
It is also the day when widows and older women would go ‘Thomasing’ at the doors of their more fortunate neighbors and would receive food or money. Wealthier neighbors would often distribute wheat– either in the form of baked goods or uncooked (which the Mumpers would turn into Christmas cakes, breads or frumenty –a dessert made of boiled wheat, milk, sugar and cinnamon). In some parts of England, like Warwickshire the Mumpers would “go a-corning” and would get gifts of corn or cornmeal. Children there would beg for apples.
In turn the benefactors would receive a sprig of holly, a small bunch of mistletoe or a ball of home spun wool in thanks.
A widow (probably of the Napoleonic War) and her baby go “a-Thomasing” or “a-gooding”[Random Bits of Fascination ]
The day is remembered in Christmas carols such as:
Christmas is coming and the geese are getting fat,
Please spare a penny for the old’s hat,
if you haven’t got a penny, a ha’penny will do,
if you haven’t got a ha’penny, God bless you.
and…
‘ Wassail, wassail, through the town,
If you’ve got any apples, throw them down ;
Up with the stocking, and down with the shoe,
If you’ve got no apples, money will do ;
The jug is white and the ale is brown,
This is the best house in the town.’
“Mumper” is a slang word for “beggar” — presumably because many beggars were often handicapped (from either disease or from wounds they suffered in the War) and hobbled around on crutches… thumping and mumping through the streets.
A parcel of wretches hopping about by the assistance of their crutches, like so many Lincoln’s Inn Fields mumpers, drawing into a body to attack [infest or beset] the coach of some charitable lord.” — Ned Ward: The London Spy, part v. [Info Please ]
And Mumpers Day was ‘celebrated’ either on St. Thomas day (December 21st) or Boxing Day (December 26th) depending on the region.
Mistletoe. [Weather.com ]
For more information on St. Thomas Day might I suggest the following links…
http://www.christmas-celebrations.org/216-st-thomass-day.html
http://randombitsoffascination.com/2013/12/20/regency-christmas-traditions-christmastide-charity/
A Year of READING Dangerously: #96 Grendel
OK I guess I really SHOULD change the name of this feature to “A Year *Plus* of READING Dangerously” as I have completely blown my deadline for reading all 100 books on the ALA’s list of most banned and challenged books between 2000 and 2010. But, since Hannah has done such a fabulous job with creating the logo, I’m going to stick to the original title, and we’ll just see how many books I get through. (Or WE get through for those of you who are still playing along.)
Today’s pick is Grendel, John Gardner‘s 1970/71 masterful retelling of Beowulf. It is really the perfect book for a literature dweeb to pick up for Halloween. So run to your local bookstore and buy your copy now.
Grendel (novel) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I can’t remember when I first read Grendel. It was probably in high school as an add-on assignment to the more classical book. And although I can still recite the first lines of Beowulf in Old English thanks to Sr. Carola, I can assure you I enjoyed reading the story from the monster’s side much more. Who doesn’t love an existential, self-loathing, monster? Am I right?
Ah-hem… not so right. The book has been banned off and on since its publication. The biggest offense seems to be violence (which Grendel has in spades), but it has also been sited for being nihilistic and unsuitable for students in high school. For example:
Grendel was challenged in the Sherwood, Oregon school district after being added to the sophomore honors English class’ reading list. Parents were concerned about scenes in the novel that describe torture and mutilation. … [Rohrbach Library blog]
The book remained on the school’s reading list. Students continue to have the choice of reading other novels that explore the human condition through the eyes of an anti-hero “monster”. (In the case of Sherwood, Oregon, Frankenstein.)
John Gardner, circa 1984 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The novel inspired an animated film (1981’s Grendel, Grendel, Grendel by Alexander Stitt) and a 2006 opera by Elliot Goldenthal.
Special props to my nephew John who was kind enough to loan me his gently read copy of the novel so I didn’t have read my 30 year old pocket paperback with its teeny-tiny type and crumbling spine.
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