In a brief free moment:
Blog-friend Christian Lindke discusses Planetary Romance over at Cinerati, w/r/t the long-gestating John Carter movie, mentioning in passing a new web-serial by Scott Lynch called Queen of the Iron Sands. Christian mentions the words virtue and heroism, attributing them to "Victorian" attitudes, but I prefer the more ironic "Edwardian" (exemplifying the virtues at a time when Lytton Strachey and his ilk were laughing them into temporary exile).
Over at Radio 4, Boris! Johnson discusses the Great Cham, with his typical elan and boisterousness. Sam, says Boris, personifies the spirit of conservatism. (This is Samuel Johnson week at Radio 4 -- three hundredth birthday and all -- including a two part dramatization of Boswell's Life.) Boris, in addition to rattling off a line from the Iliad in Greek, quotes this:
"How small, of all that human hearts endure,/ That part which laws or kings can cause or cure!"
which seems particularly relevant today.
The Reynolds portrait, at the Huntington, called "Blinking Sam" by the staff, is to the left. I particularly admire the way he devours that book.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Random Matters of Some Interest
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1 comment:
Given the 1912 publication date of The Lost World, it seems only fair to attribute the particular virtue and heroism that Doyle advances in that book as "Edwardian," even if Edward died in 1910. It is certainly true that the early 20th century, really much of the 20th century, exhibited a certain amount of disdain for the "manly virtues" -- which are in actuality classical virtues. My point is that PR, emphasizes manly virtue and courtly love.
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