Margery Allingham's The Tiger in the Smoke (1952) is not only one of her greatest books, and possibly her best, but one of the true masterpieces of British mystery fiction. It is one of those books to which I am always somewhat nervous to return in case in should prove that my memory has played me false, that …
Month: May 2009
Crabbe – Tale 7: The Widow’s Tale
My original comments..... >>>A simple narrative and moral here. Nancy Moss is a farmer's daughter who has been away at school in 'town'. When she returns to the farm she is disgusted by the eating and living habits, and her father's expectations that she will attend to household tasks. He also wants her to marry …
Crabbe – Tale 6: The Frank Courtship
Mt original comments.... >>>Jonas Kindred (great name!) is a stern Puritan, a domestic tyrant who rules his wife and daughter, Sybil, with a rod of iron. When Sybil goes to stay with her Aunt, who is definitely not a Puritan, she learns of worldly pleasure. Jonas however finds a serious young man, Josiah, whom he …
Crabbe – Tale 5: The Patron
My original comments.... >>>This is a typically contradictory Tale which can be read in two ways. The story is, as usual, simple. A prosperous farmer's son, John, takes to writing poetry. When his father backs a local Lord at an election, John writes a satiric verse in favour of this Lord which brings him attention. He …
Crabbe – Tale 4: Procrastination
My original comments... >>>The basic story is simple. Young lovers Rupert and Dinah do not got married because Dinah has a wealthy aunt who basically manipulates Dinah into putting Rupert off. He departs overseas to seek his fortune. She stays with the aunt, and gradually becomes more and more attached to a rich and comfortable …
Crabbe – Tales 1-3
I intend to proceed by reproducing the comments which I have so far written on Tales 1-7. These were posted to ECW (see link on right) and I apologise for the problems with formatting. I will then add a summary of any discussion which ensued and my responses. I start with Tales 1-3 taken together because …
Compulsion and The Changeling
An ITV film called Compulsion written by Joshua St Johnston and directed by Sarah Harding was shown on television on 4th May. It was claimed that Compulsion was 'inspired by' Middleton and Rowley's Jacobean tragedy The Changeling; as I could not even recall if I had seen, let alone read, this play I was impelled …
Crabbe : An Introduction
I started to read George Crabbe as part of a group read on Eighteenth Century Worlds (link on right) in April 2008. At that point I really knew nothing of the poet other than that one of his poems formed the basis for Britten's opera Peter Grimes. When I look back at what I first wrote …
Byron and Women (and men)
'Byron and Women (and men)' was the title of a one-day Conference held at Nottingham University on 2nd May which I attended. A one-day Conference has many advantages for me in terms of not having to leave home for the night and Nottingham is an easy drive. The Conference was quite small and thus not …
A burst of Leigh
A little burst of Mike Leigh material - a lengthy Mark Lawson interview, a documentary on Abigail's Party, a reshowing of his 1976 TV film Nuts in May, and a viewing of his most recent film Happy-Go-Lucky (2008) - provide a chance for some reflection on this director's work. Leigh is a man who tends to …
Moving Toyshop 