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 …
April Miscellany (2009)
A documentary film first. Afghan Star directed by Havana Marking, which won a prize at the 2009 Sundance Festival, told the extraordinary story of the introduction of an American Idol/X-Factor type show in Afghanistan. Music was banned by the Taliban and the producers of the show (Afghan Star) obviously faced considerable problems when they decided to …
April Days
An account of a couple of days out in April - both during a week of glorious weather. First to Compton Verney which we had been meaning to get to for years. Compton Verney is an Adam House in south-east Warwickshire, near the Oxfordshire. The house itself is a gem as one would expect, or …
Fiona McCarthy on Byron
I have just finished Fiona McCarthy's biography Byron Life and Legend (2002). I am not going to write at any great length about this but will say that I found it in general pretty disappointing. McCarthy's particular 'angle' on B. is to stress the homosexual side of his bi-sexuality. Now I have absolutely no doubt …
Petition Against Over-Regulation of Psychotherapy
A current issue of great importance to me. The background to this is the Government's desire to promote CBT as the one valid talking therapy, impose a single definition of 'mental health' (which means working) and attack Incapacity and other benefits. It is Orwellian in the true sense of the word because it involves the …
Continue reading Petition Against Over-Regulation of Psychotherapy
QDL on DLS
It was at St Hilda's 2007 (see https://movingtoyshop.wordpress.com/2009/02/25/st-hildas-2007/ ) that I heard Jill Paton Walsh discuss Q.D.Leavis's attack on Dorothy L. Sayers and I have been meaning to find the article ever since; finally I got myself into Birmingham Central Library and obtained the relevant volume of Scrutiny - it is Volume 6, Number 3 (December …
Moving Toyshop 