• We have updated the guidelines regarding posting political content: please see the stickied thread on Website Issues.

New Blog: 'Dark' 19th Century History

Mr Bleak said:
Originally I wrote the post to share with a Thomas Hardy Fans group that I am in. The most probable reason that 'A Laodicean' is a neglected novel is because it is not particularly good. Sometimes the most straight forward explanation is the best one ! The fact that nobody seems to know how to pronounce the title doesn't help.
On the other hand one of my favourite Hardy novels -' A Pair of Blue Eyes' -seems sadly overlooked .
Click to expand...

Another interesting post on your blog.
 
Frideswide said:
I fear I am allergic to Hardy's novels having had Tess, Madding Crowd and Jude for O-level. I did enjoy writing a piece on the conditions of agricultural labourers and the spread of industialisation mind you.

His poetry is magnificent.

I must have a look at A Pair of Blue Eyes.
Click to expand...
I don't recall having to read Hardy for an exam. But being brought up in Dorset, read some Hardy starting with 'Far From The Madding Crowd' as a teenager. I have read and re-read a fair amount of Hardy's work in the last 2 years and rate a lot of his work very highly. Personally think that Hardy works best when he connects the tragedy of human life, particularly concerning individuals who defy social norms and fail, with the cycles of nature and the agricultural year. 'The Return of the Native' is my favourite. The only Hardy I gave up on was 'Under The Greenwood Tree', I just thought it was too silly and jolly.
 
Mr Bleak said:
I have read and re-read a fair amount of Hardy's work in the last 2 years and rate a lot of his work very highly.
Click to expand...

Definitely the poetry.

I liked the background and lore of the novels, I just wanted to shout to Tess that she should stop being such a total wazzock!
 
Despite the outdated style, this is still stirring and marvellous:

'The isles of Greece, the isles of Greece!
Where burning Sappho loved and sung,
Where grew the arts of war and peace,
Where Delos rose, and Phoebus
sprung!
Eternal summer gilds them yet,
But all, except their sun, is set...

The mountains look on Marathon--
And Marathon looks on the sea;
And musing there an hour alone,
I dreamed that Greece might still be free;
For standing on the Persians' grave,
I could not deem myself a slave.

A king sat on the rocky brow
Which looks o'er sea-born Salamis;
And ships, by thousands, lay below,
And men in nations--all were his!
He counted them at break of day--
And when the sun set, where were they?

And where are they? And where art thou?
My country? On thy voiceless shore
The heroic lay is tuneless now--
The heroic bosom beats no more!
And must thy lyre, so long divine,
Degenerate into hands like mine?

'Tis something, in the dearth of fame,
Though linked among a fettered race,
To feel at least a patriot's shame,
Even as I sing, suffuse my face;
For what is left the poet here?
For Greeks a blush--for Greece a tear....

Fill high the bowl with Samian wine!
Our virgins dance beneath the shade--
I see their glorious black eyes shine;
But gazing on each glowing maid,
My own the burning teardrop laves,
To think such breasts must suckle slaves.

Place me on Sunium's marbled steep,
Where nothing, save the waves and I,
May hear our mutual murmurs sweep;
There, swanlike, let me sing and die:
A land of slaves shall ne'er be mine--
Dash down yon cup of Samian wine!'

(Lord Byron)
 
@Steven . A magnificent poem indeed.

A favourite of mine from Lord Byron would be Canto 4,v 178 of Childe Harold's Pilgrimage.

"There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society where none intrudes,
By the deep Sea, and music in its roar:
I love not Man the less, but Nature more,
From these our interviews, in which I steal
From all I may be, or have been before,
To mingle with the Universe, and feel
What I can ne'er express, yet cannot all conceal "
 
I had the great privilege of hearing this read to me.

She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes
Thus mellow'd to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impair'd the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o'er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.

But for some reason he didn't do verse three :rollingw:

And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!
 
Have just completed a blogpost about the rather odd 1873 novel by Wilkie Collins titled 'The New Magadalene ' : The story mainly concerns what we would now call identity theft and cat-fishing. Has the sensational lead female character who behaves in an outrageous fashion but the book seems to deteriorate into a morality tale, with plenty of social comment, which was not Collins's strongest point as a writer. But got some interesting themes...particularly the scene with a young British woman who volunteers as a nurse to help the French wounded during the Franco-Prussian war of 1870/1871.
https://bleakchesneywold.blogspot.com/2024/04/the-new-magdalene-by-wilkie-collins.html
 
Mr Bleak said:
Indeed, in my own life time....I was born 1961, have noticed changes. The idea of regular showering , clean socks and pants every day,frequent use of deoderant, was certainly not the case for many people who were about when I was young.
Found this BFI film about public wash houses in 1959 , last five minutes.
Click to expand...
Love that you can see the long gone ‘Three Sisters’ chimneys at the start of that clip.
 
Mr Bleak said:
Have updated blog with a post about 'The Beetle' by Richard Marsh, from 1897, which became an Edwardian bestseller. Probably best described as an occult horror novel.
https://bleakchesneywold.blogspot.com/2023/08/the-beetle-by-richard-marsh-1897.html
Click to expand...

'The Bite Sized Audio' channel on Youtube has a new Richard Marsh ghost story titled 'The Violin'. A bit predictable but jolly good fun. Far less intense than 'The Beetle'. Haunted/spirit played instruments appear in accounts of Victorian Spiritualism, but this story is not related to a seance.

"'The Violin' first appeared in book form in Marsh's 1900 collection 'The Seen and the Unseen' " according to the introduction. Lasts just under 45 minutes.

 
The Sand-Walker is genuinely horrific, to me at least. I agree with you @Mr Bleak - this is all the more powerful becuase it is condensed into a short story.

Another cracking blog post from you!
 
Mr Bleak said:
Latest blog update with a post about 'The Sand-walker' , a short horror story by Fergus Hume. Set in England on the north sea coast in 1896 most likely written at the time, first published in 1906. A favourite of mine as I had an encounter with quicksand whilst on holiday in Dorset a few years ago.
https://bleakchesneywold.blogspot.com/2024/08/the-sand-walker-fergus-hume-1859-1932.html
Click to expand...
Listened to it as a bed-time story last night.
Unnerving atmosphere builds nicely and there was a decent twist!
 
blessmycottonsocks said:
Listened to it as a bed-time story last night.
Unnerving atmosphere builds nicely and there was a decent twist!
Click to expand...

It one that, until I found it, was unknown to me. Obviously. I mean this is unusual given how many stories I read/listen to!

Deserves to be more widely known IMHO.
 
Frideswide said:
It one that, until I found it, was unknown to me. Obviously. I mean this is unusual given how many stories I read/listen to!

Deserves to be more widely known IMHO.
Click to expand...
Thank you for all the comments and likes. Apparently Fergus Hume wrote 132 novels as well as short stories. His first novel 'The Mystery of a Hansom Cab' (1886) was an international best seller, though Hume had it self published in 1886 in Australia , where he was living and working. Hume sold away all the rights to the novel once the initial print run had sold out. It is a great detective story , and have seen the 2012 film version. I only found 'The Sand-walker' as I follow and support Tony Walker's Classic Ghost Story Podcast channel on Youtube, and discovered Tony's version. Finally, should mention that 'The Sand-walker' appeared in 1906 as part of the collection ' The Dancer in Red'.
The 'Fantastic Fiction' website has tried to list all Hume's work.

https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/fergus-hume/
 
Mr Bleak said:
Latest blog update with a post about 'The Sand-walker' , a short horror story by Fergus Hume. Set in England on the north sea coast in 1896 most likely written at the time, first published in 1906. A favourite of mine as I had an encounter with quicksand whilst on holiday in Dorset a few years ago.
https://bleakchesneywold.blogspot.com/2024/08/the-sand-walker-fergus-hume-1859-1932.html
Click to expand...

Just listened to it, excellent. I'm listening to Don't Fear The Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult as a chaser.
 
ramonmercado said:
Just listened to it, excellent. I'm listening to Don't Fear The Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult as a chaser.
Click to expand...
Glad that you like it. I am tempted to seek out more of Fergus Hume's work. I have just found his 'Chronicles of Fairy Land' online via Gutenberg, the 1911 edition has been digitalised. So far they seem quite disturbing.
One tale ,'The Red Elf' is quite horrid, featuring a giant who likes capturing and eating children. ( Also expresses a racist viewpoint that would not be acceptable in our current times).

https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/71700/pg71700-images.html

I think that the original edition was 'Chronicles of Faeryland- Fantastic Fables for Old and Young' , and first published in 1892

https://mflibra.com/products/1892-s...llustrated-by-m-dunlop?variant=44042735943929
 
@Mr Bleak a good choice for the illustration at the head of your blog post, sinister and yet beautiful.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top