Happy Deathday Ms. Austen!

On July 18th in 1817, one of England’s best loved female authors died of what is now believed to have been bovine tuberculosis. Her name was Jane Austen.

That very name has become synonymous with nineteenth century realism lit, but would you believe this wonderfully talented writer was hardly considered “one of the greats” until the 1940s - many years after her death?!

Her best known, if not her best work, Pride and Prejudice, was also her first. It was written between October 1796 and August 1797, although it was not published until 1813, two years after Sense and Sensibility, which was written 1797 and 1798. In fact, Ms. Austen had a rather hard time initially finding a publisher!! If that is not encouragement for our budding writers out there, we’re not sure what is!

Her novels have been parodied, studied, turned into films and stage productions and flat out imitated hundreds upon hundreds of times! We cannot stress what a huge figure in popular culture, Jane Austen has become. If you have not read her work, we guarantee you have at least seen it parodied on Family Guy… or perhaps you’ve seen the bollywood remake Bride and Prejudice? Either way, you must read some Austen if you’ve not had the pleasure… she really is such a treat! If you are unable to get to your local library, check out this great resource: http://www.austen.com/novels.htm

Today, we hope our readers will pay homage to this wonderful writer by thoroughly observing the relationships around you… remember, no matter how insignificant the
“little details” might seem, Jane Austen would have noticed them!

Write on in peace, Ms. Austen!

Happy Deathday Mr. Forster!

On this day, in 1970, one of our favorites from the Bloomsbury Group, E.M. Forster (Edward Morgan Forster) died of stroke at the ripe old age of 91.

Mr. Forster, as we’ve said above, was a member of the Bloomsbury Group, which also included, writer Virginia Woolf and the well known art critic, Clive Bell.

Though you may know his name for his most successful work, which is undoubtedly, Howard’s End, you may also be familiar with the titles of some of his earlier works, which include Where Angels Fear to Tread (1905), The Longest Journey (1907), and A Room with a View (1908), (which is incidentally, one of our favorite films!)

Forster often wrote about the difficulties of class and the human struggle to find one’s place. As someone who was forced to repress his sexuality all his life, it is easy to read between the lines and see another human struggle he was expressing simultaneously.

In fact, one of our very favorite works by Forster is his novel, Maurice, which was published posthumously (but written in 1913) and has also since been made into a film. Maurice examines a homosexual relationship between two men, and follows their extremely different life choices throughout adulthood. It is said that when the manuscript was discovered after his death, there was a note atop it which read “Publishable, but worth it?” Keep in mind, when he wrote this in 1913, England was still reeling from the “Oscar Wilde scandal”.

Forster also contributed much to the nonfiction genre and wrote a plethora of essays, which are often used in college classrooms today. Perhaps the most noted and influential of these is the volume of criticism Aspects of the Novel, the text of the Clark Lectures which Forster delivered in 1927. This work advances a theory of characterization and of “pattern and rhythm” in the novel. Forster asserts that “characters are either flat - types or caricatures, particularly useful in comedy - or round - capable of surprising the reader, yet in a totally convincing fashion.” We strongly encourage any and all writers of fiction out there to take a look at this collection and add it to your arsenal of craft.

On the title page of Howard’s End, Forster had placed the phrase “Only connect.” It is Forster’s instruction to people whose greatest failure, as he sees it, is their reluctance to destroy the barriers of prejudice and social intolerance that have risen to divide them.

So, our suggestion to you all today is to remember Mr. Forster by going out there in the world and “connecting”. Say hello to someone you normally wouldn’t. Write about your own prejudices, examine them, observe them in others.

Write on in peace, Mr. Forster!

Happy Deathday Mr. Dahl!

On this day in 1990, beloved children’s author Roald Dahl died from a blood disease at the age of 74. Apparently, Dahl was buried with his snooker cues, burgundy wine, chocolates, HB pencils and a power saw…. that’s how I’d like to be sent off!

Mr. Dahl is responsible for some of the most loved children’s books of our time. To name just a few; Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Matilda, The Witches and of course, James and the Giant Peach. Nobody’s childhood is complete without reading at least one of the aforementioned titles!

To find out more about this remarkably talented author and his lasting legacy, please visit his website!

And do be sure to remember Roald Dahl today… perhaps seek out a small child to read one of your favorite stories to. Trust us, there’s magic in those pages!

Write on in peace, Mr. Dahl!

Happy Deathday Mr. Chaucer!

On October 25th in 1400, English writer Geoffrey Chaucer died of unknown causes. (Note: there is some debate as to the exact date) He is buried at Poet’s Corner in the Westminster Abbey in London.

Chaucer is, of course, most well known for writing The Canterbury Tales. He was also quite an accomplished poet and diplomat. The “Canterbury Tales” were first printed by Caxton from a faulty manuscript in or about 1476-7; later by Pynson, and by Wynkyn de Worde. Other pieces were collected, and, between 1526-1602, often published with the “Tales”. Some other major works by Chaucer that you may not have heard of are “The Legend of Good Women” and “Parlement of Foules”, sometimes called “Parliament of Fowls”.

Some scholars credit Chaucer with being the first author to utilize the vernacular of Middle English, and in so doing, legitimize it artistically. Chaucer’s English is over 600 years old, but it is still recognizably English, and with a little effort it can be understood. (We actually think it is rather similar to German). If you have never read the Canterbury Tales, we recommend you attempt to read it either in the original Middle English or at the very least, alongside it. Trust us, it’s worth the additional effort.

Chaucer’s unequalled powers of observation, and highly ironic sense of humor make his writings not only highly entertaining, but also extremely educational and often quite revealing of the time period in which he lived. 

Today, we hope you will pop open a bottle of Chaucer’s Meade, pick up a Middle English dictionary and get lost in the forests of Medieval England for a bit. 

Write on in peace, Mr. Chaucer!

Happy Deathday Mr. Wilmot!

On July 26th in 1680, the Second Earl of Rochester and perhaps the most debauched libertine poet to ever live, died of syphilis at the age of 33. That “debauched” man was John Wilmot.

Wilmot, who was a friend of King Charles II and infamous across London during the Restoration period, was a satirist, poet, playwright and notorious libertine. His work was greatly influenced by classical authors, such as Lucretius and Ovid, and it is evident that he was highly educated as he alludes to politics, literature and philosophy in his bawdy and often offensive rhymes.

Horace Walpole once described him as “a man whom the muses were fond to inspire but ashamed to avow”. We would have to agree.

Our favorite work by Wilmot is undoubtedly Sodom, or the Quintessence of Debauchery, published in 1684. We’ll not disclose the particulars of this play here… but we encourage any lovers of erotic literature to give it a read. Unfortunately, many of Wilmot’s writings were burned and otherwise destroyed after his death, in an effort to “preserve his decency”. What was not destroyed, was not published under his name until well after his death, but his influence on popular culture is clear. Authors such as Tennyson, Goethe , Defoe and Voltaire often complimented Wilmot’s work or quoted him in their own writings. 

Today, we encourage our readers to rent “The Libertine” starring Johnny Depp and disappear into 17th century England for awhile… (Stern Warning: If you watch this movie, you will end up shagging whoever you happen to be sitting next to while watching it)

Write on in peace, Mr. Wilmot!

Happy Deathday Ms. Austen!

On July 18th in 1817, one of England’s best loved female authors died of what is now believed to have been bovine tuberculosis. That darling of British literature was none other than Ms. Jane Austen.

Jane Austen’s name has become synonymous with nineteenth century realism lit, but would you believe this wonderfully talented writer was hardly considered “one of the greats” until the 1940s - many years after her death?!

Her best known, if not her best work, Pride and Prejudice, was also her first. It was written between October 1796 and August 1797, although it was not published until 1813, two years after Sense and Sensibility, which was written 1797 and 1798. In fact, Ms. Austen had a rather hard time initially finding a publisher!! If that is not encouragement for our budding writers out there, we’re not sure what is!

Her novels have been parodied, studied, turned into films and stage productions and flat out imitated hundreds upon hundreds of times! We cannot stress what a huge figure in popular culture, Jane Austen has become. If you have not read her work, we guarantee you have at least seen it parodied on Family Guy… or perhaps you’ve seen the bollywood remake Bride and Prejudice? Either way, you must read some Austen if you’ve not had the pleasure… she really is such a treat! If you are unable to get to your local library, check out this great resource: http://www.austen.com/novels.htm

Today, we hope our readers will pay homage to this wonderful writer by thoroughly observing the relationships around you… remember, no matter how insignificant the
“little details” might seem, Jane Austen would have noticed them!

Write on in peace, Ms. Austen!

Happy Deathday Mr. Skelton!

On June 21st in 1529, English satirist, poet and playwright John Skelton died of unknown causes.

Though little is known about Skelton’s early life, it is widely known he studied at Oxford and was appointed as a tutor to Prince Henry (later King Henry VIII). Our favorite Skelton work is, without a doubt, Phyllyp Sparrowe, published in 1505. Skelton is best known for his “ragged rhymes” though and his name is where the literary term “Skeltonic verse” derives from! Skeltonic verse features short, irregular lines with multiple rhymes, written in a tumbling, sort of “helter-skelter”. View the example below from Skelton’s “How the Doughty Duke of Albany…”

O ye wretched Scots,
Ye puant pisspots,
It shall be your lots
To be knit up with knots.

Charming, we know. Lol. In fact, Skelton came under rather harsh criticism from members of the church for his crude rhymes, particularly the Pope himself!

Skelton also helped to transform medieval English into modern English. You may not know this, but the popular expressions: ‘By hook or by crook’ and ‘I smell a rat’ come from none other than John Skelton!

Today, we encourage to spend the day speaking in rhyme if you can and see how many people you can either woo or annoy!

Write on in peace, Mr. Skelton!