It's Always More Complicated

I've posted occasionally about Maria Sibylla Merian, this sounds like an interesting book on her and her art.

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The funding to save the area surrounding the Cerne Giant for the National Trust has been raised: any further donations will go to habitat creation and increasing access.

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Exhibition: North Staffordshire Miners’ Wives Action Group Archive (formed in response to the 1984 miners’ strike,members have been actively campaigning for over 40 years).

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Martyrdom, Misrepresentation and the ‘Tolpuddle Martyrs’ (I was at uni with a Loveless descendant). And I discovered that the Internet Archive has a recording of the BBC Home Service broadcast of Miles Malleson and H Brook's Six Men of Dorset.

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More rather horrifying reports coming out about the surrogacy industry: Embryo couriers, student egg donors and cut-price surrogates. Journalist Alev Scott investigates northern Cyprus’s booming baby business — where Brits head for cheap treatment, gender selection and lax legislation.

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Researching Love Letters:

The National Archives is hosting the exhibition 'Love Letters', exploring 500 years of expressions of love. This exhibition captures the voices of paupers and monarchs, reflecting friendships, romance, and more. But why does love appear in government documents?

Recovering “Lesbian” Voices in the Middle Ages: Twelfth and Thirteenth Century Germanic Mystics.

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The Rohonc Codex: Hungary’s Mysterious Manuscript That No One Can Read

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Yay: Senate House Library secures future of priceless LGBTQ+ collection with support from the Heritage Fund

Boo: County Durham WWI ledger bought at car boot sale for £20 set to sell for over £1k at auction: The museum-quality register lists the names of 900 men who signed up in just three days in December 1915

Spotted via Twitter today:

What obscure SFF novel or short story do you absolutely love? A real banger of a work that somehow nobody seems to have heard about?

Okay, I sometimes feel that overlooked sff works from the 60s-80s, oursin's Mastermind Special Subject, and then I think, that is, specifically by writers identifying at that time as women, though I still think that would be Quite A Lot -

But on another prickly paw, a significant number of those works, though perhaps not very widely known, would probably be recognised by at least some of my dr rdrz -

Here or in other venues: there was an outbreak of Jane Gaskell fanpersoning in my niche corner of Twitter a few months ago, which I think sprang off a discussion of the somewhat less niche Tanith Lee.

Another problem is, that there were works at that date that I adored but have not really returned to for A Very Long Time and they may have Gone Off. Or have elements which may have become more visibly problematic since Those Days.

(Is it true to consider them works I still absolutely love?)

I was, in fact, reminded today of the late Suzette Haden Elgin's Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defence in a different context - seeing today's Pass notes: Grey rocking in The Guardian I was trying to recollect whether that was quite the same as her, was it Robot? mode of responding? (I have/had a copy of the book - somewhere?).

Which led me to think of those earlier (pre-Native Tongue) books of hers that I loved at the time, and whether I should dare a re-read...

Spotted lately on Twitter, but did not engage, somebody (who was I think getting their head handed to them, yay) claiming that polyamory had zero to do with Romance, unlike monogamy, that epitome of Teh Romantickal.

*Larft hysterically in historian*

Thinking of all those looong centuries in Western Europe (in order to confine this discussion to a society in which heterosexual monogamy was technically the hegemonic norm) in which marriage had very little to do with luhrve.

In fact so little to do with amorous passion that the medieval Courts of Love decreed that l'amour courtois could not possibly be A Thing betwixt spouses, 'twas flyin' in the face of nature.

And even in these days here, we feel that over the longer term, monogamy involves certain trade-offs of high romantic passion for the kind of bureaucratic organisation and scheduling that person was deploring as characteristic of polyamorists, because living a life together, if romance segues into marriage or at least cohabitation, and maybe offspring, and having of individual lives beyond coupledom, is going to involve a certain amount of administration. (And that's not getting into the territory of those couples still in the earlier stages in which one writes into advice givers that t'other expects them to do All The Arranging, or Taking Care of Financial Matters, and how this is somewhat taking the shiny glow off...)

Somehow I feel this here is somewhat related to this idea of The Romantic: this week's 'You Be The Judge' in The Guardian: should my fellow bridesmaid dial down the hen-do plans?, and given that fellow bridesmaid expresses her side of things thusly:

My philosophy is that a girl’s wedding is the most important day of her life. We need to be there as much as possible for Alisee because she will only do this once. Perhaps it’s because I’ve been through it myself, but I don’t think Alisee’s demands are crazy. It’s just what you do when you get married; you distribute responsibilities among your bridesmaids, and ask them to plan your hen.... I’m supporting Alisee and suggesting additions that will make the hen do extra special, like professional catering and a lovely villa with a pool.

Okay, diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks, but really: in this century, 'a girl’s wedding is the most important day of her life'? - (not to mention 'only do this once' /cynicism) - one would hope that there would be opportunities for other important days? In particular something that is becoming less of a significant rite de passage for the celebrants, who have probably been living together for yonks and may even have children, and more of a conspicuous ritual display?

The Isley Brothers, exhorting 'Take some time out for love!'

Well, on the one hand, this might be a valuable reminder to keep a viable work-life balance -

On the other hand, that 'old cross boss' might have a different viewpoint on it, particularly if one was just up and taking some time out for LOVE in the middle of the working day -

But on the prehensile tail, perchance one could make the business case that taking some time out for love would, in the long run, improve productivity?

One is almost inclined to Ask A Manager what her opinion on this advice might be.

Dept of, Blaming the Internet for A Phenomenon we have seen before: perchance I am being unduly cynical, but this An endless bombardment of news and gossip and images has rendered us manic information addicts. It broke me strikes me as Yet Another of those Born-Again Bloke pieces - okay, it's perhaps more often that FATHERHOOD has given them a new perspective, but I think the 'I wos a WORKAHOLIC and it was Bad for Me' is another trope in the same area.

Not to mention the My Experience is Universal, No? aspect.

Dept of, what do you mean, we? Get off the treadmill: the art of living well in the age of plenty. A) demonstrates no knowledge of the long tradition of teaching people who are not actually dying in ditches of the plague, etc, how to live better B) I have little sympathy for someone who gets his woezery on by looking at the other people who are actually working out in the gym - no, really, if you're working out, why should you be looking happy? these people are making physical efforts, why should they *SMILE DARLIN*? C) gross overgeneralisation much?

Dept of, Is this not a recurrent theme in the lives of writers and could be asked of many: How can someone who writes so perceptively about love make so many mistakes in their own life? (And do we not notice that her alleged 'trophy-lovers' are blokes who pretty much seem to have been up for anybody and put themselves about a lot?) But if true, am glad to hear that Howard's works are more likely to be available than Amis's.

Dept of, the long tradition of the British female Gothic: The author of The Railway Children and Five Children and It was familiar with the darker aspects of life - though, in spite of that header, the article does point out the distinctly uncosy elements in her children's fiction - precariousness is a constant theme whether it is father in chokey for - surely it was false accusation of embezzlement, not spying? - or general sense of abyss yawning - why The Treasure-Seekers treasure-sought, no?

And, extremely chuffed to see the very positive and exceeding copious coverage Pride of Place has latterly been getting.

What I read

So, I finished Casino Infernale, which was as expected, no particular surprises, enjoyable.

Elizabeth Bear, One-Eyed Jack (2014) which I admired but did not entirely warm up to, partly because my misspent youth/early-mid adulthood involved books rather than certain media properties; though I really liked the general concept of characters-becoming-myth, I felt there was possibly a dimension I was not quite getting. However, I did think it was a splendid entry into a genre that so far I don't think has a name, because 'urban fantasy' has been taken by something different, which is fantasy where the specific place has A Presence, indeed is pretty much a character in its own right, and in particular, massive props for being a conurbation that is not London, a mythos which is doing something different, etc.

I also consumed a couple of fanfics that had been given pointers via my reading list: Pieces - a Ransomeverse/Sayersverse crossover, with some Marlows, set after the War. It was very readable, although I did slightly cavil about the general tendency to match up canon characters with other canon characters, even if there was at least, if background rather than foreground, one ff pairing. I was also a bit 'huh?' about the rather sudden late introduction of melodramatic plot element. Also, legionseagle's wonderful Mary Renault/Agatha Christie crossover Lilies at the Funeral (Return to Night/Miss Marple - yessssss).

Also, more unmentionable Sekkrit Projekt books.

On the go

A return to Love-Letters of an Englishwoman, and we have finally got to the inexplicable parting and consequent angst (okay, dr rdrz, you know my thought processes, my theory is that Love-Object discovered that he had ye syph and could not marry a Pure Young Woman, but was not actually going to be explicit about this except to say 'There is no fault in you'). But really, I cannot read many of these at a time - we are now at the Unsent Letters of Anguish stage.

Have started Lisa Regan, Winifred Holtby's Social Vision (2012) as Pickering and Chatto, bless their wee cotton socks, are issuing selections from their academic list (which includes some great stuff), previously only accessible as horribly pricey hardbacks, as ebooks at approx 1/3rd of the cost, and I'd had my eye on this one for a while, because, Winifred! So far it's really good.

Up next

MOAR Sekkrit Projekt.

Also have several things on the Kobo that have been highly recommended. Also, but shan't get my hands on it until next week, the new Barbara Hambly Benjamin January mystery, Crimson Angel.

Forgot to slip into luggage 3 things I meant to while packing, i.e. the new Greer Gilman and Rosaleen Love, and End of Term for the Forest re-read at trennels. Drat.

What I finished

Finished my re-read of Loyalty in Death.

Read Claire Langhamer, The English in Love: The Intimate Story of an Emotional Revolution, which is very good, very readable, and okay, there are probably other stories to tell but I thought this did make a convincing case about the changes over the course of C20th (I'm just not entirely persuaded that It Was All About The Second World War, or at least, she puts perhaps greater weight on the rupture this created than I might).

I then discovered my copy of Kathleen Hale's A Slender Reputation (1994), which someone recommended to me some while ago, possibly in connection with that book about the Garman sisters? - and it was lovely, I gulped it down. Lots of good stuff about boho circles in early C20th London, and namechecks several people (not all of them ones I would have expected) who are part of my current sphere of interest, and generally utterly charming. Also, whatever the tensions in her marriage, which were clearly considerable, her husband seems to have been quite okay with her continuing her artistic career and not expecting her to fit it in around domestic duties (not to mention, with her going off and having a therapeutic affair with a bisexual artist friend).

And on domestic service, have just finished Lucy Delap, Knowing Their Place: Domestic Service in Twentieth-Century Britain (2011), which is immensely All More Complicated in its analysis of this, from the minutiae of social history and statistics and the legal position of servants to the inner meanings (and changes over time) in pornographic representations of domestic service. It's perhaps a rather heavier read than Langhamer (not that that isn't perfectly scholarly too).

On a lighter note, I read Lia Silver's Prisoner (Echo's Wolf, # 1) (Werewolf Marines #2) on the e-reader - this is set in the same world as Laura's Wolf but isn't a direct sequel, dealing with a different set of characters from those foregrounded in LW. It's a rattling good enjoyable read. It struck me as paranormal thriller with romance elements rather than paranormal romance, but that's the way I like it, uhhuh.

On the go

Catherynne Valente, Six Gun Snow White (2013), which was in my Hugo voting packet and already on my must-read list.

Just started, Katherine Holden, Nanny Knows Best: The History of the British Nanny (2013), which I anticipate is going to be excellent (I've heard several papers based on this research and had conversations on the subject). As readers may recall, I raved about Holden's The Shadow of Marriage: Singleness in England, 1914-60 (2007).

Up next

Well, there are those other Hugo things I ought to look at.

On the SRS social history side, there is that book on the Working Class in the C20th and the one on siblings.

A desire for a warm fuzzy feeling... is one of the worst guides to right action that you can have in this life. This is not a useful kind of love. Neither is the kind of love that amounts to a prize for the ego--the people who can't stop watching themselves loving others.

One of the published responses to last week's Private Lives in Guardian G2 - but which I can't find on the site there

[I]f you can love someone for that long, without getting anything in return, then those feelings really matter. Have faith in your own tastes. If you've loved him for four years, there's something there that's well worth loving. So yes, I think you should wait for him.

So all those people who write in about fancying someone they work with or know vaguely should just persist, presumably.

What I think of, however, is The Story of Adele H (rather than Persuasion, which is Not This Particular Story).

Most of the other responses are, however, more sensible and suggest getting on with her life.

Lucy Mangan finds reader/book-owner heaven:

[A] free-standing, multi-storey wooden tower comprising a spiral staircase and walls composed of open shelves lined with 6,000 books. Designed and constructed by Rintala Eggertsson Architects it's called The Ark and is part of the V&A museum's 1:1 Architects Build Small Spaces exhibition. Dagur Eggertsson himself, on the video playing, likens it to "a gigantic Ikea bookcase" – but, my dears, it is so much more.

From the outside, it looks cold – the unstained wood is pale and the paper edges of the books white – but inside the books' spines turn it into a warm riot of colour.

I ascend the stairs cocooned by books. Books, books, books. Every few floors there is a little alcove seat to rest and read in.

Also yay for Michael Hann,

The most relieved face I've seen in some time belonged to a 20-year-old woman named Hannah Goodeve, peering out from behind big specs, as she told the judges on Britain's Next Top Model that, you know what, she didn't fancy this modelling lark, not if this is what it entailed. "I just don't think I want to be a model," she said as she left the show. "I think I want to teach English."

Three cheers for Hannah, because Monday night's episode of the show was one of those TV moments when you think you've stepped into some nightmare alternate reality, that you watch with mounting horror.

I'm not quite sure of what I think about Julian Assange of WikiLeaks, but this echoes things I've thought:

"Journalists always like an excuse for why are they talking about something now when they didn't talk about something a week ago. They always like to say something is new."

Linda Blair, Mistaking lust for love. Not convinced by her jeremiad:

A survey of some 3,000 individuals has found that one in five adults claim to be "in love with someone other than their partner". This "other" is usually a friend or work colleague. "Even in a happy relationship," a spokesman for the polling firm told yesterday's Daily Mail, "it seems to be possible to have a wandering eye or even crave affection from another person."