The Trouble with Costume Dramas

I've had a sinus infection this week, so I've been languishing in my room watching costume dramas. Historical drama is one of my favorite genres. the problem is, the more I watch them, the more I despair over modern clothing. Sure, some garments (especially those Victorian bustles) are impractical, but the richness of fabrics and delicacy of cuts are incredibly enviable. I keep feeling like I was born in the wrong time-- though I surely would not have been content with much of 19th century society. The modern world seems to have less to discover, less optimistic possibility. It's a very cynical world.
I've been outlining my own work of historical fiction this week, my main inspiration is actually The Childrens Book by A.S. Byatt. The way she wove together history and fiction was breathtaking. I'd love to write a novel like that. It's a period piece that doesn't posture in any way. It moves at such a natural pace and does not over-idealize or scandalize the history it covers.
However, on a more practical level, I have submitted more articles for magazine publication this week. Most of the PR work I've been doing this summer is finished, which is a relief.
No more response from literary agencies, but I keep polishing my manuscript, buffing away at it. I've begun drafting the sequel as well, it's turning out to be a different creature than I originally imagined.
I must venture out into the heat now.

History Parody Spam: Musical Edition

I saw this on Lady History's Tumblr yesterday and I convulsed with laughter. Convulsed. It works so well and could be such a great tool for teaching high schoolers about the Revolutionary War, it really could.


Did you noticed I figured out how to resize YouTube videos? It wasn't very complicated, I'm not proud it has taken me this long.

A Quick Review: The King's Speech

This was an excellent film. It is perhaps a little more sedate than many of the movies that hit theatres during the holiday season, but well performed and with a great deal of heart.

It chronicles King George VI's ascension to the throne and his struggle with a stammer. With the support of his wife (played by the ever-lovely Helena Bonham Carter), "Bertie" finds a speech therapist, Lionel Logue, that helps him overcome his impediment. Not only does Lionel help him with the mechanical issues of speech, he becomes his friend and helps Bertie tackle some of the emotional struggles that effect his speech. In a country on the verge of war, King George feels the pressure to be able to raise the spirits of the people. He is pitted against Adolf Hitler, a very dynamic speaker. The strained relationship between Bertie and his older brother David (King Edward VIII) who abdicated the throne to marry divorced socialite, Wallace Simpson, is also highlighted. Though the actor playing David, Guy Pearce, looks younger than Colin Firth, there interaction felt realistic- the not quite animosity between them comes out in several scenes.

Firth very believably portrayed Bertie's struggle with verbally expressing himself. For a well spoken actor, it was no doubt a difficult balancing act to portray Bertie's stammer accurately. Still, he succeeds in showing the frustrating experience of his character. Geoffrey Rush is very likable as the speech therapist that isn't afraid to be unconventional or treat Bertie more like a friend than a member of the royal family.

Michael Gambon and Jennifer Ehle also make appearances as George V and Mrs. Logue, respectively.

This film was rated 'R'. I don't generally watch 'R' rated films because they tend to be gratuitous, often movies receive that rating for excessive violence or graphic sexuality or vulgarity. However, this film merely drops the f-word a few times as a part of Bertie's speech exercises. Many PG-13 movies have far more offensive content. The high rating seemed unnecessary and will probably keep many younger audiences from being taken to see it. Though I don't advocate swearing, it doesn't come out of an offensive or degrading context. This would still be an excellent film for a young person with a speech impediment to see. It's inspiring and hopeful- rare qualities for a movie lately.

So, it's 2011 now

I only have to be excited about this if I acknowledge that time moves in the entirely linear, measured fashion that we say it does. Which I'm still on the fence about. There, I said it.
It does, however, give me an excuse to look back over the (alleged) year 2010 with my spiffy Blogger Stats.
My most read post in the history of this blog is "Death Masks"- a write up I did on a History Channel program in July. It has has four times the views of any of my other top viewed posts.
My readership is international (I knew that thanks to Neci and Traxy- hi guys!), but I didn't realize how extensive it was. My top country of readership is, of course the US, followed by the UK,then Finland, Germany, South Korea, Canada, India, South Africa, Malta, and Australia.
If you're on Blogger but haven't checked out your stats tab, definitely do. It's fascinating and surprising. Somewhat encouraging too. It's nice to know- and have actual figures to back up- that people are reading what you post.
Thanks to everyone that drops by, even if it's only occasionally. So, onward into 2011(you know, if I believed in that linear sort of thing). And I'm giving you all a mischevious grin right now.

British Actors in Band of Brothers

Yesterday was a bit of a duvet day at my house- we had considerable snow fall the night before and were a bit stuck in. There was a Band of Brothers marathon on and my father is a huge history buff- especially in regards to WWII so we had it on all day. It followed the Easy Company from D-Day through the end of the war.
I did miss several bits of it as I was trying to be productive and not stay on the couch all day, but I noticed that there were many actors from the UK pulling convincing American accents in the film- many actors I've enjoyed in other pieces.

Damian Lewis is fantastic as Captain Winters, one of the main protagonists of the piece.


James Macavoy plays a fresh faced replacement, Pvt. Miller.

Marc Warren plays the very sympathetic Albert Blithe.


Andrew Scott plays Pvt. "Cowboy" Hall. Look at that pout. His voice is deeper for this role than the voice he used in Sherlock and My Life In Film as well.


Tom Hardy from series such as Wuthering Heights and Oliver Twist plays Pfc. Janovec


Michael Fassbender plays yet another soldierly role (previously from 300 and Inglorious Basterds) plays "Pat" Christenson.


Simon Pegg does a great American accent as Sgt. Evans - great Scottish as well in Star Trek.

Teaser Tuesday: All's Well That Ends Well

I had to take a break from my reading of Sons and Lovers to begin reading All's Well That Ends Well for my Shakespeare class. It's very interesting, different than most of Shakespeare's better known comedies. Apparently it wasn't very popular in Shakespeare's life either, but presents a strong satire about class and also has several very strong female characters. From the very start, there's a constant discussion of sex and virginity and its importance and implications. This foreshadows events that lead to the conclusion of the play.
Here's a quotation from the end of act one spoken by Helen:

I know I love in vain, strive against hope;
Yet in this cap'cious and intenible sieve
I still pour in the waters of my lover
And lack not to lose still.

I've never seen the play performed, but I would like to. We'll be reading another play I have no experience with later this semester, Troilus and Cressida.

Teaser Tuesday: Sons and Lovers

It's slow going through Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence. Here's an interesting passage from the end of the first chapter (page 26 in my edition):

Mrs. Morel knew him too well to look at him. As she unfastened her brooch at the mirror, she smiled faintly to see her face all smeared with the yellow dust of lilies. She brushed it off, and lay down. For some time her mind continued snapping and jetting sparks, but she was asleep before her husband awoke from the first sleep of his drunkenness.

I'm comparing Gertrude Morel to Connie Chatterley of Lady Chatterley's Lover as I read- I've read excerpts of L.C.L. before. It's interesting that Lawrence seems so fascinated by marriage from a woman's point of view, especially about a woman's view on a bad marriage. A theme of going into marriage with one set of expectations and finding disappointment in marriage, in the person you thought you loved pervades his text. Lawrence is quite obsessed with these ideas as a matter of fact. He also plays a lot with class and the lifestyles of an emerging, industrial workforce and that of the somewhat antiquated nobility and the upper class in general.

Call Me Robin Hood

Sorry I've been away, but I've finally picked up an amazing new hobby I've been longing for: archery. My father collects antique weaponry, so he went to a show looking for pieces for a 19th century restoration he's working. While he was there he met a vendor selling off several bows and a few quivers full of arrows for a ridiculously low price.
It's proof that he actually listens to my nonsensical chatterings and I am now the proud owner of a 28 inch, 50 pound recurve hunting bow. The poundage is how much force the bow provides when you pull it back the correct amount of inches, in this case 28. I went to the archery range yesterday and actually hit the target a few times, but also discovered that I have weak, girly wrists. I ended up wearing leather arm bracers from my Renaissance Faire days to support my wrists and protect me from the bowstring as it snapped forward. I had some leather scraps from other historical pursuits, so I made myself little finger covers to keep me from cutting up my right hand when I pull the string back.
When I consider the fact that the yeomen of the middle ages used bows with 100 pounds of force it amazes me. The more force the tighter the bow string and the harder it is to string. My 50 pounder took three people to string all variously holding the end, curving the top and pulling up the string. My brother, enlisted to the task, told me I have to be careful not to break the string because he is never doing that again. Ever.
With my ridiculous schedule I'm not sure if I can get a regular practice schedule but my dad said, "Sometimes you'll need to get away." Proof of how well that man knows me, I can think of no better way to unwind.

Another Book I Have to Read

I just saw the first two episodes of Pillars of the Earth on the Starz website (I'm a poor college kid- I can't afford any special channels). Unfortunately it seems like they aren't going to put up any more episodes, and I can't find any websites to watch it on that don't involve me taking some sort of invasive quiz that asks for all of my personal information. So, I'll be anxiously awaiting (and saving up) for the DVD release.
Historical fiction or semi-fiction has always been one of my favorite, especially stories regarding the English monarchy in the medieval to renaissance period. It takes me back to my days at the Ren. Faire. So far it seems like a really interesting story with wonderfully varied characters. So, here's another book to add to my list. As you undoubtably know, I'm way behind on my reading list.
However there is one vital thing that the mini series has that the book won't:


Ah, Eddie Remayne, cutest male ginger ever. There is something utterly heartbreaking about him no matter what role he plays.
My seamstress persona has also found inspiration for some projects from the beautiful costumes in the show.

Death Masks

I've been feeling a bit ill lately, probably just a summer cold, but I was laying on the couch the other day feeling ill and not wanting to go to work and a program came on the history channel called "Death Masks." I had been watching the show about dinosaurs that was on beforehand, but as soon as they announced the title, I knew it would be just the thing to cheer me up.
Apparently, many historical figures: politicians, artists, etc. have left behind these plaster casts of their faces from back in ancient times even, some while living, but many were cast shortly after their death. In the program they explore the masks of Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Julius Caesar, John Dilinger, and William Shakespeare. It's easy to guess which was the most exciting to me. With all the hubbub about Shakespeare's portraits in the past year, this mask seems the key to solving that mystery. In fact they reach a resonable conclusion after determining that the mask is authentic and then comparing the facial structure of it to the portraits done after his death and the new portrait supposedly painted during his lifetime. They found that yes, the newly discovered portrait is very likely of a somewhat younger William Shakespeare. Certain abnormalities in the mask may also indicate the disease that killed Shakespeare (not binge drinking afterall?) but they didn't delve into that much.
It was pretty fascinating, but they history channel website had very little information about the program on their site. There is a site where you can see pictures of many other death masks here. The picture at the top of this entry is Shakespeare's. Interestingly, John Dilinger's death mask used to hang in Herbert Hoover's office like a trophy.

New Short Story: "Target Girl"

I wrote a new short story last night, I have no idea where it came from. It's very short as all my short stories are, about 800 words. It's about a knife thrower's assistant. It's called "Target Girl". Obviously, it's very new and needs some editing, but I like it.
Most of my short stories are more like a quick scene or two that show a glimpse of a relationship or a situation and imply the back story. Sometimes I am irritatingly ambiguous (apparently)and I am quite obsessed with backstory. So, in this go round the short fiction carousel, I tried to make the front story just as interesting and active as the back story that is hinted at, and I make my ending more definative and less disputable.
Perhaps it's because as a reader I enjoy stories that leave a lot open to interpretation and are less literal that I usually write like that. Sometimes it seems to piss people off. I took a "Sudden Fiction" class two semesters ago which was structured like a workshop. We would read and discuss our work as a group. I found many of the other students wanted to be told exactly what was happening at all times, exactly how the story ended. They felt very strongly about it. I'm too young to be quite so set in my ways that I won't try new things. I hope that some experimentation will kick up inspiration for a novel length story I've been having trouble with.
So here's my first paragraph as it stands in all its rough draft grit:

Laura slid her hands down the sides of her body feeling the stiff boning around her waist and the sequins like scales that draped, barely covering her hips. She squirmed slightly hoping to make the skirt seem longer. The fading sunlight warmed her little canvas dressing tent. With a pitted looking glass, she applied her powder and slipped on her feathered headband.

I've always believe in brevity in openings. It certainly departs from my usual stories. I've always been fascinated with traveling shows of the late 19th early 20th century anyway, and what's more captivating than the impalement arts?

Review: Indiscretion by Jude Morgan

I have been shockingly remiss in my reading and reviewing habits this month but to finish on a good note, here is a fresh review.
Indiscretion tells the story of young Caroline Fortune, a streetwise twenty year old daughter of a retired solider. Brought up without a mother's guidance or a steady home thanks to her father's habit of following schemes that leave them penniless and in debt. When he tells her he has truly lost everything, Caroline becomes the companion to a cruel and selfish old widow for employment.
Though it has themes of female dependency and gender relations that were so marked in the 19th century, Indiscretion is slightly fluffy reading (well compared with my usual literary diet), but not in a bad way. Though there is certainly some satirical wit at play, it's not to the level of Jane Austen. Perhaps that is because of the difference in time, Morgan was writing a historical novel, and Austen was writing about the way life was in her present day, not the way it was in the past. Still, all the characters are interesting and well drawn- Caroline is a delight with a sharp tongue and strong sense of self. Of course there is going to be romance. Morgan throws a red herring romantic possibility early on, but when the real romantic plot begins it is hard to miss. There are some surprising twists in the story, but it ends happily and in a way that anyone who grows to care for Caroline can approve.
Overall: a good summer read that cannot help but be compared to the prose of Jane Austen. In spite of the fact that the title makes it sound a bit like a trashy romance novel, it is actually quite sedate. I look forward to reading more of Morgan's work.

The Young Victoria

I just saw the film The Young Victoria starring Emily Blunt and Rupert Friend about two days ago. It was a beautiful film. Most people think of Queen Victoria as the stern old dowager draped in black and surrounded by her children. This film takes the audience back to when Victoria was only 17, under the strict control of her mother and her mother's advisor. Victoria was not even allowed to walk up the stairs without someone there to hold her hand. She is spirited and will not be bullied into sharing power with her mother by agreeing to a regency.
Her uncle, the king, dies when she is barely 18 and she must begin her rule. Though she suffers from some misguidance by Lord Melbourne (played by the lovely Paul Bettany), she gains her bearing.
Most importantly to this story, along the way she marries Prince Albert. They meet before she inherits the throne, and though Albert is thrown at her originally to please King Leopold of Belgium, Albert falls in love with Victoria and she with him. The story follows them into the difficulties of their early married life. The struggle to run a country and start a family is one where Albert is faced with a woman who is his wife, but is above all the Queen. After her oppressive childhood, she is afraid to give up any power even to someone who loves her.
The film is very well done, with beautiful costumes and scenery as well as clever dialogue that creates well developed characters. Though I'm not one to gush over romance, the relationship between Victoria and Albert is touching and it's easy to care about the two of them and envy their devotion to one another. I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys British history or just likes an intelligently done love story.