The 'Currently reading' thread...

[Saturn]

You know there's a film of that with Charlton Heston [yes,the gun-totting former NRA president himself]as Michelangelo,which, ridiculous as that idea sounds,isn't half bad, particularly Rex Harrison camping it up as the impatient villanous Julius II .

For reading on the Medici, their patronage of the artists, The Renaissance in Italy etc I would highly recommend 'The Medici: Godfathers Of The Renaissance',by Paul Strathern and perhaps for some contemporary [albeit occassionally fanciful] flavour Visari's 'Lives Of The Artists' are always well worth a look.

[Cybele]

You know there's a film of that with Charlton Heston [yes,the gun-totting former NRA president himself]as Michelangelo,which, ridiculous as that idea sounds,isn't half bad, particularly Rex Harrison camping it up as the impatient villanous Julius II .

For reading on the Medici, their patronage of the artists, The Renaissance in Italy etc I would highly recommend 'The Medici: Godfathers Of The Renaissance',by Paul Strathern and perhaps for some contemporary [albeit occassionally fanciful] flavour Visari's 'Lives Of The Artists' are always well worth a look.

We Netflixed "The Agony & the Ecstasy" a few weeks ago. I read the book when I was a kid, and then followed it up with the movie. I loved both back in the day. (Of course, the movie wasn't as good as the book -- but few are.)

All things considered, I think the movie has aged pretty well. My opinion was then -- and is still now -- that nobody "did" the Renaissance quite as well as the Italians did!

And thanks for the book recommendation, Saturn. I'll look for it.

[Raphael]

I got a book out of the local library about this incredible woman, Kitty Wilkinson, from Derry, Ireland, born 1785, who with her family moved to Liverpool. She experienced great poverty, yet helped the poor, taking in many orphans and starving old ladies, teaching children to read, washing the clothes and bedding of those struck with cholera... the list goes on. She devoted her whole life to caring for the poor; working very long hours and amazingly lived to the age of 75!!! She was the most wonderful, caring person- would never turn anyone away, no matter who they were or if they were of a different religion to her (she was Unitarian and William Rathbone, the well known Liverpool middle class philanthropist supported her). Her second husband Thomas, (her first husband died at sea) was also wonderful and devoted himself to helping the poor alongside her. She was instrumental in getting the first bath and wash house in Europe for the poor. It would not be an exaggeration to call Kitty a saint.

Her life story is very moving – I have had tears in my eyes at some parts of it. Kitty's mother ended up in the work house when she was 11 and she and her brother were sent to work in a mill in Lancashire ( 12 hour days 6 days a week) til she was 18- she came back to Liverpool to care for her mother who appeared to be suffering from some kind of mental illness- Kitty's father died ( drowned helping others it is thought) on their journey on the ship from Derry and their infant sibling was taken from their mother's arms by a strong stormy wind and drowned in the Irish sea.These terrible incidents resulted in her mother being very traumatised. One of Kitty's own children died as a youth from life long ill health. Kitty faced very difficult circumstances yet always cared for others, she was much loved in her community.

http://www.stjamescemetery.co.uk/kitty.htm

Oh and a mention must go to the Rev'd John Johns, a poet as well as a church minister in Kitty's area, who did lots of work for the poor, and died from typhus after contracting the disease as a result of removing a poor typhus victim's body from a cellar when only he and Catholic priest cared enough to do it.

Here is a sample of his poetry:

http://www.windeatt.f2s.com/poets/Johns_J.html

Here is his gravestone:

http://www.liverpoolmonuments.co.uk/johns01.html

People like these are a true inspiration.There were quite a few caring people in the 1800's who devoted their lives to helping the poor and destitute.I love reading about them.

[BrokenLyre]

Thanks for the link Raphael. I can not believe how hard life was for so many - kids especially. I should show this to my kids.... lotta good that will do... ha ha ha

[Raphael]

I think it would have been a good idea to have kept one court slum in every town as a museum and reminder of what the poor had to endure back then, so pampered c.21st people could see how lucky they are. They could have taken school parties to visit the museum slum. Wouldn't the poor of the c.19th be astounded at what the so called poor of today (even the jobless ) have today? By the way I include myself in the mix- I'm unemployed at the moment and poor by our society's standard- I live in one room with a tiny kitchen, share a bathroom and haven't central heating (one gas fire in my room) and no heating in the bathroom.But, I don't go hungry and have electricty.I have far more than the poor of Kitty's day could ever have imagined.I'm thankful for what I do have. And of course people in other parts of the world are sadly still living like Kitty's community.

[Jupiter]

You know there's a film of that with Charlton Heston [yes,the gun-totting former NRA president himself]as Michelangelo,which, ridiculous as that idea sounds,isn't half bad, particularly Rex Harrison camping it up as the impatient villanous Julius II .

For reading on the Medici, their patronage of the artists, The Renaissance in Italy etc I would highly recommend 'The Medici: Godfathers Of The Renaissance',by Paul Strathern and perhaps for some contemporary [albeit occassionally fanciful] flavour Visari's 'Lives Of The Artists' are always well worth a look.

Thank you for your recommendations, I do intend to watch the film, in fact I've already gained possession of it, I'm just waiting to finish the novel.

I would love to read Vasari's collective biography, as well as anything about the Medici family, especially Lorenzo - I think I wouldn't be wrong if I said that with him Florence reached its highest, albeit short-lived peak of glory. He had quite a fascinating personality, and seemed to have been held in great awe by the artists and scholars of that time. I'll be sure to check those books out as soon as I finish reading all the books that have been piling up in library for some months now.

[Ennis]

Hello, everyone!

I'm just starting to read Harold Bloom's "Genius." Keats is in it.

[Keats9264]

I'm reading some works of Rupert Brooke because Leslie Howard worked him into his famous anti-nazi movie, Pimpernel Smith and I'm trying to work Brooke into something I'm writing about Howard!

[Keats9264]

uh oh, I thought I quoted a Brooke poem here. Was that a no-no?? Or did I think I did it and didn't?? Do I wake or sleep?

[Ennis]

Hi, All!

Thought you would appreciate this small excerpt from Young Romantics:

"Other evenings were more convival. Several descriptions survive of parties at the Novellos during which the guests gathered around the piano to hear Novello play and Mary sing. Mary Cowden Clark [Novello's daughter, Mary, married Charles Cowden Clarke] later recalled these evenings, 'where poets, artists and musicians, friends of the master of the house, met in kindly, lively converse . . . Keats, with his picturesque head, leaning against the instrument, one foot raised on his knee and smoothed between his hands; Leigh Hunt, with his jet-black hair and expressive mouth; Shelley, with his poet's eyes and brown curls, Lamb with his sparse figure and earnest face; all seen by the glow and warmth and brightness of candlelight.'" (p. 113)

Makes you wish you, too, were there . . .

I was pleasantly surprised to read Mary Cowden Clarke's description of (what we know as) Keats's characteristic pose. I knew from earlier readings that Vincent Novello's eldest daughter, Mary, married CCC, but I had never read anything she wrote. It was a nice surprise.
I like her reference to Keats's "picturesque head." That adjective describing him is new to me, but it fits, that's for sure! Pretty he no doubt was -- classic pretty. I suppose that would be "beautiful" -- he certainly was beyond pretty; truly beautiful in every sense of the word.

[Raphael]

Makes you wish you, too, were there . . .

It does...I can almost see them can't you Ennis?

I was pleasantly surprised to read Mary Cowden Clarke's description of (what we know as) Keats's characteristic pose. I knew from earlier readings that Vincent Novello's eldest daughter, Mary, married CCC, but I had never read anything she wrote. It was a nice surprise.

It may be a silly question...been wondering this for ages...but if he was smoothing his instep then surely he must have taken his shoes off?

I like her reference to Keats's "picturesque head." That adjective describing him is new to me, but it fits, that's for sure! Pretty he no doubt was -- classic pretty.

Like a Greek god... I think the descriptions of his good looks indicate a certain symmetry to his features- which are implicted in beauty. His portraits and life mask show the almost symmetry.

I suppose that would be "beautiful" -- he certainly was beyond pretty; truly beautiful in every sense of the word.

Well, yes- it is obvious he was more than averagely attractive. Features that "would arrest even the casual observer in the street." I get the impression from how people described him he was someone you would look twice at in the street. It seems it wasn't just the beauty of his features but also his glowing eyes and expression- I think he would have looked intensely alive with a big presence around him (despite him being 5 feet and a bit). Then the pleasing sounding voice and fascinating conversation- a heady mix! It's no wonder Fanny Brawne fell for him (and I bet a few other women did too).

[Raphael]

I got a little 1963 book about Ludvig Van Beethoven last week, from a second hand bookshop for 10p! It is for children but a great read nevertheless and quite informative. It is called Introducing Beethoven. What a character he was! He could be bad tempered but also very kind- he was very fond of his nephew Carl. Beethoven also had the foresight to see what Napoleon would become- he called him a tyrant when he declared himself emperor.Interestingly, although Beethoven wasn't into fancy clothes and was messy in his home-his personal hygeine was excellent- he had an all over wash every day, sloshing jugs of water over himself whilst humming his music.He left school early, but he had a love of books and read widely.

[Pjerrot]

Raphael, I too purchased a biography on Beethoven a while ago; I unfortunately never finished it. I have a habit of not finishing things that are simply too joyous to be with. I remember shedding a few tears for the "loss" of some special, endearing characters because the pages ended.

On track again -- Beethoven was quite a personality. His dramatic change in compositional style from his early to late years is astonishing.

[Raphael]

Raphael, I too purchased a biography on Beethoven a while ago; I unfortunately never finished it. I have a habit of not finishing things that are simply too joyous to be with. I remember shedding a few tears for the "loss" of some special, endearing characters because the pages ended.

On track again -- Beethoven was quite a personality. His dramatic change in compositional style from his early to late years is astonishing.

Yes he was! What a cruel hand fate played him- a musical genius who lost his hearing. I got a book out of the library today on composers- had a little read at dinner time. Franz Liszt was a bit of a character too- a rather flamboyant player unlike the shy Frederic Chopin. Women would flock to see Liszt play and scream and faint at his playing! I shall tell anyone who this who sees Classical composers as stuffy old men- some of them were young, passionate sexually charged men who were the celebreties of their day, playing passionate music which moved people and excited them. Classical has the image of being sedate, high brow music for snobby people to some pop music lovers- they don't know the half of it..

I find Chopin's opus 25 etude n0 12 in c minor very exciting! There's passion there!

[Pjerrot]

Raphael, I too purchased a biography on Beethoven a while ago; I unfortunately never finished it. I have a habit of not finishing things that are simply too joyous to be with. I remember shedding a few tears for the "loss" of some special, endearing characters because the pages ended.

On track again -- Beethoven was quite a personality. His dramatic change in compositional style from his early to late years is astonishing.

Yes he was! What a cruel hand fate played him- a musical genius who lost his hearing. I got a book out of the library today on composers- had a little read at dinner time. Franz Liszt was a bit of a character too- a rather flamboyant player unlike the shy Frederic Chopin. Women would flock to see Liszt play and scream and faint at his playing! I shall tell anyone who this who sees Classical composers as stuffy old men- some of them were young, passionate sexually charged men who were the celebreties of their day, playing passionate music which moved people and excited them. Classical has the image of being sedate, high brow music for snobby people to some pop music lovers- they don't know the half of it..

I find Chopin's opus 25 etude n0 12 in c minor very exciting! There's passion there!

Ah, Liszt... The biography of Chopin by Liszt seemed to show that he was rather extravagant with his written words as with his piano skill. I also read that Liszt would disrobe of a lengthy cape and white gloves -- each finger one by one! Supposedly two pianos could be on stage during a concert of Liszt's so that he could show off his fingers to the entire audience.

Beethoven once said that music was the mediator between the sensual and the spiritual, but I feel that some passages in music can be quite sensual if not overtly erotic-sounding (Debussy comes to mind). The opposite end of the spectrum is true as well, with some religious music transcending our earthly knowledge (I think I would put J.S. Bach here).