dual personalities

Tag: Hilary Mantel

March 20, 2020

“Confusion to our enemies. Good luck to our friends.”*

by chuckofish

Well, I have to say this telecommuting is not all it’s cracked up to be, especially considering we thought we could get into our offices on Friday, but now the situation is changed yet again and so on and so on. I am stressed to the max.

But what can we do but keep smilin’ through?

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So I will continue to self-medicate by watching my favorite movies and reading good books. Last night I watched My Darling Clementine (1946) which was on TCM. It is really a Top Ten best movie. (It was named the Best Foreign Film of 1948 by the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists. They got it right.) Good medicine indeed. Right now I am reading Hilary Mantel’s new book The Mirror and the Light and it is terrific. It is also a timely reminder that times have always been crazy and politics has always been a cut-throat business (literally in the 16th century).

‘I neglect no precautions,’ he had said. ‘The times being what they are, a man may enter the gate as your friend and change sides while he crosses the courtyard.’

Also, I thought this quote from C.S. Lewis was awfully good:

“The war [WWII] creates no absolutely new situation, it simply aggravates the permanent human situation so that we can no longer ignore it. Human life has always been lived on the edge of a precipice. Human culture has always had to exist under the shadow of something infinitely more important than itself. If men had postponed the search for knowledge and beauty until they were secure, the search would never have begun. We are mistaken when we compare war with ‘normal life.’ Life has never been normal.”

Found here–read the whole thing.

So keep smiling. You have a nice place to telecommute from and Rice-a-roni in the pan.

*Thomas Cromwell in The Mirror and the Light

4 Comments
January 6, 2018

Start as you mean to go on

by chuckofish

Aside from the extreme cold (-25 last night), the new year has gotten off to a good start. I’ve already seen one good movie and I’m reading Hilary Mantel’s superb French Revolution novel, A place of Greater Safety.

I hesitated to start the book — who wants to read about the unremitting bloodbath called the French Revolution? I should have had more faith in Ms. Mantel, who is a brilliant writer and a better historian than most people trained to the profession. Who but she could humanize villains like Robespierre and Desmoulins? In her hands, we follow the inexorable progress of the Revolution to its hideous apogee. How could such intelligent, talented people start a revolution without having any plans in place for a new government? What made them think they could control the mob?

Desmoulins rallying the mob

Then, as now, the answer is the same: power corrupts and leaders who value their ideas more than people’s lives inevitably cause the deaths of untold numbers of people. Most dangerous are leaders who believe only in themselves, have no moral sense and no belief in a higher power, who see the masses as chattel to be manipulated, and for whom life is at best an intellectual exercise and at worst a game for personal amusement.  These are men, who, as Lafayette described them in the novel, “have never been to war. They’ve never been on the hunting field. They’ve never killed an animal, let alone a man. But they’re such enthusiasts for murder.”

Beware the type of person who apparently believes whatever he says, but who never says the same thing twice:

“Talking to Robespierre, one tried to make the right noises; but what is right, these days? Address yourself to the militant, and you find a pacifist giving you a reproachful look. Address yourself to the idealist, and you’ll find that you’ve fallen into the company of a cheerful, breezy professional politician. Address yourself to means, and you’ll be told to think of ends: to ends, and you’ll be told to think of means. Make an assumption, and you will find it overturned; offer yesterday’s conviction, and today you’ll find it shredded.”

Sadly, all of this cuts a little too close to the bone these days. Be warned.

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In case you need a diversion from the serious side of life, my movie recommendation for this weekend is Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. It’s clever (they handle the premise extremely well), laugh out loud funny, has great performances, and a good message. It’s a very worthy sequel to the original film. Two thumbs up!

Have a great weekend!

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December 22, 2014

“Who in these latter days was born for blessing to a world forlorn”*

by chuckofish

four Advent candles

Advent Four. In the gospel lesson Mary is visited by the angel Gabriel, who says, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” Mary, not surprisingly, is perplexed by this and “pondered what kind of greeting this might be.” Our assisting priest, who gave the sermon, informed us that the word “ponder” is only used twice in the gospels, both times referring to Mary. He advised us to do more of our own pondering, but not to worry when the Big Questions remain unanswered. He reminded us that we don’t have to wait for complete understanding to act in faith. I get that.

I will miss our assisting priest–who is technically retired–as he heads off to Florida for several months. His sermons actually make sense. C’est la vie.

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Since daughter #2 came home on Friday, I have been busier than probably in the entire prior four weeks (combined).

Best friends since Vacation Bible School

Best friends since Vacation Bible School

No kidding. Well, I expect to be busy when we have a full house at this time of year. And that’s okay.

I will do my best to fit in some ponder-time during the twelve days of Christmas,  but I ain’t makin’ any promises, y’hear? There will be plenty of time in January for pondering.

By the way, I just finished a ponder-worthy book: Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel.

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A.S. Byatt described it as “a terrible and swirling horror comedy about a very fat medium on the perimeter of the M25, haunted by mean and nasty spirits veering between damnation and the trivial.” Mantel really is a genius and this book is pretty disturbing. She reminds me of Shirley Jackson–brilliant and slightly cracked and a great, great writer. I highly recommend it.

* Hymn 63

5 Comments
March 18, 2013

Happiness is…

by chuckofish

happiness is

Remember this book from 1962? It reminds us that it’s the simple things that make us happy. Things like warm puppies and walking in the grass in your bare feet and knowing how to tie your own shoes and my favorite: “some black, orange, yellow, white and pink jelly beans, but no green ones.” (I am okay with the green ones.)

Charles M. Schulz certainly understood what makes a happy life. To this I would add a few things, such as a full tank of gas

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and a stack of new magazines in the mail.

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I had a happy weekend–did you?

I batted “0” at the only estate sale I went to on Saturday, but that’s okay. I had a text exchange with daughter #2 who was at an estate sale in Bethesda, Maryland, which warmed the cockles of my heart. (I taught her something!)

The boy came over to carry a chair upstairs for me. He was wearing one of his “coach” shirts.

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Now I can sit by this sunny window and read or work on my blog.

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We went to lunch at Qdoba Mexican Grill. I had a naked burrito–yummo.

Although snow was in the forecast this weekend, there were plenty signs of spring in our yard.

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And the Christmas Cactus surprised me yet again!

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I spent a good part of my weekend reading a book by Hilary Mantel published in 2000, Every Day is Mother’s Day. The book cover announces that it is “an accomplished novel of striking originality” and describes it as having certain elements of a “suspense thriller.” Really. Never in a million years would I confuse this book, although it is riveting, with a suspense thriller. Clearly prior to Wolf Hall no one knew what to make of Hilary Mantel. She defies pigeon-holing. She reminds me a lot of Shirley Jackson.

The characters in this book have no claim on happiness. One even admits: “Happiness seems a bit ambitious. I’m not sure I can see my way to that.”

England, we are reminded, is a depressing and dreadful place. One of the main characters describes his life thusly:

“I am a history teacher, a teacher of the benighted past to the benighted present, ill-recompensed for what I suffer and despairing of promotion. My feet are size eight and a half, and I belong to the generation of Angry Young Men, though I was never angry until it was too late, oh, very late, and even now I am only mildly irritated. I am not a vegetarian and contribute to no charities, on principle; I loathe beetroot, and the sexual revolution has passed me by. My taste in clothes is conservative but I get holes in my pockets and my small change falls through; I do not speak to my wife about this because she is an excellent mother and I am intimidated by her, also appalled by the paltry nature of this complaint or what might be construed by her as a complaint. The sort of writing I want to do is the sort that will force me to become a tax-exile.”

Terrible things happen. Funny things happen. As always I am in awe of Hilary and her amazing powers, but I really think I need to revisit the high, green hills of Mitford now, where the air is pure, the village is charming and the people are generally lovable.

7 Comments
October 22, 2012

Hip hip hooray!

by chuckofish

How wonderful to be able to give a big shout out to Hilary Mantel for winning her second Man Booker Prize! She previously won the award in 2009 for Wolf Hall. Now she has won the 2012 award for the sequel Bring Up the Bodies. She is the first woman to win twice. I couldn’t be more excited for her, and if you have not yet read either of these two wonderful books–run (don’t walk) to your nearest book store/library to acquire the books and do so!

Meanwhile the wonderful fall weather continues here in our flyover state.

The leaves on the ancient mulberry tree in our yard are bright yellow.

…and at the same time the rhododendron bush continues to bloom

along with several spring annuals!

And I have been trying to find something to read. I have started several books that were recommended by friends and abandoned them all. Bleh. Now I have gone back to an old favorite and am reading Bob Dylan’s Chronicles, Volume One. Not surprisingly, Bob has a wonderful way of expressing things and amazing powers of recall.

Having moved to New York City after one semester of college, he drifts around playing music, staying with people he meets, reading their books, and listening to music. His brain is like the proverbial sponge as he sets about educating himself:

I had broken myself of the habit of thinking in short song cycles and began reading longer and longer poems to see if I could remember anything I read about in the beginning. I trained my mind to do this, had cast off gloomy habits and learned to settle myself down. I read all of Lord Byron’s Don Juan, and concentrated fully from start to finish. Also, Coleridge’s Kubla Kan. I began cramming my brain with all kinds of deep poems. It seemed like I’d been pulling an empty wagon a long time and now I was beginning to fill it up and would have to pull harder. I felt like I was coming out of the back pasture.

Don’t you just love that?

I wonder if Bob has read Hilary Mantel’s books. I think he would really like them and old Thomas Cromwell especially.

7 Comments
June 4, 2012

Not a gentleman born

by chuckofish

Well, I have finished Bring Up the Bodies, Hilary Mantel’s sequel to Wolf Hall and book two in her trilogy about Thomas Cromwell. It is, no surprise, wonderful.

You remember that Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex (c. 1485 – 28 July 1540) was an English statesman who served King Henry VIII of England from 1532 to 1540 in many capacities and was his right hand man. He facilitated his marriage to Anne Boleyn and then arranged the annulment of that marriage. Oftentimes throughout history (and in historical fiction) he has been portrayed as a villain and hatchetman, but we know he indeed was not.

Here is a wonderful description by Cromwell of one of his friends, which really is a perfect description of him:

“He does not talk simply to hear his own voice, or pick arguments just to win them. He is not like George Boleyn: he does not write verses to six women in the hope of bundling one of them into a dark corner where he can slip his cock into her. He writes to warn and to chastise, and not to confess his need but to conceal it. He understands honour but does not boast of his own. He is perfectly equipped as a courtier, but he knows the small value of that. He has studied the world without despising it. He understands the world without rejecting it. He has no illusions but he has hopes. He does not sleepwalk through his life. His eyes are open, and his ears for sounds others miss.”

This is the kind of book I want to start over and read again right away. I think I will read Wolf Hall again. Hilary Mantel is brilliant, and as a writer reading her, I could weep for her brilliance. Brava, Hilary–you’ve done it again.

6 Comments