Sunday, 1 January 2023
Saturday, 31 December 2022
Friday, 30 December 2022
POSSESSION, A VERY ROMANTIC MOVIE
A visiting American scholar is paging through an old volume at the British Museum when he comes upon a letter stuffed between the pages, a love letter, it would appear, from Queen Victoria's poet laureate, addressed to a woman not his wife. The poet has been held up for more than a century as a model of marital fidelity. The letter is dynamite. The scholar slips the letter out of the book and into his portfolio, and is soon displaying it, with all the pride and uncertainly of a new father, to a British woman who knows (or thought she knew) everything about the poet. Read here.
https://www.silverpetticoatreview.com/possession-2002-a-love-story-with-multi-generational-pull/
https://fsharetv.io/watch/possession-episode-1-tt0256276
Sunday, 25 December 2022
Friday, 16 December 2022
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MISS AUSTEN!
December 16th is a festive day for Janeites. On a very snowy day in 1775 our favorite author Jane Austen was born to Rev. George Austen and his wife Cassandra at Steventon rectory in Hampshire, England.
She was a revolutionary writer, who had very strong views about her society and found pleasure in expressing her thoughts through her writing. Born into a large family, she enjoyed sharing her writings and entertaining others. Read here.
Thursday, 24 November 2022
Tuesday, 22 November 2022
LA BELLE DAME SANS MERCI ~ 5^C LINGUISTICO
O what can ail thee, knight-at-arms,
Alone and palely loitering?
The sedge has withered from the lake,
And no birds sing.
O what can ail thee, knight-at-arms,
So haggard and so woe-begone?
The squirrel’s granary is full,
And the harvest’s done.
I see a lily on thy brow,
With anguish moist and fever-dew,
And on thy cheeks a fading rose
Fast withereth too.
I met a lady in the meads,
Full beautiful—a faery’s child,
Her hair was long, her foot was light,
And her eyes were wild.
I made a garland for her head,
And bracelets too, and fragrant zone;
She looked at me as she did love,
And made sweet moan
I set her on my pacing steed,
And nothing else saw all day long,
For sidelong would she bend, and sing
A faery’s song.
She found me roots of relish sweet,
And honey wild, and manna-dew,
And sure in language strange she said—
‘I love thee true’.
She took me to her Elfin grot,
And there she wept and sighed full sore,
And there I shut her wild wild eyes
With kisses four.
And there she lulled me asleep,
And there I dreamed—Ah! woe betide!—
The latest dream I ever dreamt
On the cold hill side.
I saw pale kings and princes too,
Pale warriors, death-pale were they all;
They cried—‘La Belle Dame sans Merci
Thee hath in thrall!’
I saw their starved lips in the gloam,
With horrid warning gaped wide,
And I awoke and found me here,
On the cold hill’s side.
And this is why I sojourn here,
Alone and palely loitering,
Though the sedge is withered from the lake,
And no birds sing.
John Keats Here you can find an analysis of this handsome ballad which is considered an English classic. It is a narrative of an encounter that causes both pleasure and pain. It avoids simplicity of interpretation despite simplicity of structure. Composed of twelve stanzas, of only four lines each, with a simple ABCB rhyme scheme, the poem is full of enigmas, and has been the subject of numerous interpretations.Read here.
Saturday, 12 November 2022
Friday, 11 November 2022
THE COMMONWEALTH OF NATIONS - 3^C LINGUISTICO
The Commonwealth of Nations arose from the slow decolonization of the British Empire in which territories under this rule sought independence to self-govern and later gained sovereignty. These former dependents of the Empire came together as equals. With no constitution or by-laws, members of the Commonwealth are under no obligation. Together they share common interests and goals, such as democracy, world peace, equality, and free trade.
Read here.
Tuesday, 8 November 2022
ELLIS ISLAND - 3^C LINGUISTICO
Ellis Island is a historical site that opened in 1892 as an immigration station, a purpose it served for more than 60 years until it closed in 1954. Located at the mouth of Hudson River between New York and New Jersey, Ellis Island saw millions of newly arrived immigrants pass through its doors. In fact, it has been estimated that close to 40 percent of all current U.S. citizens can trace at least one of their ancestors to Ellis Island.
https://www.history.com/topics/immigration/ellis-island
Tuesday, 1 November 2022
NOVEMBER
It was November - the month of crimson sunsets, parting birds, deep, sad hymns of the sea, passionate wind-songs in the pines. Anne roamed through the pineland alleys in the park and, as she said, let that great sweeping wind blow the fogs out of her soul.
L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables
Wednesday, 19 October 2022
WILLIAM WORDSWORTH - 5^C LINGUISTICO
Here you can find my previous post about William Wordsworth, a major English Romantic poet, well-known for his celebration of nature.
Tuesday, 11 October 2022
THE ENGLISH RENAISSANCE - 4^C LINGUISTICO
The
Renaissance – that cultural, political, scientific and intellectual explosion
in Europe between the 14th and 17th centuries – represents perhaps the most
profoundly important period in human development since the fall of Ancient
Rome. Read here.
The word renaissance literally means "rebirth." In the
context of the English Renaissance, this rebirth refers to a renewal of
learning, especially in terms of new beliefs and ways of doing things
differently from the Middle Ages. Characteristics of the Renaissance include a renewed
interest in classical antiquity; a rise in humanist philosophy (a belief in
self, human worth, and individual dignity); and radical changes in ideas about
religion, politics, and science.
The Elizabethan Age as
part of the Renaissance period saw the development of Elizabethan poetry and drama as well as the stability and prosperity of England. The Queen supported development of art which
contributed to the emergence and recognition of individuals such as William
Shakespeare and Ben Johnson. She also supported exploration by authorizing the
voyage by Sir Francis Drake around the globe. Discover more here.
Saturday, 8 October 2022
Saturday, 1 October 2022
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