I'm a bit of a sucker for 19th century travellers. The one who started it all was Flora Tristan with her Peregrinations of a pariah (1838). Yes, I know, she was a Frenchwoman travelling in South America, so she's not actually relevant here. And yet, before I get to travellers in Australia I must mention other works I've dipped into: Washington … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: 19th century travellers in Australia
19th century literature
Oliver Wendell Holmes, The deacon’s masterpiece: Or the wonderful “one-hoss-shay” (Review)
Oliver Wendell Holmes is one of those wonderful names that, once you hear it, you can't really forget it - at least, I can't. But, the thing is, I often hear wonderful names of people who've "done things" without actually knowing what they've done. Oliver Wendell Holmes is one of these, and so when he … Continue reading Oliver Wendell Holmes, The deacon’s masterpiece: Or the wonderful “one-hoss-shay” (Review)
Monday musings on Australian Literature: The Vagabond
Quite by accident - no, I tell a lie, it was through a link sent by a good friend (thanks Kate) - I came across "The Vagabond", a mysterious journalist who wrote for Australian newspapers - primarily in Victoria - in the late 19th century. The link was for an article he wrote on sixpenny restaurants, … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian Literature: The Vagabond
Mark Twain, A presidential candidate (Review)
Towards the end of his life, Mark Twain wrote, the Library of America (LOA) says, The political and commercial morals of the United States are not merely food for laughter, they are an entire banquet. I'm not sure the US had/has a monopoly on this. However, let me get to the point. LOA published Twain's column, … Continue reading Mark Twain, A presidential candidate (Review)
William Makepeace Thackeray, The luck of Barry Lyndon (#Review)
By the time I reached about the 30% mark (on my Kindle) of William Makepeace Thackeray's classic novel, The luck of Barry Lyndon, I was reminded of a monologue by English comedian Cyril Fletcher which my father had on an old gramophone record. It's about a "lunatic" (this was in less linguistically-sensitive times) who decided to write a … Continue reading William Makepeace Thackeray, The luck of Barry Lyndon (#Review)
Jane Austen, a moral absolutist?
In my post on the Jane Austen Festival Australia a couple of months ago, I summarised the various papers presented at their day-long symposium. One of the papers was by a Marcus Adamson and his topic was "The ever absolute Miss Austen". Adamson's paper was a challenge to fully comprehend, partly because he referenced, in a … Continue reading Jane Austen, a moral absolutist?
Kate Chopin, A pair of silk stockings (Review)
Over the years, the Library of America's (LOA) Story of the Week has published seven short stories by Kate Chopin, and I've posted on four of them. Now comes my fifth. It was actually published in February. I noted it, printed it out, but have only now found time to sit down and read it, and of … Continue reading Kate Chopin, A pair of silk stockings (Review)
Washington Irving, The adventure of the German student (Review)
Washington Irving (1783-1859) is best known for his short stories "Rip Van Winkle" and "The legend of Sleepy Hollow", but in fact he was a prolific writer and, according to Wikipedia, is often credited as being America's first "man of letters". I was fascinated to read in Wikipedia that, as well as being a writer, he … Continue reading Washington Irving, The adventure of the German student (Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Explorer’s journals (1, Edward John Eyre)
I have delved before into Australian explorer's journals when researching posts, but I must admit that I've never read one right through. However, I don't think that prevents my sharing some of the things they have to offer ... Project Gutenberg Australia (PGA), which I've described before, is a rich resource of a wide variety of copyright-free works, including, not surprisingly, Australiana. … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Explorer’s journals (1, Edward John Eyre)
Frederick Law Olmsted, Trees in streets and in parks (Review)
I last came across the American landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted, a few years ago when I was doing some freelance research for a Canberra 2013 centenary project. This was because Olmsted, who designed New York's Central Park with Calvert Vaux, inspired Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahoney Griffin, the original designers of Canberra. Now, it just … Continue reading Frederick Law Olmsted, Trees in streets and in parks (Review)
Whispering Gums 