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Madeleine L’Engle Favorites

Nov29

Madeleine L’Engle was born November 29, 1918.

Favorite adult novel by Madeleine L’Engle: The Love Letters

Second favorite adult novel: The Severed Wasp

Third favorite adult novel: Certain Women. Semicolon review here.

Favorite Young Adult novel: The Small Rain. Semicolon review here.

Favorite of the Time Quartet books: A Swiftly Tilting Planet

Favorite male characters: Charles Wallace or Felix Bodeway, the Window Washer

Favorite female characters: Meg Murry, Polly, Vicky Austin, Katherine Forrester, all of them.

Favorite Austin family novel: A Ring of Endless Light

Favorite Murry family novel: A Swiftly Tilting Planet

Favorite nonfiction: The Summer of the Great-Grandmother

If you’ve never read anything by Madeleine L’Engle, I would suggest that you start with one of the following:

Science fiction/fantasy fans: A Wrinkle in Time
Adolescent girls: A Ring of Endless Light
Adolescent boys: The Young Unicorns
Artists and writers: Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art
Romance fiction fans: The Love Letters. Semicolon review here.
Students and fans of children’s literature: Trailing Clouds of Glory: Spiritual Values in Children’s Literature
For Christmas inspirational reading: A Full House(short story)

A Madeleine L’Engle Annotated Bibliography.
Madeleine L’Engle: In Her Own Words
Carol’s Meme for November 29th: Lewis, L’Engle, and Alcott.

Christmas in Concord, Massachusetts, 1863

Nov29

Louisa May Alcott was born on November 29, 1832.

“Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents,” grumbled Jo, lying on the rug.

“It’s so dreadful to be poor!” sighed Meg, looking down at her old dress.

“I don’t think it’s fair for some girls to have plenty of pretty things, and other girls nothing at all,” added little Amy, with an injured sniff.

“We’ve got Father and Mother, and each other,” said Beth contentedly from her corner.

The four young faces on which the firelight shone brightened at the cheerful words, but darkened again as Jo said sadly, “We haven’t got Father, and shall not have him for a long time.” She didn’t say “perhaps never,” but each silently added it, thinking of Father far away, where the fighting was.

Nobody spoke for a minute; then Meg said in an altered tone, “You know the reason Mother proposed not having any presents this Christmas was because it is going to be a hard winter for everyone; and she thinks we ought not to spend money for pleasure, when our men are suffering so in the army. We can’t do much,but we can make our little sacrifices, and ought to do it gladly. But I am afraid I don’t” And Meg shook her head,as she thought regretfully of all the pretty things she wanted.

“But I don’t think the little we should spend would do any good. We’ve each got a dollar, and the army wouldn’t be much helped by our giving that. I agree not to expect anything from Mother or you, but I do want to buy UNDINE AND SINTRAM for myself. I’ve wanted it so long,” said Jo, who was a bookworm.

“I planned to spend mine in new music,” said Beth, with a little sigh, which no one heard but the hearth brush and kettle holder.

“I shall get a nice box of Faber’s drawing pencils. I really need them,” said Amy decidedly.

“Mother didn’t say anything about our money, and she won’t wish us to give up everything. Let’s each buy what we want, and have a little fun. I’m sure we work hard enough to earn it,” cried Jo, examining the heels of her shoes in a gentlemanly manner.

Poetry Friday: Parody

Sep25

Today is the birthdate of Felicia Dorothea Hemans, born in 1793. She wrote at least one well known poem, Casabianca, based on an historical incident: “Young Casabianca, a boy about thirteen years old, son of the admiral of the Orient, remained at his post (in the Battle of the Nile), after the ship had taken fire, and all the guns had been abandoned; and perished in the explosion of the vessel, when the flames had reached the powder.”

180px-AboukirThe boy stood on the burning deck
Whence all but he had fled;
The flame that lit the battle’s wreck
Shone round him o’er the dead.

Yet beautiful and bright he stood,
As born to rule the storm;
A creature of heroic blood,
A proud, though child-like form.

The flames rolled on–he would not go
Without his Father’s word;
That father, faint in death below,
His voice no longer heard.

He called aloud–’say, Father, say
If yet my task is done?’
He knew not that the chieftain lay
Unconscious of his son.

‘Speak, father!’ once again he cried,
‘If I may yet be gone!’
And but the booming shots replied,
And fast the flames rolled on.

Read the rest of the poem, including the tragic ending.

Ms. Hemans’ poem has been remembered so long mainly because of its parodists:

The_Battle_of_the_NileThe boy stood on the burning deck,
The flames ’round him did roar;
He found a bar of Ivory Soap
And washed himself ashore.

The boy stood on the burning deck
Eating peanuts by the peck;
His father called, he would not go
Because he loved those peanuts so.

The boy stood on the burning duck
A stupid thing to do
Because the duck was roasting
On the barbecue.

The boy stood on the burning deck
Playing a game of cricket,
The ball flew down his trouser leg
And hit his middle wicket.

The boy stood on the burning deck,
His heart was a all a-twitter,
He stood ’till he could stand no more,
And became a crispy critter.

Spike Milligan:
The boy stood on the burning deck
Whence all but he had fled –
The twit!

The two paintings of the Battle of the Nile are by George Arnaud or Arnold(?).

Poetry Friday is hosted today by author Susan Taylor Brown.

Poetry Friday: John Betjeman

Aug28

John Betjeman, Poet Laureate of England from 1972 to his death in 1984, was born on this date in 1906. He was a poet born out of his time, in a way; his poetry sounds more like that of Thomas Hardy or even one of his favorite poets, William Cowper, than it does the poets of the twentieth century, T.S. Eliot and his ilk. (“A precocious writer of verse, at the age of 10 Betjeman presented the manuscript of ‘The Best Poems of John Betjeman’ to his favourite teacher at Highgate, ‘the American master’, Mr T S Eliot.”) Betjeman studied at Oxford with C.S. Lewis, and according to this article, JB (as he was called) rather blamed Lewis for Betjeman’s failure to receive a degree from that institution.

JB, in addition to writing poetry, was a journalist, an editor, a broadcaster, and a film critic. He also campaigned tirelessly for the preservation of the architectural heritage of Britain, making appearances on radio and television to promote this cause. His poetry has a great sense of place and setting, probably due to his love for architecture and for history.

Here are the first two stanzas of his poem, Verses Turned . . .:

Across the wet November night
The church is bright with candlelight
And waiting Evensong.
A single bell with plaintive strokes
Pleads louder than the stirring oaks
The leafless lanes along.

It calls the choirboys from their tea
And villagers, the two or three,
Damp down the kitchen fire,
Let out the cat, and up the lane
Go paddling through the gentle rain
Of misty Oxfordshire.

Go here to read the rest of this quiet ecclesiastical poem about the church’s endurance.

Links to more Betjeman poems:
Myfanwy
Trebetherick
Back From Australia
Inexpensive Progress
Middlesex
Felixstowe, or The Last of Her Order.
A Subaltern’s Love Song
Youth and Age on Beaulieu River
Diary of a Church Mouse

Delightful poet. Very British and somewhat “churchy.” But not too serious or full of himself. I like his poetry very much. It’s unfortunate that he and Lewis couldn’t get along; they may be laughing about their erstwhile feud in heaven now.

In her Poetry Friday round-up post, Book Aunt remembers poet Karla Kuskin, who died last week leaving a legacy of playful poetry.

52

Jul28

Having as of today, July 28, 2009, spent fifty-two years on this planet, mostly in Texas, I could be expected to say something profound upon the anniversary of my birth. However, all I can think of are lists:
52 Books That Made Me Who I Am,
52 People Who Taught Me All I Know,
52 Quotations for Living,
52 Most Beautiful Words,
52 Questions Still Unanswered,
52 Truths I’ve Learned,
52 Places I’d Like to Visit,
52 Things I’d Like To Do Before I Die,
52 Proverbs for the Young at Heart,
52 Songs That Make Me Smile,
52 Projects for the Next 10 Years,
52 Thoughts on Psalm 52,
52 Names for My as Yet Unborn Grandchildren,
52 Recipes I Want to Try,
52 Recipes Tried and True,
52 Things to Try With a Crying Baby,
52 Wonderful Books You’ve Probably Never Read,
52 Picture Books That Adults Can Enjoy,
52 Ways To Say “I Love You”,
52 Portraits of Fascinating People,
52 Photographs from Before 1950,
52 Bookstores I Want To Visit,
52 Holidays To Celebrate,
52 Historical Events I Wish I’d Seen,
52 Ideas for Celebrating Christmas in the Presence of Christ,
52 Poems That Make Me Laugh,
52 Jokes That Also Make Me laugh,
52 Ways To Simplify and Declutter (I need help),
52 Card Games Anyone Can Play,
52 Games for Playing Outside,
52 Apple-y Activities for Home and School (been saving this one for awhile),
52 Books About Texas and Texans,
52 People I Admire Even Though They’re Not Perfect,
52 Extraordinary People I’ve Known
52 Classes I’d Like to Take
52 Flowers and Plants I’d Like To Grow,
52 Bloggers Who Make Me Think,
52 Things I Love About America,
52 Fictional Characters I’d Like to Meet,
52 Things To Eat Before I Die,
52 Great Words in 52 Languages,
52 Things I Want To Learn,
52 Places in Texas to See,
52 Habits I Need to Establish or Eradicate,
52 Mysteries of History Still Unsolved,
52 People From my Family Tree,
52 Reasons I Love My Engineer Husband,
52 Ways To Show Him I Love Him,
52 Biblical Commands I Can Obey Right Now,
52 Reasons I’m Thankful to Be Alive,
52 Ways To Save Money Now,
52 Names for the God I Love.

52 is the approximate number of weeks in a year, the number of white keys on a piano, and the number of cards in a standard deck of playing cards. At age 52, Alfred Hitchcock directed the film Strangers on a Train, and also at the age of 52 Ray Kroc opened the first MacDonald’s in Des Plaines, Illinois.

In 1957, the year I was born, Ed Sullivan had Elvis on his show for the third time, showed him only from the waist up, and said: “This is a real decent, fine boy. We’ve never had a pleasanter experience on our show with a big name than we’ve had with you. You’re thoroughly all right.”

Published in 1957:
The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss.
On the Road by Jack Kerouac.
Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak.
On the Beach by Nevil Shute.
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.
If Death Ever Slept by Rex Stout.
Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot

Movies released in 1957:
Loving You with Elvis Presley.
Jailhouse Rock with Elvis Presley.
The Bridge on the River Kwai with Alec Guinness, which went on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.

On the actual day of my birth an earthquake shook Mexico City and Acapulco. But I doubt if my mom noticed it way out in West Texas.

Also born on July 28th (not 1957): Beatrix Potter, Gerard Manley Hopkins

So it’s a happy birthday for me, and I hope your day is happy, too. If you’d like to see me make an actual list for any of the above (52) titles, let me know, and I’ll see what I can do. Right now I’m going to find 52 ways to celebrate my birthday.

Hymn #58: Alas and Did My Saviour Bleed

Jul18

Lyrics: Isaac Watts, 1707. (b.1674. Yesterday, July 17th, was Isaac Watts’s birthday.)

Music: MARTYRDOM attributed to Hugh Wilson, 1827.
Also sung as “At the Cross” with a chorus and tune (HUDSON) by Ralph E. Hudson.
Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed – Sovereign Grace Music

Theme: “Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”
Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.”
“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.
Luke 7:41-43

Isaac Watts: “I have made no pretence to be a poet. But to the Lamb that was slain, and now lives, I have addressed many a song, to be sung by the penitent and believing heart.”

Fanny Crosby, about yielding to the call of Jesus upon her life while hearing this hymn: “I surrendered myself to the Savior, and my very soul flooded with celestial light. I sprang to my feet, shouting ‘Hallelujah.'”

1. Alas! and did my Savior bleed,
and did my Sovereign die!
Would he devote that sacred head
for such a worm as I?

2. Was it for crimes that I have done,
he groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity! Grace unknown!
And love beyond degree!

3. Well might the sun in darkness hide,
and shut its glories in,
when Christ, the mighty maker, died
for man the creature’s sin.

4. Thy body slain, sweet Jesus, Thine
and bathed in its own blood
While the firm mark of Wrath Divine
His soul in anguish stood.

5. Thus might I hide my blushing face
while his dear cross appears;
dissolve my heart in thankfulness,
and melt mine eyes to tears.

6. But drops of grief can ne’er repay
the debt of love I owe.
Here, Lord, I give myself away;
’tis all that I can do.

At the Cross refrain:
At the cross, at the cross,
where I first saw the light,
and the burden of my heart rolled away;
it was there by faith I received my sight,
and now I am happy all the day.

Even though I have reservations about the “happy all the day” line, we used to sing this song every Sunday morning in the car on the way to church. Z-baby always requested it, and we belted it out. “AT the cross, AT the cross, where I first saw the LIGHT . . .” I never heard the fourth and fifth verses (above), but our family knows all of the others by heart. It’s a good hymn.

Sources:
Hymn Stories and Gospel Hymn Stories: Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed.

Birthday Watch: April 26th

Apr26

St. Augustine of Hippo entered the church on Easter day, April 26, 387. His mother Monica prayed for his conversion for 33 years.

Scots philosopher Thomas Reid, b.1710. “Reid believed that common sense (in a special philosophical sense of sensus communis) is, or at least should be, at the foundation of all philosophical inquiry. He disagreed with Hume, who asserted that we can never know what an external world consists of as our knowledge is limited to the ideas in the mind.”

Scots philosopher David Hume, b.1711. An atheist, or at least a skeptic, Hume had very little faith in religion or in the reason of man.
“The universal propensity to believe in invisible, intelligent power, if not an original instinct, being at least a general attendant of human nature, may be considered as a kind of mark or stamp, which the divine workman has set upon his work; and nothing surely can more dignify mankind, than to be thus selected from all other parts of the creation, and to bear the image or impression of the universal Creator.”

“A propensity to hope and joy is real riches: One to fear and sorrow, real poverty.”

The name of Desmond David Hume, of LOST fame, is probably a reference to philosopher David Hume. Unfortunately, I don’t know what the naming of Desmond is supposed to tell us about his character or about the plot and themes of LOST.

Birthday Watch: April 25th

Apr25

Roger Boyle, Baron Broghill, Lord Orrery, b. 1621. Pepys, the famous seventeenth century diarist, wrote of one of Lord Orrery’s plays:

. . . to the new play, at the Duke’s house, of ‘Henry the Fifth;’ a most noble play, writ by my Lord Orrery; wherein Betterton, Harris, and Ianthe’s parts are most incomparably wrote and done, and the whole play the most full of height and raptures of wit and sense, that ever I heard; having but one incongruity, or what did, not please me in it, that is, that King Harry promises to plead for Tudor to their Mistresse, Princesse Katherine of France, more than when it comes to it he seems to do; and Tudor refused by her with some kind of indignity, not with a difficulty and honour that it ought to have been done in to him.

I wonder how this play compares to Shakespeare’s Henry V, one of my favorite Shakespearean history plays?

John Keble, poet and churchman, b.1792.

A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come; but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. St. John xvi. 21.

Well may I guess and feel
Why Autumn should be sad;
But vernal airs should sorrow heal,
Spring should be gay and glad:
Yet as along this violet bank I rove,
The languid sweetness seems to choke my breath,
I sit me down beside the hazel grove,
And sigh, and half could wish my weariness were death.

Like a bright veering cloud
Grey blossoms twinkle there,
Warbles around a busy crowd
Of larks in purest air.
Shame on the heart that dreams of blessings gone,
Or wakes the spectral forms of woe and crime,
When nature sings of joy and hope alone,
Reading her cheerful lesson in her own sweet time.

Nor let the proud heart say,
In her self-torturing hour,
The travail pangs must have their way,
The aching brow must lower.
To us long since the glorious Child is born
Our throes should be forgot, or only seem
Like a sad vision told for joy at morn,
For joy that we have waked and found it but a dream.

Walter de la Mare, b.1873. See Favorite Poets: Walter de la Mare. Also here, here, and here.

Maud Hart Lovelace, b.1892.
Sarah’s Library Hospital on Betsy-Tacy.

Birthday Watch: April 3rd

Apr3

George Herbert, b. 1593.
Easter Wings
The Dawning by George Herbert.
The Sonne by George Herbert.
A Wreath by George Herbert.
The Pulley by George Herbert
More April 3 Birthdays.

Washington Irving, b.1783. “Rip van Winkle, however, was one of those happy mortals, of foolish, well-oiled dispositions, who take the world easy,, eat white bread or brown, whichever can be got with least thought and trouble, and would rather starve on a penny than work for a pound. If left to himself, he would have whistled his life away in perfect contentment . . .”
Christmas at Bracebridge Hall, 1819.

Edward Everett Hale, b.1822.
The Man WIthout a Country:

‘In Memory of
PHILIP NOLAN,
Lieutenant in the Army of the United States.
HE LOVED HIS COUNTRY AS NO OTHER MAN HAS LOVED HER; BUT NO MAN DESERVED LESS AT HER HANDS.’”