A Merry Literary Christmas

…to one and all…

There are many people in the world who can convey the meaning of Christmas time in their expressions and emotions, but there are few who can convey its meaning in words. As a way of saying Merry Christmas to you all, here are a series of excerpts from great writers’ works.

‘It was his own room. There was no doubt about that. But it had undergone a surprising transformation. The walls and ceiling were so hung with living green, that it looked a perfect grove; from every part of which, bright gleaming berries glistened. The crisp leaves of holly, mistletoe, and ivy reflected back the light, as if so many little mirrors had been scattered there; and such a mighty blaze went roaring up the chimney, as that dull petrification of a hearth had never known in Scrooge's time, or Marley's, or for many and many a winter season gone. Heaped up on the floor, to form a kind of throne, were turkeys, geese, game, poultry, brawn, great joints of meat, sucking-pigs, long wreaths of sausages, mince-pies, plum-puddings, barrels of oysters, red-hot chestnuts, cherry-cheeked apples, juicy oranges, luscious pears, immense twelfth-cakes, and seething bowls of punch, that made the chamber dim with their delicious steam. In easy state upon this couch, there sat a jolly Giant, glorious to see, who bore a glowing torch, in shape not unlike Plenty's horn, and held it up, high up, to shed its light on Scrooge, as he came peeping round the door.’ – A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens

‘They drank healths, told stories, sang songs, `reminisced', as the old folks say, and had a thoroughly good time. A sleigh ride had been planned, but the girls would not leave their father, so the guests departed early, and as twilight gathered, the happy family sat together round the fire.’ – Little Women, Louisa May Alcott

‘But angel like, when I awoke,
Thy silvery form so soft and fair
Shining through darkness, sweetly spoke
Of cloudy skies and mountains bare

The dearest to a mountaineer
Who, all life long has loved the snow
That crowned her native summits drear,
Better, than greenest plains below –

And voiceless, soulless messenger
They presence waked a thrilling tone
That comforts me while thou art here
And will sustain when thou art gone’

- final three stanzas of ‘To a Wreath of Snow’, from the fantasy world of Gondal, Emily Jane Brontë

‘Hallo. A great deal of steam. The pudding was out of the copper. A smell like a washing-day. That was the cloth. A smell like an eating-house and a pastrycook's next door to each other, with a laundress's next door to that. That was the pudding.’ – A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens

‘she ushered me into a room whose double illumination of fire and candle at first dazzled me, contrasting as it did with the darkness to which my eyes had been for two hours inured; when I could see, however, a cosy and agreeable picture presented itself to my view.

A snug small room; a round table by a cheerful fire; an arm-chair high-backed and old-fashioned, wherein sat the neatest imaginable little elderly lady, in widow's cap, black silk gown, and snowy muslin apron.’ – Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë

‘The more it snows(Tiddely pom),
The more it goes(Tiddely pom),
The more it goes(Tiddely pom)
On snowing. 

And nobody knows(Tiddely pom),
How cold my toes(Tiddely pom),
How cold my toes(Tiddely pom),
Are growing.’

- The House at Pooh Corner, A.A.Milne 

'Turning towards the hearth, where the two logs had fallen apart, and sent forth only a red uncertain glimmer, he seated himself on his fireside chair, and was stooping to push his logs together, when, to his blurred vision, it seemed as if there were gold on the floor in front of the hearth. Gold!—his own gold—brought back to him as mysteriously as it had been taken away! He felt his heart begin to beat violently, and for a few moments he was unable to stretch out his hand and grasp the restored treasure. The heap of gold seemed to glow and get larger beneath his agitated gaze. He leaned forward at last, and stretched forth his hand; but instead of the hard coin with the familiar resisting outline, his fingers encountered soft warm curls. In utter amazement, Silas fell on his knees and bent his head low to examine the marvel: it was a sleeping child—a round, fair thing, with soft yellow rings all over its head.' - Silas Marner, George Eliot

Merry Christmas to everyone!

My Strictly Winners

Those of us who watch Strictly Come Dancing usually have our favourites from across the series'. I confess to only having watched series four, five and six. Here are my favourites (in no particular order) from those three series.

Alesha Dixon

Of all the women in the three series I've watched, Alesha has stood out by a mile. Whilst Rachel Stevens and Lisa Snowdon may have been topping the judges leader board week after week after week and breaking Strictly records left right and centre, neither seemed to give off the spark as Alesha. From week one of series five, Alesha lit up the stage. She may not have been as technically accurate as Rachel or Lisa, but the combination of her technique with her exceptional performance is what made her stand out so far above the crowd.

Austin Healey

It was disappointing to see Austin and Erin voted out in the quarter-final stage. From the very beginning they, along with Cheri and James, were the couple to beat. Whilst never achieving the scores of Rachel and Lisa, Austin's performances were always more engaging and entertaining. His technique was very good and helped mark him as one of the best male dancers on Strictly. And that paso doble...

Mark Ramprakash

Series four was the first time I watched Strictly and from start Mark Ramprakash was the one to watch. He and Karen Hardy, whilst not the most consistent of couples, came up trumps when it was needed. Their salsa is one of the most memorable dances, a brilliant combination of performance and technique. The performance which marked them as one of my favourite couples was their Argentine tango in semi-final week. It had all the ingredients needed for a superb dance. Since that tango, no other couple has performed one as good as that (not even Rachel Stevens).

Gethin Jones

He may not have been the best dancer in series five, that was Alesha, but he was always fun to watch. His breakout week towards the end of the series showed him as being the most improved performer on the show - that salsa was awesome! He and Camilla were one of the most entertaining couples in the three series I've watched.

The Dances

Not only do most Strictly viewers have their favourite couples but also their favourite dances. Each series has at least one dance which stands out and is remembered from one series to the next. Despite not having watched the second series Jill Halfpenny and Darren Bennett's jive is one which will not be forgotten as it is often shown and quoted on Strictly as having been one of the best dances. Here are my favourites from the last three series (in no particular order).

Mark Ramprakash and Karen Hardy's Salsa

Highly entertaining - technically brilliant - all that a salsa should be. And, of course, extremely hot! The song and Karen's choreography were more than well suited providing the best salsa of series four, five and six.

Alesha Dixon and Matt Cutler's Cha Cha Cha

By far the most consistent performer in series five, this cha cha cha to Crazy in Love summed up Alesha's Strictly achievement. It may not have been technically perfect, but the sheer energy and vibrance has made this one of the most memorable Strictly performances yet. As memorable as Jill Halfpenny's jive.

Mark Ramprakash and Karen Hardy's Argentine Tango

The Argentine tango, along with the paso doble, is my favourite dance. I was at first a little sceptical about the music, but by the end I was not at all. The dance was, for me, the dance of the series. It was full of passion, raunchiness, drama and technique, altogether successfully conveying the dark and seedy nature of the Argentine tango. As of yet, the best Argentine tango I've seen.

Austin Healey and Erin Boag's Paso Doble

In series six I watched week after week waiting for a striking performance. Whilst Rachel and Lisa produced very good dances there still seemed to be a spark lacking. The paso dobles' of the series had been disappointing and the only I could think of which had been any good since series four was the one Mark Ramprakash and Karen Hardy performed. I was unsure whether Austin and Erin could pull it off. But, with an electric opening, they performed the dance of the series. Full of passion, control, drama and energy this paso matched upto the likes of the series four Argentine tango and the series five cha cha cha. One definitely to be remembered.

A Pure Woman and an Angel

Person of the Day: Thomas Hardy
Word of the Day: Love
Quote of the Day: 'You will - you do say it, I know! You will be mine for ever and ever.' He clasped her close and kissed her. 'Yes!'

Looking back at the time I read Tess, I realise how exquiste the scenes are between Tess and Angel, and how beautiful Hardy's language is at this point of the novel. This section I feel is ranked up top alingside the powerful scenes between Cathy and Heathcliff, and Jane and Rochester. It is also and incredibly important part of the novel as, without it, the novel would seem far more dark and gloomy than it is.

I knew that this episode would have to be pretty damn good if it were to convey the natural beauty of Tess and Angel's love for one another. And whilst I felt a little disappointed that a couple of bits weren't included in the production, Gemma Arterton and Eddie Redmayne more than made up for it. The pair completely convinced me of Tess and Angel's genuine love for one another and left me desperately hoping and wishing that nothing would separate them, as Tess says to Angel that she likes living just as they are. But as we are constantly warned of what is to come we know that Tess's fate is ultimately sealed, and Arterton's expression, as Tess realises that Angel has not seen or read her letter, painfully portrayed her darkening future.

The acting of the pair, I felt, was very good, and they were also supported by a solid trio of Marian, Retty and Izz. The scenery, as in the first episode, complimented the acting and atmosphere beautifully.

Back at uni... feeling a bit strange

Person of the Day: Kelly Jones
Word of the Day: la musica
Quote of the Day: Have A Nice Day

In the past month or so the number of people asking me if I was looking forward to going back to uni has been quite many. It's an odd question, I find. Easy to answer if you are really excited about going back, but difficult to answer if you're not entirely sure. I'm one of those who finds it difficult to answer.

Whilst I have partly looked forward to it (nothing can really keep me away from my lovely novels, plays and poems) another part of me has struggled with the idea of going back. But how do you say that to all those people asking? I don't. I simply lie, not something I like to do often - infact, I hate to do it. I put a big smile on my face and answer "yes, I'm really excited about going back" whilst inside I seem to be struggling with all sorts of different feelings. Tearing myself away from my home is one of the things I find hardest, the others, the thought of having to speak to new people, to orientate myself again and to fend for myself.

So, here I am. Back in the north. Adjusting once more to living away from home. And whilst I find it a struggle, I am happy to have my books surrounding me to keep me company - they do a very good job.

J.M.Barrie, Peter Pan and Neverland

Person of the Day: J.M.Barrie
Word of the Day: immortality
Quote of the Day: Thou wast not born for death, immortal Bird!

Last night I was asked by a friend to simply answer a question about the meaning of Neverland. So after pondering over this for a little while I decided to find out what Barrie intended Neverland to be.

From the information I have gathered within a few hours there is no explicit statement that says J.M.Barrie meant Neverland as a place where dead children go. It may, however, be implicit in how he presents it.

Neverland is portrayed as a place where people may cease to age. People in this respect are children as we witness in Peter Pan. It is often thought of as a metaphor for eternal childhood, immortality and escapism - things which the first generation Romantics, particularly Wordsworth, were concerned with.

One of Barrie's novels explains that Neverlands are found in the minds of children. He emphasises the importance of the imagination. Barrie suggests that a map of a child's mind would be virtually the same as a map of Neverland. Neither Neverland nor a child's mind has boundaries.

The nature of Neverland might stem back to Barrie's youth. His brother died at the age of fourteen and this tragic death had a profound effect on the children's mother. Barrie was a witness to his mother's deep sadness. Perhaps we might take from this that Neverland provided an imaginary world where children could be immortal; Barrie, it appears, wished he could bring his brother back to make his mother happy again.

A further occurance which very likely contributed to Barrie's Neverland is his meeting with the Llewelyn Davies family: a mother and her boys. Barrie became close to the family and helped looked after the boys when they became orphaned. His relation with the family provided much of his inspiration for Peter Pan.

J.M.Barrie's witnessing of death in childhood and the effect the death of a loved one has on a child clearly influence his work to a great extent, with the theme of immortality running on through Peter Pan.



The information I've found on J.M.Barrie and Neverland is very little, so if anyone knows more please do leave a comment

Where are all the young people who...?

...love Shakespeare? Or, for that matter, any of the Classics?

When I talk about 'young people' I mean between the ages of 18-25ish, I suppose. As far as I can see there seem to be hardly any. Aside from two possibly three of my friends I know no one around my age who likes Shakespeare and the rest of the Classics. Having said that, of those friends I mentioned only one 'sort of' likes Shakespeare. Okay, so I know a lot of people think that they're pretty difficult to get a grasp of, and boring, and long etc. etc. but even at uni where I'm studying English Literature, I have not yet come across anyone who really likes Shakespeare and/or the Classics.

So, if you're someone who does like watching/reading both/either, leave a comment with who your favourite is.

A Pure Woman

Person of the Day: Thomas Hardy
Word of the Day: tragedy
Quote of the Day: (refering to stars)Which do we live on—a splendid one or a blighted one?

Last night was the beginning of the four part adaptation of Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles. Of all the BBC classic adaptations I have watched, I have not yet come across one which I feel has been less than good. As per usual I expected Tess to be as good as all the others. And as the episode ended I felt it had met all expectations.

Gemma Arterton played an excellent Tess and did a very convincing job of Tess's shocking change from child to adult at the hands of Alec D'Urberville. Whilst the rape scene was uncomfortable it was done just as I had imagined as I read that section of the book. The conversation between Tess and Alec was delivered extremely well and resulted in a very firm dislike of Alec. Other scenes I felt Gemma Arterton excelled in were those with Alec's mother (after her rape) and Tess's own mother (when she tells her mother that she could have warned her about the darker side of men). I could not help but feel something tugging at my emotional side.

Hans Matheson portrayed the seductive and cruel Alec D'Urberville with some amount of brilliance. In this episode he made it so easy for the audience to feel hatred towards him for his unkind and unthoughtful treatment of the innocent Tess. But despite Alec's harshness towards Tess, Hans Matheson managed to convey to the viewers Hardy's intention of creating well-rounded characters, suggesting that there is more to Alec than first meets the eye.

And last but by no means least, the haunting scene where Angel first sees Tess left me longing for more (and the episode was hardly under way). The two actors held the painful gaze between Tess and Angel which tells all of Tess's tragic future. The camera shots that included the beautiful country scenery captured the wonderful description by Hardy. And Angel turning his back on Tess... I need say no more.

Introducing the Characters...

Person of the day: Heath Ledger
Word of the day: arabesque
Quote of the day: Here's much to do with hate, but more with love

Just over a year ago I had my first seeds of thought for a novel. I'd begun many novels before that and had even more ideas, but I never got very far with any of them, more because of dislike of my own writing than anything else. But these seeds continued to grow as such. A little over a year on and I've got the plot planned out, characters becoming more complete by the day and nearly four chapters written. It seems very little but, as my family and friends know, I am someone who takes a lot of time over things. My first challenge was to begin writing my ideas down, which I succeeded in doing fairly quickly after my initial idea. My second challenge was to write the first chapter, which I have to say took a long time to complete. My third challenge is to complete my novel. This I am nowhere near doing, but I am more determined to do than I have ever been before.

My first spark of inspiration for this novel was on July 8th 2007. It may seem strange, but on that day two men met for the second time in a Wimbledon final: Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. I expected something similar to the previous year, but I was pleasantly surprised and altogether inspired by the fantastic tennis they both played. And at some point during that match I felt all my passion for writing come back from a little holiday it had taken. I was extremely excitable and had ideas streaming from my mind. Since then there has been a constant stream of thoughts.

Here I post the first of what I hope will be several entries charting the progress of my novel. The first shall introduce the characters of my novel.

Emily Keats - the heroine
Alejandro Lorca
Philip Eliot - the narrator

These three are the most important in the novel and will appear (or at least be spoken about) in pretty much every scene in the novel. Of next importance are:

Benjamin Eliot - older brother to Philip
Juliet - wife of Benjamin
Agnes - friend to all the above
Ivy - the antagonist
Alejandro's older brother
Alejandro's younger sister
Alejandro's older sister

There are other characters who appear during the story, but some of these characters may need to be cut out due to number and length. I will update on these character once I am further into my novel.

On Reading Dickens

In the past half an hour I have finished reading Great Expectations. I am not sure what my own expectations were of this book before I started reading it. I remember watching the film when I was much younger and being scared half to death by Magwitch and the weirdness of Miss. Havisham. But reading the book I found to be an entirely different experience. Pip as narrator and central character to the novel provides an attraction to an otherwise rather dark story. The character himself may have many faults but his open and lovable character makes him all the more endearing to Dickens' readers. Any doubts I may once have had about reading Great Expectations have been firmly locked away, thanks to Dickens' creation of Pip, along with Estella, Herbert, Joe, Magwitch and the chilling, mysterious Miss. Havisham.

I may once have had doubts about Dickens himself, about his ability to write. I wondered whether he really was as great as his Victorian companions: Bronte, Bronte, Eliot and Hardy. But again these doubts have been put to rest because of the magesty with which he unravels Pip's great expectations. Pip is a wonderful creation. And through the trials and tribulations put before him, Dickens' readers are able to feel for him and grow closer and closer throughout the novel. By the end I just wanted to give him a great big hug.

Estella, well known for her beautiful looks but icy glare, grew on me more than I ever thought she would. Perhaps because she was just an object to be used for revenge for Miss. Havisham, and as a result she turned away Pip, who really loved her, and led a life of misery for many years. I couldn't help but feel extremely sorry for her.

Miss. Havisham and Magwitch, I feel, add an extra bit of power to an already great novel. Both are intriguing and strange and with Pip's narration Dickens' readers are able to understand their somewhat odd ways.

All in all a great read which exceeded my expectations.

Mamma Mia!

After a week or so travelling about to various places I'm back home and for the most part slumped in front of the T.V. watching the Olympics. I say slumped, more on the edge of my seat excited about the swim finals. I've never entirely understood myself, how I can sit and read an Eliot novel for hours on end and love it like nothing on earth but then watch huge amounts of sport and revel in that too. They must cater to different parts of my brain.
Anyway, about two weeks ago I sent a text message to one of my friends asking if she wanted to watch Mamma Mia! at the cinema, both of us being ABBA fans and rather liking the actors in the film/musical. So on the night of Monday 4th we met at the cinema and made our way to see the film. Neither of us were entirely sure what to expect, but we assumed it would be fairly cheesy and feel good. At the end of the film, the two of us just looked at each other, and my friend had a look of bemusement on her face. We both said, 'I did not expect that'. We agreed it had been the most bizarre film we had ever watched - not that it wasn't enjoyable. I found it to be a fun-loving, exciting piece of craziness. I laughed all the way through - I can't really remember a point at which I stopped. All the way through the film it seemed as though the actors loved what they'd done and to be honest, it was pretty infectious considering the audience roared with laughter and left the cinema singing the songs. All in all - cringeworthy though it might have been - it was a pretty damn fun film.

Painting Painting More Painting and Batman

Yesterday was a slightly bizarre day by my calculations as may be understandable from the title. I woke up feeling my head was spinning with a ridiculous number of thoughts - I think I could have beaten Hamlet for the number of things going on in my head, although they weren't quite so depressing. They ranged from 5 pound tickets to see RSC plays to Rafa and tennis, from Nike to Gossip Girl and from painting to Batman. Whilst the first four things may have been a little odd to be thinking about as I woke, the latter two weren't. I had offered my services to help paint my brother's new house, along with my younger brother. So that's what we did for most of the day. Prior to that though, we had to give our opinion on which colours should be chosen and I found myself strangely amused by the names given to different coloured paints. It must be an incredibly interesting job for whoever names them - intense truffle? cookie dough? So, we painted on for several hours and eventually stopped to have an ice cream, which I managed to get more of on my clothing than paint - the punishment for being an extremely slow eater. That was the end of the day of painting for me - my younger brother stayed on - as I went home to cook tea for us all.

The evening saw the return of Batman as I went to see The Dark Knight for the second time. This time with my friend. I had initially texted around twenty friends earlier in the week, got about five responses and only one came. However, after some minor irritation, it turned out for the good. The seven o'clock showing sold out, so we booked the eight showing and went for a drink (non-alcoholic). Having spent so long away from each other at university it was really good just to sit and chat. We talked about what it's like to come back from uni and how strange it is to see all those people who make up our friendship circle back at home; we talked about what makes us happy now. And I felt happy then; one of the best nights I've had in a while. The Dark Knight was superb once again and after the film we were left contemplating on the performance Heath Ledger has left behind him. We both agreed, a bloody good one.

These Are a Few of My Favourite Things

Just a little about me...

Book: Wuthering Heights

Play: Hamlet

Poem: Ode to a Nightingale

Sports Player: Rafael Nadal

Film: tough, but Brokeback Mountain?

Song: The Scientist

Playwright: Shakespeare

Language: English and Spanish

Dance: Ballet

Latin Dance: Argentine Tango

Novelist: Emily Bronte

Poet: John Keats

T. V. Show (on-running): One Tree Hill

T. V. Drama: Bleak House?

Actor: tough - either Heath Ledger, James McAvoy or Johnny Depp

Actress: Nicole Kidman

Food: Rice

Pen: Parker

Soft Toy: Pooh Bear

Instrument: Piano

Composer: Tchaikovsky

Great Expectations

Great expectations...those are what I have for the current production of Shakespeare's Hamlet at The Courtyard Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon.

David Tennant takes the title role with Patrick Stewart doubling as both Claudius and Old Hamlet's Ghost. I like that idea and I hope it works on stage. Having seen two of the last three productions of Hamlet at the RST, if this production is going to exceed the brilliance of those it will have to be phenomenal.

In the two previous productions I saw, Sam West played the first Hamlet and Toby Stephens the second. I fell head over heels in love with the play and character when I watched Sam West so I was a little worried about watching the play again for fear the next Hamlet might not be as good. I was certainly mistaken. Artistic Director, Michael Boyd, of the RSC had chosen Toby Stephens for the role and he lived upto the standard of West's performance. That 2004 production I watched four times in all. Clive Wood, Sian Thomas and Meg Fraser were outstanding as Claudius, Gertrude and Ophelia. So, Tennant and Stewart have a lot to live up to, as do the rest of the cast. But, with one of the current top directors in charge of the play, Gregory Doran, I'm pretty sure that Hamlet is in safe hands.

One thing upset me a little after I had heard of someone having seen the current production: the number of girls standing up screaming and cheering at the end as David Tennant came back on stage. I understand that some people are going to see it purely because they're Doctor Who or Star Trek fans, or because they adore David Tennant. But, why should those of us who are there to watch two fantastic actors act in Shakespeare's great play directed by a superb director suffer a rather disturbing end? Why don't we all just show respect for Shakespeare's play?!

So, why am I going? What other answer can I give other than that, I love Shakespeare. And Hamlet is my favourite play in the whole wide world!

Bloody Brilliant Batman

Whoever thought a comic book film could be so bloody brilliant? One of the best films I've seen in a while I'd say. And most of the critics seem to agree. Not everyone agrees, I know.

I plan to see the film again, this time with friends. The first time I went with my two brothers who, granted, are two of my best friends. I used to watch the original Star Wars Trilogy with my brothers, sister and cousin. We loved them, we still do. This film, The Dark Knight, was almost as exciting and energising as those. Interesting too. I knew from Star Wars that politics could find its way into action films and I was very interested with the political overtones this film had.

I can't tell you how often I found myself moving closer to the end of my seat. It was gripping stuff, getting the adrenaline pumping, with all the action packed scenes. The screenwriters did a pretty damn good job too. Some classic lines - especially from the Joker. The hardest part was knowing that Heath Ledger no longer lives. But after that performance I know I'll never forget how fantastic an actor he was (actually, I thought he was brilliant in Brokeback Mountain). His was not the only memorable performance, Christian Bale in his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman put on a superb display and his scenes with Heath Ledger are pretty awesome. Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Garry Oldman completed an all round excellent cast making The Dark Knight a film I'd be very surprised if people forget.

The Beginning

I always wondered what the purpose of blogging was; I now realise it can be used for...anything. I can't tell you what this blog will contain; I expect just a series of ramblings by an old teenager who simply loves to write.

A little about myself? I'm a student at university, about to go into my second year. I study English Literature, the subject I've wanted to study since I was ten. Nothing changed since I first became determined to study it. I can say honestly: I love literature. I love writing about it. I love talking about it. I love reading it, watching it, speaking it aloud. I love loving it. I channel a hell of a lot of my passion into literature...But, there are many more things I simply adore.

Writing. Another of my passions. Poetry, essays, short stories and...novels?! Novels?! I haven't yet managed to complete one, but I've begun many. One novel is on its way to being completed - thankfully!

A slight contrast perhaps: tennis. I love to watch it and (to attempt) to play it. In my humble opinion it is an exquisite sport. The grace, the power, the passion, the strokes, all beautiful. It does in fact remind me of ballet, my favourite form of dance.

So, onto ballet. To both watch and perform it is a great experience. I learnt ballet (and other forms of dance) from the age of three. I still dance and I love to choreograph ballet dances and teach them to other dance students. It's one of the greatest feelings to see students perform them (especially when they look like they're enjoying it)!

I think this shall suffice for now. You'll find out more about me as I write more and more.