Queen Victoria--best biography?
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
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Comments (98)jwttrans, I think our two readings may be compatible--the ambiguously misread situation having to do with misread racial stereotypes, the captain's fixation on skin color blinding him to unrevealed dark designs. And with time the hidden darkness or "evil" is revealed--the desperate escaped slaves are truly murderous and do practically wipe out TWO ships--the one they are in at the beginning of the story and that captain's ship they attack near the end of the story. My only hesitation about our combined reading is that Benito Cereno, read by itself, would tend to solicit an allegorical reading associating innocence with whites and evil with blacks. However, that would be to overlook the blame Melville heaps on the "innocent" white captain whose self-willed "innocence" is not true "innocence," but rather a wilful refusal to see and acknowledge the evil lurking in the depths. He nearly makes himself an accessory to murder, as a result--equally culpable, in other words. That would not be white "innocence," but white culpability. And if anyone has read Melville's other sea fictions, they would know he often depicts the blackness/evil in all men's hearts. (I'm not sure if he includes women or not. Anyone remember any portraits of women in his works? Certainly, a half century later, Conrad writing on racial themes in Heart of Darkness exempted the lovely fiancee--the "intended" -- from the darkness in human hearts, for instance.) But you have a good point on ambiguity--probably works on anything Melville and Hawthorne wrote. That was the way they often set up their allegories as the reader moves from the literal to the figurative/spiritual. Just as Melville explores the ambiguity of whiteness in Moby Dick, so he does by depicting an "innocent" white captain whose innocence is just as ambiguous since he becomes the reason why they are all nearly murdered. That good and evil are NOT black and white, but quite ambiguous in nature, would seem to be Melville's point? Kate...See MoreElizabeth I
Comments (16)Mary, re the Irish and the Spanish. Was the book saying that the English thought the Irish would support the Spanish . . presumably in an attack against Elizabeth? At this time there were very real fears that the Spanish (and years later) the French would get into England via the 'back door'. Once Philip II of Spain realised the Queen was not interested in marrying him (he had been married to her sister Mary) he persuaded the Pope to excommunicate her which made it 'legal' in Catholic eyes to overthrow her and put someone else (ie Philip) on the throne. The famous 'Spanish Armada' had the Pope's blessing and financial backing. Had it not failed it would have given the Irish 'clan' leaders and any other disaffected parties an excuse to join the Spanish. The fact that they would then become vassals of the Spanish throne probably hadn't occurred to them. So, yes, it was because both countries were Catholic that they would have united against England. And possibly the Irish were not familiar with the Inquisition, or maybe if they knew about it they saw themselves as helping with the torture of a few Protestant non-believers and stoking the fiery-pit. I think it is easy to forget that 'then' the Pope was not the mild-mannered holy man of today, blessing the crowds in front of St Peters but a powerful ruler over a chunk of Italy, with the ability to raise armies, form alliances and dictate much of what went on in Europe. In his 'religious' capacity he could excommunicate the populations of whole countries, dissolve marriages (Henry VIII had been unlucky there) forbid the trial of clergy in civil courts (think Beckett and Henry II), divide parts of the world up. Brazil to Portugal and the rest of S America to Spain, or years before Ireland to England. Once his Papal authority (in a religious sense) started to falter when 'new' religions challenged his authority he (whichever Pope it was) had to work much harder to hold sway....See MoreRecommended biographies??
Comments (12)David McCuillough's John Adams is very readable and quite god. Cokie Roberts (of NPR fame) has written Founding Mothers, about the rather extraordinary lives of the wives, great leaders in their own right. Joseph Ellis wrote Founding Brothers: the revolutionary generation. This excellent book covers the lives of Adams, Burr, Franklin, Hamilton, Jefferson, Madison and Washington, and how their lives intertwined. The parts about Adams and Jefferson are worth the book alone. You also might check out the Penguin Lives series, a collection of short and consise bios of many famous folk, including presidents such as Lincoln, Wilson and Teddy Roosevelt....See MoreHave you ever been obsessed by a famous historical figure?
Comments (45)I've spent a lot of time with Louisa May Alcott. Her backstory is so fascinating - as are many people of her era - & the era itself. Another that really captured me was Henriette Deluzy-Desportes. After seeing the Bette Davis/Charles Boyer movie, "All This And Heaven Too", I had to get the book to read (which chronicled so much more of her life) & then became interested in its author, Rachel Field, who also had a very interesting backstory, being related to Henriette through the man she ultimately married. Her introduction to that book describes how she grew up picnicking amongst the tombstones of her new England ancestors & how it inspired her to research & write about this mysterious woman. Henriette Deluzy-Desportes...See More
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