N S Ford

Tag: Virginia Woolf

  • Review of ‘Square Haunting’ by Francesca Wade

    An unusual group biography of five literary women: the poet H. D. (Hilda Doolittle), novelist Dorothy L Sayers, classicist and translator Jane Ellen Harrison, historian and broadcaster Eileen Power, writer and publisher Virginia Woolf. They are all linked by Mecklenburgh Square in Bloomsbury, where they lived in the interwar period (not all at the same time).

    I enjoyed the author’s enthusiasm for the subjects. She has carefully researched them, demonstrating the links and differences between their careers and how their months or years at Mecklenburgh Square were crucial turning points in their lives. ‘Freedom’ and ‘a room of one’s own’ are the main themes of the book – the women were all relatively privileged yet there were still barriers to living how they wanted to and being taken seriously in the literary world, not just the muses, lovers and helpers of their male colleagues.

    The only subject of the book I already knew a lot about was Woolf. I’d read some of H. D., had heard of Sayers but not read her work, vaguely heard of Eileen Power and not heard of Harrison before. It was interesting to learn about them all and not be committed to reading a full-length biography – approx. 60 pages are devoted to each woman, which is enough to get to know them but not to become tired of them. I did skim over some of the Harrison chapter as I’m not interested in the classics.

    There are a few well-chosen images and a copious amount of notes, which would be useful for readers studying the subjects but the casual reader will skip these.

    First published in 2020 by Faber and Faber.

  • 5 classic books which should be adapted for the screen

    I’m tired of yet more film and TV adaptations of the usual suspects, such as Little Women, Emma, A Christmas Carol, Dracula, Anna Karenina… Here are some classics which would, I think, make good viewing if well-made and kept to the original settings and eras.

    Evelina by Frances Burney. As far as I can discover, this excellent novel has not been filmed. Burney’s writing influenced Jane Austen and it seems a pity that no one has adapted the adventures of Evelina yet. She ought to steal some of Austen’s limelight.

    Tono-Bungay by H G Wells. Everyone knows The War of the Worlds and The Time Machine. However, Tono-Bungay deserves to be better known. It’s a fascinating study of quack medicine, social class and the entrepreneur spirit. It would make a great TV series.

    Villette by Charlotte Brontë. There has only been one screen adaptation of this book, a TV series in 1970. Villette is one of my favourite classics and I find it superior even to the famous Jane Eyre. Lucy Snowe is one of my favourite characters.

    The Last Man by Mary Shelley. I have discovered that a film of this was released in 2008, set in the present day. Sadly, going by the reviews on IMDb, it’s absolutely dreadful. The book would certainly be very challenging to adapt but maybe there will be a decent version made in the future.

    Between the Acts by Virginia Woolf. No one, as far as I can tell, has adapted Woolf’s last (and possibly strangest) novel. It would be a good challenge for a particularly arty film-maker with an interest in sounds and symbols. There would be tension despite the idyllic village setting, due to the looming Second World War.

    Which classics would you like to see adapted for the screen?

     

  • The ugliest book covers I own

    Most of the books on my shelf have attractive covers, or at least covers which don’t offend my eye. Although I know that judging books by their covers is shallow, when it comes to books I actually own (rather than those I borrow) it’s important that they’re not completely horrible. An unpleasant cover can even put me off reading the book. However, a few have slipped past this arbitrary quality control.

    Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons (Penguin, 2006). As I said in my review, this might win the award for ugliest Penguin Classic cover. I suppose the designers thought that the out-of-focus photo of a cow’s wet nose was somehow amusing. Penguins usually have nice covers, but obviously not in this case. The photo is copyright Renee Lynn / Getty Images.

    Enter Frederick K Bower by Anthony Horowitz (Dragon, 1985). First published in 1979, this book was Horowitz’s first children’s novel. I bought it for about 20p from my school library’s book sale about 20 years ago. The date stamp sheet shows the book was borrowed 34 times between 1986 and 1998. The cover, illustrated by David Frankland, shows some ugly criminal characters from the story.

    The Cucumber King by Christine Nöstlinger (Target, 1975). I featured this book in my post about weird books on my shelf. Indeed it was the gruesome gherkin-like creature on the front cover which both attracted and repelled me when I saw the book in a charity shop. The story itself is a short but entertaining read. Unfortunately whoever made the cucumber model is not credited.

    Night and Day & Jacob’s Room by Virginia Woolf (Wordsworth, 2012). Wordsworth Classics can have questionable artwork choices on their covers. I don’t like the vintage French fashion plate image on this cover because it shows the 1920s straight-up and down style (unattainable and unnatural for most women), plus one of the women wears an awful shade of green and carries a fur.

    Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli (Orchard, 2001). This is one of my favourite books, yet that completely pink cover is eye-watering. The problem with it is also that the cover suggests a ‘chick lit’ type book when it really isn’t. I think the cover would be enough to put potential readers off, which is a pity because it’s a great story about standing out from the crowd.

    Do you think these covers are ugly? Do you care at all what your books look like, or are you less shallow than me?

  • 10 writers I’d love to have coffee with – time travel edition!

    My previous post on writers I’d love to have coffee with was very popular. My blogger friend Ryan stole my idea and then he also did a time travel edition – which I’m now stealing from him. So here are 10 writers I’d want to meet, if someone invented a time machine. Since most of my favourite writers are actually from the past, this was a difficult choice to make…

    Charlotte Brontë. I’d travel to Haworth Parsonage (which I’ve visited before, but obviously not in 1847) and we’d go for a walk on the windswept moor while discussing the recent publication of Jane Eyre. Although this time was a relatively happy moment in Charlotte’s life, I would feel sad knowing what the future had in store for herself and her siblings.

    H G Wells. The master of science fiction was noted for predicting the future. I love musing upon the future so I think we’d click. We’d meet at the turn of the 20th century and I’d tell him that The Time Machine is one of my favourite books. However, I wouldn’t tell him what a mess the BBC made of The War of the Worlds.

    Stella Gibbons. We’d meet in the late 1940s for a cup of tea and a bun in a cheap and cheerful café, like so many of her female characters do. I too have a sharp sense of humour so I think we’d have some laughs together. I’d tell her how much I like her post-Cold Comfort Farm novels and that after their reissues, many readers are delighted to discover them.

    Virginia Woolf. I’d be intimidated by the prospect of meeting one of the greatest modern writers but I think she’d be fascinating to talk to. We’d have a smart lunch somewhere in London in the 1920s. I probably wouldn’t admit to her that I’ve touched (and, er, sniffed) a leather travel bag which belonged to her and which now sits in the Penguin Random House archive.

    Mary Shelley. A super-intelligent and fascinating writer, Shelley would be an amazing person to meet, in between her writing, romantic journeys and tragic life events. I think it would be best to meet in Italy, where she spent a lot of her time. We could have proper Italian coffee and discuss the now legendary circumstances in which she wrote Frankenstein.

    Jane Austen. It would be fantastic to see what Jane was really like, both in appearance and behaviour. We’d have a civilised tea at Chawton, Hampshire and talk about books. I’d try not to make some grave error in manners. It would be tempting to tell her how famous her name will become and also that what most people remember about Pride and Prejudice is Mr Darcy’s wet shirt scene.

    Harper Lee. A very private person with a reputation as a recluse, merely because she didn’t grant interviews, Harper Lee might be a little reserved about meeting up. If we did, however, we would go to an anonymous New York coffee shop in 1961, the year that To Kill A Mockingbird won the Pulitzer Prize. I’d be tempted to suggest never to publish Go Set A Watchman…

    George Orwell. Meeting Eric Arthur Blair would be fascinating, I’m sure. I think we’d have strong coffee someplace full of cigarette smoke. Or perhaps we would have a pint in a poverty-stricken northern town while he researches his book The Road to Wigan Pier. While I really admire Nineteen Eighty-Four, I would be too sad to meet him during the writing of it, as he was very ill.

    H P Lovecraft. He has a reputation as weird and lonely with a far-out imagination, so I think we’d get on well. We’d meet in 1930s New England in some sinister old town haunted by eldritch beings older than the universe. Knowing he was to have a relatively short life dominated by poverty and tragedy, I’d also want to tell him how influential his work will be and maybe give him a hug.

    Thomas Hardy. Dorset in the 1880s would be the obvious location to meet the author of favourite classics such as Tess of the D’Urbervilles and The Mayor of Casterbridge. We would have afternoon tea at Max Gate, the house he designed. I feel that he would be easier to get on with than some other Victorian writers as he seems unconventional and sympathetic.

    Which writers from the past would you like to meet? Do you wish someone would hurry up and invent time travel?

  • Authors I want to re-read – and some I don’t

    Our reading tastes tend to change over time. We return to some authors again and again, authors we never get tired of. Others, we might re-read to see if we still like them. And there are those we have no inclination to return to.

    Here are 5 authors I want to re-read:

    Stephen King. I was impressed with my re-reading of The Shining, after avoiding King for years. I plan to try another of his books, not any that I’ve previously read. If anyone has enjoyed reading Doctor Sleep, let me know.

    Terry Pratchett. I’ve read most of the Discworld series and have kept a few of the best ones. My favourites are the Moist von Lipwig trilogy and any which feature the witches. I’m thinking of reading the very first, The Colour of Magic, again.

    Stella Gibbons. In the last few years I’ve read the reissues of Gibbons’ novels, some of which were long out of print. I really like her style and at some stage I will re-read these novels again, but not Cold Comfort Farm any time soon.

    Virginia Woolf. She has a reputation for being a little difficult to read, but I think Woolf’s novels are rewarding. My favourites are Mrs Dalloway and Orlando. The last I read was The Waves. I’d like to read Night and Day again.

    Jane Austen. I had a pleasant re-read of Sense and Sensibility and a not so good re-read of Persuasion. I plan to continue with her books, probably leaving Emma until last because that’s the one I know the best.

    And here are 5 authors I’m not going to re-read:

    Ursula K LeGuin. Having tried a few of hers, I find that her style is not for me. I know she’s a classic sci-fi and fantasy author but I prefer some humour when I’m reading those genres. She’s just too serious for my taste.

    George Eliot. I’ve tried Middlemarch. I’ve tried The Mill on the Floss. I’ve tried Adam Bede. I didn’t get on with them. I tried Silas Marner – and liked it. With the exception of Silas, it’s very unlikely I’ll be reading any more Eliot.

    Joanne Harris. Having read several of her novels, I think she’s a good writer but I don’t have the urge to re-read her at all. The most recent of her books I tried was Different Class, which I ended up abandoning.

    Ann M Martin. The author of the Babysitters Club series, her books were very popular in the 90s and featured a group of teenage girls who actually enjoyed looking after small children. Unless I get very nostalgic, I won’t be re-reading this series.

    R L Stine. One of the most successful popular writers for children and young adults, R L Stine’s Goosebumps and (later on) Point Horror books were a regular feature in my reading. It’s highly doubtful I will ever crack open an R L Stine book again.

    Which authors do you plan to re-read – and are there any you don’t want to?

  • Review of ‘The Waves’ by Virginia Woolf

    Reading this book is like eating a very rich dessert. One spoonful goes a long way. Every page is dense with imagery and ideas. It’s a masterpiece in under 200 pages.

    Not the most challenging Virginia Woolf novel I’ve read (that honour goes to Between the Acts or To the Lighthouse) but it still wasn’t an easy read, due to the writing style. It’s very unusual, experimental even. Observations are spoken by six characters, describing their actions and emotions from early age to old age. These chapters are interspersed with a description of the sun rising and setting over the waves, symbolising the passing of a human life in the span of a single day (or at least that’s my interpretation – I’ve deliberately avoided reading other opinions on the book).

    Here are some random examples of Woolf’s writing:

    ‘Let us now crawl,’ said Bernard, ‘under the canopy of the currant leaves, and tell stories. Let us inhabit the underworld. Let us take possession of our secret territory, which is lit by pendant currants like candelabra, shining red on one side, black on the other. Here, Jinny, if we curl up close, we can sit under the canopy of the currant leaves and watch the censers swing. This is our universe.’ (p.12)

    ‘I have signed my name,’ said Louis, ‘already twenty times. I, and again I, and again I. Clear, firm, unequivocal, there it sounds, my name. Clear-cut and unequivocal am I too. Yet a vast inheritance of experience is packed in me. I have lived thousands of years. I am like a worm that has eaten its way through the wood of a very old oak beam. But now I am compact; now I am gathered together this fine morning.’ (p.98)

    ‘The iron gates have rolled back,’ said Jinny. ‘Time’s fangs have ceased their devouring. We have triumphed over the abysses of space, with rouge, with powder, with flimsy pocket-handkerchiefs.’ (p.136)

    Maybe you can see why I could only read one chapter a day. So much imagery was overwhelming my mind. I think one of Woolf’s best skills is finding original ways to describe life. Everything she says is striking and thought-provoking. It’s like reading her own thoughts divided into the mouths of the six friends.

    The novel was first published in 1931. My edition is by Oxford World’s Classics, 2015, edited by David Bradshaw.