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quoteoftheweekblog · 3 days

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29/4/24 - ROSE MACAULAY

' ... hospitals and welfare clinics and institutions and schools and administration departments, and railway stations and labour exchanges and whatever; what dull things the governments are proud of.' (Macaulay, 2023, p.257).

REFERENCE

Macaulay, R. (2023 [1956] ) 'The towers of Trebizond'. Amazon.com [E-book]. Available at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Towers-Trebizond-Flamingo-Rose-Macaulay-ebook/dp/B07C5W45V5 (Accessed: 27 April 2024).

*****

LOIS SAYS

…

VOTE LABOUR

IN THE LOCAL ELECTIONS

FOR HOSPITALS AND WELFARE CLINICS AND INSTITUTIONS AND SCHOOLS AND ADMINSTRATION DEPARTMENTS, AND RAILWAY STATIONS AND LABOUR EXCHANGES AND WHATEVER

*****

LOIS

*****

FOR BOOK GROUP APRIL 2024

20 (90) GLORIOUS YEARS

….

‘ … so many novels.’ (Macaulay, 2023, p.113).

THIS MONTH I AM ALSO READING

…

THE ENCHANTED APRIL

OBVIOUSLY

📚📚📚📚📚

THIS MONTH OUR MEMBERS HAVE ALSO READ OR ARE READING …

TOP MEMBER

…

THE FALLEN KINGS

… finished …

&

…

THE DANCING YEARS

… read …

&

…

THE WINDING ROAD

… now reading …

&

…

HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT

I like his style of writing and always enjoy his books.

&

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SING YOU HOME

… covers IVF, infertility, miscarriage, divorce and gay marriage.

📚📚📚📚📚

…

ANIMAL FARM

… finished …

&

…

THE WHITE QUEEN

… quite enjoying it …

MEANWHILE THE OTHER HALF

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BRIDESHEAD REVISITED

… reading …

📚📚📚📚📚

…

MURDER ON THE FARM

… quite a good read but we ended up with three bodies all on or around a farm and the cast of players grew steadily larger and it ended rather muddled. At the beginning there were realistic descriptions of farming life and shepherds very busy with lambing which I enjoyed, but it ended up with too many characters.

📚📚📚📚📚

…

JANE AUSTEN

I am doing re reads for ease and comfort … mostly Jane Austen …

📚📚📚📚📚

AND OUR READER LEADER

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THE TIME OF THE ANGELS

… finished …

&

…

ALL THINGS ANGLICAN

… finished …

&

…

GOD IS NO THING

… abandoned - too difficult …

&

…

SWING TIME

I think I have read it before - with Book Group - but can’t remember much and am loving it!

📚📚📚📚📚

…

BOOK GROUP

*****

QUOTE OF THE WEEK 2011 - 2024

…

12 EPIC YEARS

*****

FROM THE ARCHIVE

…

29/4/19

*****

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quoteoftheweekblog · 3 days

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ROSE MACAULAY - 'THE TOWERS OF TREBIZOND' (FIRST PUBLISHED 1956)

First sentence:

' "Take my camel, dear," said my aunt Dot, as she climbed down from this animal on her return from High Mass.' (Macaulay, 2023, p.3).

On High Anglicanism:

' "I too am high, even extreme, but somewhat lapsed, which is a sound position, as you belong to the best section of the best branch of the Christian Church, but seldom attend its services.' (Macaulay, 2023, p.3).

' "This is the Lord's Table, and not for idolatry" ... "This is not an alter, for you have no Mass and no Sacrament and no priests to offer the Holy Sacrifice." ' (Macaulay, 2023, p.18).

'I want to go to High Mass in some church or other, and the Christian Church would build itself up before me and round me, with its structure of liturgical words and music which was like fine architecture being reared up into the sky, while the priests moved to and fro before the alter in their glittering coloured robes and crosses, and the rows of tall candles lifted their flames like yellow tulips, and the incense flowed about us.' (Macaulay, 2023, p.225).

On travel writing:

'Writers all seemed to get the same idea at the same time. One year they would all be rushing for Spain, next year to some island off Italy, then it would be the Greek islands, then Dalmatia, then Cyprus and the Levant, and now people were all for Turkey.' (Macaulay, 2023, p.15).

On dissent:

' "You must never forget, Laurie, that dissenters are often excellent Christian people. You must never be narrow minded." I promised that I never would. "Though of course," my aunt added, "you must always remember that we are right." I promised that I always would.' (Macaulay, 2023, p.9).

On literature:

'The Trojan cycle, the Roman de Troie, the Arthurian cycle, the cycle of Charlemagne, the cycle of Roland, the cycle of Christ - these are the European folk-tales which filled the Middle Ages, and still echoe down the modern ages, but not for Turks, who have, presumably their own folk-tales of Mahomet, of Caliphs, Sultans, Selijuks. Mamelukes, Ottomans, and Kemal Ataturk ... ' (Macaulay, 2023, p.30).

On Christianity:

' "It's very odd, you'll admit. A Church that started up out of a Jewish sect in Palestine nearly two thousand years ago, spread by Jewish missionaries, catching on in the east and west, expanding into this extraordinary business with a heirarchy and elaborate doctrines and worship, growing into something entirely unlike what its founders can have dreamed of at first, claiming to be in communion with God, who was this young Jew in Palestine ... Well I ask you." ' (<acaulay, 2023, pp.198-9).

'Always when I read the Gospels I wonder what was really said, how far the evangelists had got it right, and how much they left out, writing it down long after, and some of the things they forgot and left out might have been very important, and some of the things they put in they perhaps got wrong, for some sound unlikely for him to have said.' (Macaulay, 2023, p.203).

REFERENCE

Macaulay, R. (2023 [1956] ) 'The towers of Trebizond'. Amazon.com [E-book]. Available at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Towers-Trebizond-Flamingo-Rose-Macaulay-ebook/dp/B07C5W45V5 (Accessed: 27 April 2024).

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quoteoftheweekblog · 10 days

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…

HAIL TAYLOR

*****

22/4/24 - TAYLOR SWIFT AND JACK ANTONOFF

'There in her glittering prime’ (Swift and Antonoff, 2024).

REFERENCE

Swift, T. and Antonoff, J. (2024) 'I can do it with a broken heart'. Available at: https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/taylorswift/icandoitwithabrokenheart.html (Accessed 20 April 2024).

*****

‘It's an art You know you're good when you can even do it with a broken heart’ (Swift and Antonoff, 2024).

…

HAIL TAYLOR

**********

TAYLOR THE MAGNIFICENT’S THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT ALBUM HAS BEEN RELEASED

AFTER EVERMORE AND MORE EXPOSURE WHILST ON THE ERAS TOUR

youtube

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'I Can Do It With A Broken Heart' is seemingly about the times when Taylor Swift began her 'Eras Tour' in March of 2023 while being fresh from the break-up with actor Joe Alwyn after their long relationship. The breakup was publicized in April of 2023. News of it appeared during one of her concert breaks. She never spoke about the break-up on stage. (AZLyrics, 2024).

*****

CHIEF TAYLOR ADVISOR SAM’S FAVOURITE

I love it so much it feels like her weirdest album yet. (Plommer, 2024).

(ALSO THOUGHT TO BE ABOUT JOE ALWYN)

youtube

...

'A moment of warm sun But I'm not the one' (Swift and Dessner, 2024a).

*****

MY CHILDREN’S FAVOURITE

Nancy you would like this one I think (Duckels, 2024a).

(NOT ABOUT JOE ALWYN)

youtube

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'Oh, here we go again The voices in his head' (Swift, 2024).

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IT WAS ALSO LOIS’ FAVOURITE

Lois asked me to play it three times (Duckels, 2024b).

…

*****

LOIS

*****

MY FAVOURITE

(NOT ABOUT JOE ALWYN)

youtube

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‘Who the fuck was that guy?’ (Swift and Dessner, 2024b).

*****

THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN MY HUSBAND’S FAVOURITE - HE LIKED HIS WESTERNS

(NOT ABOUT JOE ALYWN)

youtube

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'Whoa, maybe I can't' (Swift and Antonoff, 2024).

*****

THE SINGLE - GOOD FOR DANCING

(NOT ABOUT JOE ALWYN)

youtube

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'I love you, it’s ruining my life’ (Swift, Antonoff and Post, 2024).

*****

REFERENCES

AZLyrics (2024) 'So Long, London'. Available at: https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/taylorswift/solonglondon.html (Accessed 20 April 2024).

Duckels, G. (2024a) WhatsApp message to Pauline Courtenay 19 April.

Duckels, N. (2024b) WhatsApp message to Pauline Courtenay 19 April.

Plommer, S. (2024) Email to Pauline Courtenay 20 April.

Swift, T. (2024) 'My boy only breaks his favorite toys'. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRKXAAV6jh4 (ACCESSED 20 April 2024).

Swift, T. and Dessner, A. (2024a) 'So long, London'. Available at: https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/taylorswift/solonglondon.html (Accessed 20 April 2024).

Swift, T. and Dessner, A. (2024b) 'The smallest man who ever lived. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Atdzfj8LcuY

Swift, T. and Antonoff, J. (2024) 'I can fix him (no really I can)'. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKWfv-x2rdU (Accessed 20 April 2024).

Swift, T., Antonoff, J. and Post, A. (2024) 'Fortnight'. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3zqJs7JUCQ (Accessed 20 April 2024).

…

TO THE HMV MEMBER OF STAFF WHO MADE THIS TORTURED POETS FRIENDSHIP BRACELET

…

GIVEN AWAY WITH EVERY PURCHASE

…

*****

TAYLOR SWIFT (PLUS)

*****

QUOTE OF THE WEEK 2011 - 2024

…

12 EPIC YEARS

*****

FROM THE ARCHIVE

…

24/10/22

*****

#…Youtube

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quoteoftheweekblog · 10 days

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TAYLOR SWIFT AND JACK ANTONOFF - 'I CAN DO IT WITH A BROKEN HEART' (2024)

'I Can Do It With A Broken Heart':

'I can read your mind "She's having the time of her life" There in her glittering prime The lights refract sequin stars Off her silhouette every night I can show you lies 'Cause I'm a real tough kid I can handle my shit They said, "Babe, you gotta fake it 'til you make it" And I did Lights, camera, bitch, smile Even when you want to die He said he'd love me all his life But that life was too short Breaking down, I hit the floor All the pieces of me shattered As the crowd was chanting "More!" I was grinning like I'm winning I was hitting my marks 'Cause I can do it with a broken heart I'm so depressed, I act like it's my birthday Every day I'm so obsessed with him, but he avoids me Like the plague I cry a lot, but I am so productive It's an art You know you're good when you can even do it with a broken heart I can hold my breath I've been doing it since he left I keep finding his things in drawers Crucial evidence, I didn't imagine the whole thing I'm sure I can pass this test 'Cause I'm a real tough kid I can handle my shit They said, "Babe, you gotta fake it 'til you make it" And I did Lights, camera, bitch, smile In stilettos for miles He said he'd love me for all time But that time was quite short Breaking down, I hit the floor All the pieces of me shattered As the crowd was chanting "More!" I was grinning like I'm winning I was hitting my marks 'Cause I can do it with a broken heart I'm so depressed, I act like it's my birthday Every day I'm so obsessed with him, but he avoids me Like the plague I cry a lot, but I am so productive It's an art You know you're good when you can even do it with a broken heart You know you're good when you can even do it with a broken heart You know you're good, and I'm good 'Cause I'm miserable! And nobody even knows! Try and come for my job' (Swift and Antonoff, 2024).

REFERENCE

Swift, T. and Antonoff, J. (2024) 'I can do it with a broken heart'. Available at: https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/taylorswift/icandoitwithabrokenheart.html (Accessed 20 April 2024).

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quoteoftheweekblog · 17 days

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…

15/4/24 - BEATRIX POTTER (AND MARYSE CONDE)

‘We love our little garden, And tend it with such care … ‘ (Potter, 2012, p.338).

REFERENCE

Potter, B. (2012 [1922] ) 'We have a little garden' in 'Cecily Parsley's nursery rhymes', in 'Beatrix Potter - the complete tales. London: Frederick Warne, p.338).

*****

AS WITH LOIS

…

WHO ISN'T VERY GOOD WITH HER GARDEN

…

LATE LAST NIGHT I GOOGLED

IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH THIS TENUOUS LINK (ALWAYS A WAY)

…

TO MY SON FOR THE APPLE PIE

…

AND FOR GIVING MR DUSTY A HAIRCUT

…

AND THANKS AGAIN

XXXX

FOR MY HUSBAND

WHO WOULD HAVE

LIKED LOIS

AND

LOVED THE APPLE PIE

BUT

DISAPPROVED OF THE HAIRCUT

*****

RIP 2024

…

MARYSE CONDE 2/4/24

OBITUARY

*****

…

*****

RIP

*****

TAYLOR ALERT 2024 - THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT!!!!

…

COUNTDOWN TO TAYLOR … ONLY 4 DAYS TO GO

…

UNTIL THE RELEASE OF TAYLOR SWIFT’S NEW ALBUM THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT ON 19 APRIL

FOR EVERMORE AND MORE EXPOSURE

TAYLOR ALERT!!!!

*****

BEATRIX POTTER

*****

QUOTE OF THE WEEK 2011 - 2024

…

12 EPIC YEARS

*****

FROM THE ARCHIVE

…

20/12/21

*****

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quoteoftheweekblog · 17 days

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BEATRIX POTTER - 'WE HAVE A LITTLE GARDEN' (FIRST PUBLISHED 1922)

'We have a little garden':

'We have a little garden, A garden of our own, And every day we water there the seeds that we have sown.

We love our little garden, And tend it with such care, You will not find a faded leaf Or blighted blossom there.' (Potter, 2012, p.338).

REFERENCE

Potter, B. (2012 [1922] ) 'We have a little garden' in 'Cecily Parsley's nursery rhymes', in 'Beatrix Potter - the complete tales. London: Frederick Warne, p.338)

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quoteoftheweekblog · 24 days

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8/4/24 - EVELYN WAUGH (AND LYNNE REID BANKS)

’ “Beware the Anglo-Catholics - they’re all sodomites … ” ’ (Waugh, 2016, p.22).

REFERENCE

Waugh, E. (2016 [1945] ) 'Brideshead revisited’. London: Penguin Classics.

*****

ALL SAINTS’ MEMBERSHIP OF INCLUSIVE CHURCH IS IN QUESTION BUT STILL PROCLAIMED WHERE ALLOWED

ON THE SECOND SUNDAY IN EASTER

…

ON THE PEW SHEET (FOR NOW)

…

IN THE CHURCH (TUCKED AWAY)

…

IN THE PORCH (ONLY VISIBLE WHEN OPEN)

…

BUT NO LONGER ON THE NOTICEBOARD

…

OR ON THE NEW WEBSITE

…

BOTH OF WHICH WOULD BE USEFUL

THANKS GUYS

*****

THE SECOND SUNDAY IN EASTER

…

IS ALSO KNOWN AS

LOW SUNDAY

SINCE 2000 IT HAS BEEN KNOWN IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AS

DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY

CORDELIA WOULD APPROVE

' "We must have the Blessed Sacrament here," said Cordelia. "I like popping in at odd times; and so does mummy." ' (Waugh, 2016, p.83).

*****

RIP 2024

…

LYNNE REID BANKS DIED 4/4/24

OBITUARY

*****

…

*****

RIP

*****

FOR BOOK GROUP MARCH 2024 20 (90) GLORIOUS YEARS

…

' " ... not Jane Austen, not M-m-miss M-m-mitford." ' (Waugh, 2016, p.254).

LAST MONTH I ALSO READ

…

EMMA

OBVIOUSLY

&

THIS MONTH I AM ALSO READING

…

LOVE IN A COLD CLIMATE

OBVIOUSLY

📚📚📚📚📚

IN MARCH OUR MEMBERS ALSO READ …

TOP MEMBER ON HOLIDAY AND BACK ON FORM

Hi All, greetings from sunny La Gomera.

…

THE MEASURE OF DAYS

… Morland no: 30 book, still during WW1.

&

…

CHARLES III

I have almost finished Charles III but haven’t brought it here with me as too heavy!

&

…

I CAPTURE THE CASTLE

… which I loved. A story of messy family life as told by a young woman writing her diary.

&

…

THE WRONG SISTER

… just started …

📚📚📚📚📚

…

FATHERLAND

I've just finished Fatherland by Robert Harris and I was very confused by it! I've just looked it up on Google and it is very confusing because it posts the concept that Germany won the war. It also has a horrid description of torture in it so it is not a book I will recommend to anyone!

📚📚📚📚📚

…

PHILIPPA GREGORY

… awaiting attention - someone in our group loves her stories, so I felt it was time to try one …

MEANWHILE THE OTHER HALF

…

THE SECRET HOURS

We have lots of this authors books …

📚📚📚📚📚

AND OUR READER LEADER

…

ALL THINGS ANGLICAN

… still reading.

&

…

THE TIME OF THE ANGELS

I have also begun The Time of Angels by Iris Murdoch. I am not sure how much I shall enjoy it. It is weird and intriguing like most of Iris Murdoch’s novels, but perhaps a bit too analytical.

📚📚📚📚📚

IN MARCH WE ALSO HAD ANIMAL FARM ON THE LIST

WHICH HAS BEEN AN EARLIER QUOTE OF THE WEEK

ANIMAL FARM

📚📚📚📚📚

…

BOOK GROUP

*****

TAYLOR ALERT 2024 - THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT!!!!

…

COUNTDOWN TO TAYLOR … ONLY 11 DAYS TO GO UNTIL THE RELEASE OF TAYLOR SWIFT’S NEW ALBUM THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT ON 19 APRIL

FOR EVERMORE AND MORE EXPOSURE

TAYLOR ALERT!!!!

*****

EVELYN WAUGH

*****

QUOTE OF THE WEEK 2011 - 2024

…

12 EPIC YEARS

*****

FROM THE ARCHIVE

…

4/7/22

*****

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quoteoftheweekblog · 24 days

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EVELYN WAUGH - 'BRIDESHEAD REVISITED' (FIRST PUBLISHED 1945)

First sentence:

'When I reached "C" Company lines, which were at the top of the hill, I paused and looked back at the camp, just coming into full view below me through the grey mist of early morning.' (Waugh, 2016, p.1).

On university:

' " ... You're reading History? A perfectly respectable school. The very worst is English literature and the next worst is Modern Greats. You want either a first or a fourth. There is no value in anything between. Time spent on a good second is time thrown away." ' (Waugh, 2016, p.21).

' "I like this bad set and I like getting drunk at luncheon." ' (Waugh, 2016, p.39).

On religion:

' "Beware the Anglo-Catholics - they're all sodomites with unpleasant accents." ' (Waugh, 2016, p.22).

' "We must have the Blessed Sacrament here," said Cordelia. "I like popping in at odd times; and so does mummy." ' (Waugh, 2016, p.83).

' ... the Flytes all went into retreat at the guest-house of a monastery from Maundy Thursday until Easter.' (Waugh, 2016, pp.118-9).

On Sebastian Flyte:

'I knew Sebastian by sight long before I met him. That was unavoidable for, from his first week, he was the most conspicuous man of his year by reason of his beauty, which was arresting, and his eccentricities of behaviour, which seemed no know no bounds.' (Waugh, 2016, pp.23-4).

'He was entrancing, with that epicine beauty which in extreme youth sings aloud for love and withers at the first cold wind.' (Waugh, 2016, p.26).

'It was thus I like to remember Sebastian, as he was that summer, when we wandered alone together through that enchanted palace ... ' (Waugh, 2016, p.71).

' "Thank God I went to Eton," said Sebastian.' (Waugh, 2016, p84).

On literature:

' "Oh Charles, don't be such a tourist ... "I thought I'd cured you of all that - the terrible Mr Collins." ' (Waugh, 2016, p.72).

'That night she read part of "The Wisdom of Father Brown".' (Waugh, 2016, p.122).

'Brideshead asked his mother to read, and she read "The Diary of a Nobody" with great spirit until ten o'clock ... ' (Waugh, 2016, p.145).

' " ... not Jane Austen, not M-m-miss M-m-mitford." ' (Waugh, 2016, p.254).

On modern art:

' "Charles," said Cordelia, "Modern Art is all bosh, isn't it?" "Great bosh." ' (Waugh, 2016, p.142).

REFERERENCE

Waugh, E. (2016 [1945] ) 'Brideshead revisited'. London: Penguin Classics.

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quoteoftheweekblog · 1 month

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1/4/24 - FERDINAND MOUNT

’ … religion is vital as a means of social control, but no grown-up person can be expected to believe all this stuff.’ (Mount, 2023, p.90).

REFERENCE

Mount, F. (2023) 'Big Caesars and little Caesars'. London: Bloomsbury.

*****

HAPPY EASTER WEEK

*****

HALLELUJAH

*****

youtube

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AND APRIL FOOLS DAY

*****

APRIL FOOLS

*****

THE FERDINAND MOUNT QUOTE REFERS TO THE ‘SISYPHUS FRAGMENT’

'Some shrewd man first, a man in counsel wise, Discovered unto men the fear of Gods, Thereby to frighten sinners should they sin E'en secretly in deed, or word, or thought. Hence was it that he brought in Deity Telling how God enjoys an endless life, Hears with his mind and sees, and taketh thought And heeds things, and his nature is divine, So that he hearkens to men’s every word And has the power to see men’s every act.' (Critias or Euripides in the 'Sisyphus fragment', 2024).

REFERENCE

'Sisyphus fragment' (2024) 'Wikipedia'. Available at: https//en.wikipedia.org/Wiki/Sisyphus_fragment

*****

…

TO MY FRIEND AND QUOTE OF THE WEEK ASSISTANT FOR SUGGESTING THIS QUOTE OF THE WEEK

AND FOR THE REFERENCING INFORMATION

It was Plato I was thinking of, not Cicero. But the quote is by Critias, either the nephew or cousin of Plato, and a student of Socrates with whom he later fell out. (Fish, 2024a).

The quote is attributed either to Critias or to Euripides … But I can’t see it in my 1992 edition of the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations [’New’ edition]. (Fish, 2024b).

REFERENCES

Fish, W. (2024a) Email to Pauline Courtenay 20 March 13:11 p.m.

Fish, W. (2024b) Email to Pauline Courtenay 20 March 19:39 p.m.

…

AND THANKS AGAIN

XXXX

PLUS

TO MY FRIENDS FOR ACCOMPANYING ME TO THE MAUNDY THURSDAY SERVICE - THE ULTIMATE LAST SUPPER

AND BREAD (AND CHEESE) AND WINE AT HOME AFTERWARDS

…

A SERIOUSLY GOOD LATE NIGHT BUT THEY STILL MANAGED THEIR 12 MILE WALK ON GOOD FRIDAY

…

XXXX

TAYLOR ALERT 2024 - THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT!!!!

…

COUNTDOWN TO TAYLOR … ONLY 18 DAYS TO GO UNTIL THE RELEASE OF TAYLOR SWIFT’S NEW ALBUM THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT ON 19 APRIL

FOR EVERMORE AND MORE EXPOSURE

TAYLOR ALERT!!!!

*****

QUOTE OF THE WEEK 2011 - 2024

…

12 EPIC YEARS

*****

FROM THE ARCHIVE

…

18/4/22

*****

#Youtube

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quoteoftheweekblog · 1 month

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FERDINAND MOUNT - 'BIG CAESARS AND LITTLE CAESARS' (FIRST PUBLISHED 2023)

First sentence:

On religion:

' … "it will be evident to anyone who carefully examines Roman history how useful religion was in controlling the armies, in giving courage to the plebians, in keeping men good and in shaming the wicked,' ... " (Mount, 2023 ' … religion is vital as a means of social control, but no grown-up person can be expected to believe all this stuff.' (Mount, 2023

The 'Sisyphus fragment':

'A time there was when anarchy did rule The lives of men, which then were like the beasts, Enslaved by force; nor was there then reward For good men, nor for wicked punishment. Next, as I deem, did men establish laws For punishment, that Justice might be lord Of all mankind, and Insolence enchain'd; And whosoe'r did sin was penalized. Next, as the laws did hold men back from deeds Of open violence, but still such deeds Were done in secret,—then, as I maintain, Some shrewd man first, a man in counsel wise, Discovered unto men the fear of Gods, Thereby to frighten sinners should they sin E'en secretly in deed, or word, or thought. Hence was it that he brought in Deity Telling how God enjoys an endless life, Hears with his mind and sees, and taketh thought And heeds things, and his nature is divine, So that he hearkens to men's every word And has the power to see men's every act. E'en if you plan in silence some ill deed, The Gods will surely mark it; for in them Wisdom resides. So, speaking words like these Most cunning doctrine did he introduce, The truth concealing under speech untrue. The place he spoke of as the God's abode Was that whereby he could affright men most,— The place from which, he knew, both terrors came And easements unto men of toilsome life— To wit the vault above, wherein do dwell The lightnings, he beheld, and awesome claps Of thunder, and the starry face of heaven, Fair-spangled by that cunning craftsman Time,— Whence, too, the meteor's glowing mass doth speed And liquid rain descends upon the earth. Such were the fears wherewith he hedged men round, And so to God he gave a fitting home, By this his speech, and in a fitting place, And thus extinguished lawlessness by laws. And, after proceeding a little further, he adds— Thus first did some man, as I deem, persuade Men to suppose the race of Gods exists.' ('Sisyphus fragment', 2024).

REFERENCES

Mount, F. (2023) 'Big Caesars and little Caesars'. London: Bloomsbury.

'Sisyphus fragment' (2024) 'Wikipedia'. Available at: https//en.wikipedia.org/Wiki/Sisyphus_fragment

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quoteoftheweekblog · 1 month

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youtube

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25/3/24 - MIRIAM MAKEBA AND JERRY RAGOVOY (AND LAURENT DE BRUNHOFF)

‘Every Friday and Saturday night It’s Pata Pata time! The music keeps going all night long Till the morning sun begins to shine!’ (Makeba and Ragovoy, 1967).

REFERENCE

Makeba, M. and Ragovoy, J. (1967) in Miriam Makeba Official Chanel (2013) 'Miriam Makeba - Pata Pata'. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNeP3hrm__k (Accessed 24 March 2024)

*****

FOR MY NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOUR OF 29 YEARS WHO DIED AT HOME ON FRIDAY

…

IN MEMORIAM

XXXX

PLUS

FOR MY HUSBAND

(HE DESCRIBED HER AS THE BEST NEIGHBOUR HE’D EVER HAD)

WHO DIED AT HOME ON A SATURDAY NIGHT 7 MONTHS AGO

AND LEFT THE BUILDING ACCOMPANIED BY MIRIAM MAKEBA AT FULL VOLUME

xxxx

youtube

…

MIRIAM THE EPITOME OF COOL

IN ALL WAYS

youtube

…

DURING

DIRE TIMES

*****

SEE ALSO

‘ … in the golden sunrise … ‘ (White, 2014, p.299).

…

NOT EXACTLY

…

THE SUN ROSE TODAY IN BASINGSTOKE AT 06.10

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‘The sun was setting a blaze of scarlet … ‘ (White, 2014, p.300).

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NOT EXACTLY

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AND SET AT 18.15

ON WEDNESDAY’S VERNAL EQUINOX THE SUN WILL RISE AT 06.06 AND WILL SET AT 18.19

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ALL SEASONS

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FOR MY HUSBAND

WHO WOULD HAVE ENJOYED THIS ONE

…

XXXX

LOOKING GOOD

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TAYLOR ALERT 2024 - THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT!!!!

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COUNTDOWN TO TAYLOR … ONLY 32 DAYS TO GO UNTIL THE RELEASE OF TAYLOR SWIFT’S NEW ALBUM THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT ON 19 APRIL

FOR EVERMORE AND MORE EXPOSURE

TAYLOR ALERT!!!!

***** QUOTE OF THE WEEK 2011 - 2024

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11 EPIC YEARS

*****

FROM THE ARCHIVE

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12/6/23

*****

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quoteoftheweekblog · 1 month

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T.H. WHITE - 'MISTRESS MASHAM'S REPOSE' (FIRST PUBLISHED 1946)

Firs sentence:

'Maria was ten years old.' (White, 2014, p.1).

On writing:

'Maria's governess was a Miss Brown. She had been appointed by the local Vicar, who was Maria's guardian. Both the Vicar and the Governess were so repulsive that it is difficult to write about them fairly.' (White, 2014, p.3).

On 'Miss Marsham's Repose':

' ... on the island, there was a plastered temple in the shape of a cupola, or rather to give it its proper name, of a monopterion. It was a dome like the top of an egshell, raised on five slender columns, and it was called Mistress Masham's Repose.' (White, 2014, p.6).

On literature:

' ... "The Pilgim's Progress', about which Huckleberry Finn once remarked that "the statements were interesting, but tough".' (White, 2014, pp.22-3). ' "Parents," says the immortal Richard Hughes, who wrote the best book about children that was ever written, "finding that they see through their child in so many places the child does not know of, seldom realize that, if there is some point the child really gives his mind to hiding, their chances are nil." ' (White, 2014, p.163).

On writers:

' "We know that authors suffer from the absent mind." ' (White, 2014, p.29).

On thinking:

' "Think!" cried the Professor, bashing himself on the head with Lewis and Short, which looked as if it could weigh about ten pounds. "Think! Great Powers of Pedantry assist me now!" ' (White, 2014, p.109). 'An hour later the Professor tried to scratch his head, found that the hat was in his way, and wondered why he had put it on. He made several attempts to solve this problem, by free suggestion and self-analysis, finally deciding that he had put it on because he was going out.' (White, 2014, p.199). ' "I believe it is a mistake to make a mock of people, just because they think. There are ninety thousnd people in this world who do not think, for every one who does, and these people hate the thinkers like poison." ' (White, 2014, p.250).

On knowledge:

' ... if you are not a biologist nobody cares a fig for you ... ' (White, 2014, p.120).

On politics:

' " ... this world is run by 'practical' people; that is to say, by people who do not know how to think, have never had any education in thinking, and who do not wish to have it. They get on far better with lies, tub-thumping, swindling, vote-catching, murdering, and the rest of practical politics. So, when a person who can think does come along, to tell them what they are doing wrong, or how to put it right, they have to invent some way of slinging mud at him, for fear of losing their power and being forced to do the right thing. So they always screech out with one accord that the advice of this thinker is 'visionary', 'unpractical', or 'all right in theory'. Then, when they have discredited his piece of truth by the trick of words, they can settle down to blacken his character in other ways at leisure, and they are safe to carry on with the wars and miseries which are the results of practical politics." ' (White, 2014, p.250-51).

REFERENCE

White, T. H. (2014 [1946] ) 'Mistress Masham's Repose'. London: Vintage.

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11/3/24 - EMILY DICKINSON

‘I spilt the dew - But took the morn - I chose this single star From out the wide night's numbers - Sue - forevermore!' (Dickinson, 1975, pp.12-13).

REFERENCE

Dickinson, E. (1975) ‘14 - One sister have I in our house’, in Johnson, T.H. (editor) ‘The complete poems of Emily Dickinson’. London: Faber and Faber, pp.12-13.

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…

People have suspected that Taylor read some Emily Dickinson before or during writing her Evermore album, since the word ‘evermore’ (really ‘forevermore,’ but who’s counting prefixes apparently?) appears in the poem ‘One Sister have I in Our House.’ (Rutigliano, 2024).

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EVERMORE TITLE TRACK - THE LINK

youtube

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This pain wouldn't be for evermore (Vernon, Swift and Bowery, 2020).

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CONEY ISLAND - THE HINT

youtube

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If I can’t relate to you anymore

Then who am I related to? (Dessner, A., Dessner, B., Swift and Bowery, 2020).

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IVY - THE AFFAIR

youtube

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Oh, goddamn

My pain fits in the palm of your freezing hand

Taking mine, but it's been promised to another (Antonoff, Dessner and Swift, 2020).

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THE EVERMORE ALBUM COVER HAIRSTYLE

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HAIL TAYLOR

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I have no idea what’s a coincidence anymore and what’s not. (Rutigliano, 2024).

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REFERENCES

Antonoff, J., Dessner, A. and Swift, T. (2020) in AZLyrics ‘Ivy’. Available at: https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/taylorswift/ivy.html (Accessed 8 March 2024).

Dessner, A., Dessner, B., Swift, T. and Bowery, W. (2020) in AZLyrics ‘Coney Island’. Available at: https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/taylorswift/coneyisland.html (Accessed 8 March 2024).

Rutigliano, O. (2024) ‘Breaking news: Taylor Swift is related to Emily Dickinson!’, Literary Hub, 4 March. Available at: https://lithub.com/breaking-news-taylor-swift-is-related-to-emily-dickinson/ (Accessed 10 March 2024).

Vernon, J., Swift, T. and Bowery, W. (2020) in AZLyrics ‘Evermore’. Available at: https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/taylorswift/evermore.html (Accessed 8 March 2024).

*****

…

TO MY FRIEND FOR SENDING ME THE GUARDIAN NEWS STORY AND OFFERING TO BE THE QUOTE OF THE WEEK ASSISTANT - FOR A FEE

AND THANKS AGAIN

XXXX

PLUS

TO CHIEF TAYLOR ADVISOR SAM FOR REMINDING ME ABOUT THE SPECULATION OVER THE TAYLOR SWIFT/KARLIE KLOSS RELATIONSHIP

AND THANKS AGAIN

XXXX

PLUS

TO MY DAUGHTER FOR THE MOTHER’S DAY CARD AND MESSAGE

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RESULT 2024!!!!

RESULT!!!!

XXXX

TAYLOR ALERT 2024 - THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT!!!!

…

COUNTDOWN TO TAYLOR … ONLY 39 DAYS TO GO UNTIL THE RELEASE OF TAYLOR SWIFT’S NEW ALBUM THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT ON 19 APRIL

FOR EVERMORE AND MORE EXPOSURE

TAYLOR ALERT!!!!

*****

QUOTE OF THE WEEK 2011 - 2024

…

12 EPIC YEARS

*****

FROM THE ARCHIVE

…

27/11/23

*****

#Youtubet

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quoteoftheweekblog · 2 months

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EMILY DICKINSON - '14 - ONE SISTER HAVE I IN OUR HOUSE' (FIRST PUBLISHED 1890)

'14 - One sister have I in our house':

'One Sister have I in our house, And one, a hedge away. There's only one recorded, But both belong to me.

One came the road that I came - And wore my last year's gown - The other, as a bird her nest, Builded our hearts among.

She did not sing as we did - It was a different tune - Herself to her a music As Bumble bee of June.

Today is far from Childhood - But up and down the hills I held her hand the tighter - Which shortened all the miles -

And still her hum The years among, Deceives the Butterfly; Still in her Eye The Violets lie Mouldered this many May.

I spilt the dew - But took the morn - I chose this single star From out the wide night's numbers - Sue - forevermore!' (Dickinson, 1975, pp.12-13).

REFERENCE

Dickinson, E. (1975) ‘14 - One sister have I in our house’, in Johnson, T.H. (editor) ‘The complete poems of Emily Dickinson’. London: Faber and Faber, pp.12-13.

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4/3/24 - AMIA SRINIVASAN

'Sex is not a sandwich.' (Srinivasan, 2021, p.87).

REFERENCE

Srinivasan, A. (2021) 'The right to sex' in 'The right to sex'. London: Bloomsbury, pp.73-91.

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(' ... "you don't get to have sex with someone unless they want to have sex with you … you don't get to share someone's sandwich unless they want to share their sandwich with you." ' (Rebecca Solnit in Srinivasan, 2021, pp.86-7).

*****