Wild About Wilde?

I am. I am, and have been for many years, truly and deeply enamoured of Oscar Wilde. I see Newman in Wilde, and I see Wilde in Waugh (as well as others), and it all comes together in a lovely tapestry of beauty, sin, and, ultimately . . . atonement.
In my opinion, Wilde's genius knew no bounds. His plays are brilliant and tremendously funny, his children's stories are positively delightful, his non-fiction is insightful, and his poetry bears its own unique beauty that is alive with color, depth, and sensuality (I'm thinking primarily of "A Harlot's House").
I'm also fond of Joseph Pearce's biography, _The Unmasking of Oscar Wilde_. I think that he treats Wilde fairly, both with honesty and with understanding. What do you think, fellow readers?
Wilde, of course, still remains of figure who provokes controversy. Where do you weigh in on this enigmatic genius?

Fathers and Sons

Has anyone read the biography of the Waugh family, _Fathers and Sons_, by Alexander Waugh (He's Auberon's son, the little one in the picture)? The New Oxford Review didn't love the book, but that won't stop me from checking it out for myself. I'm just wondering if any of you have an opinion about the newest work offered up by this incredibly prolific family.

The Sword of Honour Trilogy

I think that The Sword of Honour Trilogy shows incredibly well how "God writes straight with crooked lines." This is such a truly complete story. Only in the end does everything come together and make sense, and it does all make sense . . . everything that Guy Crouchback suffers, the sins of his wife, the countless mistakes made by his friends, colleagues, enemies and family members. Let's talk about these books.

Re-re-re-visited

If you haven't done so already, you should certainly find the time to treat yourself to a viewing of the 1981 television series version of Waugh's Brideshead Revisited. This production is brilliantly directed by Charles Sturridge, and features a cast that is a veritable "who's who" of acclaimed English actors (Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud, Claire Bloom, Jeremy Irons, etc.).
Consisting of eleven one-hour "episodes," Sturridge's Brideshead Revisited does what no "traditional" two-hour film version could do. It creates an actual visual translation of Waugh's enchanting novel. Bits of the book's delightful prose are spoken in voiceover by Jeremy Irons, an actor whose voice seems to be drenched in hot fudge and sprinkled with pixie dust.
I'm also favorably impressed with the vast quantity of research that seems to have been accomplished for this production. For example,Nikolas Grace, the actor who portrays the stuttering aesthete, Anthony Blanche, looks amazingly like Brian Howard, Waugh's friend who probably served as a model for the Blanche character.

Read the novel first, of course, but then consider the fact that the Brideshead Revisited television series is available on DVD. Netflix it, buy it, or borrow it. I would loan you mine, but I'm tired of lending this beautiful thing to "friends" who return it too quickly, complaining that it is "just too long, wordy, and boring." Grrrr. You know, people are mostly delightful, and I generally love them, but sometimes they should be beaten with blunt objects. Cocoa-blankie-bunnyhugs!!!

A Sonnet to Consider

I've developed a semi-obsession with THIS sonnet by Shakespeare (of course, Shakespeare, if not Shakespeare, then who? Oh, yes. Plutarch. Sometimes I forget):

The other two, slight air and purging fire
Are both with thee wherever I abide.
The first my thought, the other my desire,
These present-absent with swift motion slide.
For when these quicker elements are gone
In tender embassy of love to thee,
My life, being made of four, with two alone
Sinks down to death, oppress'd with melancholy;
Until life's composition be recur'd.
By these swift messengers return'd from thee,
Who even but now come back again, assur'd
Of thy fair health, recounting it to me:
This told, I joy; but then no longer glad,
I send them back again and straight grow sad.

I simply love that he (Shakespeare) uses "joy" as a verb. I think I will joy today. Hey! That's a clever t-shirt idea: "I Will joy!" The capitalized "Will" is intended, of course. It's somewhat pretentious, but still fun. I like it. Anyway, what primarily interests me about this particular sonnet is the "humours" theme that runs throughout. Wouldn't it be great if we still believed in the four humours? "To hell with Paxil! I'm only having too much bile today! This too shall pass!" Oh, how simple and lovely life could be . . . Alas! Let us talk of humours and sonnets. Do you have a favorite humour? Do you have a favorite sonnet? In the mean time, don't forget to joy today. And, remember: Amy thinks you're cool.

Introduction

So, here I am. I'm attaching myself to a blog so that I might discuss literature with other people who want to discuss literature. My primary focus is Evelyn Waugh because I believe him to be the author of the finest English novels that have ever been penned. I like other authors too, of course, such as Oscar Wilde, Anthony Burgess, Jane Austen, J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, H. P. Lovecraft, Stephen King, and William Shakespeare. Let's talk about books.