Hi Mike
 
I think that Lord Bragg was ultimately reminded that he'd supped for too long with The Devil when they summarily axed his 'South Bank Show' weekly TV Arts show.

Very pleased to listen to his weekly 'In our Time' discussions with distinguished subject-experts on BBC Radio 4.
 
We were also very pleased to see him at the Abbot Hall Gallery in Kendal, where his wife, Cate Haste, was giving a talk about her recent biography of the Cumbrian modern painter Sheila Fell RA, and that Melvyn had been moved to travel oop North from his Parliamentary duties in order to back up his missus.
 
regards
 
David
 
On 7 November 2010 18:58, mikemail <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Where would we be without Radio 4! great  stuff.  I listen as much as I can (via Internet here) and invariably to your past neighbour Lord Bragg, whose weekly discussions can be
----- Original Message -----
From: [log in to unmask]" href="mailto:[log in to unmask]" target="_blank">David Boyd
To: [log in to unmask]" href="mailto:[log in to unmask]" target="_blank">[log in to unmask]
Sent: Sunday, November 07, 2010 9:24 PM
Subject: Re: looking at prose, poetically

Hi Carrol and CR
 
Most coincidentally, I travelled down the road in the automobile where the radio is permanently switched on, and BBC Radio 4 was interviewing Claire Tomalin. Hardy's letest and most-distinguished biographer.
 
She'd previouslt delivered a talk at a literary festival in our locality, and was most impressive.
 
She made the point that Hardy had been born a High Victorian, c. 1840 yet had lasted until the 'roaring 1920s' , so (my inference) he was a predecessor to TSE in tradition, but was already (her inference) starting to question traditional High Victorian values surrounding the role of women; the total sanctity of marriage and so forth.
 
Claire T also observed that she saw in particular 'Far from the Madding Crowd' as a pro-feminist and generally-hope-filled work, compared with some of the more pessimistic, fateful, ones (such as 'Tess')
 
And that Hardy himself had been a most-talented child of rural artisans, who'd 'made it good' in Society, yet had never lost his somewhat dol;eful view of the world-as-it-was (despite much toying with the-world-as-he-would-have-liked-it to-be in such as the 'Emma' Poems.
 
- fascinating stuff ! 
 


 
On 7 November 2010 16:50, Chokh Raj <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
O, I'm sorry, David, I forgot to compliment you for your observation. It's quite apropos.
 
Many thanks,
CR


--- On Sun, 11/7/10, David Boyd <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
//Not entirely sure of the TSE content here, save perhaps that the contrasts in style (verbosity?) and approach and outlook are possibly striking ? //
 
 
On 6 November 2010 17:02, Chokh Raj <[log in to unmask]" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">[log in to unmask]> wrote:
at random
 
"Nacreous pearl light swam faintly about the hem of the lilac darkness;
 the edges of light and darkness were stitched upon the hills."
 -- Thomas Wolfe, 'Look  Homeward, Angel' 
    (Dictionary.com Word of the Day for November 6, 2010: nacreous)
 
-----
 
"The goat coughs at night in the field overhead; 
 Rocks, moss, stonecrop, iron, merds."
 
"An old man in a draughty house 
 Under a windy knob."
 
-----
 
A study in contrast, s'il vous plaît -- amusez-vous bien!
 
CR