No comments about Boy in the Blitz: The 1940 Diary of Colin Perry.

5 comments about De Profundis.

1. So many people concentrate on De Profundis' accusations cast towards Alfred Douglas. Yes, it's true that the letter was written to him and that Wilde is ruthless in letting Douglas know exactly what he thinks of him but that's not why De Profundis is a great piece of work. It is great for three reasons. Number one - It contains the best account of the life of Christ. Christ as the romantic artist is the only account that has moved me to tears and the only account I can personally embrace. Number two - it is chock full of the Oscar Wilde voice and wit and as a result it reverbates as a true work of art and number three - It is ultimately a work that celebrates the things in life worth feeling - failure, love, injustice, strength and forgiveness.
   
   Don't waste your time with the accusations towards Douglas. He is unimportant. Oscar Wilde is what's important and De Profundis is Oscar Wilde bare.



2. This is a very moving account of a heartbroken man who was betrayed by a person he loved dearly. The pain, the trauma, the love, the anger, the frustration is evident in every single well-written sentence. This book is not only a window into the mind of one of the best British writers of the late 19th century. It is also a timeless lesson on what can happen when one falls in love with someone who doesn't truly appreciate what they have before them. Of course there are other lessons to be learned in this book but rather than point them out here, I'd much prefer you pick up a copy of "De Profundis" as soon as you can.



3. Not actually a "letter," though it had to be originally presented as such for him to be allowed to write it while in prison, *De Profundis* is Wilde's masterpiece--one has to have really lived and really, really suffered to have written it and it's amazing that he achieved it.

   I only very recently read it--and "got" it. It rings true to me, and is very, very moving and "profound." It ain't summer beach reading.

   Wilde is still and will probably always be best known as a "Personality"--that and the author of a couple of decent period plays, a short novel, a few stories, and lots of forgettable poems and such. But THIS--THIS is IT.

   He really WAS a great writer, it turns out, after all.




4. One of the most famous - and infamous - letters in all of literature, De Profundis is a strange little piece of work: either much more than it appears on the surface, or much less. It is something I think everyone should read, if only for its insight into the human character, particularly that of one under great personal suffering. Wilde wrote this extraordinarily long letter from prison to Lord Alfred Douglas, his friend, lover, and the man who - by all accounts - was the reason Wilde was in jail in the first place. Despite repeated assertions in the first few pages alone to the contrary, Wilde seems reluctant to blame himself. He clearly blames Douglas to the hilt, and harbors a certain bitter resentment towards him. And yet... he clearly still hold much dear affection toward - and even loves - Douglas. He still seems to be asking for forgiveness - despite the fact that, by all accounts hardly excluding his own, he was the man wronged. It is quite clear from reading this letter that, desite the view history holds of him, Wilde was clearly a man of very high moral character. Certainly, one would not put Wilde atop a pedastal as the zenith of ethics - he himself says that morals contain "absolutely nothing" for him, and clearly admits - and is proud of - his having lived the high life to the hilt during his youth - but Wilde was a man of principles, and he stuck to those principles to the tragic, bitter end. Perhaps you might say he carried them too far. One gets the sense in reading this letter - or a biography of Wilde - that, not only could he have stopped his immiment imprisonment, but could have severed his ties with Douglas completely - had he wanted to. Apparently, he had his own utterly compelling reasons for not doing so. Whatever the case, Oscar Wilde is one of the most fundamentally and perpetually interesting characters in the whole of history. A self-described man of paradoxes - Wilde was subsequently the true essence of his time, while also being far ahead of his time - De Profundis makes for required reading by one of the most endlessly fascinating individuals you'll ever read about, and also provides a startling - indeed, perhaps too much so - insight into human nature.

   De Profundis, though long for a letter, is not a long work in the conventional sense. Consequently, as many editions of Wilde's collected works are available, buying this on its own may be deemed questionable. I highly reccommend purchasing a Collected Works of Oscar if you have not done so already - it's well worth the price - but, should you desire to have more compact editions of specific works, an edition such as this will be privy to your needs.




5. Ah, me...one doesn't know which to be more irritated
   and exasperated with: whether it be Walt Whitman doing
   his dissembling shuck-and-shuffle about the children
   he had sired (to throw off a probing, serious John
   Addington Symonds) -- or Oscar, in this "j'accuse," which
   he should have spoken while looking in a mirror, rather
   than writing it on paper to Lord Alfred.
   This is without doubt a fascinating, horrifying,
   and yet in places humorous, "piece de Miserere mei"
   (to combine a bit of French with Latin).
   If one chooses to believe Oscar, his only fault
   was weakness in "giving in" to Lord Alfred. Oh,
   come now. Blinded by Eros, reason flies out the
   door...if ever reason was in control. There are
   some sentences which are devastatingly revealing,
   but Oscar doesn't seem to see it. "The trivial in
   thought and action is charming. I had made it
   the keystone of a very brilliant philosophy expressed
   in plays and paradoxes." Ye gods, and little fishes!

   And this man dared to call himself a "Classicist?!"
   Yikes!!!
   The best exercise for the reader is to just take
   many of the things which Oscar accuses Lord Alfred
   of, and turn them toward the self-blind, self-
   justifying Oscar, to see their devastating hitting
   of the mark. Never having met the young man, but
   only having the "benefit" of hearsay (mostly from
   Oscar's literary defenders) Lord Alfred seems to have
   been calculating, temperamental (using anger to get
   his way), manipulative, etc., etc., etc. The best
   description of him may be Wilde's referring to him
   with the lines from Aeschylus' play AGAMEMNON,
   about the lion cub being raised in a house and
   being let loose to wreak havoc and ruin.
   But Oscar bears his share of blame -- more than just
   that of the "sin" of weakness which he constantly falls
   back upon in his own justification. Even in the midst
   of what purports to be some sort of penitent cry from
   the depths of hell...Oscar still is ever the poseur:
   "And I remember that afternoon, as I was in the railway
   carriage whirling up to Paris, thinking what an impossible,
   terrible, utterly wrong state my life had got into, when
   I, a man of world-wide reputation, was actually forced
   to run away from England, in order to try and get rid
   of a friendship that was entirely destructive of everything
   fine in me either from the intellectual or ethical point
   of view...." Er, when was the last time that the
   "everything fine" had last seen the light of day?
   Was Oscar an "Artist," as he consistently claims?
   Was he the wronged, harmed Artist? Perhaps only the
   reader can decide that for himself. Without doubt
   he was witty, acerbic, funny, cute, clever, perhaps
   even charming (to some -- sort of like a Pillsbury
   Dough Boy with flair and a clever tongue), perhaps
   stylish (in a frumpy, velveteen sort of way). Was
   he wronged by a predatory clinger and manipulator,
   and a hypocritical social prudery and class power
   play (Oscar is no Socrates--that's for sure!)? He
   hardly seems worthy, in some ways, of being a poster-boy
   for Gay Pride parades. More likely, he is a better
   warning poster boy for the self-excusing, and never
   take-responsibility-for-your-own-actions crowd.
   But this is an incredible piece to read and think
   about. There is some of it that is mordantly hilarious.

No comments about One Green Hill: Journeys Through Irish Songs.

3 comments about Patrick: The Pilgrim Apostle of Ireland.

1. In this fascinating book, Irish religious scholar Maire B. de Paor examines Saint Patrick, patron saint of Ireland. In a scholarly manner, Ms. De Paor goes through Patrick's Confessio and Epistola Excommunicating Coroticus. Each line is examined in detail, producing a breathtaking amount of information about Patrick and his times.

   As the above description suggests, this book was written for the scholarly reader, but it is not inaccessible to even the casual reader. Though the text is often exhaustingly academic, what makes this book well worth reading is that it is such an overflowing well of information on Patrick. And, I must say that I enjoyed the author's religious stance, treating Patrick's faith as alive, rather than a historical artifact.

   So, if you really want to understand St. Patrick, then I highly recommend that you get this book.




2. The author has an obvious affection for Patrick, and I doubt you'll finish this wonderful book without growing to like him too. I recommend you read this book out of order: Start with the introduction (36 pages), and then skip to the back to read the author's translation of Patrick's two written works - his "confession" and letter to a roman officer. The rest of the book analyzes these two documents in light of the other facts known about this fifth century great.



3. Máire Bríd de Paor, an Irish religious scholar and a Presentation Sister, has simply produced the most compelling work to date on St. Patrick. This is a book which anyone truly interested in the topic must own, and an absolute necessity for any library worth its salt! Its exhaustive yet essential resources include the complete original text (and the best English translation to date) of Patrick's own words in his two surviving works - the Confessio and the Epistola. Through a thoughtful and compelling exposition of these works, de Paor leaves us feeling closer to Patrick, in his lifelong quest to emulate Christ. More than 1,500 years before Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Mohandas Gandhi and Susan B. Anthony, St. Patrick was writing forcefully in favor of the end of slavery and the liberation of women. You'll read this marvelous book, savor it, refer back to it. It involves a bit of work, mind you, but with that investment, you'll be invigorated by the sheer power and energy of this great man, who reaches across the millenia with a message as fresh as when it was penned.

1 comments about Oliver Cromwell and the English Revolution.

1. This book presumes that you are an Oxford history professor. It presumes facts not in the book. Meaning it presumes you come to the subject with a vast array of knowledge and therefore spends all of its time on the grand academic questions rather than the chronology of Cromwell. If you are looking for a book to answer the question - who is Cromwell and why was he important - look elsewhere. If you want to know what are the most esoteric academic questions posed by Cromwell, this book is for you.

   It is more commentary on history rather than history. It is disjointed and disorganized.

No comments about Regency Recollections: Captain Gronow's Guide to Life in London And Paris.

5 comments about The Aran Islands (Oxford Paperbacks).

1. Not only does this book describe a time long past but Synge has a deeper sense of the psychology of the inhabitants of the Aran Islands and how it differs with that of "civilized" people of the time. Anyone who is interested in this topic and enjoys this book would do well to read Twenty Years A-Growing by Maurice O'Sullivan, which is a personal account by Mr. O'Sullivan of his life on Ireland's Great Blasket Island and is a wonderful, lyrical read that shows alot of humor as well as love for the natural world around him.



2. This book describes the adventures of J. M. Synge on the Aran Islands around the turn of the Twentieth Century. William Butler Yeats suggested that Synge visit the island in order to learn Irish and become acquainted with traditional Irish culture as it had been preserved on the islands. Synge followed his suggestion, and made four lengthy trips to the islands. In this book, he recounts his experiences on the islands, together with some of the stories and poems that were recited to him there.
   
   The book is a unique collection of travelogue, journal, and research notebook. Synge describes his relationships with individuals on the islands, as well as some of the common traits and customs observable there. He tells us about harrowing sea passages that he took from island to island in small rowed boats, and records a number of folk-tales that were shared with him by island residents. Synge was to draw on all of this material in his later writing career, making the book quite interesting for those who enjoy his plays. The book also provides informative details of what daily life was like in this remote region at the time.



3. The search for authentic experiences is regarded as an important theme in postmodernism. John Millington Synge's book demonstrates that this quest for authenticity has been an important part of cultural inquiry for a long time. This wonderful book was written almost one hundred years ago, but it reads like a contemporary ethnographic inquiry. He provides vivid descriptions of daily life and wonderful presentations of the folklore of the Aran Islands. The book is primarily descriptive, but there are interesting textures and conclusions throughout Synge's writing. I would recommend reading this book and then watching Flaherty's film "Man of Aran." Follow up that visual feast with Stoney's "The Making of the Myth." To complete your excursion, top things off with a reading of Synge's "Playboy of the Western World" and "Riders to the Sea," two fine plays that he set on the Aran Islands. The stories, descriptions, and textures within Synge's book will become very clear when you're finished.



4. "The Aran Islands" is a delightful rendition of the experiences of J. M. Synge during his visits to the Aran Islands just over a century ago. Synge's journey had been encouraged by William Butler Yeats. "Go to the Aran Islands. Live there as one of the people themselves; express a life that has never found expression." Here Synge gained an insight into the Irish character which would enrich his later works.

   The Aran Islands are a chain of islands off the coasts of Connemara and Clare. Isolated by the sea, the Arans, like the Galapagos in the natural world, preserve the language and customs of traditional Ireland.

   The book is a narrative of what Synge saw and the stories he heard during his stays in the Arans, told by a master storyteller in the finest Irish tradition. The language is delightful, the stories are entertaining and the insight into the Irish soul is profound. A must read for any lover of the Irish.




5. My dad was born there in the 1950's and i was named after it. not a bad place, not much to do but nice to visit. the book is informal but informative.

2 comments about Robert Bruce: Our Most Valiant Prince, King and Lord.

1. Robert Bruce by Colm McNamee was a refreshing yet information filled biography. Mr. McNamee uses many of the common sources for information like Bower, Duncan, and Barbour for info on the Bruce and McDonald and Young for information on the Macdonalds and Comyns. All these academic works are boiled down to something a novice or expert can enjoy in this book.
   
   Colm McNamee mixes some chapters that set the stage or gives us a background into the current history and medieval influences on Scotland during the late 1200s and early 1300s. Then fills in with the chapters of Bruce's campaign to gain the Throne, battles with Edward I, Edward II and finally even Edward III. The final chapter addresses how he has grown into legend since his death and even faded under the shadow of William Wallace. Add to that some simple genealogical tables and simple chapter indexes and you have a great read.
   
   I felt that this tale of the Bruce shows him as a man who made mistakes, was selfish and cruel at times. But also that he never gave up, endured terrible trials and maintained Scotland's independence. This book was like a breath of fresh air and helped take away the veil of myth and legend but also helps put things in perspective of the 14th century Scotland.



2. Colm McNamee is to be commended for producing a very well written and balanced biography of Scotland's greatest King, Robert the Bruce. This entertaining work is notable for the greater emphasis it places on King Robert's military operations in both Ireland and northern England rather than the usual focus on the recovery of Scotland itself from the English and the attending civil war there between the supporters of the Bruces and the Balliol/Comyn faction. This book is a more integrated work than his otherwise impressive Wars of the Bruces from 1997 and surely places McNamee in the forefront of Bruce biographers and historians of Medieval Scotland.

No comments about Geoffrey of Burton: Life and Miracles of St Modwenna (Oxford Medieval Texts).

No comments about The Shaping of the Elizabethan Regime: Elizabethan Politics, 1558-1572.