B List: Between books right now
C List: Scott--The Heart of Midlothian...……….234/570
The latest B-list entry was short, so hopefully my report on it will be up in a couple of days.
King Horn is one of those less-celebrated old English poems of which the world is not exactly awash in copies with modern translations. There was a series of these, including the Seafarer and the Wanderer, and Sir Orfeo is still to come. Since reading Old (as opposed to Middle) English is too much work for me at this time in my life, I am reading a 1911 "re-telling" of the story by one Laura Hibbard that I found online. Horn, who has not actually made it all the way to crowned head yet even though I am 3/4s of the way through his poem, is, in this telling at least, more recognizably human than your typical Dark Ages Beowulf type hero. Hibbard has given him some affection, both romantic and for certain of his comrades in arms, beyond the usual revenge and honor-driven rage. I don't read these A-stories carefully enough anymore to get anything out of them beyond what strikes me blatantly.
Though I am going slowly through his book--and in truth he is not an ideal C-list type of author--I do like Scott more than I thought I was going to, and he is a much more serious and thorough 19th century type novelist than I had been led to believe. Now he is not a pithy writer, which makes him almost impossible for me to read after 3 or 4 in the afternoon, so I foresee it taking me several months to get through this book. It has its worthy qualities however.
I am not yet finished with the porch for this year, though it has not been the warmest October (at least here), and I was even forced inside a couple of days last week when it was 58 degrees and raining (on this same day the weather map said it was 97 in Washington, 92 in Philadelphia, and 90 in New York. I was about 100 miles north of the heat line). Even in the week upcoming it is barely going to get above 60-65, but I can still go out. October 20th is usually about the limit anyway.
The leaves are already changing color with the cool evenings, but as it been a very dry summer, the colors are not as vivid and dynamic as they are sometimes. It is still poignant, especially on an overcast, melancholy day like last Sunday, but dull yellows and browns more like what you would find in the Mid-Atlantic are the primary impression. Well, we've got about 2 weeks left before they're all gone, maybe things will improve. I'll try to remember to take a picture.
I'll have to take some of my own autumn pictures. Almost all of the New England in Autumn pictures on the internet are of the perfect towns on the perfect days, which are not lies, but here in this busy and complicated part of my life I haven't been able to get out to see them for a few years. The picture above is from Brattleboro, a place I do get to, and which is pretty enough, and even has perfect picture days once in a while, though probably more common there in wintry than autumn scenes.
Kate Bilo discussing last week's heat wave in Philadelphia while trying to get into the October spirit.
No comments:
Post a Comment