I nearly got traumatized by all the violence directed towards animals. I don't think I ever realized how hard sled dogs had. I think London did a good job at describing events that occurred in dog's point of view. Other than that, I didn't really considered this a magnificent story. Average, I would say.

Jotkut esseet menivät reippaasti yli hilseen, ja jotkut olivat aihepiiriltään mielenkiintoisia, kuten Intian boheemi elämäntapasiirtolaisuus. En koe olevani pätevä arvioimaan kokoelman onnistumista, joten pisteytys on vain viitteellinen. Pakkopullamaista kurssilukemistoahan tämä enimmäkseen oli, mutta kokonaisuudessaan silti ihan ok.

Lenore complains to God how he has treated her unfairly, because her fiancé William still hasn't returned from the war. Things start to get eerie when he finally comes back.

The publication of the ballad dates to a time when philosopher Johann Gottfried Herder suggested, that in order to create a German literary tradition they should collect folk songs from the lower classes. Wikipedia has a good overview of the background, so I won't go into more detail on that. I think it's interesting that this has variations in other cultures. In Finland for example the elements have been changed into a snowy landscape and a sled, but the basic idea is the same. Like I mentioned in my review of the collection of Finnish ghost stories, this seems very familiar to me. I'm not sure if it's because I've read a similar story when I was a child, or if there are some universal aspects to it, but it's entertaining nevertheless.

Since I don't know enough German, I can't say anything about Rossetti's translation, but apparently it's considered the most faithful one. The ending was wonderfully creepy, but it also reminded me a bit of Hugo Simberg, especially his painting The Garden of Death. It's not a big surprise that Lenore was a big inspiration for Romantic writers. It's a short ballad, but has a lot of great material whose echoes can be seen and felt in all Romantic and at some level in Gothic and horror literature. It has been said to have influenced the works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Matthew Gregory Lewis, John Keats and William Wordsworth. Bram Stoker famously cited the line "The dead travel fast" in Dracula. I would actually say that this is a must read for all horror and Romantic aficianados, even if only to see where it all started.

Two brothers go after a giant wolf. Technically it's not a werewolf, but Maupassant uses qualities that make the wolf out of the ordinary and extremely superior to other wolves. The ending was a bit ridiculous. Would have worked in a longer story, but now it felt out of place happening so quickly. I also missed the point of it all. Hunting a wolf and then madness ensues. So?

Sweyn and Christian are brothers, who clash after a beautiful woman comes into their lives. Sweyn falls in love with her, but Christian believes she's a werewolf. He tries to convince his brother, but Sweyn thinks he's mad. Christian ends up showing to him the meaning of real love.

I absolutely loved that this felt like an extended and elegantly written folk tale, which also has the kind of werewolf I love. The references to Christ's sacrifice could have been less obvious. I'm more into showing, not telling. That was just a minor thing, though, and luckily it wasn't taken very far. The violence during the chase scene caught me by surprise. Pleasantly, but it was still kind of icky. I can just hear that crackling in my ears. The beginning on the other hand was creepy and subtle in just the perfect way. People are gathered around the fireplace, when suddenly they hear a voice from the outside. The way Housman desribed the darkness when the door was opened was great. She had also taken all the interesting aspects of werewolf mythology, and managed to make a seemingly simple story into a wonderful allegorical horror tale.

By the way, Clemence was a leading figure in the Suffragette movement. A suffragette writing about werewolves makes me unbelievably happy. I don't know why, but it does.

How does she do it? It's been a while since I've read any Anne Rice, but with this book I once again became completely enthralled with the world she magically painted before my eyes. At the moment I can easily say that she writes the best historical fiction I have found so far. She doesn't just write a boring lecture-like account of historical events, forgetting as a result to build the actual characters. She actually creates believable characters (whether supernatural or human) and weaves them into the background of gorgeous and lush historical detail, which complements everything that happens in the story.

Wasn't entirely perfect, though. I had to skip a part of music rambling, but that's just because the theoretical aspect of music and singing goes over my head. There were also some stagnant moments where the story didn't actually move forward, but I'm willing to forget that since Italy and the characters were described so well.

I would also like to note that this particular subject of castrati is incredibly interesting. This book actually made me buy an expensive history magazine because of an article about the castrati, and I hadn't even started to read this yet. Now quickly, get me that film Farinelli! Oh, and if you became interested, check out Youtube's Alessandro Moreschi clips. He sounds awkward, but that might be his age or the method of recording. However, at least it's a genuine recording of a true castrato, even though he unfortunately was the only one to get that privilege.

"In repugnant things we discover charms"
(To the Reader)

"I shall suck, to drown my rancor,
Nepenthe and the good hemlock
From the charming tips of those pointed breasts
That have never guarded a heart."
(Le Léthé, translated by William Aggeler)

Daring for an 1857 collection (some of the poems were known even before that), this is full of death and decay, breasts and voluptuous lips, wine and opium. There are occasional rays of the sun, but mostly the verses are about the deepest depths of sexuality and the smell of tombs. The section Tableu Parisiens includes prostitutes, gamblers, vagabonds, beggars, and overall criticism of clean 19th century French modernity. Some of those poems were dedicated to Victor Hugo.

Baudelaire's women are unreachable goddesses, sweet lovers, cunning seductresses who claw your heart out. The poems take you on a spin of dark dreams, the fumes of drunkenness, the cruel passing of time and beauty. Even the most beautiful woman will eventually become a rotting corpse. Une Martyre might have been about necrophilia. Which, you know, I don't condone, but as a poem it was pretty damn beautiful (and perhaps slightly icky). Wouldn't want to get lost in Baudelaire's thoughts for days on end, but as a work of art this exceeded all my expectations. Decadence has a well deserved place in literature, although it might not be for everyone. Délicieux!

Read in fleursdumal.org

Serves its purpose as a brief straight to the point biography, although I still prefer detailed ones, and in this case I wanted to hear more about Poe's influence to literature (instead of the many times heard argument that he was an inspiration for sci-fi and detective stories). If you don't know much about Poe, this is a good introduction, but otherwise there's not a lot of new information. Ackroyd does handle his subject objectively, though. He juggles between the fair amount of contradictory writings concerning Poe's personality with great care, and corrects some misconceptions.