Dear readers, it is at long last April, and you know what means! READ OF ENGLAND 2017 is officially on, a month dedicated wholly to England -- English history, literature, culture, and personalities. Why April? April 23rd is both the feast day of St. George, patron saint of England, and the death anniversary of England's most lauded writer, William Shakespeare. The usual suspects are likely: classics like Dickens or Austen, mysteries from Christie or Doyle, and historical fiction from Simon Scarrow. There will also be a few surprises, however. Never one to do things by half-measures, I'm also going to be enjoying the fourth season of Jeeves and Wooster and the third season of Vicar of Dibley this month. I love Read of England.
(Speaking of surprises, did anyone else know that A Study in Scarlet is one-third western? )
The game's afoot! Follow your spirit, and upon this charge, cry God for Harry, England, and SAINT GEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORGE!
LOL - I'm looking forward to your take on all things English!
ReplyDeleteStephen,
ReplyDeleteYes, it was set among the Mormons, in Utah I believe.
At present I am working on reading all of Lawrence Durrell's works that I can find this year. I've already finished the Alexandria Quartet and am part way into Monsieur or The Prince of Darkness, which is the first book of the Avignon Quintet.
I'm excited for your English literature posts! My family and I actually just finished Jeeves & Wooster S4 - such a great show. :)
ReplyDeletecurrently i'm rereading Edmund Crispin: hilarious and witty... looking forward to new insights from you re Eng. Lit...
ReplyDelete@Cyberkitten: This challenge is always the most fun! :-D
ReplyDelete@Fred: Ooh, Avignon! Does it have anything to do with the old papal houses?
@MH: Jeeves and Wooster is WONDERFUL fun, especially if you watch Fry's acting carefully. He can be so subtly disapproving..
@Mudpuddle: I'll do my best not to disappoint!
Stephen,
DeleteI'm only part way into the first novel, so I can't say for sure. I think the papal houses may be mentioned and perhaps even described, but I don't remember that they play any significant role in the Quintet.
Stephen,
ReplyDeleteBut some remotely related themes do emerge in the
Quintet: the Templars and the Gnostics, both of which did encounter problems with the Papacy long ago.