Comments for Yatterings

Comment on Leaving the House of Mystery by Iain

Iain — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 14:39:13 +0000

Thanks for the comment. I really felt the same at times but am glad that I stuck with it in terms of reading different types of stories and ways of telling stories. It does come together eventually and is a fine way of learning about short stories, frame narratives and pulling it all together.

Comment on Leaving the House of Mystery by TechTropes - Matt

TechTropes - Matt — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 12:27:14 +0000

Is this worth picking back up? I lost the thread a few issues in.

I was finding finding myself wishing that they would stick more with using the house to frame the shorter stories, but the main plot seemed to push it away from that.

Comment on A night at the circus – Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus by Didn’t want the night to end « Night Circus Reviews

Didn’t want the night to end « Night Circus Reviews — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 21:23:12 +0000

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Comment on William Croft Dickinson and Borrobil by Iain

Iain — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 17:59:44 +0000

Thanks for your comments, Alistair, and the update. The Encyclopedia of Fantasy does not have a huge article on him. I've just come across this opening piece on JSTOR from the Scottish Historical Review special issue on the author though it appears to be locked behind a paywall.

Comment on William Croft Dickinson and Borrobil by Alistair Kerr

Alistair Kerr — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 03:08:37 +0000

Croft Dickinson was (although an Englishman) Professor of Scottish History at Edinburgh University. He was succeeded by the late Professor Gordon Donaldson. A founder of the Edinburgh University Press, he was the author and editor of numerous works on Scottish history. However he was also quite a well-known author of stories of the supernatural, including ghost stories of a peculiarly eerie kind, set in Scotland but reminiscent of the stories of M R James. Two such collections are ‘Dark Encounters’ and ‘The Sweet Singers’.

Comment on A Slip in Thyme – brief notes on Edward Eager’s writing by Iain

Iain — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 14:56:28 +0000

K, I can see it working whilst reading it as a child. I haven’t heard that attempted for several years but I think most children’s impressions are fun. I think Eager does go through quite a few scenarios really rather quickly, as if creating the book like reading to a child in the evening, where one moves on to a new episode. John Masefield does this as well in the Kay Harker books (Box of Delights & Midnight Folk).

Comment on A Slip in Thyme – brief notes on Edward Eager’s writing by K

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 15:45:20 +0000

I see you are researching/writing a book on a history of children’s fantasy. I would be very interested in knowing how that is coming along, at ravenapark@aol.com. I read some of your links this morning and am trying to get past the lingo to discover what seems to be the cutting edge of literary criticism, for instance, this would be my first exposure to the term “word cloud.”
Concerning the original topic: certainly in retrospect, Eager is engaging in broad stereotypes, but broad stereotypes provide a source of humor that especially engages young children (and older persons ?). Have you ever heard an American child attempt a British accent? It is marvelous fun — and dreadful.
I’ve been rereading the Eager–much as I love him, as an adult I admit I am irritated that he dispensed of the conflicts in Knight’s Castle with blatant — what is the term? deus ex machina? Although when I read it as a child, I was completely entranced.

Comment on A slice of cake and afternoon tea – Gail Carriger’s Soulless (Parasol Protectorate 1) by Iain

Iain — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 07:14:38 +0000

Hi Ellie,

You ought to read them as they are great fun and extremely well observed. I’ve had the first one sitting on my table since publication, started and popped out to get the other two which I finished yesterday. The fourth one is out in a couple of months time.

All best,

Iain

Comment on A slice of cake and afternoon tea – Gail Carriger’s Soulless (Parasol Protectorate 1) by Ellie

Ellie — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 21:02:50 +0000

I’ve got 3 of these books to read, they sound rather fun

Comment on A Slip in Thyme – brief notes on Edward Eager’s writing by Iain

Iain — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 10:18:52 +0000

Kimberlea, Perhaps I was a bit harsh re-reading this post some months later. Whilst I’m not a big fan of these books, they are enormous fun and I certainly did not make enough of this in the post.

The humour of the Time Garden is the best part of it but the historical aspects jar the reading for me. I have seen and enjoyed the Sellar’s Clouseau films and some of the “Road To…” series (which, sadly, did nothing for me really). I think we might be coming at Eager from slightly different angles. If I was looking at the humour we might be more in accord in seeing the Toad’s dialect as more of a send up than reality or “21st century sophistication”.

I am glad that you and your granddaughter are enjoying them though.