"Any ideas for a blog post? I need something light and easy, nothing that will require research, nothing too serious, nothing too personal.”
Having just finished reading ‘Stoner’ by John Williams, the must-read novel of 2013 according to the literary establishment in the UK, I was still deep within the pages of this bleakly depressing and utterly gripping book; nothing suitable sprang to mind.
“Have you mentioned 'Bring Up The Bodies’ yet?” Beloved answered, metaphorically scratching his head. We went to see the second of the Mantel adaptations at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon last Saturday.
“I want something light and entertaining. Besides, the people who read my blog are not culture vultures. A review of a serious play would interest few of them.”
“Yes, I see that; of course, you want to write for your readers. Mind you, the Tudors are absolutely at the top of the tree of current interest. You can’t get away from them on TV.”
Beloved had a point. There’s one more or less populist programme after the other about them; learned researchers and historians strutting their stuff in front of the cameras, not to mention fictionalisations with added cleavage, smouldering, meaningful looks and gruesome executions galore.
Henry VIII went in for gruesome executions on a grand scale. Depending on which source you follow, during his reign between 1509 and 1547, an estimated 57,000 to 72,000 English subjects lost their heads, and not in a nice, flirtatious way. As soon as he ascended the throne he chopped off the heads of his father’s most influential advisers; he was probably just following the old adage 'start as you mean to go on’. New brooms and all that. By comparison, his daughter , who succeeded him on the throne, killed fewer than 300 people during her six years as queen. But she came to be called ‘Bloody Mary’. Talk about double standards. Feminism still has a job to do on this one, even in these enlightened times.
“No, writing about Tudor politics doesn’t strike me as an apt subject for a lightweight blogpost.” I needed to turn the conversation back to the matter in hand.
“Put like that, I agree.”
“Just think though, nowadays, if governments want to do away with politicians who have served their purpose, or others, who have become a thorn in the flesh of whoever happens to be paying the piper, they get the media to do it for them. No blood visible. Public opinion will do the rest. Blood and circuses for the 21st century. In Tudor times, the populace gathered around the scaffold or the executioner’s block, today, we read the Daily Muckraker.
“At least we no longer kill them dead.”
“No such luck, instead they get to ‘spend more time with their families’ “.
“This is all very well, and I’m sure we could go on, but it still leaves me short of an idea for a blogpost. Something light and funny, maybe?”
PS: For US readers:
“Spending time with one’s family is a metaphor for being sent into the desert politically.
I received that 'Stoner' book in my Christmas stocking and hope to begin it soon. For a bit of light relief.
ReplyDeleteNice how you subverted the populist intention in this blog post, Friko. Nothing wrong with a bit of blood and beheading. (Or 'added cleavage' either, come to that!)
Write for yourself first and foremost, not for others; that's what I say. Then the others will (hopefully) be drawn in on the wings of your enthusiasm.
Well, I'm smiling as you tried valiantly to come up with something "light." Don't think I'll read Stoner - I like the gripping part but don't know about the depressing bits. Hope you're feeling well, Friko (and not depressed!).
ReplyDelete"Spending more time with my family" means the same here in the US, Dear. Fun, musing post with interesting tit bits about (Yes) the Tudors
ReplyDeleteALOHA from Honolulu
Comfort Spiral
> < } } ( ° >
It's got the same meaning here in Canada too.
ReplyDeleteI just finished Wolf Hall - more burnings and head removal there too!
These days they spend more time with the companies with whom they were in contact when they were ministers.
ReplyDeleteThough not a U.S. reader I am glad you cleared up 'spending time with family'. I have never heard of that term before!
ReplyDeleteI enjoy the Tudors and all those beheadings.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Oh, yes, our disgraced politicians often note that they're resigning to spend more time with the family...if they're not headed off to jail that is.
ReplyDeleteha. our politics is a cess pool...take one down and one just the worse floats to the top....
ReplyDeleteha vicki....
We were talking about getting rid of politicians last night at a party. I can't remember how the subject came up, but we agreed on it being one of the benefits of democracy that we were able to get rid of Guttenberg and Wulff, to name but a few. Yes, it would not have happened without the media being as involved as they are.
ReplyDelete"At least we no longer kill them dead."
ReplyDeleteIs he suggesting there is a way to kill them...not dead?....undead?
Stoner is deeply depressing? Thanks, I'll make sure to never buy it.
Well, that was light and very, very funny. I'm happy. :)
ReplyDeleteHilary Clinton and Mme Hollande have demonstrated a couple of strategies open to politicians' "families " on these occasions .... and Mary Wilson wrote poetry , I think .
ReplyDeleteHilary's seems the most satisfying .
As for the Tudors ? I don't think one would have wanted to bump into any of them on a dark night then ... or see a lot more programmes about them now .
Glad you kept your head when writing this post. Can't wait to read the light and funny one when it appears (she says with tongue firmly in cheek).
ReplyDeleteI recognize the phrase about spending more time with family as a euphemism for disgrace. At least it gives one the possibility of being reincarnated, as opposed to having one's head lopped off. I enjoyed your "light" post. :-)
ReplyDeleteWhen I first cam to live in England as a young girl, I couldn't get enough of the Theaters, museums, churches, history of the land - of course I am a curious person when it comes to this side of life. Living and studying in London, gave me the opportunity to travel everywhere I possibly could and bite into the historical value of this great country and the surrounding countries - I love and do enjoy a laid back post of simple pleasures or silly daily drama which occurs around me - you can make a good story out of something even simple. Once, I asked my dad what I should talk about at a first group meeting I was going to and his answer was "whatever fills yer boots" - meaning whatever I had the most to talk about at that point and time......so, whenever my boots are full, I will write a post...whether it is knowledgeable, funny, silly or just simply charming - you have given us all of these. For me, it the way you put your post together that makes any post interesting. Mix it up or do what you do best. People follow you and read your posts, because they like your words. I know I do....Cheers, Lilly
ReplyDelete'Spending time with one's family' means the same over here in the U.S. You may not find out the whole story but you know there is one there and it is probably juicy or sordid! I'm always delighted with your blog posts and they needn't be light nd cheery. I'm rather fond of the history -- bloody and otherwise -- and I love it when you share your reviews of RSC, even if I know I'll never see the play. In fact, my visiting friend from Canada just showed me a book called "Wolf Hall" by Hilary Mantell that just won the Booker Prize and she said she heard it was hitting the stage in the UK. Tudors do make for good drama!
ReplyDeleteFriko, last year I was interested in reading Stoner, and submitted a reservation request to my library. After a short wait, my name rose to the front of the queue, and I checked the book out and brought it home. Unfortunately, time was precious at that point and reading time was not too available. And so, a week later, the book was returned to the library without a page read.
ReplyDeleteWould you recommend that I request it again? Right now, I have an almost due (and as yet unread) Mary Beard book, Confronting the Classics, and a huge stack of early Simenon Maigret novels that are due sometime in February. I continue to do most of my reading on the subway commute and rely on The New Yorker magazine.
When I wrote my last resignation letter to an employer I left about 15 years ago, I used the phrase about "wishing to pursue other interests." Some found that sarcastic. Can you imagine it? I truly did want to do more painting and for the next four years, as you know, did exactly that.
xo
I have heard the term "Spending more time with my family" in regards to politicians here before - usually ones that have to leave office due to scandal :)
ReplyDeleteActually, I did find myself rather amused by the time you got to the end of this post. I'd love to see a few pols here "spend more time with their families."
ReplyDelete;)
We have one of those character assignations taking place over here with the 'trial' of our ex-governor (a Republican) by a Democrat federal administration. Just sickening. And when he is acquitted, which he will be, who will give him back his reputation? Dirty Rotten Bastards.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update on the long maligned Mary. Protestants wrote history for a very long time, I fear. Dianne
Reading "Falling Upwards" about the early years of ballooning. Richard Holmes.
ReplyDeleteI think you succeeded quite well.
ReplyDeleteFor one who had trouble getting up a topic, I'd say you did good with the Tudors. I prefer Four-doors and bought one this year --don't have to pull the seats up to get in back.
ReplyDeleteAn opinion on the production of Bring Up the Bodies would be entertaining. The books were enjoyable and reinforced my opinion of Tudor politics - one can never be too careful. Interesting statistics on beheadings - poor maligned Mary.
ReplyDeleteYes, light and funny would be good after all those rolling heads!
ReplyDeleteDarn, I was hoping you had an idea for a blog post for me…I've got nothing.
ReplyDeleteI rather like the POO aspect of a disgraced/abhorred/non-revotable politician here: "Pursuing Other Opportunities"
ReplyDeleteI know - sometimes it's a struggle to get "light".
XO
WWW
Hey! I'd read about anything that interests you.
ReplyDeleteHow very true. These days the press is our head-chopping, lion-coliseum over here, too. ;)
Wow, that 'spending time with my family' thing!
ReplyDelete" Besides, the people who read my blog are not culture vultures." Well, I don't know whetehr to be offended or glad that I'm not seen as a vulture of any sort.
ReplyDeleteJust call me out of step (wouldn't be the first time), but I'd love to hear what you two thought of Bring Up The Bodies.
ReplyDeleteI am sure you are right about women's harder side getting more attention than men in power. It was probably true of Thatcher and (Indira) Ghandi too. Here in Oz, (Julia) Gillard was hit with more vitriol than any man in politics here has had to endure. It must be that we expect women to treat us like our mothers!
ReplyDeleteHallo Friko,
ReplyDeleteich achte nur wenig darauf, wie häufig meine Posts angeklickt werden. Die Recherche ist mir selbst wichtig, und da ist es unvermeidlich, dass eine gewisse Menge an Zahlen und Fakten drin stehen. Und ich wühle ja manchmal in sehr alten Zeiten oder in komplizierten Themen herum, mit denen sicherlich nicht jeder Leser etwas anfangen kann. Dennoch bin ich froh, dass es einen gewissen Leserkreis gibt, der meinen Blog regelmäßig liest - so wie Du.
Gruß Dieter
One cannot go wrong with a post about Henry VIII. He died a horrible death with VD and septicemia, and who knows what else--all of which he deserved.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Frico. We have to write something 'light and easy' for our readers.
ReplyDeleteYou asked me in my blog about the herring salad. Well, I boiled potatoes, finely chopped and put first layer on a plate, no marinaded just boiled. Then I chopped herring fillet and put it on potatoes as the second layer, next was a layer of beet and then sour cream (!) and the last was a layer of chopped eggs, I put 2 big ones. I love this salad of its mixed taste of sweet and salted. Have a nice day!
Hi Friko - well this was a good post to read coming back from London and requiring a blog post or two - I love the way you interact with Beloved and yourself ... and I have Stoner on my list to buy this week ... and despite your description I shall still purchase it to read.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know about Henry VIII executing so many - 60,000+/- or many more .. and the connotation Bloody Mary ... as you say enlightenment re feminism is still required.
Politics ... talk about not setting examples ... and social media will do its damndest to draw the masses in ... trial by a tweet is not a good idea.
Still as I look at this wandering comment .. I see Nadezda's thoughts on chopping ... and my mind turns to lunch!
Lovely post to read .. your words always happily resound around my brain .. cheers Hilary
It would seem as though we could use a woman's leadership to stop wars and reduce killing, but then I remember Margaret Thatcher and her war like ways. Still and all, I would like to give it a try.
ReplyDeleteA good post, but the post script is unnecessary. I get it.
ReplyDelete