Interesting Links for 20-05-2016

[andrewducker]

A List Of Things In Literature, Music and Art That Are Actually Metaphors For Women (tags: women writing funny ) Water puppy wants to play (tags: cute ) A _completely_ serious guide to Scottish, Irish, Appalachian, and English folk songs (tags: song music funny ireland scotland england usa ) Original post on Dreamwidth - there are

Comments

[kalimac]

I chuckled particularly at the list of English folk song themes, because I know every one of those songs. Between Steeleye Span and Martin Carthy, they've done all of them.

Soil may seem an odd metaphor for sex, but I've seen that one too. In one of John Steinbeck's very early, symbolist novels, a farmer literally has sex with the earth. For no apparent reason, he throws himself down on the ground and his body heaves with growing intensity, then he lies still. It was the weirdest f'ing thing I've ever read, and I don't mean that word just as an intensifying expletive, though that too.

[andrewducker]

Yeah, that's odd. But as metaphor I can see it working well. I hope he didn't get it pregnant.

[kalimac]

Surely he did. That's what farmers all want, isn't it - the fertility of the land? This one just did it metaphorically.

[steepholm]

I heard Spenser being quoted to this effect on the radio just today:

The day with clouds was sudden overcast,
And angry Jove an hideous storm of rain
Did pour into his leman's lap so fast,
That every wight to shroud it did constrain...

Of course, Jove is an expert on golden showers.

[awesomelies]

Any pointers on the “Lord Nelson Sure Was Awesome” ones? I don’t think I’ve come across any so was idly wonder why General Wolfe and even Napoleon seemed to have caught the public imagination more…

[ylla]

There's a chapter on them in a book called Trafalgar in History: A Battle and its Afterlife, edited by David Cannadine.
I don't own a copy, though, so can't give you names - it was only lent to me by the secretary of the Collingwood Society who was trying to educate me :)

[awesomelies]

Aha! Thanks *wanders off to buy a copy*

[ylla]

Ooh, at used prices I'm quite tempted to buy my own - I was dubious about reading an academic sort of book for fun, but actually really enjoyed it.