by Matthew Sweet ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 1, 2001
Sweet shines a light in some dark corners of the Victorian Era—but, ultimately, over-argues his point. (16 pages b&w...
A skewering of the popular view that Victorians were the uptight and stern figures we know and love to make fun of.
In fact, British academic Sweet argues, our modern culture is directly descended from their love of spectacle, sex and true crime stories. Most people today, according to Sweet, view the Victorian era as one of strict moral codes, cruelty to children, and repressed sexuality. Nothing could be further from the truth. There was more drug use, more sex, more innovation in journalism and public spectacles than the hypercorrect picture of the Victorians most people are familiar with would suggest. In terms of spectacle, the author makes a convincing argument that the Victorians had a higher threshold for danger and excitement. Tightrope walker Blondin grew to fame in a series of daring trips across Niagara Falls on a two-inch rope. This was not the choreographed violence of the World Wrestling Federation, but real mortal danger. Blondin spawned many copycats, and the popularity of this perilous sport waned only after several deaths. Sweet labors to make comparisons between Victorian and modern phenomena—serial killers then were often celebrated figures, on display at Madame Tussaud’s wax works, but he says it’s hard to imagine William Shipman or Jeffery Dahlmer getting such attention. But yet, perhaps it is 24-hour cable news coverage that has taken the place of the waxy tableaux in our time, and not a diminishment of bloodthirstiness. The desire to see Victorians as more upright, and therefore better than us, stems from the age-old human desire to look back on a comforting past, to be able to say, “things were better then.” Now that the 20th century is over, Sweet argues, the nostalgia and puzzlement will be over its customs, wars, and fashions, allowing the Victorians to rest in a more accurate peace.
Sweet shines a light in some dark corners of the Victorian Era—but, ultimately, over-argues his point. (16 pages b&w photos)Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-312-28326-1
Page Count: 256
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2001
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by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
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by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson
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by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis
by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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developed by Ludwig Bemelmans ; illustrated by Steven Salerno
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by Ludwig Bemelmans ; illustrated by Steven Salerno
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