There are those times in our lives when the crushing throngs around us become too much to deal with, and we seek the calm of solitude or the society of a select few. One need not be a misanthrope to desire the quiet and still, the company of “old dogs and watermelon wine,’ or the … Continue reading Alone
Category: Nineteenth Century English Literature
No Coward Soul is Mine
by Emily Bronte No coward soul is mine No trembler in the world’s storm-troubled sphere I see Heaven’s glories shine And Faith shines equal arming me from Fear O God within my breast Almighty ever-present Deity Life, that in me hast rest, As I Undying Life, have power in Thee Vain are the thousand creeds … Continue reading No Coward Soul is Mine
The Brontes of Haworth, West Yorkshire
Parsonage home of the Bronte sisters and their curate father in West Yorkshire, England. "No coward soul is mine No trembler in the world's storm-troubled sphere..." wrote Emily Bronte in 1848. It was a remarkable time for herself, her elder sister Charlotte, and younger sister Anne. Each of the young women had recently published poetry … Continue reading The Brontes of Haworth, West Yorkshire
Texas Romantic
William Wordsworth wrote his famous "I Wondered Lonely as a Cloud" in 1804 after he and his sister Dorothy took a long stroll in the English Lake District of Cumbria where they lived, and where I plan soon to revisit. In anticipation of our rapidly approaching return to England, I present Wordsworth's famous poem, as … Continue reading Texas Romantic
Yours Affectionately, J.A.
My dear Cassandra, Your letter came quite as soon as I expected, and so your letters will always do, because I have made it a rule not to expect them till they come, in which I think I consult the ease of us both— wrote Jane Austen to her sister in 1798, revealing the author’s … Continue reading Yours Affectionately, J.A.
Her Letter to the World
Emily Dickinson wrote in her poem of the same name: "This is my letter to the world/ That never wrote to me--." (Go to my Homepage and click on Poetry at the top of the page or click on menu and Poetry to see the full poem.) Though we should never confuse the speaker in … Continue reading Her Letter to the World
Adventure
After thirty-some years, I am going to "Manderley again." Well, not really, but I have long wanted to use a line reminiscent of the haunting opening to Daphne Du Maurier's book Rebecca: "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again." However, this summer, I am, in fact, going to England again, the home of … Continue reading Adventure