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Post by dem bones on Mar 20, 2018 5:18:03 GMT
Nice write ups. Thanks. Your description of the Mike Chislett story as a "feel-good love story" isn't too far off! Just one correction: Jago's girlfriend is Romanian, not Italian. Hence she's able to make a fair guess as to what Balkan beastie is after Jago (it's not a vampire, for those who haven't read the story!). *groan* In all honesty, I was a bit worried about whether or not I had Carla's nationality right. Wasn't sure about the ' Ostrogoth' reference, looked it up, took a punt on the wrong option. Typical ... Paul M. Chapman - The Quest For Karswell: An Enquiry Into Identity: An impressive feat of lit. detection and a compelling, if sometimes uncomfortable read for some [see below], the author makes a compelling case for Frederick 'Baron Corvo' Rolfe as life model for MRJ's rune-casting diabolical children's entertainer. Stefan Cooke has added "Rosemary Pardoe's Ghosts & Scholars M. R. James Newsletter #33 (Haunted Library, March edition)" to the listing of publications, blogs & Co. carrying MES obituaries and/ or tributes. See The Fall.org's [very beautiful] Mark E. Smith memorial page (you have to scroll way down to find it). [Yet more to follow ....] * It's a fluke, but back in the 'nineties I read A. J. A. Symons The Quest For Corvo (Quartet, 1993: originally Cassell & Co., 1934). Had never heard of this odious Fr. Rolfe character until a dear friend gifted the bride & self a copy of Symons biography, suggesting his antics were not dissimilar to those of a certain Fraud Lord/ Hoax Bloke/ Screaming Lord Fauntleroy type we'd fallen foul of. Regrettably, this proved the case, and reading Paul M. Chapman's article gave me the most hideous flashbacks.
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Post by dem bones on Mar 20, 2018 15:11:03 GMT
"Death is the abode of life."Ro's Michael Harrison article prompted me to drag down Peter Haining's The Necromancers from the shelf of shame for a rematch with At The Heart Of It (one of the few items from the anthology Dennis Wheatley didn't accidentally recycle across his Occult Library selection, Satanism And Witches), wherein Holywell Street book-dealer Mr. Rufus Maxwell's kindness to a tall, gloomy, impoverished old-timer rebounds horribly. On his twice yearly visits (Midsummers day, Halloween), 'Mr. Sempiter' haunts the bargain boxes out front of the shop, never buying a single book. Maxwell eventually asks him if there's a particular title he seeks? There is. Edward Chardell's Domus Vitae (van Epp, 1753). Maxwell makes it his mission to locate a copy and donate it to his new friend who, we later learn, may well be the unnaturally long-lived author, a big noise in the Hell-fire Club. Maxwell duly succeeds and can't resist a crafty scrutiny of the book. He is both horrified by the gruesome illustrations and intrigued by the bizarre text. Mrs. Maxwell advises he "throw the dirty thing away," but the dealer has already fallen under its spell. Jensen, At The Heart Of It. Jensen's accompanying artwork ( London Mystery Magazine #19, Summer 1954) is certainly striking but would have preferred he tackle the revolting Domus Vitae front-piece and secondary illustration as described in the text.
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Post by ropardoe on Mar 21, 2018 9:44:22 GMT
"* It's a fluke, but back in the 'nineties I read A. J. A. Symons The Quest For Corvo (Quartet, 1993: originally Cassell & Co., 1934). Had never heard of this odious Fr. Rolfe character until a dear friend gifted the bride & self a copy of Symons biography, suggesting his antics were not dissimilar to those of a certain Fraud Lord/ Hoax Bloke/ Screaming Lord Fauntleroy type we'd fallen foul of. Regrettably, this proved the case, and reading Paul M. Chapman's article gave me the most hideous flashbacks." **** What with this, and the picture on the back cover, I seem to have seriously traumatised a lot of people with this issue. Tee hee!
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Post by Michael Connolly on Mar 21, 2018 13:22:08 GMT
"* It's a fluke, but back in the 'nineties I read A. J. A. Symons The Quest For Corvo (Quartet, 1993: originally Cassell & Co., 1934). Had never heard of this odious Fr. Rolfe character until a dear friend gifted the bride & self a copy of Symons biography, suggesting his antics were not dissimilar to those of a certain Fraud Lord/ Hoax Bloke/ Screaming Lord Fauntleroy type we'd fallen foul of. Regrettably, this proved the case, and reading Paul M. Chapman's article gave me the most hideous flashbacks." **** What with this, and the picture on the back cover, I seem to have seriously traumatised a lot of people with this issue. Tee hee!
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Post by helrunar on Mar 21, 2018 15:05:38 GMT
Wow, Kev. I'm not familiar with Mark E. Smith, but intermittently I spend time with Fr. Rolfe, Baron Corvo. A couple of years ago I read through some of his letters (we have some very rare editions of these, exquisitely printed on very expensive paper nearly a century ago, in the formidable academic library that employs me). I only had time to spot-read, but there were some amusing or provocative passages.
Corvo's Venice Letters, which were published by Cecil Woolf--in the Sixties or Seventies, at some point--turned out to be far less lurid than Symons' empurpled prose would have one believe. There are some beautiful bits describing scenes and landscapes in Venice. I copied one out in my diary last time I read those a few years back.
Corvo's novel Hadrian VII became a popular stage play in the late Sixties but I don't believe it was ever filmed.
My gut feeling is that Corvo is so different from Karswell as figured in the Master's tale that it's hard for me to accept that solution to this puzzle--if puzzle it may be--but I did wonder if the chronology of Aleister Crowley's career fit with the actual period when "Casting the Runes" was written.
I really need to get my aging derriere in gear and post an order for this issue to the esteemed Editor!
cheers, Steve
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Post by helrunar on Mar 21, 2018 20:19:15 GMT
"Fancy a great big boy of seventeen being as sweet as that!" For those of strong temperament only... Ro has mentioned that various things in the issue were quite upsetting to many readers, perhaps particularly middle-aged and elderly men of a delicate disposition: rictornorton.co.uk/rolfe.htmH.
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Post by dem bones on Mar 22, 2018 13:38:52 GMT
Corvo's Venice Letters, which were published by Cecil Woolf--in the Sixties or Seventies, at some point--turned out to be far less lurid than Symons' empurpled prose would have one believe. There are some beautiful bits describing scenes and landscapes in Venice. I copied one out in my diary last time I read those a few years back...... My gut feeling is that Corvo is so different from Karswell as figured in the Master's tale that it's hard for me to accept that solution to this puzzle--if puzzle it may be--but I did wonder if the chronology of Aleister Crowley's career fit with the actual period when "Casting the Runes" was written. Symons book is referenced in the notes but is far from the primary source for the article. Paul Chapman quotes from, among others, E.F. and A.C. Benson, Shane Leslie, and Vyvyan Holland, (the Benson's, admittedly, had an axe to grind over Rolfe's persecution of brother Hugh). Casting To The Runes was first published in 1911, but, Mr. Chapman argues, it's most likely, or, at least, highly plausible that James completed the story in time to read as "his Christmas entertainment for 1908 - the year Rolfe left Cambridge." The author cites two fragments excised from the published version (don't have a copy, but I believe the source to be Michael Cox's story notes for the OUP selection, Casting The Runes & Other Stories, 1987). Must admit, I had Aleister Crowley down as the life model for Mr. Karswell (I'm sure Night Of The Demon was responsible for this, far moreso than James' original), and have since learned via the current newsletter of another candidate, Oscar Browning. Bloody scholars!
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Post by andydecker on Mar 22, 2018 20:54:05 GMT
Corvo's Venice Letters, which were published by Cecil Woolf--in the Sixties or Seventies, at some point--turned out to be far less lurid than Symons' empurpled prose would have one believe. There are some beautiful bits describing scenes and landscapes in Venice. I copied one out in my diary last time I read those a few years back...... My gut feeling is that Corvo is so different from Karswell as figured in the Master's tale that it's hard for me to accept that solution to this puzzle--if puzzle it may be--but I did wonder if the chronology of Aleister Crowley's career fit with the actual period when "Casting the Runes" was written. Symons book is referenced in the notes but is far from the primary source for the article. Paul Chapman quotes from, among others, E.F. and A.C. Benson, Shane Leslie, and Vyvyan Holland, (the Benson's, admittedly, had an axe to grind over Rolfe's persecution of brother Hugh). Casting To The Runes was first published in 1911, but, Mr. Chapman argues, it's most likely, or, at least, highly plausible that James completed the story in time to read as "his Christmas entertainment for 1908 - the year Rolfe left Cambridge." The author cites two fragments excised from the published version (don't have a copy, but I believe the source to be Michael Cox's story notes for the OUP selection, Casting The Runes & Other Stories, 1987). Must admit, I had Aleister Crowley down as the life model for Mr. Karswell (I'm sure Night Of The Demon was responsible for this, far moreso than James' original), and have since learned via the current newsletter of another candidate, Oscar Browning. Bloody scholars! I too always thought Crowley was the model for Karswell. But then I watched the movie a long time before reading the story. I have the movie on DVD - I think the demon puppet was unecessary and a failure - and watched it quite often. As far as adaptions go, it is well done. Of course at the time of its production a "real" Crowley movie would have been impossible, still it would have been interesting to see a "Karswell" with his "scarlet woman".
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Post by jamesdoig on Mar 23, 2018 7:49:23 GMT
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Post by ropardoe on Mar 23, 2018 10:37:47 GMT
How fascinating! I have no memory at all of those planned Hobbit posters - were they published? Of course, the unnamed artist who illustrated Eye Hath Not Seen went on to become rather famous - David Lloyd. What makes me sad, though, is that I said I wasn't actively seeking fiction contributions for G&S as I had enough in the pipeline back then. Would that the same were true today. The next issue of G&S is looking good for non-fiction already, but the cupboard is bare on the story front. Come on, Vault denizens - surely you have a Jamesian story you'd like to submit?
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Post by jamesdoig on Mar 23, 2018 11:06:10 GMT
How fascinating! I have no memory at all of those planned Hobbit posters - were they published? Indeed they were.
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Post by ropardoe on Mar 23, 2018 12:13:35 GMT
Well, there you go! I asked Darroll and he remembers the poster(s). I have a very weird memory (always have done - it's not senility setting in!). I'm brilliant on general knowledge and odd facts, but details of my past have vanished completely. This is why I could never write my memoirs; and why I've often said that, if the TV show "This is Your Life" still existed and I was on it, they could make up my entire history from their imagination and I'd probably believe it!
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Post by Michael Connolly on Mar 23, 2018 15:52:18 GMT
How fascinating! I have no memory at all of those planned Hobbit posters - were they published? Of course, the unnamed artist who illustrated Eye Hath Not Seen went on to become rather famous - David Lloyd. What makes me sad, though, is that I said I wasn't actively seeking fiction contributions for G&S as I had enough in the pipeline back then. Would that the same were true today. The next issue of G&S is looking good for non-fiction already, but the cupboard is bare on the story front. Come on, Vault denizens - surely you have a Jamesian story you'd like to submit? My old idea for a story, featuring Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson in "The Adventure of the Stoneground Gargoyle", remains unwritten.
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Post by The Lurker In The Shadows on May 11, 2018 23:06:21 GMT
Which ones are you still missing? The first issue, More Ghosts and Scholars, and Issue 6 have so far eluded my grasp - And now the first issue and Issue 6 have been secured. Huzzah! Just More Ghosts and Scholars still to locate and the back issues collection will be complete.
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Post by helrunar on Aug 15, 2018 14:59:55 GMT
Finally read "Unfinished Business." I am extremely fatigued this week (due to some specific reasons--nothing unfortunate, and it'll all get sorted out in time for me to be back up to speed tomorrow and then wiped out again by what's on the docket for next weekend--such is the life of an elderly village homosexualist of restricted means). So I completely failed to make the "Lost Heart" connection. I came here, knowing that all would be revealed, and so it has been.
I look forward eagerly to the October issue!
cheers, Steve
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