Hello Lisa Anne, Just to mention, early last morning I fortuitously stumbled across your channel and am now mesmerised by the comprehensive information, contained within. I have a BA in Sociology and World Literature -- not including children's which, except when I was young, has never held any particular interest beyond gifts for two grand-daughters' birthday and Christmas celebrations. These include one or other editions of WITW. I now feel a renewed appreciation for such works, although Alice In Wonderland remains an insurmountable nightmare. (Carroll's chilling penchant for photographing naked minors is unrelated to my aversion towards his story, the illustrations for which, even when I was five, always seemed bizarre and blackly threatening.......) In any event, the delivery of your lecture has ignited several light bulbs -- internally, my brain pulses like Christmas tree lights -- and I am now compelled to seek out the resources to which you refer. My sister and I studied Wind In The Willows in high school -- and all the students identified with the character most similar to their own. Over many decades, I have concluded the text is as open as the Christian Bible -- interpretation / evaluation largely depends on where one lives, with press of concomitant cultural background / personal maturity / how open one may be to anthropomorphism / from a spiritual perspective / social / political / economic / topographic / environmental, especially if one is an ecologist or natural historian / anthropological / with due consideration of Grahame's psychological constraints which, today, may not apply to his then domestic experiences, even before the tragic loss of his son, and how mores affected his style -- inclusion / exclusion of certain words. (Today, writers think nothing of 'obscene' language, including a cook book, I recently encountered which, since it's a book of recipes and information on places to visit in Australia,* is completely unnecessary. Yet, there are all the harshest swear words, even in relation to the author's childrens' habits with electronic devices, over which he has total control!) And -- SHUDDER -- one can imagine how current satirists / politically correct activists could easily turn the text into aggressively woke literature!! Anyway, mustn't prattle but, just to express profound gratitude for your delivery on The Willows, and I shall certainly watch all your other lectures. Trust this finds you well. From south west Australia, cheers for now, Rowena (Ratty).
Hello Lisa Anne,
Just to mention, early last morning I fortuitously stumbled across your channel and am now mesmerised by the comprehensive information, contained within.
I have a BA in Sociology and World Literature -- not including children's which, except when I was young, has never held any particular interest beyond gifts for two grand-daughters' birthday and Christmas celebrations.
These include one or other editions of WITW.
I now feel a renewed appreciation for such works, although Alice In Wonderland remains an insurmountable nightmare.
(Carroll's chilling penchant for photographing naked minors is unrelated to my aversion towards his story, the illustrations for which, even when I was five, always seemed bizarre and blackly threatening.......)
In any event, the delivery of your lecture has ignited several light bulbs -- internally, my brain pulses like Christmas tree lights -- and I am now compelled to seek out the resources to which you refer.
My sister and I studied Wind In The Willows in high school -- and all the students identified with the character most similar to their own.
Over many decades, I have concluded the text is as open as the Christian Bible -- interpretation / evaluation largely depends on where one lives, with press of concomitant cultural background / personal maturity / how open one may be to anthropomorphism / from a spiritual perspective / social / political / economic / topographic / environmental, especially if one is an ecologist or natural historian / anthropological / with due consideration of Grahame's psychological constraints which, today, may not apply to his then domestic experiences, even before the tragic loss of his son, and how mores affected his style -- inclusion / exclusion of certain words. (Today, writers think nothing of 'obscene' language, including a cook book, I recently encountered which, since it's a book of recipes and information on places to visit in Australia,* is completely unnecessary. Yet, there are all the harshest swear words, even in relation to the author's childrens' habits with electronic devices, over which he has total control!)
And -- SHUDDER -- one can imagine how current satirists / politically correct activists could easily turn the text into aggressively woke literature!!
Anyway, mustn't prattle but, just to express profound gratitude for your delivery on The Willows, and I shall certainly watch all your other lectures.
Trust this finds you well.
From south west Australia, cheers for now,
Rowena (Ratty).