Recent reading

[luzula]

Jill, by E A Dillwyn (1884)
Reread for Yuletide writing, which for obvious reasons I didn't write up before. I've now read this book twice, once as proofreading for Gutenberg, and the second time for the purpose of writing Jill/Kitty fic. Those are two very different ways of reading, and both are different from simply reading for pleasure! I confess that I did skim some parts, especially where Jill is in the dog household...

Narrative of the Most Extraordinary and Distressing Shipwreck of the Whale-Ship Essex, of Nantucket: Which Was Attacked and Finally Destroyed by a Large Spermaceti-Whale, in the Pacific Ocean; With an Account of the Unparalleled Sufferings of the Captain and Crew During a Space of Ninety-Three Days at Sea, in Open Boats, in the Years 1819 & 1820, by Owen Chase
Recced by sanguinity. I listened to this as a Librivox audiobook, which was a good choice! I liked the reader, and it was a riveting story of survival. At one point, the writer refers to the actions of the whale as taking revenge for the whaling they are doing, and I couldn't help interpreting it that way, too, especially as it is stated in the beginning that whales are becoming more rare and they have to go farther and farther for them. And then, there's the bit where he cheerfully talks about stacking the hold with Galapagos turtles as victuals, and how great it is that they can survive for a year with no water or food, and thus keep fresh...OMG, those poor tortured turtles! It does rather echo the tortures of the poor shipwrecked sailors, having to ration their water and food...

The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope (1894)
Listened to as audiobook, for which it was suited. The original Ruritanian romance; it was a fun swashbuckling romp, but not one that left a huge impression. I am not really convinced it was worth so much work to keep that king on his throne; he seemed a bit of an incompetent drunkard. There's some fun enemyslash—not really the type that I most prefer, with two people who respect each other caught on opposite sides—but more the type that leads to hatesex. But it is kind of hilarious how the narrator can't help remarking every time about Rupert of Hentzau what a handsome and dashing and debonair villain he is... I do, however, think that two Rudolfs and one Rupert is a bit much for one book.

Checking out AO3, I enjoyed this bit of slash, inserted into the interstices of canon! (Although really, I would not choose have sex with someone who tried to stab me to death mid-seduction the previous time...) But surprisingly enough, the longest fic for the canon is some novel-length original femslash. And of course, there's K J Charles' published fanfic The Henchmen of Zenda, which I will certainly read.

Comments

[edwardianspinsteraunt]

Ahaha, I remember my eyes glazing over during some of the dog household bits in Jill! Only in a Victorian novel would you find a ten page digression about all the dogs the protagonist had to look after xD

And I definitely agree with you about Zenda-- I found myself questioning why they're doing so much work to preserve the monarchy when the king really isn't up to the task-- and it seems like we're not alone! http://www.silverwhistle.co.uk/ruritania/

[sanguinity]

Only in a Victorian novel would you find a ten page digression about all the dogs the protagonist had to look after xD

I am... intrigued. I might have to download this just so I can share the ten-page dog digression with my wife.

[sanguinity]

Whaleship Essex: It feels a little disingenuous to warn for animal harm in a whaling book (especially given the other things that happen!), but the passage about the tortoises (I suspect they were tortoises and not turtles) rattled me, too. iirc, they also appear as food/livestock in the other whaling book I reviewed along with this one. In general, the whaling industry was really tough on the ecology of Pacific Islands, and I almost find that more harrowing than the stuff I was supposed to be upset about.

At one point, the writer refers to the actions of the whale as taking revenge for the whaling they are doing, and I couldn't help interpreting it that way, too, especially as it is stated in the beginning that whales are becoming more rare and they have to go farther and farther for them.

Some researchers studying Atlantic and Pacific whaling logs of the era recently claimed to be able to demonstrate that not only were whale pods learning about whaling ships and becoming savvy to their ways (SWIM UPWIND SO THEY CAN'T PURSUE YOU EFFECTIVELY), they were also communicating this info to pods who hadn't encountered the whaling ships yet. So yes, there's some basis to believe that this whale was acting with complex and knowledgeable intent. I felt bad for the poor attacking whale; it evidently stunned itself in taking down the whaleship. It can sink a ship, but only at marked cost to itself.

Prisoner of Zenda: Word re whether whatshisname deserves to sit on the throne. There's def some uncritical royalism underpinning that book. Although I suppose if the guy gives you a good dinner/party, it's only courteous to preserve his throne for him?

[isis]

I have just finished Jill! Now I shall enjoy the fic, which, I see you wrote exactly the thing that I was contemplating (post-canon reveal and get-together) so I am looking forward to that!

(The dogs part cracked me up.)

[hyarrowen]

I am ever more inclined to the belief that we're a pest species that makes cockroaches look benevolent, and your account of this book only fortifies this belief. After seeing the huge whaling stations in the subantarctic - yep, we're the cockroaches. As for the turtles D: and that account barely scratches the surface. Those poor creatures.

Prisoner of Zenda - much more cheerful, but poor Flavia has a very miserable time ahead of her, rather like Tar-Miriel in the published Akallabeth. I hadn't thought of all those "R"s but you're quite right about that! Both the films are worth watching, incidentally - they're great fun though weirdly similar (not inappropriately) and yes, you can see the UST!

[antisoppist]

I was about to come and recommend the Prisoner of Zenda fic but I see you found it :-)

The whaling book sounds great. I once translated a YA book from Finnish about Basque whalers who were murdered in Iceland in 1615. I had to research a lot about how they gutted whales. Fortunately no turtles were involved at least.

[regshoe]

Hee, the dog household is not perhaps the most worthwhile part of that book...

Poor turtles! I was just reading a book in which the narrator, in early nineteenth-century Ayrshire, describes a turtle being bought from a Glasgow merchant and delivered still alive—I wonder what it had had to endure to go all that way :( That's very interesting about the idea of the whale taking revenge, too—well, interesting and depressing that whalers at that period were already aware that whales were getting rarer and that this was something that might be seen as deserving of revenge...

The Prisoner of Zenda does sound fun, if dubiously royalist (I suppose it's a bit different if the main characters are merely supporters of monarchs like the Jacobites and the Hanoverians, vs. actually being the monarch and bad at it!).

[regshoe]

Some researchers studying Atlantic and Pacific whaling logs of the era recently claimed to be able to demonstrate that not only were whale pods learning about whaling ships and becoming savvy to their ways (SWIM UPWIND SO THEY CAN'T PURSUE YOU EFFECTIVELY), they were also communicating this info to pods who hadn't encountered the whaling ships yet. So yes, there's some basis to believe that this whale was acting with complex and knowledgeable intent.

That is fascinating! Clever animals.

[luzula]

I didn't mind the dog stuff as such, but why write that when she could have written more Jill/Kitty?

Hee, thanks for that link. *g*

[luzula]

Ah yes, tortoises (Swedish has just one word for turtles/tortoises, that's why I mix them up). Anyway, glad I wasn't the only one to find that harrowing! Very interesting about the whales learning.

Although I suppose if the guy gives you a good dinner/party, it's only courteous to preserve his throne for him?
The narrator seemed to think so...he certainly made a snap decision!

[luzula]

Oh come on! You're going to read it for the dog digression and ignore the femslash? : D

[sanguinity]

Nah, I was gonna read it for Fear Of Missing Out, but then I discovered how many points I could get from grrlpup for bringing her ten pages of descriptions of dogs. :-D

[sanguinity]

It's been a few years since I read it, but my lasting impression is that he's a guy who's always up for a lark. I mean, c'mon, how often do you get asked to be king for a day, no consequences and no reprecussions, just stand there in the fancy clothes and do a little ceremony and feasting? NOT VERY OFTEN

[garonne]

I may have mentioned this before, but I am a huge fan of The Henchmen of Zenda. Probably my favourite KJ Charles novel. It's not enemyslash at all but rather people-on-the-same-side-who-don't-know-if-they-can-trust-each-other-slash. And the two Rudolfs hardly feature at all!

I do, however, think that two Rudolfs and one Rupert is a bit much for one book.

Haha, yes.

[luzula]

I have some sympathy with his sister-in-law's opinion of him being idle, useless and rich...

[luzula]

I hope you enjoyed the femslashy nature of the book! And yes, I see you read my fic. : ) Someone had to write that post-canon reunion…

[luzula]

Oh, did you see whaling stations in the Antarctic? I actually thought there wasn't much whaling anymore…

IMDB tells me there are films from 1937 and 1952, a TV mini series from the 80s, and also a 1979 comedy… but I'm a bad movie watcher, and probably won't get around to watching any of them.

[luzula]

Yep! Looking forward to the KJ Charles one.

Huh, a story about Basque whalers on Iceland is not something I would expect to have been written in Finnish.

[luzula]

Now of course I am curious about what you're reading set in 19th century Ayrshire, but I suppose I will see in your next reading post. : )

The Zenda book does actually lampshade the fact that the king isn't the greatest…but the character saying that implies that the main character should have been king instead! He does seem marginally better, but he isn't that great either.

[luzula]

I do remember us talking about K J Charles, but I don't remember you talking about this book in particular! I suppose it wasn't on my radar. Yes, I did see that it wasn't enemy slash, but instead henchmen slash, so to speak. : ) I am curious to see what the author does with the perspective of the other side. Canon even says that they are the ones favored by the common people!

[hyarrowen]

There are a few of the old stations left, just as bleak reminders of what used to happen, not so long ago. Most are being dismantled but some are left at the most visited places - very sobering indeed, especially the beached ships with their harpoons. :(( Only the Japanese continue to whale in the Southern Ocean and the Australians aren't happy about it happening close to "our" territorial waters at all.

The pre and postwar Zenda films are good inconsequential fun, though spookily similar; but I'm not surprised to hear that you're not a film person, considering your audio adventures!