The Fisherman’s Widow by Hendricus Jacobus Burgers (J.H. Burgers), as published in The Illustrated London News on 5 December 1868. When I first came across the story of that engraving – The Fisherman’s Widow – hanging in Mary Jane Kelly’s poky little room at 13 Miller’s Court, it hit me like a punch to the … Continue reading Watching the Empty Horizon: The Fisherman’s Widow, Mary Kelly, and Life’s Unforgiving Sea
Tag: classics
Glinda’s Bubble: A Study in Benevolent Bastardry
I’ve long held a rather unfashionable view about dear Glinda the Good Witch, and it’s high time I set it down in ink – or pixels, as the modern fashion demands. To me, she isn’t merely a fluttering pink confection of benevolence; she’s the most insidious sort of villain, the one who smiles whilst sharpening … Continue reading Glinda’s Bubble: A Study in Benevolent Bastardry
A Very English Form of Possession – de la Mare’s, Seaton’s Aunt
I’ve always thought that the most frightening people don’t slam doors, rattle chains, or float about moaning like an amateur operatic chorus. They make the tea properly. They keep the house tidy. They speak softly. And they watch you. That’s why Seaton’s Aunt by Walter de la Mare unsettles me far more than any amount … Continue reading A Very English Form of Possession – de la Mare’s, Seaton’s Aunt
Not Bad: A Epitaph for Daisy Miller
In the end, they decided she was innocent — and that was all she was ever allowed to be. I’ve always felt that Daisy Miller is less a story about impropriety than about cowardice. Not Daisy’s — heaven forbid — but ours. Ours as readers, as observers, as members of those polite little tribunals that … Continue reading Not Bad: A Epitaph for Daisy Miller
John Martin’s Pandemonium: A Sermon of Fire and Futility
John Martin (1789–1854), Pandemonium, 1841.Oil on canvas. Tate Britain, London. Public domain. There are certain paintings before which I feel less a viewer and more a trespasser — a mortal who has wandered into a divine quarrel. John Martin’s Pandemonium (1841) is one such work. One scarcely enters it so much as one plummets into … Continue reading John Martin’s Pandemonium: A Sermon of Fire and Futility
Wording 