Rudyard Kipling’s The Norman and the Saxon is a poem steeped in history, but it also serves as a stark and prophetic warning. On the surface, it appears to be a study of the differences between the Norman conquerors and the Saxons they subdued, but beneath the historical veneer lies a commentary on resilience, justice, … Continue reading The Saxon Spirit in a Modern Age: Kipling’s The Norman and the Saxon
Tag: Farmer
A Whistle of Innocence: A Detailed and Wry Look at Whistle Down the Wind
Two new posts today - I've been stacking them while I've been poorly. I'm on the mend now, I think, so I have a lot more to share. When Mary Hayley Bell’s novel Whistle Down the Wind was published in 1958, it came wrapped in an intriguing premise: what happens when a group of naïve children stumble … Continue reading A Whistle of Innocence: A Detailed and Wry Look at Whistle Down the Wind
The Withered Arm
I love Thomas Hardy's work, even though when he writes some of his characters' dialogue in the vernacular, it's enough to make you dig your fingernails into your palms! Thomas Hardy, that wizard of Wessex, had a knack for creating vivid and often haunting stories steeped in the bleak beauty of rural England. In The … Continue reading The Withered Arm
Wheat Fields
There were different stages of wheat-fuelled fun to be had in my childhood, all just a stone’s throw from my back yard, and each one as thrilling as a page from an adventure book. A great wall stood between me and my golden kingdom - a towering behemoth in my young eyes, its domed, half-moon … Continue reading Wheat Fields
Wording 