- Mein Ericaerection is currently in abeyance -- Rolf Grolsch, 19:46:05 02/17/05 Thu
HEADLINE: A palace coup--but it had to be done
BYLINE: Sarah Bradford
SOURCE: The Sunday Telegraph
DATE: 13 February 2005
[blah blah blah]
The novelist Julian Barnes wrote in 1995 that when he was growing up the Royal Family operated as a moral and domestic exemplar for most of Her Majesty's subjects. "This function", he added, "is currently in abeyance." Indeed, apart from the shining example of the Queen herself, it is. The events of the 1990s destroyed the "ideal family" image of the monarchy that had been so assiduously promoted since the days of Queen Victoria.
That Charles could marry Camilla without expressions of popular outrage is an acknowledgment of this. People no longer expect the Royal Family to behave better than the rest of us; many of the generation under, say, the age of 50 positively welcome the fact. "Good on him" is their reaction. As a pre-emptive strike, Thursday's announcement has another advantage in avoiding the possible threat to the succession had it been left until after the death of the Queen. There will be unresolved problems such as the position of the Church of England in its close relationship with the Crown, but in handling the matter as it has, the monarchy has shown a new sensitivity towards public opinion and a willingness to take action before it is overwhelmed by event. A line has been drawn under the traumatic recent past.
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- what are the points relevant in cross channel ? -- mourad, 10:02:14 12/03/03 Wed
i'd like to know the main ideas contained in cross channel.
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- theme of alienation in history of the world in 10 1/2 chapters -- Siobhan Limbrick, 05:45:55 02/07/03 Fri
I am doing A level coursework on History of the World in 10 1/2 chapters and my question is how Barnes shows the theme of alienation through his language and any other ways in which he brings across this theme.I would be grateful for any help you can provide me.
Thank you very much
Siobhan
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- Heisenberg's Principal of Uncertainty -- Patrick, 05:48:04 05/11/04 Tue
In The Pedant in the Kitchen Julian Barnes refers to Heisenberg's Pricipal of Uncertainty twice (pages 90 and 94). When I first came across it I had anticipated seeing it again, because I expected that he would desribe, or explain it. He didn't.
So I am still uncertain as to what it is. (Sorry I couldn't resist that.
Can anyone assist?
Patrick
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- The Mystery/Detective Novels. -- Juan Galis-Menendez, 16:10:34 09/18/04 Sat
I find it intriguing that Julian Barnes elected to turn HIMSELF into a fictional person, complete with an invented history and to write detective novels as this new character.
Perhaps it was a way of making a part of his life (and, thus, of himself) into a fictional character too -- something which most of us these days are good at doing anyway. An author who does this, however, immediately creates a hall of mirrors for the reader: this is Barnes, writing as the character "Dan," in the first person, who is himself writing as the character "Duffy," who is a detective ...
All of this seems like clever French-lit stuff, except that I don't eat souffle and I seem to remember much of the same game-playing from good, solid, dependable English writers like Fowles (see the story "Enigma" and the brief essay "The John Fowles Club"); or bizarre writers from outlandish places, like Borges (see "Borges y Yo").
What is all this nonsense? Is it un-British? Should Barnes go into politics?
My favorite Barnes novels are: "England, England"; "Flaubert's Parrot," and "Love, etc."
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- Is love something that can be analized through discourse analysis? -- Myrna, 17:13:43 08/29/04 Sun
Hi everyone. Eight years ago I came acroos A history of the world and I simply loved it, especially Parenthesis, which portrays the nature of love so deliciously described. Last year I concluded a Masters degree in Applied Linguistics and I am really looking forward to getting my degree by carrying out a discursive analysis of Parenthesis. In one of my chapters I would like to include comments from everyone who is willing to share his/her points of view about Parenthesis, so feel free to write and tell me what you thought and felt after reading this great work of art.
Thank you and best regards from Mexico.
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- The pedant in the kitchen -- Eleanor, 05:24:48 07/23/04 Fri
I'd like to have some opinions on the pedant in the kitchen. I'd like to write an essay for my degree on Julian Barnes, and I'm just curious about that book.
Thanks, Eleanor
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- Trespass -- Steve Wild, 13:23:23 07/20/04 Tue
Trespass
Just heard this story on radio 3 - brilliant
I really enjoyed it
Thank you
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- Saddam Hussain's trial and Julian Barnes' The Porcupine -- Cyrus, 22:58:39 07/05/04 Mon
For those who have already read Julian Barnes' The Porcupine, Saddam Hussain's trial would appear as a deja vu. Can someone volunteer to actually compare the Saddam's court trial transcript, and passages from The Porcupine?
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- Madame Bovary -- Paul Andrews, 05:32:20 06/23/04 Wed
Yes, I know that Madame Bovary is only best read in the original French, but for those whose French is not quite up to the task, which is the 'best' English translation that comes closest to Flaubert?
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- the 1/2 chapter on love.. -- Lyan, 00:04:08 06/24/04 Thu
Hello everyone:)I am new around here but certainly adore Julian Barnes' work..Well,just wished to know your thoughts on the half chapter on love in " The History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters"..Do you think the post-modern or even the post-post modern world would provide a suitable another half a chapter to complete Barnes' one?..Or is it Love the myth that is everpresent as a backdrop for the history of the world?
I was also thinking about the nature of the original sin..maybe the Barnes could have started from it and not media res as he did...What do you think?
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- Beetroot, Beeton and Playfair -- Ryetee, 00:25:07 06/22/04 Tue
I was intrigued by this in The Pedant in the Kitchen:
"When first introduced into Britain, in the seventeenth century, [the beetroot] was viewed as a sweet pleasure of various application; there is even an eighteenth-century recipe for 'crimson biscuits of red beet-root'. But native puritanism kicked in at some subsequent point: this is a vegetable which naturally tastes nice and sweet, so let's make it taste nasty and sour. Mrs Beeton offers only two ways of treating it - pickling and boiling; though she also does cite Dr Lyon Playfair's unexciting recipe for cheapo brown bread made by rasping down the root and mixing it with an equal amount of flour."
because Dr Lyon Playfair is a distant ancestor. Resorting to my copy of Mrs Beeton, I can find no such reference. However, my copy is the "New and enlarged edition" (costing One Shilling) published in 1894 - so it may be a bit new-fangled.
Is anyone able to throw any light on the beetroot/Beeton /Playfair connection?
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- Luke Slattery Madness -- Erica Hateley, 11:04:23 06/19/04 Sat
Luke Slattery - an Australian opinion writer for "The Australian" newspaper - has this weekend outdone himself with his usual infuriating nutbaggery ideas by going to town on Barnes's "The Pedant in the Kitchen", informing the reader that he was "thus saddened to pick up a book by Julian Barnes" (this comes amid a rant about people who are interested in discussing food).
My favourite annoying moment?:
"What was I doing with the book? Reading a much-loved author. What was the writer doing? Fussing about food."
There you go, don't bother reading "Pedant" - apparenly it's just fussing. Ah, where would we be without Luke Slattery?
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- Dan Kavanagh's in Russian -- leo, 07:47:26 12/19/03 Fri
Hi there!
If anybody has any link or file with any of Dan Kavanagh's novel in Russian - please let me know!
your reply is much appreciated!
peace!
leo
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- the use of french in talking it over -- anna, 04:09:26 01/31/04 Sat
hi everyone,
i study talking it over for my memoire, and i wonder whether the main reasons for the use of french are to show oliver as pedantic and to "test" the english reader's knowledge of french vocabulary; and i also wonder why julian barnes has chosen to translate some words or phrases into french rather than others.
does anyone know?
thanks alot for answering.
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- Albion or Anglia? -- Birke, 04:44:06 04/24/04 Sat
Does anyone know why in the Picador edition (1999) of England, England the last part is called 'Albion', and not 'Anglia' like in the original Cape-edition????
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- The Story Of Mats Israelson -- Naveen, 06:57:32 04/16/04 Fri
This is a story from the new collection, The Lemon Table. Anyone has thoughts about the significance of 'the gunshots to awaken the echoes'? Something seems missing about the story to me. Any insight will be appreciated.
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- Dan Kavanaugh -- Lisa M. Brownlee, 12:09:27 04/13/04 Tue
Does anyone know whether Julian Barnes will ever again publish any Duffy/Kavanaugh books? I loved them!
Thanks.
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- Rennes -- Lebrun Gilbert, 02:33:23 04/15/04 Thu
Avez-vous le moyen de transmettre ce message à Julian Barnes ? D'avance merci.
Bonjour M. Barnes
J'ai découvert, par hasard, votre livre "Quelque chose à déclarer ?" que je lis en ce moment avec plaisir. De vous, je connaissais également Metroland. Cette fois, mon oeil a été attiré par la dernière de couverture où vous évoquez votre passage à Rennes, en 1966, au collège Saint-Martin. Or, j'arrivais en classe de 6e dans ce collège cette année-là et je me souviens effectivement de la présence d'un lecteur anglais. J'ai donc lu avec délectation les quelques pages où vous tirez un portrait savoureux des "bons pères" de l'établissement. Je dois vous dire aussi que j'ai été, comme vous, marqué par la vision d'un de mes premiers morts (le père Roussel).
Aujourd'hui journaliste à Rennes (rédacteur-en-chef du mensuel Le Rennais, édité par la ville), je fais faire un écho sur le livre et cette allusion à Rennes, dans notre prochain numéro.
Je pourrais être amené également, si vous en étiez d'accord, à vous solliciter pour un témoignage sur votre passage dans le collège. Car je suis toujours en relation avec certains anciens élèves, qui s'occupent du Carillon (qui existe toujours !).
En espérant que ce message vous parviendra, je vous remercie à nouveau d'avoir fait ressurgir une petite bribe de mon enfance !
Gilbert Lebrun (02.99.28.55.17)
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- Summaries -- Brandon, 22:08:59 04/11/04 Sun
Hey, does anyone have any cliff notes or summaries of each of the chapters in "A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters." If so please wirte back and/or send to my email.
Thanks
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- Cross Channel -- Dominique Martin, 12:34:35 04/06/04 Tue
Which themes would you suggest for the study of Cross Channel with French Students?
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- Barnes is bugged by absolute & eternal non-existence -- F. Zoeller, 15:29:42 03/22/04 Mon
The following address is for a Barnes interview:
http://news.scotsman.com/archive.cfm?id=325892004
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- History of sexuality -- stanislav, 00:14:11 03/17/04 Wed
I've just finished with "England,England".It's a great and stunning thing but I think that JB cares too much about sex.Were "short histories of sexuality of Martha and Paul" really necessary for understanding their characters? As for me,it's quite irrelevant and just spoil beautifull book.
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- Is Metroland a so called "Erziehngsroman" ? -- hayabusa, 12:58:13 02/25/04 Wed
I´m not quite shure but do you think that "metroland" by Julian Barnes can be descibed as an "Erziehungsroman". If you don´t know what this means here is a quote from the victorian web forum: "The term Bildungsroman denotes a novel of all-around self-development. Used generally, it encompasses a few similar genres: the Entwicklungsroman, a story of general growth rather than self-culture; the Erziehungsroman, which focuses on training and formal education; and the Kunstlerroman, about the development of an artist. (The Space Between, 13) Although Great Expectations, Aurora Leigh, and Waterland may fit one of these more specific categories, for the purposes of comparison, I shall discuss the Bildungsroman genre as a whole and how it applies to all three. My definition of Bildungsroman is a distilled version of the one offered by Marianne Hirsch in "The Novel of Formation as Genre". So why do you think Metroland could be an Erziehungsroman and why not.
Thanks a lot
hayabusa
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- Canadian distribution rights for Flaubert's Parrot -- Frank, 19:42:01 02/26/04 Thu
Can anyone explain why no Canadian bookstore has been authorized to distrbute Flaubert's Parrot for over a decade now? How can Barnes leave so many would-be Barnes readers in Canada in the lurch.
Fortunately, I teach this novel in the context of comparative literature, and the students will be able to read it French translation, but this is nonetheless an unacceptable situation.
FR
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- In the Land of Pain -- Barbara, 05:54:33 01/28/04 Wed
Will be grateful for any tips whether excerpts from "In the Land of Pain" could be found anywhere online.
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- The Pedant in the Kitchen -- Ryan, 05:16:09 09/10/03 Wed
Next month, Julian Barnes will publish a collection of essays on food and cooking. Check the Pedant in the Kitchen Website for more information.
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