Poetry in Motion
19 November 1850. Lord Tennyson became the Poet Laureate. He held the title for much of Victoria’s reign, and was one of the most popular poets of the Victorian era. He’s also the 2nd most quoted writer in Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, behind, of course, Shakespeare. pic.twitter.com/erS51jvDcZ
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) November 19, 2022
20 November 1910. Russian novelist, Leo Tolstoy, died (aged 82). He’s best known for the novels, War and Peace and Anna Karenina, which are often cited as pinnacles of realist fiction. pic.twitter.com/fxPWcTCeo6
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) November 20, 2022
21 November 1932. Beryl Bainbridge was born in Liverpool. She was best known for her psychological novels and popularising the urban myth of Hitler once living in Liverpool in, Young Adolf. In 2008, The Times named her as one of the “50 Greatest British Writers since 1945”. pic.twitter.com/xcyJBXcIOz
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) November 21, 2022
22 November 1819. George Eliot (Mary Evans), was born in Nuneaton. She wrote 7 novels: Adam Bede, The Mill on the Floss, Silas Marner, Romola, Felix Holt, the Radical, Daniel Deronda and her masterpiece Middlemarch. pic.twitter.com/tIUItl6nid
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) November 22, 2022
22 November 1963. Aldous Huxley died (aged 69). He’s best known for the dystopian novel Brave New World. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature seven times but never won. Huxley died only hours after the assassination of John F. Kennedy. pic.twitter.com/rfqZEsWLUU
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) November 22, 2022
22 November 1963: Author and academic, Clive Staples (CS) Lewis, died. (aged 64). He’s best known for his works of fiction, especially The Screwtape Letters, The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Space Trilogy. pic.twitter.com/fvcwpHIHV4
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) November 22, 2022
23 November 1990. Welsh born writer, Roald Dahl, died (aged 74). His often macabre books aimed at children include, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, and The BFG. His books have sold over 250 million copies worldwide. pic.twitter.com/ZU4E0JOUU2
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) November 23, 2022
24 November 2004. Popular novelist, Arthur Hailey, died (aged 84). His meticulously researched novels, include such best sellers as: Hotel, Airport, Wheels, The Moneychangers, and Overload. His books have sold over 170 million copies in 38 different languages. pic.twitter.com/aSdPe0IXNT
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) November 24, 2022
27 November 2014. The acclaimed British crime writer, PD James, died (aged 94). She rose to fame for her series of detective novels, featuring the police commander and poet, Adam Dalgliesh. During the 1980s, many of her novels were adapted for television by ITV in the UK. pic.twitter.com/WQdnzS3z6f
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) November 27, 2022
28 November 1757. William Blake was born in London. His poem “And did those feet in ancient time”, later became the song, Jerusalem. In 2002, he was placed at No 38 in the BBC’s poll of the 100 Greatest Britons. pic.twitter.com/Sxo5MCUPo0
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) November 28, 2022
28 November 1820. Philosopher, Friedrich Engels, was born in Barmen, Prussia. He co-authored, The Communist Manifesto, with Karl Marx, and he funded his research and writing. He was also a businessman, whose father owned large textile factories in Salford and Barmen, Prussia. pic.twitter.com/0MrVdoKkEB
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) November 28, 2022
28 November 1968. Children’s author, Enid Blyton, died (aged 71). Her books including, Noddy and The Famous Five, have been translated into 90 languages, and have sold over 600 million copies. pic.twitter.com/Fkn1y5fWbD
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) November 28, 2022
29 November 1898. Clive Staples (“CS”) Lewis was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He’s best known for his works of fiction, especially The Screwtape Letters, The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Space Trilogy. He died on the same day as John F Kennedy in 1963. pic.twitter.com/8HKBMQdt9Q
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) November 29, 2022
30 November 1667. Jonathan Swift was born in Dublin, Ireland. He’s best remembered for the political satire, Gulliver’s Travels. George Orwell named him as one of the writers he most admired, but admitted disagreeing with him on almost every moral and political issue. pic.twitter.com/a8NbIrKmHC
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) November 30, 2022
30 November 1835. The novelist and legendary wit, Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens), was born in Florida, Missouri, USA. He’s been called “the father of American Literature”. His novels include: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and its sequel, the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. pic.twitter.com/KSyr2DsVBu
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) November 30, 2022
Just five years previously, Wilde was at the pinnacle of his career. His latest play, The Importance of Being Earnest, opened to packed houses and rapturous reviews (one of those rare instances where a work of genius is immediately recognised as such). pic.twitter.com/9hr1uBJc0V
— The School of Life (@TheSchoolOfLife) November 30, 2022
The Marquis’s son, Alfred Douglas, had been Wilde’s lover for the past four years. Though their relationship was tempestuous — involving many fallings out and makings up — Wilde remained devoted to his dear ‘Bosie’. pic.twitter.com/tYYI1dEZJb
— The School of Life (@TheSchoolOfLife) November 30, 2022
Queensbury planned to attend the premiere of The Importance of Being Earnest and throw rotting vegetables at Wilde when he appeared on stage at the play’s end. When Wilde found out about his plan, he had him barred from the theatre. pic.twitter.com/U8CCYxtktw
— The School of Life (@TheSchoolOfLife) November 30, 2022
This, we should note, was not merely an insult. Homosexuality between men — or ‘sodomy’, as it was known at the time — was a criminal offence in Britain (as it would remain until 1967). pic.twitter.com/dbpx8a0Q3p
— The School of Life (@TheSchoolOfLife) November 30, 2022
The libel trial began on the 3rd of April at the Old Bailey. Under cross-examination, Wilde offered a typically witty and brilliant refutation of the supposed ‘degeneracy’ evident in his writings. But this was not the only evidence the defence had against him… pic.twitter.com/DQRVflxKqs
— The School of Life (@TheSchoolOfLife) November 30, 2022
When the scale of the evidence against him was made clear, Wilde dropped the case. Since this amounted to a tacit admission of his ‘crimes’, a warrant was immediately issued for his arrest. pic.twitter.com/TjCZ9Va8Q4
— The School of Life (@TheSchoolOfLife) November 30, 2022
The second trial began on April 26th. Once again, Wilde was brilliant on the stand; launching an impassioned defence of same-sex love — ‘the love that dare’s not speak its name’ — through the ages. pic.twitter.com/n3TivtW0kG
— The School of Life (@TheSchoolOfLife) November 30, 2022
Wilde received the maximum sentence possible: two years of hard labour. This would include spending hours walking on a treadmill and unravelling threads of rope: pointless, menial tasks designed to break the prisoner’s body and spirit. pic.twitter.com/irIBfroL8u
— The School of Life (@TheSchoolOfLife) November 30, 2022