pumpkinstrokemarrow

A few weeks ago I was reminded about 'The Story of San Michele' by something in the TLS. What little I can recall, suggests that the something was a review of a book about a house called San Michele, a shocking pink affair on top of a Caprivan cliff, visible for miles around, \although Mr G. suggests that it is a tasteful affair, painted white. But I decided that reading the original book about the house might be a better bet. So, having thown my parents copy away some years ago, part of one of my periodic culls, off to the Surrey Library Service website, request the thing, which duly turns up a day or so later, courtesy of Caterham Valley Library. It seems that the book was a huge best seller in its day (1929), the library copy being the 84th English printing from 1976, but now reads a bit oddly with a strange mix of fact and fancy. But clearly an interesting chap.

So then attempt to find out what it was in the TLS which attracted my attention in the first place and get onto the TLS subscriber archive, which I seem to be able to get onto without any kind of log on procedure. Complete failure to find anything remotely relevant either under the saint or under A. Munthe. So now rather frustrated.

On the other hand, some of Axel's fancy is about the goblins, trolls and what-have-you which inhabited the world of the Laplanders of his day. Which happens to coincide with two other related events. Firstly, with a recent reading of a book about dark age Europe. Attila, Odacer, Gaiseric, Clovis and all that gang. Goths, Franks and Vandals. Secondly, with a long peice in this week's TLS about a peice of Norse reconstruction by Tolkein senior, assembled and published by Tolkein junior. A must read for anyone with interests in Old English, Old Norse and so on. I may even give it a go myself. But do I have time and energy enough to do the £35 needed to pass go justice? Not really the sort of thing that Surrey can be expected to cough up out of the public purse.

Anyway, it seems that both Tolkein's and Wagner's ringology (the former not having much time for that of the latter) were firmly based in some scattered remnants of ancient north European verse, themselves with some foundation in the history of dark age Europe. Remants which go a fuller mile than the bard on incest, rape and pillage, but which are considered by cognoscenti to be terrific stuff. Presumably why in the good old days, Oxbridge students of English were required to do Old English. Presumably, no more.