The Golden Age #5

 My reading of the eighth and ninth chapters of Kenneth Grahame's children's classic "The Golden Age" (1895). The narrator encounters an eccentric vicar (with whom I feel a certain sympathy) and then the adult and child views of reality clash - whose ontology will prevail? Only further chapters will show, but the governess's views of the fairy folk are the ones that held sway in late Victorian times and continue to do so in many parts of society to this very day.

I may need to re-record chapter eight to include some Greek words that I skipped over - being able to translate on the hoof is not a skill I possess. One thing I love about Grahame's work is the extensive vocabulary he naturally assumes his young readers (as well as characters) possess. I do not know how loquacious middle-class Victorian children were, but Grahame clearly assumes they have a much bigger vocabulary than even the average 19-year old has these days.

The ninth chapter tips the seasonal wheel into winter.




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