Round the Herne

 Some thoughts on Virtue Ethics and the ideas that abounded in Ancient Greece, with the occasional foray into Roman and other cultures. I might extend this to reflect on some other moral values in a future recording. The notion of what constitutes a decent life and how best to behave in the world continues to interest me. It would be good to discuss these notions with someone once again.  

My reading of the ninth and final story in Oscar Wilde's children's collection, "The Fisherman and his Soul". His children must have had a good attention span to stay focused on what is quite a convoluted account with a bleak ending (this latter consistent with the other stories in this collection). I did wonder if C S Lewis had read this prior to dreaming up Narnia - especially the final blessing delivered by the priest. The tension between Pagan and Christian stretches through this tale, achieving a kind of resolution by the end. There is a definite intertextual link between the two authors. Some of the language is no longer considered correct, so best not to listen if such things offend you.

  My reading of the eighth of Oscar Wilde's children's stories, "The Star Child". A suddenly bleak ending to what would otherwise be a somewhat tried and trusted formula for a fairy tale. The silly voices went somewhat askew in this, but if I don't draw anyone's attention to it they might not notice. I'm not sure if the recent fixation with Star Children and all the equally silly terms bandied about for overindulged brats has any connection to Wilde's story.

  My reading of the seventh of the children's stories in Oscar Wilde's collection, "The Birthday of the Infanta". A long tale, rich on sumptuous detail and Wilde's deep knowledge of and joy in evoking the glories of the natural realms. The tragedy turns somewhat on a revision of Caliban's bitter moment with the mirror as well as speaking to the utter vacuity of the supremely indulged. As an incidental aside, when the naïve Dwarf describes his encounter with a church procession moving through the forest the figures in yellow bearing candles are the victims of the Inquisition who have been doomed to execution after being paraded in robes depicting the crimes of which they have been convicted.

 My reading of the sixth of Oscar Wilde's children's stories from his collection, "The Young King". A visually sumptuous story filled with Wilde's love of description. Some of the language is a bit dated so if you are offended by such things best not to listen. One of the dream sequences is resonant of Greek myth and the presence of the nosoi (entities that spread diseases). Speaking of Greek references, there are also subtle allusions to Antinous and a few other homoerotic figures slipping in. Perhaps Oscar had not been long back from one of his forays when he composed this story. Wilde's essay of socialism was a tad dull, but this tale puts across many of the same ideas in a much more effective manner. It also avoids offering daft solutions to social problems, which makes a nice change in a politicised text. Although the angelic imagery at the end does imply a resolution without going into any practical details. 

  My reading of the fifth of Oscar Wilde's children's stories, "The Nightingale and the Rose". This is possibly the saddest of the stories with the poignant fate of the little bird who clearly has more passion in her little heart than the dozy pair of humans have in theirs. It is one of my favourites from Oscar's canon. This story inspired a small kind of "tribute act" story of my own which I have told (and possibly recorded, I cannot recall offhand if I have or not) - nowhere near as poetic as Oscar's work but following the same basic plot but with an addendum of sorts to link into fairy lore.

  My reading of the fourth story in Oscar Wilde's collection of children's tales, "The Remarkable Rocket". A complete self-lampoon here by the great man who obviously did not take himself at all seriously (at least at home when entertaining his children). If you hear a lot of background noise it is a combination of pouring rain and a fidgeting dog.

 A reflection (or ramble) on the Jungian concept of synchronicity mainly for the benefit of the Suffolk Jungian Circle who are discussing this idea at the end of the month. It may, of course, interest others and it would be interesting to hear if anyone else has experiences to share around synchronicitous or meaningfully coincidental events happening in their lives.

  My reading of the third of the children's stories by Oscar Wilde, "The Devoted Friend". Aristotelean philosophy about friendship subtly weaves its way through this tale of a bumptious Miller and the downtrodden Hans. The audience of the story fails to grasp the key issue, as is so often the case in the real world. Some of the Miller's views I have heard directly from a certain friend, who in other respects is not at all like the Miller. Which makes me a bit depressed, just thinking about it. As does the reminder that a doormat has to take at least some of the responsibility for all the muddy boot prints stamped into them. Is it too early for a large G&T?

  My reading of the second Oscar Wilde story from his children's collection, "The Selfish Giant". Echoes of Greek myth flow through this one, with the personifications of the weather running amok, though once again the central theme is clearly Christian - with echoes to Anderson's "the Little Match Girl" at least in terms of the ending. The giant also puts me in mind of Grahame's adults in "The Golden Age" (also recorded for this blog) who are referred to as the Olympians.

 This is my reading of the first of Oscar Wilde's nine children's stories, "The Happy Prince", first published in 1888. It is a sad little story, weaving a very Christian sentiment alongside the mythology and natural beauty of Egypt. I wonder if growing up with parents so devoted to Irish myth helped to emphasis the importance of friendship and devotion tot he young Oscar (given that it is a prominent theme in much Irish myth)?