Round the Herne

 Earlier this month we had the third annual Suffolk Jungian Symposium at West Suffolk College. My contribution to the day was a talk applying Jungian principles to Oscar Wilde's novel "The Picture of Dorian Gray" (which also has plenty to say about the human psyche in general and not just as a bit of pretentious lit-crit. The recording of the original event did not come out at all well, so this is a slightly more rambling version of the same thing.

 I gave this talk at a college event in December 2024, recording it now on the off-chance that it might eb of interest to some followers on YouTube or this Blog. The talk interprets some of the ghost stories written by E F Benson, Saki, M R James, and Forrest Reid in the light of sexuality and social isolation. If nothing else, I rather hope that this talk will inspire listeners to want to read the works of the respective authors.

 A discussion with a friend on social media prompted this philosophical musing about the vast popularity of murder as a form of entertainment - films, TV shows, novels (my own included) etc. Along the meandering way there is consideration of Christian theology (well, more soteriology really), the psychological craving for order in the face of chaos, Kantian ethics, and a few other asides.

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.

  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)?

 Back in November I gave a talk/poetry reading about the life of Oscar Wilde, using samples of his poetry and other works to illustrate the story, as a fundraiser for the Albert Kennedy Trust. This recording is the general gist of that talk (if you enjoy it, please donate some cash to the AKT or other charity of your choice). The spirit of Oscar has been hanging around these last few months! This is a rather long recording, but at least you can pause it and get a coffee when it all becomes a bit much! Loom version  link  

 Rathe a belated contribution to World Poetry Day 2022, the choice is partly inspired by a conversation with my adoptive nephew Tom who has acquired a copy of Sir John Betjeman's collected works. So here are four poems by Betjeman and a little waffle to accompany each: The Arrest of Oscar Wilde at the Cadogan Hotel Felixstowe, or the Last of Her Order Monody on the Death of a Platonist Bank Clerk Death in Leamington

 Finding the time to record or write anything of late has proven a challenge. I cannot remember the last time I wrote a poem, so I thought it might help to get in the literary "zone" if I recorded a few poems by other people. The selection here is random with no particular link between the works beyond the fact that I like them. The first offering is "The Only Son" by Rudyard Kipling, a lupine tale (appropriate for my next book) which shows that we often do not know our own relatives very well and that parentage can come in varied forms. This is followed by Stevie Smith's "Mrs Simpkins" which is also about family and reminds us that one person's vision of heaven may be another's vision of hell. Then we have the inimitable Oscar Wilde with "Athanasia", with echoes of Egypt (putting me in mind of my last book) and demonstrating again his passion for the natural world. Finally there is Hilary Llewellyn-Williams' poem "Ursa"...

Seeing as lots of people are reporting on social media how they are feeling as if they are imprisoned in their own homes, I thought I would record Oscar Wilde's monumentally long poem, The Ballad of Reading Gaol, for an insight into what it is really like to be banged up with no escape in sight (unlike just hanging around at home longer than most of us would wish) - I promise to leave Mr Wilde in peace for a while now, having recorded three of his works in as many days. This poem is a bleak one, which Wilde dedicated to a soldier who had been sentenced to hang for murder during the period in which the poet was sentenced for what will probably seem to most a very little thing - bedding Lord Alfred Douglas and rather too many rent boys. The poem addresses the awfulness of Victorian prison life and the horror of capital punishment. After all this recording, I think I need to give my throat a rest for a day or two!

Oscar Wilde was a man of many words, as can be seen from the length of some of his poems. The Garden of Eros is a tad lengthy, but beautiful - an invocation of both the wonders of nature (gardeners should enjoy it) but also the power of myth and legend to transport readers into a whole other realm away from the prosaic and pragmatic. Eros is the god not only of sexual and sensual desire but, in the Platonic philosophy the power of attraction in general - the force that holds atoms together and draws intellects to the the topics that uplift and inspire them. Is Wilde singing the praises of the literary Muse that inspires him, or is he thinking of some pretty young man (hopefully not the petulant Bosie) with whom he has shared his love of Greek Myth, Arthurian romances, and the all the other sagas? I'm not sure it wholly matters to whom the poem is addressed. Ultimately I see it as a love poem to the very power of storytelling itself. The photo, incidentally, is of the gardens at...

Some more poetry to bombard people with - slight variation here, linking poems to pictures instead of having my face on the screen. This is about as technological as I get - no idea how to do the cinematic-style imagery I've seen on professional podcasts. I don't have many subscribers, but I'm interested as to which style of poetry (with or without imagery) people prefer. Today's poems are as follows: The White Hind also by Aonghas MacNeacail, from his collection The Avoiding and Other Poems, published 1986 by MacDonald Publishers Endymion by Oscar Wilde, from the Collected Poems of Oscar Wilde, published 1994 by Wordsworth Poetry Library Bluebells for Love by Patrick Kavanagh, from the anthology The Long Embrace, published 1987 by The Blackstaff Press A Lady of Quality by Thomas Kinsella, also from The Long Embrace

Saw a staged version of the Picture of Dorian Gray at The Wolsey theatre, which was very well done. Still trying to decide what story to record next so, to get back in the habit of podcasting, I decided to do some of Oscar Wilde's poems. The first poem is the relatively short The Harlot's House,a beautifully rhythmic piece which was done (far better) by Vincent Price as part of one of his touring plays several decades ago. For those listeners who have the patience for long poems, the second piece is the obligatory Ballad of Reading Gaol which Wilde wrote in the late 1800s to make readers understand how awful his prison experience was and how dreadful execution was. whilst in prison Wilde rediscovered his Christian faith, though his approach to Christ was decidedly more Hellenised than most people's. His spirituality infuses the poem, and observant listeners will note certain phrases that both poems have in common - it could just be that Wilde liked certain words and reus...