#Wordsworth Grasmere

[vox-anglosphere]

Wordsworth would be so pleased to see these daffodils every spring!

[edwardian-girl-next-door]

Dove Cottage, home of William Wordsworth

from A Very British Murder with Lucy Worsley, ep. 1

[drainpipecore]

Lake District, UK

[octaviasdread]

(Don’t repost)

Dorothy Wordsworth’s Grasmere Journal (1800), Dove Cottage

[chrissieslibrary]

The loveliest place

[internatural]

#Photo William Wordsworth's passport, from the collection

@WordsworthGras via @Wordsworthians

[timetolearnoclock]

vale of Grasmere

“Rhododendrons color the vale of Grasmere, where Wordsworth composed much of his poetry.”

April 1956

Quote taken from original text included with the image in the magazine

[sirenjose]

Theory: Lake District/Cumbria, England = basis for Oletus manor, Lakeside, and Golden Cave?

Lake District sits just below the Scottish border and includes England’s largest lake, Windermere, and tallest mountains, Scaffel

Pike.

It is also a national park known for its beaty, in part due to Wiliam Wordsworth, a famous poet who lived in Grasmere who wrote works like “Guide to the Lakes”, and others, including the “Lake Poets” (such as Coleridge and Southey) of the Romantic movement who were inspired by the area’s natural beauty, JMW Turner who was a well known Romantic landscape painter, and Beatrix Potter who was known for her popular children’s stories like Peter Rabbit.

It was initially a wild and remote place until, due to famous and influential individuals like those mentioned combined with the introduction of railways, it became 1 of the UK’s biggest tourist draws.

The theme of “natural beauty” and sort of isolation from the big cities connects to how the DeRoss couple 1st bought Oletus Manor, as we see in Oletus Manor’s original backstory: “Why did they buy this weird manor? Because they fancy the beautiful natural scenery and clean environment around it, they feel that this is conducive to artistic creation”. This fits really well with William Wordsworth, and considering Dennis is said to be a painter and the mother said to be a composer, not to mention the manor’s obvious emphasis on art and the like, that connects to the other famous individuals at Lake District (painters, poets, people into the arts and literature and so on).

Not to mention the mountains and lakes, especially with the tallest and largest being in the area, connects to Oletus Manor, as we know it was “a huge estate in a remote mountain area”. Likely the same mountainous area that connects to Lakeside and its lake. And there are fish in lakes like Windermere, and combined with the sort of remoteness of Lake District, you could imagine it’d fit with a place like Lakeside Village, a poor fishing village.

Additionally, people were attracted to Lakeside Village due to a horror novel titled “Lakeside Trails”. After the works of Wordsworth and others, with the introduction of trains, many people started flocking to Lake District (so much so Wordsworth started complaining), and they similarly brought children here for vacations like is described in Hastur’s deductions (and rich built wealthy mansions here too, just like Oletus Manor).

Then there’s how we know Golden Cave was at the foot of this mountain, and Cumbria does have mines, including Coal mines around Whitehaven dominated by the Lowther family (reminiscent of Count Barriere’s control of multiple areas) for a long period of time. There were even some disasters at a couple of these mines, including at Wellington Pit and Haig Pit (both after 1900 but still). On top of this, there has been some gold found in Lake District (such as at Dunmail Raise, Blencathra Mountains, Mungrisdale, Troutbeck, and Sedbergh), including in the streams in mountains just like Golden Cave’s backstory: “the once uninhabited barren mountain was rumored to have gold sand flowing in its streams”.

[alessandro-accebbi]

THE GINGERBREAD LADIES, Grasmere, Lake District, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 by Bob Radlinski on Flickr

Probably the most popular tourist spot in Grasmere is a tiny shop in a former 1630's school (Wordsworth occasionally taught there) that sells their famous gingerbread, as evidenced by the long queue out the door.

According to the shop's owners, "Victorian cook Sarah Nelson invented Grasmere Gingerbread® in 1854 in the English Lake District village from where it gets its name. A unique, spicy-sweet cross between a biscuit and cake, its reputation quickly spread and it is now enjoyed by food lovers all over the world. This unique and delicious gingerbread is freshly baked everyday to the secret recipe and is only obtainable from this shop or through the international mail order service."

[literateish]

books i’ve read in 2023

astrid parker doesn’t fail by ashley herring blake

anxious people by fredrik backman

shadow & bone by leigh bardugo

lessons in chemistry by bonnie garmus

siege & storm by leigh bardugo

red dragon by thomas harris

ruin & rising by leigh bardugo

romeo and juliet by william shakespeare

convenience store woman by sayaka murata

small things like these by claire keegan

alice’s adventures in wonderland by lewis carroll

black widow: shield’s most wanted

black widow: the name of the rose

the history of mary prince by mary prince

brighton rock by graham greene

hook, line, and sinker by tessa bailey

five survive by holly jackson

ethel and ernest by raymond briggs

the midnight library by matt haig

all of you every single one by beatrice hitchman

hamlet by william shakespeare

set on you by amy lea

if we were villains by m. l. rio

the woman in white by wilkie collins

the guernsey literary and potato peel pie society by annie barrows and mary ann shaffer

i’m glad my mom died by jennette mccurdy

the interesting narrative and other writings by olaudah equiano

vicious by v. e. schwab

confessions of an english opium eater by thomas de quincey

november 9 by colleen hoover

a thousand ships by natalie haynes

open water by caleb azumah nelson

the necessity of stars by e. catherine tobler

exes and o’s by amy lea

alice in wonderland by lewis carroll (reread)

on earth we’re briefly gorgeous by ocean vuong

the little prince by antoine de saint-exupery

the bell jar by sylvia plath

the web of black widow

black widow: deadly origin

up at the villa by w. somerset maugham

black widow: the ties that bind

black widow: i am black widow

black widow: die by the blade

the death of captain america

black widow: welcome to the game

the death of captain america 2

winter soldier: the longest winter

the death of captain america 3

winter soldier: broken arrow

winter soldier: black widow hunt

winter soldier: electric ghost

black widow: the name of the rose

frankenstein by mary shelley

black widow: kiss or kill

black widow: itsy bitsy spider

young avengers: complete collection

twelfth night by william shakespeare

romeo and juliet by william shakespeare

drunk on love by jasmine guillory

trespasses by louise kennedy

fahrenheit 451 by ray bradbury

icebreaker by hannah grace

captain america: symbol of truth

captain america: sentinel of liberty

northanger abbey by jane austen

the wrongs of woman by mary wollstonecraft

the history of mary prince by mary prince

swimming in the dark by tomasz jedrowski

brokeback mountain by annie proulx

fourth wing by rebecca yarros

arthur and teddy are coming out by ryan love

black widow: the finely woven thread

black widow: the tightly tangled web

zodiac academy 1 by caroline peckham

black widow: last days

zodiac academy 2 by caroline peckham

carrie soto is back by taylor jenkins reid

zodiac academy 3 by caroline peckham

zodiac academy 4 by caroline peckham

zodiac academy 5 by caroline peckham

zodiac academy 6 by caroline peckham

athena’s child by hannah lynn

legends and lattes by travis baldtree

the burning chambers by kate mosse

jeoffrey the poets cat by oliver soden

the retreat by sarah pearse

zodiac academy 7 by caroline peckham

twisted love by ana huang

medusa by jessie burton

the housekeeper and the professor by yōko ogawa

the hike by lucy clarke

beautiful world where are you by sally rooney

fix her up by tessa bailey

love theoretically by ali hazelwood

the american roommate experiment by elena armas

hester by laurie lico albanese

the definitive black widow by stan lee

sense and sensibility by jane austen

civil war by mark millar

transcendent kingdom by yaa gyasi

hamnet by maggie o’farrell

wuthering heights by emily brönte

a room of one’s own by virginia woolf

northanger abbey by jane austen

the grasmere journals by dorothy wordsworth

things fall apart by chinua achebe

the adoption papers by jackie kay

sense and sensibility by jane austen

just like home by sarah gailey

pride and prejudice by jane austen

chéri by colette

zodiac academy 8 by caroline peckham

nervous conditions by tsitsi dangarembga

persuasion by jane austen

new animal by ella baxter

mansfield park by jane austen

the night watch by sarah waters

zong by marlene nourbese philip

chronicle of youth by vera brittain

faces in the water by janet frame

iron flame by rebecca yarros

beloved by toni morrison

fen by daisy johnson

regeneration by pat barker

[vox-anglosphere]

As the village of Grasmere charmed Wordsworth, so it does us today

[natromanxoff]

Melody Maker (September 15, 1984): 2/?

Credits to Michael Kane.

QUEEN release a new single this week. Titled "Hammer To Fall" the song and the accompanying B side "Tear It Up" have both been written by Brian May (the previous three singles were written in turn by the three other group members).

Released in both seven- and 12-inch formats, each is different from the track featured on "The Works" album and the 12-inch features a special remix of the A side. The video for the song has been directed by David Mallet and was specially filmed on the opening night of their current tour, in Brussels on August 24 — the first live video from "The Works" album. They also shortly plan to release the collected videos from the album through Picture Music International which will feature the videos of "Radio Ga Ga", "It's A Hard Life" and the current release.

~~

FREDDIE EXPOSED!

THIS is the moment Wembley had been waiting for. The crowd was at boiling point and Queen reached their climax. Up went the Mercury jumper to reveal… he doesn't even wear a bra!

~~

I KNOW the attached poem is hardly Wordsworth, but it does put over what I want to say. I've written it as a protest at the lack of seats available to see Queen this year. Surely the organisers can find bigger venues than those at Wembley Arena and in Birmingham for a group as popular as Queen. I'm sure there must be a helluva lot of disappointed people like my fiancee and I who couldn't get tickets.

Oh well, I've had my little moan and perhaps next year they'll choose venues worthy of the Queen following.

Messrs Mercury, Taylor, Deacon and May,

I don't know how to put what I have to say,

So I wrote it like this and I hope you'll see

What it is that's upsetting me.

Please do a gig in the open air

Because to me it just isn't fair.

Only a few will see you this year,

While many like me will shed a tear

Wembley and Birmingham are too small for you.

Do it again like in '82.

I know bog seats were thrown at Teardrop Explodes,

And a nutter was sleeping on top of some poles,

But waves of excitement floated above

An atmosphere of contentment and love.

It was really great fun, please do it again,

And give more a chance to hear your classic refrains.

ANNIE STEWART, Mayfield Gardens, Dover.

GOSH Annie! I didn't realise Queen were too popular for Wembley Arena! All I can suggest is the Gobi Desert. Lots of room, guaranteed weather, responsive tribesmen, and little chance of any of you getting back. Your poem is closer to Wordsworth than you give yourself credit for. For example,

"I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a nutter atop some poles

Amid a host of daffodils."

Then there's the Grasmere Elegist's "Ode On An Outdoor Gig”:

"Up! Up! O pagan pals and wrench

Th' seat from off this bog,

And hurl it like a knightly gage

l' th' face of Teardrop Explodes on stage.”

~~

ROYAL FLASH

Queen

Wembley Arena

IT had been a very bad day for Freddie. First of all, his old minder had gone and done the usual spill-the-beans-for-a-few-readies-more routine, alleging all manner of decadent activities, boys, drink, drugs, good grief, that sort of thing. Then we were all touched to the very bare bone by the sad tale of the Mercury love life, shucks, the-nobody-really-likes-me-even-though-I'm-far-from-being-a-down-and-out saga of woe.

And finally, to add prestige to injury, Fred opens up his favourite music paper to find that he has been forever labelled as a Golden Wally. As he made his way over to the microphone, the crowd held their breath to hear what the great man would have to say about these various peddlers of downright filth.

"You've all been reading a lot of things in the press today." Oops, here we go. "Let me just say that the stories about us splitting up are all unfuckingtrue! Yeah! Alright! We fuckinglove you! Yeah!"

Not a mention of the four grand a week that was supposed to go up the old nostrils, not even a whisper concerning the Golden Wally smear campaign. Just a startling testament of faith as regards the future of the dinosaur Queen, a beast for which a slow lingering death would surely be the best option for all concerned.

Actually, a very fast painful death was on this doctor's prescription card after just 20 minutes of tonight's "Works" extravaganza. Naively hoping to hear a selection of the very best singles which this band have produced over the years, we were treated (sic) instead to the biggest grossout this side of Giant Haystacks' beergut. All horrible frenzied guitar breaks, forgettable album tracks, and no sign at all of the subtleties one might hope to expect from a band who have written something as glorious as "Don't Stop Me Now". And no, I'm being totally serious.

Luckily enough, things started to improve a bit once the Mercury man got rid of his vest. He joined guitarist Brian May for a pleasant acoustic spot, before calling the dwarf Taylor and the faintly embarrassed looking Deacon back on for a truly blistering "Crazy Little Thing Called Love". The rest of the second half of the performance comprised mainly of such oldies and almost goldies and thus just about managed to save the show.

At the end of this very bad day for Freddie, only rescued from total disaster by trotting out the entire back catalogue, a great "Bohemian Rhapsody" included, two comparisons spring to mind. One, Queen are not unlike an all-male British Abba, good enough when they stick to the hits but big on the crap factor when they are let loose in public. And Freddie has a far better bum of course. Two, for all his camp peacock and feathers posturing, Fred still manages to look something like a perverse cross between a veteran bullfighter and a part-time member of the RUC.

Just as the full implications of this revelation were being worked out, however, he went and spoiled it all by emerging for the encore with a simply massive pair of boobs strapped to his chest. He lifted them up, played with them for a bit, and finally, in a gesture which showed that all the worries of this strange day were now behind him, he went over to his bass player and pushed these enormous jugs right into his face. Deacon smiled. Freddie laughed. I rushed home and made a breathless phone call to Fleet Street.

BARRY MclLHENEY

~~

FREDDIE MERCURY: "Love Kills" (CBS).

COME off it! "From the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Metropolis”?!!!! Personally I can't wait to see Freddie as Rhett Butler in the brand new hip-hop-style remake of "Gone With Wind-Up” (just imagine the burning of Atlanta in Queen's next video). This is a collaboration between Freddie-baby and Giorgio Moroder, and is a 50 carat non-song suspended inelegantly over the predictable electronic bloop-and-mutter rhythm track.

Goshdarn. money for old rope once you're up there, isn't it? Blarney for robots, hand-built by Turkish waiters. Glurp. Frankly my dear, I couldn't give a (that's enough - Ed).

[werewolfetone]

Romanticism tumblr look at this thing from the Wordsworth Grasmere blog (it's a super interesting article actually but I am just looking at. this image)

[blackwaterridge]

"I shall be beloved-I want no more": Dorothy Wordsworth's Rhetoric and the Appeal to Feeling in The Grasmere Journals

[poem-today]

Two poems with the same title by William Wordsworth

To a Butterfly

Written in the orchard, Town-end, Grasmere.

I've watched you now a full half-hour; Self-poised upon that yellow flower And, little Butterfly! indeed I know not if you sleep or feed. How motionless!--not frozen seas More motionless! and then What joy awaits you, when the breeze Hath found you out among the trees, And calls you forth again!

This plot of orchard-ground is ours; My trees they are, my Sister's flowers; Here rest your wings when they are weary; Here lodge as in a sanctuary! Come often to us, fear no wrong; Sit near us on the bough! We'll talk of sunshine and of song, And summer days, when we were young; Sweet childish days, that were as long As twenty days are now. 

To a Butterfly

Stay near me--do not take thy flight! A little longer stay in sight! Much converse do I find in thee, Historian of my infancy! Float near me; do not yet depart! Dead times revive in thee: Thou bring'st, gay creature as thou art! A solemn image to my heart, My father's family!

Oh! pleasant, pleasant were the days, The time, when, in our childish plays, My sister Emmeline and I Together chased the butterfly! A very hunter did I rush Upon the prey:--with leaps and springs I followed on from brake to bush; But she, God love her, feared to brush The dust from off its wings.

William Wordsworth (1770-1850)

Dorothy Wordsworth describes the composition of the poem: William had slept badly – he got up at 9 o clock, but before he rose he had finished with the Beggar Boys – & while we were at Breakfast that is (for I had Breakfasted) he, with his Basin of Broth before him untouched & a little plate of Bread and butter he wrote the Poem to a Butterfly! – He ate not a morsel, nor put on his stockings but sate with shirt neck unbuttoned, & his waistcoat open while he did it. The thought first came upon him as we were talking about the pleasure we both always feel at the sight of a Butterfly

[jasonsmirrorball]

Dorothy Wordsworth, 'From the Grasmere Journals 'Thursday 15 April 1802'