#articles on emma

[lizziestudieshistory]

Books of 2023 - July

Somehow I've read a lot this month but haven't actually finished that many books considering I've been on holiday? I don't really know what happened.

Books read:

Silas Marner by George Eliot - this is by far the biggest surprise of the year. I was convinced I wasn't going to like George Eliot, but after reading Silas Marner I've been enchanted by her. On the surface I should have found this book a bit tedious, I typically don't like novels set in the countryside, however, I was hooked! Eliot's writing style was the big attraction here, she has such a lively style that I swear could make anything interesting after this, alongside her astoundingly convincing portrait of a village community in the 19th century. I came away believing people like those that inhabited Raveloe existed and I was fascinated by them. (It probably helped that I am VERY familiar with villiage communities in Warwickshire thanks to my research, which is where Raveloe is supposed to be.) Honestly this was the best place for me to start with George Eliot and I will be continuing.

The Age of Innocence by Edith Whaton - this was an impromptu read when I wanted an audiobook to listen to while sewing. However, I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book! I was swept away into 1870s New York society and was captivated by how casually awful everyone turned out to be. I didn't enjoy it as much as The House of Mirth (mainly because I didn't like Archer, May, or Countess Olenska as much as Lily or Seldon) but I had a fabulous time revisiting Wharton.

Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare - I love this play, it brings me so much joy when I read it and this time was no different. I still believe Beatrice is Shakespeare's best heroine and I will accept no arguments to the contrary.

Approximately 25 articles, reviews, essays, and introductions about Jane Austen's Emma by various authors - I don't know what's happened to me, I've become an obsessive... However, I have had a great time and learnt A LOT about regency literature in the process? It's given me a greater appreciation of Emma and I don't regret a moment I spent on this. My only problem is I don't really know what to do with all my notes!

DNF:

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen - I tried okay? However, I finished volume one and couldn't find a single reason to keep reading except completionism. I hated Fanny and the Bertrams, I was bored by the Crawfords, and I missed the style of Emma. Overall, I was left wondering why I was bothering with Mansfield Park as I wasn't enjoying myself. So, I dropped it to read something else that I'd actually enjoy.

Currently reading:

Evelina by Frances Burney - I'm in love with this book, but for some reason I'm not devouring it? I'm taking my time with it and revelling in the experience - I've made my peace with this and will continue to enjoy my leisurely read.

Richard II by William Shakespeare - I'm rereading this and taking it an act a day because I'm making notes. I'll actually finish it tomorrow, but I'm not counting it as read.

The Book of Lost Tales Part Two by J.R.R. Tolkien - another leisurely read because it's so dense and, like Shakespeare, I'm making notes when I feel inclined. I also really struggled to get through the section on The Tale of Tinuviel... (I don't like ANY of the prose versions of Beren and Luthien? It needs to be in verse for me to get into it 🤷‍♀️) But now I've got through that opening section I'm enjoying this a lot more.

Charles I and the People of England by David Cressy - my current non-fiction tome. I'm having a great time with this, but it was going to be a winner considering my unreasonable love for Charles I!

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke - I have no idea how I ended up in the middle of this but I'm enjoying it well enough that I'm going to continue (although I think I prefer Piranesi?)

[rafole]

and she’s correct (uk times)

[thoughtportal]

To read contemporary American fiction is to swim through a sea of fatphobia so normalized that it is almost never remarked upon in book reviews, and those who perpetuate it are awarded the National Book Award or become national bestsellers. When I encounter these fatphobic moments, I’m forced to make a choice: Will whatever insight into being human this novel might offer be worth the damage? Often, I’m interested in the writer’s larger vision but their casual dismissal of the bodies of the majority of Americans creates a jarring effect. Fiction at its best shows genuine interest and curiosity about every aspect of what it is to be human; cruel remarks about fatness diminish the humanity of characters and diminish the book.

[animefeminist]

Every Page With Love and Care: Mori Kaoru, historical fiction mangaka

Mori Kaoru is, perhaps above all else, consistent. That consistency, both for the high quality of her works and her particular fascination with women, have earned her manga a well-deserved reputation as a must-read for anyone interested in the medium.

What particular fascinations, you ask? Well, maids, for one. Let’s start with maids.

Mori got her start creating doujinshi (self-published works) under the self-explanatory penname Lady Maid. When she was later scouted by publisher Enterbrain! and began serializing her first non-doujin manga Emma in 2001, it also featured a maid as its protagonist. Add the fact that she would later return to Shirley, the manga she had started as Lady Maid, and that many of her one-shot stories feature maids, and her fascination becomes undeniable.

[...]

Mori’s dedication to historical accuracy doesn’t just apply to maid uniforms. She has a love of place that shows through in every line of her impossibly detailed, exhaustively researched settings. The Victorian England of Shirley and Emma seems to be her first love, with recreations of many actual locations in London such as the Crystal Palace and Covent Garden. Mori even went so far as to hire a historical consultant for later volumes of Emma to ensure accuracy.

However, her most striking settings might be those of A Bride’s Story, which follows the daily lives of a number of young brides or brides-to-be across 19th century Central Asia. The manga shares Shirley’s dedication to depicting the step-by-step processes of daily life, only instead of housework, A Bride’s Story devotes whole chapters to embroidery, hunting, food, war, and—of course—the marriage traditions of half a dozen societies, all in gorgeously illustrated spreads.

Read it at Anime Feminist!

[thecrownnetflixuk]

Rewatching Favourite Scenes:-

The Crown 4x10 – Grotesque Misalliance

Finishing up our favourite scenes from The Crown with one of the very best of the whole show: the brutally honest breakdown of Charles and Diana’s marriage.

History told us it would come to this. By the 1990’s, the royal couple’s infamous issues and infidelities were labelled as the “War of the Waleses” by the press.

The fight got ugly before the Prince and Princess succumbed to divorce; it was eventually revealed both Charles and Diana had tried to manipulate media coverage.

The whole of Season 4 builds up to this royal belter of a confrontation. The Crown introduces us to teenage Diana in episode 1, played with skill and sincerity by Golden Globe winner Emma Corrin. Young Diana is charming but naïve; overwhelmed by her own popularity. She later finds purpose campaigning for humanitarian causes.

Charles is viewed less sympathetically as he rejects his superstar bride – with a touch of jealousy. Josh O’Connor won an Emmy for his impressive slow-burn performance as Charles, the prince of suppression, finally loses control, railing against his wife as well as the crown. Placing love before duty. Pursuing his affair despite consequences.

The audience knows what's coming next; Charles will ultimately marry Camilla. He and Diana will never reign supreme. But The Crown continues to make us care about all the people at the heart of the story, even as we may brace for impact.

Diana's story concludes in the THE CROWN S6 PT I:- premieres THIS WEEK on Netflix | Thurs 16th Nov 2023

*The Crown TV: proudly NOT using AI/ChatGPT to create original content since 2017.

[voltstone]

WEDNESDAY | behind the scenes

[From: Creep Around Nevermore with These Behind-the-Scenes ‘Wednesday’ Photos (Ariana Romero; Tudum)] [Photography: Tomasz Lazar]

[damiannasworld]

This article made me laugh so hard. 🤣

Käärijä grabbed five Emma awards – and perhaps lost them all

Attention people from Espoo!

Vantaa's Käärijä has possibly lost the Emma statues he won at the Espoo Metro Arena on Saturday.

Or at least that's what Iltalehti said on Sunday, based on a video published in Käärijä's Instagram stories.

The veracity of the matter has not been confirmed but knowing Käärijä's previous history the disappearance of important objects in Espoo would not be new.

For a person from Vantaa Espoo seems to be a significant place - at least with losing their property. A year ago Käärijä, who was chosen as Finland's Eurovision representative, made the nation worried by losing his green performance outfit.

It was said the green bolero had fallen out of the open tailgate of a car when Käärijä was leaving for a gig in Kuopio last March.

The bolero was later found on the side of the road in Espoo and the family who found the bolero almost solemnly handed it back to the absent-minded but sympathetic Käärijä who thanked the family profusely.

Now Espoo families have a reason to keep their eyes open again if the story about the missing Emma statues is true.

[emptyportrait]

new Variety article discusses Rhaenyra's fierce and strong approach to motherhood and how inspiring it is.

[horizon-verizon]

🔗-- October 13, 2022; "Emma D’Arcy: Rhaenyra and Alicent Had ‘Erotic Energy,’ but Their ‘Sexual Lust’ Might Never Become Physical on ‘House of the Dragon’"

Excerpt:

In a new interview with The New York Times, older Rhaenyra actor Emma D’Arcy outright confirmed that an “erotic energy” existed between the two characters early in their relationship. However, D’Arcy is doubtful such energy will manifest itself into anything physical given the characters’ arcs throughout the season. “That sort of erotic energy is very present in their early relationship,” D’Arcy said. “I think Rhaenyra is primarily motivated by a deep desire to be known and seen. The hurt and pain is so dominant that I don’t know if there’s a space, at this point, for a conscious interaction with sexual lust, but she definitely yearns for the old physical intimacy that they shared. It’s different from what she shares with her current husband and her children. A different form of contact.”

[twinpeaksfireblogwithme]

— Emma D’Arcy on House of the Dragon and gender politics by Frankie Dunn

[lizziestudieshistory]

01.08.2023 - seeing August in the right way, working on a cross stitch bookmark, reading, and setting up August in my reading journal.

Currently reading: The Book of Lost Tales Part Two by J.R.R. Tolkien; Richard II by William Shakespeare; Evelina by Frances Burney

[brokehorrorfan]

Can you survive Five Nights at Freddy's? Based on the wildly popular video game, the horror film releases in theaters and on Peacock on October 27. I’m giving readers in the Boston area the opportunity to see it early - and for free!

Broke Horror Fan is sponsoring an advance screening of Five Nights at Freddy's at AMC Boston Common in Boston, MA on Wednesday, October 25, at 7pm. Click here and follow the instructions to download complimentary passes while supplies last. Seating is first-come, first-served and not guaranteed, so be sure to arrive early!

Emma Tammi (Into the Dark: Delivered) directs from a script she co-wrote with Seth Cuddeback and Five Nights at Fredy's creator Scott Cathorn. Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, Kat Conner Sterling, Piper Rubio, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Matthew Lillard star. Blumhouse produces.

Five Night's at Freddy's follows Mike (Josh Hutcherson), a troubled young man caring for his 10-year-old sister Abby (Piper Rubio), and haunted by the unsolved disappearance of his younger brother more than a decade before. Recently fired and desperate for work so that he can keep custody of Abby, Mike agrees to take a position as a night security guard at an abandoned theme restaurant: Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria. But Mike soon discovers that nothing at Freddy’s is what it seems. With the aid of Vanessa, a local police officer (Elizabeth Lail), Mike’s nights at Freddy’s will lead him into unexplainable encounters with the supernatural and drag him into the black heart of an unspeakable nightmare.

[magdasabs]

‘It’s brilliant to have found a club willing to sign us both’

Molly Hudson on how Brighton offered the perfect package for couple living the dream on and off the field

Zigiotti, left, and Kullberg, who are engaged, have the same contract length at Brighton

PETER TARRY FOR THE TIMES

Molly Hudson

Friday January 13 2023, 12.01am GMT, The Times

On the wall of the relaxation room at Brighton & Hove Albion’s new state-of-the-art training complex, there is a proverb: “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.”

It is fitting that this is the location in which Julia Zigiotti and Emma Kullberg have chosen to share their story with The Times. The two Sweden internationals, who recently got engaged after Zigiotti proposed, are speaking for the first time about their relationship on and off the pitch since moving to the south coast club a year ago.

They joined in January 2022, after leaving BK Hacken in Sweden in November of the previous year. Their contract length is identical, signing with Brighton until the end of this campaign. Their move was announced together, and their unveiling press conference held simultaneously.

In the women’s game, the relationships of players can influence their transfers. Magda Eriksson was already at Chelsea before her partner, Pernille Harder, signed from Wolfsburg in 2020. The relationship, and the fact that Harder had already watched Chelsea games — both from abroad and at their Kingsmeadow stadium — helped to assure the London club that she would be a good fit.

For Zigiotti and Kullberg, being at the same club was always a preference, but never to the detriment of their individual development. Brighton offered the perfect package, with the pair seeking a move away from their homeland to a more competitive league.

“It’s hard because of course the club has to want both of us — we had so many talks about this, and if one gets a contract there and the other [somewhere else] we do it,” Kullberg says. “We have to always think what’s best for ourselves [but] could I live without her?

“You don’t want anyone to give up on their dreams. Our [agency, Neverland] did a great job in finding Brighton, who wanted us both.”

Couples who are open about their sexuality and their relationship within a professional football team are rare

Zigiotti, the 25-year-old midfielder, and Kullberg, the 31-year-old defender, met through mutual friends three years ago having been aware of each other from playing in Sweden, but it was Hacken who bought them together as team-mates.

“You were more of a star,” Kullberg tells Zigiotti, with a smile. “The club, they called me and wanted to sign me but they didn’t know anything about us [being together], which also felt good. Because then it wasn’t like, [only] because Julia was there . . . They wanted both of us.”

It becomes evident that while the pair are proud of their relationship, they are also passionate about being seen as individual players with separate careers and goals, which influenced how they handled playing together at their first club.

“After she signed I went to the coaching staff and said, ‘I didn’t want to tell you [that they were a couple] before because I didn’t want it to impact anything,” Zigiotti says. “I just said, ‘We are together.’

Mead, right, and her partner Miedema also turn out for the same club

PERRY VAN DE LEUVERT/NES IMAGES/DEFODI IMAGES VIA GETTY IMAGES

“We are a couple and it’s not going to affect anything, but I still wanted them to know because it can be hard. I just wanted to be honest about it so it doesn’t come up later as a problem.”

Couples who are open about their sexuality and their relationship within a professional football team remain rare, even in the women’s game which is much more welcoming towards LGBTQ+ people than men’s football.

Perhaps the most high-profile couple are the Chelsea duo Harder and Eriksson. The Sweden defender greeted Harder, who is from Denmark but was wearing a Sweden shirt in support of her partner, in the stands after a match in the round of 16 at the Women’s World Cup in 2019. The picture of the couple sharing a kiss went viral as a rare moment of open homosexuality at a major tournament.

Since then, others have also publicly revealed their relationships including the Arsenal duo Vivianne Miedema and Beth Mead and the Chelsea striker Sam Kerr and her girlfriend Kristie Mewis, who plays in the National Women’s Soccer League in America.

Last year, Jake Daniels, the Blackpool forward, became the first active male UK professional footballer to come out. The only openly gay top-flight male football player is Josh Cavallo, who plays in the A-League in Australia for Adelaide United. “It’s important to be open about it and let people see that it’s accepted,” Kullberg says. “Also, in the women’s game, so many people are open about it — it doesn’t have to be such a big thing.”

Blackpool’s Daniels last year became the first male professional to come out but sexuality is much more on an open topic in the women’s game

LEE PARKER/CAMERASPORT VIA GETTY IMAGES

Both Kullberg and Zigiotti believe growing up in women’s football and being within an environment where being gay was accepted helped their own journey in coming to terms with their sexuality.

“It’s so hard to picture it, if it wasn’t open in the women’s game,” Zigiotti says. “There’s been so many people before us — like in Sweden where we come from, it’s very open — and the people before us have taken all the shit. Now it’s so common and I haven’t had a problem with anyone ever saying that I’m gay, and I’m in love with a girl.

“For me, and for us, I can’t see it as a problem. But unfortunately, it is [in the men’s game] and I just hope it changes. Because I wouldn’t be able to feel good or play my best game if I couldn’t be honest with myself.”

From first-day nerves to the language barrier, the pair find positives in being together at a new club. But it has not always been this way, having initially struggled to separate their football from their home life.

“Both of us we have always been professional about it,” Zigiotti says. “But because both of us are very competitive, it’s easy to take it a bit too seriously sometimes and I think we learnt that we don’t try to take it home. When we’re here [at the club], we’re here as equals; it’s a job. But when we get home, we try to let go of the football and whatever happened in training and just be us. In the beginning, it was quite hard to find that balance, but now it is no problem at all.”

While their relationship has not hindered their adaption to the Women’s Super League, English food is proving a little more challenging. They often visit the Totally Swedish shop in London with the aim of satisfying their biggest craving from home — sauce.

“We love sauce,” Kullberg says. “Here in England, you don’t have the sauces.” I ask whether they are referring to tomato ketchup, mayonnaise, or even gravy. “No, not gravy,” Kullberg adds. “Like Bearnaise sauce. We have so many different sauces, to have with things like fish. It is lovely.”

Their Brighton team-mates have been gently introduced to Swedish food, with the pair baking cakes and cookies for the team, which have proved popular.

For now, the couple are living their dream as professional footballers, for the same club, having settled into their seaside surroundings. They know that upon the expiry of their contracts they may not be able to find another club to suit them both, and that makes the moments they spend on the pitch even more precious.

“I know what she’s going to do when she gets the ball,” Zigiotti says. “I know how she thinks if the ball’s coming — it’s a nice feeling to have.”

[alexbkrieger13]

The Swedes miss Emma Hayes: "A special personality"

For health reasons, Chelsea coach Emma Hayes, 45, was forced to take a time-out.

The players on the team miss her.

- She has a special personality and it is really noticeable when she is not there, says the club's Swedish team captain Magdalena Eriksson

Emma Hayes suffered from endometriosis and as a result has had her uterus removed . This has meant that Chelsea, with Swedes Magdalena Eriksson , Zecira Musovic and Johanna Rytting-Kaneryd in the team, have had to manage without the 45-year-old on the sidelines.

- I miss Emma and her character, says Magdalena Eriksson.

Talked to Hayes

Zecira Musovic has been in contact with her club team coach, but wants to keep to herself what they said to each other.

The Swedish goalkeeper says that she misses Hayes' "big personality".

- It's sad when someone around you isn't feeling their best. In this case, it has taken a break for her to prioritize herself. But it will be nice to have her back. In the end, the most important thing is that everyone feels good, says Musovic.

Eriksson thanks his coach

Defender Eriksson has had Hayes as a coach since she joined Chelsea in 2017.

- Emma has given me an incredible amount of trust and she has been part of a large part of my football journey and seen me grow as a person, leader and player. We have been through a lot together and I have her to thank for a lot, says Eriksson.

Soon the Swedes can get their coach back. The BBC reports that Hayes is on the mend and could lead the team after the current international break.

But despite the coach taking a timeout, she has not stayed completely away from the team.

- She has been in the ear of our assistants during matches and she has checked on training and participated in the tactical plan. People have felt her presence even though she was not there physically, says Eriksson.

Good start to the WSL for Chelsea

In Hayes' physical absence, Chelsea have continued their strong start to the season. Six wins in seven games in the WSL and the London side have also won both group stage matches in the Champions League so far.

- I am proud and impressed with how we managed without Emma. But it is clear that it will be fun for her to come back and, above all, that she feels well, says Eriksson.

General manager Paul Green and assistant coach Denise Reddy have been in charge of managing Chelsea during Emma Hayes' time-out.

- She has been in the ear of our assistants during matches and she has checked on training and participated in the tactical plan. People have felt her presence even though she was not there physically, says Eriksson.

General manager Paul Green and assistant coach Denise Reddy have been in charge of managing Chelsea during Emma Hayes' time-out.