I like this cheeky interpretation of the first few lines of Chaucer’s General Prologue. In all its geeky futuristic imagery and mispronunciation of the Middle English, it’s completely charming in its simplicity and brings an easy smile. And it is ultimately a tribute to Chaucer’s lines and remarkable that they still speak to people 600 …
August 22, 2009 – 10:28 am
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By David Morton
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Posted in Chaucer, Films, In the Modern Age, Middle English, Uncategorized
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Tagged animation, Canterbury Tales, Chaucer, General Prologue, In the Middle, Medievalism, middle ages, movies
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As is so often the case, a recent New Yorker cartoon took a medieval story to heart and added a 21st century twist to great comic effect. In this case, Rapunzel* has let down her hair, as the fairy tale goes, but she has inadvertently foiled the prince’s attempt to climb her prison tower using …
July 5, 2009 – 5:50 pm
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By David Morton
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Posted in Chaucer, History, Inspiration, Medievalism
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Tagged All In The Family, Archie Bunker, Brothers Grimm, Canterbury Tales, Chaucer's Triumph, Edith Bunker, Garry O'Connor, Geoffrey Chaucer, Medievalism, middle ages, Middle English, New Yorker, Phillipa Roet, Rapunzel, Wife of Bath
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I’ve been reading a terrific book about the Middle Ages, recently, by an American scholar with a great sweeping view of history about the powerful influence of medievalism on the contemporary world. I’ve always found the imaginative influence of the Middle Ages captivating: Chaucer’s pilgrims, the wild behaviours of feudal lords, the gritty view of …
June 25, 2009 – 6:30 am
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By David Morton
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Posted in Books, History, Inspiration, Medievalism
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Tagged Camille Paglia, Dante, David Attenborough, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Giotto, Harold Bloom, Hildegard of Bingen, Hinges of History, History, Medievalism, Mysteries of the Middle Ages, Peter Abelard, Thomas Aquinas, Thomas Cahill
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“Literature is a toil and a snare, a curse that bites deep.”
Or so said D.H. Lawrence. Which gives me some comfort, because I seem to be doing all I can to avoid my writing, this morning. I’ve spent the last couple of hours brewing a Shitake Beef Stew that will be consumed tonight. I’ve cleaned …
March 24, 2009 – 8:00 am
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By David Morton
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Posted in History, Inspiration, Medievalism, The Writer's Struggle, Writing, blogs
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Tagged blogs, Detroit Publishing, DH Lawrence, History, inspiration, medieval, Medievalism, middle ages, monasticism, Oregon, Photochroms, procrastination, research, Richenda, Romantic poetry, Romanticism, Tintern Abbey, Washington, William Wordsworth, Writing
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Finally, a respite from the rain and the cold. The sun shines today in Vancouver, and it looks like spring, though the cherry blossoms are nowhere to be seen. The blossoms in my front yard are trying, but they are reluctant to invest themselves in this uneven weather. They look like little popcorn kernels ready …
March 21, 2009 – 10:35 am
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By David Morton
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Posted in Books, Inspiration, The Novel, Uncategorized, Writing
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Tagged Barry Unsworth, inspiration, medieval, Medievalism, middle ages, monks, Morality Play, novel, novels, Paul Bettany, The Reckoning, Willem Dafoe, Writing
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Everywhere I look, these days, I notice someone reading Ken Follett’s World Without End. Yesterday, I saw someone wading through it on the bus to work; later, someone else reading it in Starbucks. In December, I’d see several open copies each day on the beach in Cabo San Lucas. World Without End has been out …
Well, the monks were the ones that contacted me in the first place. Literally, I began dreaming about them. I would find them in different places, but invariably, they would speak something to me and I could not remember what they said upon waking. So I chose to believe they were trying to tell me …
