H05077 SEPTEMBER, 2005 NOTES AND QUERIES -9/8/05 - HARDY FORUM ARCHIVES ____________________________________________________________________________

MESSAGER FROM PAUL NEIMEYER (3)

SOURCE OF LYRICS SOUGHT (2)

HARDY ON TREE VERSE

*JUDE THE OBSCURE* QUESTION (2)

JEFF GREENBERG ON "IN TENEBRIS"

HARDY PORTRAIT AT AUCTION

TRANSLATING ADVISE REQUESTED (3)

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From: schweikr@localnet.com

Subject: Message from Paul Neimeyer

Date: September 8, 2005 6:16:51 PM PDT

Dear Forum Members,

Paul Neimeyer is a member of our Forum. He's on the faculty of Louisiana

State University which is in Baton Rouge. I heard from him recently. He is

relatively safe, though his situation is anything but good. The State University will reopen soon, but with an influx of students from the devastated areas to the south. Baton Rouge itself, he tells me, has nearly doubled in population as a result of the catastrophe--with all the awful consequences of such a desperate movement of population. He will be teaching many more students coming from such institutions as Tulane and other New Orleans universities.

A shutdown of power for 36 hours, which meant that he lost all food in his refrigerator, was just one consequence of his personal difficulty. Still, he considers himself lucky, but he points out that the situation of those from New Orleans--mostly elderly, disabled, and poor who now will need care, who knows for how long--is truly heartbreaking.

As he reports, all in that area face shortages of gas and some staples, and

driving in Baton Rouge is, as he describes it, "like being in a mule train."

Characteristically, Paul has spent time helping in the campus's athletic facilities which are being used as triage centers.

In replying to my inquiry as to how he was, Paul particularly urged donations to relief organizations for those who have fled from New Orleans and desperately need help.

In a spirit of lovingkindness, I hope members of the forum who may not already have contributed will be moved by Paul's appeal.

Bob

 

Robert Schweik

University Distinguished Teaching Professor

Department of English

State University of New York

Fredonia, NY 14063

USA

Telephone: (716) 673-1905

FAX: (716) 673-3446

schweik@fredonia.edu

schweikr@localnet.com

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From: Rosemarie.morgan@yale.edu

Subject: Re: Message from Paul Neimeyer

Date: September 8, 2005 9:54:57 PM PDT

Thank you for post-Katrina news of TTHA Director, Paul Niemeyer. Most of us, at teaching institutions up East, are taking on an influx of students from the devastated areas just as our cities (ourselves) are, right now, preparing to provide homes for some of the displaced families of the South.

But according to the Red Cross and other relief organisations, money donations are most urgently needed -- more than anything else. So please contact your local Red Cross and give what you can.

Cheers,

'Rosemarie

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From: jww543@hotmail.com

Subject: RE: Message from Paul Neimeyer

Date: September 9, 2005 3:44:13 PM PDT

Dear Bob,

Your kind message prompted me to make more immediately a couple of humble contributions. I must add that one of my students is baking extremely luxurious cookies (biscuits to some!) and selling them at the startling price of $10 per dozen. I don't eat many sweets, but I ordered some since she told me she and her mother were independently organising their own effort for relief. I guess this benighted land still has many glimmers of hope!

All best wishes and thanks,

Julian

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From: segr@segr-music.net

Subject: The poetry lives!

Date: September 13, 2005 8:51:00 AM PDT

What a subject that would make for discussion.

Dramatic and personative: those are the ones to

go for if you've got a voice and a piano, say and

think you can add something to Hardy's words!

Having stuck my head through the noose again

I thought musical enthusiasts might like to hear

my second setting this year of a "looking-back"

poem.

This one is "A Bygone Occasion", a sort of "companion

poem" (in Purdy's phrase) to "Once At Swanage".

Whereas OAS puts us in a happy mood as if we are there with

Tom and Emma watching the sea in the moonlight ABO leaves

us in tears at the futility of regret for what hasn't after all been

"ensured".

Perhaps the words used in my song will seem to

distort the published version of the poem a bit

for some tastes, but my commentary will I hope explain.

Go to My Composition/ Hardy Songs 2 /A Bygone Occasion

Now to find a singer...

Roy B.

www.segr-music.net

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From: Rosemarie.morgan@yale.edu

Subject: Roy's musical settings

Date: September 14, 2005 6:14:14 AM PDT

Roy -- I did visit your lovely website and thoroughly enjoyed the trip. I still have a slight problem listening to electronically.-generated music (synthesised?), so, when I heard your pieces in concert (live) a few years ago I was glad to find them pleasingly stimulating and provocative.

Bloodlessly,

Rosemarie

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From: hardycor@owl.csusm.edu

Subject: Hardy on Free Verse

Date: September 19, 2005 10:18:37 AM PDT

To: HARDY-L@csusm.edu

Reply-To: HARDY-L@csusm.edu

I have been slowly reading through *One Rare Fair Woman*, Hardy's letters

to Florence Hennicker, over the past few weeks, and came across an

interesting passage in a letter of 22 December, 1916, regarding the writers

of *vers libre.*

"I suppose it is only a passing fashion, the original sinner being Walt

Whitman, who, I always think, wrote as he did, formlessly, because he could

do no better" (174).

It is somewhat ironic, I suppose, that this has become the dominant verse

form in English today. I wonder what Hardy would have thought of that?

Betty Cortus

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From: hcjohn@163.com

Subject: help

Date: September 22, 2005 9:04:25 AM PDT

I'm a post graduate student majoring in British literature, and now I'm planning my MA paper on Hardy's Jude the Obscure. Are there any lattest perspectives on this novel?

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From: hardycor@owl.csusm.edu

Subject: Re: help

Date: September 22, 2005 9:42:17 AM PDT

John (is that your name?) it would be helpful if you were to tell us a

little more about the direction you are taking with your research on this

particular novel. Have you decided on a thesis yet? I assume you have

already consulted the usual bibliographies, such as the MLA. Without

question the TTHA Checklist which is available on our "Members' Only" site

contains the most up-to-date criticism on this novel, and would be an

invaluable source for your research.

Best Wishes,

Betty Cortus.

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From: Rosemarie.morgan@yale.edu

Subject: If a Way to the Better there is ....

Date: September 24, 2005 6:42:16 PM PDT

Greetings all -

In a recent conversation with Jeff Greenberg (University of Arizona) about his forthcoming article entitled The Revealing Science of Social Psychology we got talking about Hardy's poem, "In Tenebris." The result is Greenberg's concluding comment in his article, as follows (anyone wanting copy of the full article please email me offlist)

Cheers,

Rosemarie

Greenberg's concluding paragraph:

There is of course another

side to life: the beauty of nature; the joys of music,

love, friendship, sex, sports, art, film, and literature;

and the comfort of drugs and television. Indeed, a

positive psychology movement has arisen to attend

to this side of life and attempt to balance out psychology's

overall portrait of humanity. But as novelist

and poet Thomas Hardy noted, "if way to the

Better there be, it exacts a full look at the Worst" (p.

168). Social psychology has generally taken this adage

to heart, and perhaps that is a good thing if we

hope to continue to progress in understanding the violence,

hostility, prejudice, anxiety, and despair so

prevalent in this world of ours.

END

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From: schweikr@localnet.com

Subject: The Roy Davids Collection

Date: September 27, 2005 1:22:31 PM PDT

There's an announcement on p. 32 of TLS for 23 September 2005 of a

showing of Bonhams auction house of a collection of 280 portraits, including one

of a portrait of Hardy by Olive Edis (1876-1955)--photograph, platinum

print inscribed for Siegfried Sassoon by Hardy, 7 3/4 by 6 inches.

The auction, titled "Creative Encounters: Portraits of Writers, Artists, and

Musicians: The Roy Davids Collection" will take place on Monday, 3 October

2005 at 11 am at Bonhams, 101 New Bond Street, London, WS1 1SR.

The Hardy portrait is estimated to be worth BP 3,000-4,000. Any bidders?

By the way, the collection is remarkable for its inclusion of very many

Victorian and early modern authors . For more information, see

<http://www.bonhams.com>.

Bob

 

Robert Schweik

University Distinguished Teaching Professor

Department of English

State University of New York

Fredonia, NY 14063

USA

Telephone: (716) 673-1905

FAX: (716) 673-3446

schweik@fredonia.edu

schweikr@localnet.com

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From: soocil@yahoo.com

Subject: Re: for translation

Date: September 29, 2005 5:41:41 AM PDT

hello

where can I get the books and what will be the cost of the books you reffered?

It is available on the internet?

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From: Rosemarie.morgan@yale.edu

Subject: Re: MC for translation

Date: September 29, 2005 6:15:48 AM PDT

Sushil -- I think your best bet is to get a copy of Keith Wilson's edition of MC (Penguin Classics, 1997). This is not only eminently affordable but also provides 60 -odd pages of excellent Notes and nigh on 10 pages of Glossary. Anything that challenges a translater after studying the Wilson edition could be aired on this Forum where I am sure you would receive the best of scholarly aid and advice.

Good Luck!

Rosemarie

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From: jwwhipple1@comcast.net

Subject: Re: for translation

Date: September 29, 2005 2:43:18 PM PDT

Dear Soocil,

No doubt you have received better advice, but at this time I am using the Oxford University Press, World's Classics edition Of TMoC with upper-level high school/secondary students. It has only a one-page glossary of dialect terms but many useful notes. Unfortunately, my school chose an edition with no glossary, let alone notes. If you can think of some "legal" way of getting these notes to your students, you might find success as I have.

Cheers!

Julian

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