The surreal edge that so comprehensively immersing myself in works about herring gave the week was exacerbated by an incipient cold - it's lurked for so long I'd actually welcome being properly ill (I'm not the woman to be at all stoic about minor ailments) so I could retire to bed and feel properly sorry for myself. The dream, of course, is that it would be bed and a book, in reality it never is. Colds are destroyers of concentration, so it's more likely to be bed and depressing day time television with a lot of unwelcome snot. Maybe work is the best place to be after all. It's certainly better than the option my mortgage provider seemed to be suggesting when they addressed me as Miss H Anderton Deceased. It's a disconcerting greeting to find on a letter, fortunately they were happy to take my word for it that I'm actually still alive and reasonably well...
If I could have a few days to hole up with a good book I'd choose John Kerrigan's 'Shakespeare's Binding Language'. This turned up out of the blue courtesy of Oxford University Press (much more welcome than the banks postal contribution). The blurb says it "explores the significance in Shakespeare's plays of oaths, vows, contracts, pledges, and other utterances and acts by which characters commit themselves to the truth of things past, present, and to come."
I really would like to get to grips with this, especially since discovering how much I enjoy Jacobean and restoration drama, because as the blurb goes on to say "In early modern England, such binding language was everywhere. Oaths of office, marriage vows, legal bonds, and casual, everyday profanity gave shape and texture to life. The proper use of language, and the extent of its power to bind, was argued over by lawyers, religious writers, and satirists, and these debates inform literature and drama."
It's also a bit of a doorstop so it'll likely be a while before I find the time to tackle it properly. Never mind, one day it's time will come. I wonder if it mentions herring at all?
You have me wanting rollmop herrings now.
ReplyDeleteI heard a programme on BBC 4 recently which concerned the way people would have pronounced the words of Shakespeare in his time. There were proponents on the programme who gave examples and that gave me a whole new insight into the work of the Bard. I wish I had taken note of the title as it is something I would like to listen to again. I like the idea of your book, we really do not consider what we say any more, in general. I notice that a lot of young people speak in clichés and, after asking a question, do not listen to the reply.
I had a flash of inspiration and found this link to Word of Mouth!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06ycr4v
Thank you for that, I'll try and catch it over the next day or two. I remember at school we had a tape of something that was meant to be original pronunciation Chaucer played to us - which made me wonder how anyone knew how they talked. Fascinating though.
ReplyDeleteAlso from Oxford University Press and out at the end of this month is David Crystal's Oxford Dictionary of Original Shakespearean pronunciation. I have a press release with a contact for a review copy and it's so tempting to write and beg for one, but I don't know when I'd read that either so I'm resisting the urge. It is, however, something I might put on my Christmas list, or perhaps get as a birthday present for a reference book loving theatre buddy (then try and borrow it). It just sounds like such an interesting book.
Hello! I just wondered if you'd seen my Brooding about the Brontes event which is happening in April, it would be great if you could participate!
ReplyDeleteDon't think less of me, but I'm not much of a Bronte fan... I quite like Jane Eyre, hated Wuthering Heights, have mixed feelings about The Tennent of Wildfell Hall, and gave up after that, so I probably won't actively read any of the books, but I will look forward to the posts and seeing what others have to say!
ReplyDeleteyou must have been a very bad girl to be made to read so much about herrings :) That new book about Shakespeare's language sounds wonderful...
ReplyDeleteI lose track of which Shakespeare anniversary it is, but with books like these there's certainly plenty to celebrate.
ReplyDeleteAnd herring aren't so bad! Though one book did feel a bit like punishment...
ReplyDelete