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UnConference or MutateConference?

This morning I was drawn to a post by Mitch Joel claiming that the “unconference movement” is dead.

I hadn’t encountered Joel’s blog before, so I hope I’m not reading this piece out of the context of his usual commentary. In any event, my response isn’t entirely about this one entry. I’ve only been to two events that were trying to be “unconferences” in some sense, and I’ve never been involved in trying to facilitate one, so there’s nothing about his critique that strikes too close to home, no wound it inflicts on me.

But there is something in the response that frustrates me, and it’s not just about unconferencing. There’s a pattern here that extends across a much vaster terrain. As I said in my Twitter feed, “Do as thou wilt” and “Ur doing it wrong” don’t add up. Joel is hardly the first person to try and say both of them at once.

Let’s take unconferencing. The idea here, as I see it, is to not just systematically question everything that doesn’t work about an existing model of conferencing, collaboration, and meetings but to invent new forms and practices that act on that critique. That alone makes the movement or whatever you want to call it a great thing: there’s nothing worse than endlessly circling around an awareness of how broken or stale existing practices are while feeling condemned to repeat them indefinitely. The one time I sat on a major professional association’s program committee a decade ago, I suggested that it would be a great idea if we just dropped virtually all of the standard paper-presentation sessions in favor of roundtables, workshops and spontaneous discussions, a sort of proto-unconferencing move. But there wasn’t any space in business-as-usual to entertain that idea. It was clear that if I were serious about it, I’d have to make it a crusade. My colleagues weren’t against a change exactly, but they felt there were reasons why we had a lot of small, boring sessions attended by six or seven people who passively listened to papers being read to them and changing that would cause serious problems for many members. Crusading on this subject struck me as a bit lower on my priority list than getting an unnecessary root canal. Smarter by far to just do an end run and invent new practices under new banners, as unconferencers have.

It’s the new practices part that seems to me to be the point: that unconferencing opens up what had been a closed, ritualistic and expensive domain that put very high transaction costs on collaboration, discovery and conversation between people with shared interests and projects.

It sticks in my craw when a move to openness becomes an occasion for a new closure. Which is how I read Joel’s complaint: that the unconference should have a purity test, its own Dogme 95 policed by dour adherents, that it has to be the dialectical opposite of the conference in every respect. In that case, you do not mean UN, you mean ANTI. Which will require the perpetual zombie reification of an ancien regime mode of conferencing as well. Every anti- needs its pro-, every post- needs its unhyphenated Other. To “un” something seems to me not to commit to a perfect opposite but to seek a massive radial evolution of new forms, to open a space, to emancipate.

What I hear in Joel I hear a bit of when #Occupy meetings insist dogmatically on human mics, circles and so on. Or the way that I can remember student activist meetings I participated in the 1980s mandatorily concluding with a sort of offbrand pseudo-Maoist self-crit session. Moves intended to criticize the rigidity and hierarchy of some other form of group or collaboration sometimes harden quickly into their own form of exclusionary orthodoxy, their own fetishized manners. To me a perfect unconference or rally or online collaboration or what have you would be a jam session, a moveable feast. Improvisation has signal, it has pattern, it has structure, it has plans, but it also has the freedom to say or play what it seems right to say or play at that moment. Whatever works is what I want to be free to do, what the work of the “un” ought to accomplish, to make working an always-provisional, always-scrutinized, always-open value. Let a thousand models bloom, and then cross-pollinate.

This isn’t just about one mode or tradition of collaborative practice. Ultimately this distinction, this different sense of what it means to “UN-” something, strikes right to the heart of the most extravagant and exciting promises that congregants gathered in the house of Shirky try to uphold. I really believe you cannot set yourself against attempts to protect worn-out traditions through enclosure and monopoly with your own enclosures, your own moves to exclusive ownership. Otherwise it just comes off like an attempt to evict the old sheep farmers so that you can breed goats on the same fenced-in pastures, a casting of one brand name against another, a strategy of transfer-seeking.

Openness is a sensibility long before it is found expressed in anything more concrete, and it requires a delight in the mutations and adaptations that follow from an intervention into a closed space. It rests on a gentleness of regard towards the practical and imaginary moves made by others, an encouragement of remixing and reinvention.

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5 Responses to UnConference or MutateConference?

  1. Carl says:

    I couldn’t agree more. Just to throw another oar in the water, we’ve been talking about Deacon’s Incomplete Nature over at my place; one of the central ideas is constraint as non-humean causation, and the way systems self-generate out of the dynamics of becoming this by avoiding or not becoming that. One take-away being that evolutionary systems (like minds and conferences) are always cludgy assemblages of accumulated thises and not-thats, for better or worse.

    The Enlightenment dream is that we could engineer optimized systems from scratch, and I’ve never entirely given up on that despite the poor record of previous attempts. But in the meantime I find it most expedient and least insanifying to do as you did with your program committee, that is, exploit the inevitable interstices of cludgy systems to supplement or subvert them in ways that please me.

  2. Laura says:

    In my field–k-12 ed–unconferencing is far from dead. One unconference here in philly spawned dozens more across the country. They allow for actual conversation and debate. People do actually confront each other on the merits of there ideas and nit in that I want to show how smart I am way. People try to accomplish things in these sessions. It’s pretty amazing! Giving talks at these is fun but challenging. You’re not prepared. You just slap some talking points or questions together and go. I highly recommend attending one. Better yet, organize one.

  3. Laura says:

    Btw, didn’t read the post until after my comment. Funny that we ended on the same nite. I think there are all different kinds of unconferences. To set a definition goes against the movement.

  4. Great article, I find it most expedient and least insanifying to do as you did with your program committee, that is, exploit the inevitable interstices of cludgy systems to supplement or subvert them in ways that please me.

  5. In the provinces says:

    Sorry to be so cynical, but my experiences with this sort of “unconferencing,” is that it leads either to people rambling on for 15-20 long, painful minutes without saying anything. Or it becomes a format for a self-styled big name to turn a session into endless stroking of his (or, less often, her) ego.

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All entries for Tuesday 11 March 2008

March 11, 2008

What the song contest makes us to think

These days I have been stressed by the revision of two tests this week. Anyway, now I finished them, I come back. But one of the test makes me to think about the Eurovision,as the test question is about the criticism of this song contest.

As for people in Europe, I think everyone knows well about it. But I also would like to explain a bit of it for those who don’t know well. It is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries’ songs to determine the most popular song in the competition. Each country participates via one of their national EBU-member television stations, whose task it is to select a singer and a song to represent their country in the international competition.

However, such kind of contest may have some invisible inequalities. The Contest has long been perceived as a political institution, where judges??and now televoters??allocate points based on their nation’s political relationship to the other countries, rather than on their opinions of the songs. An analysis of voting patterns does indeed show that certain countries tend to favour certain other countries with which they are politically aligned. Defenders of the Contest argue that the reason certain countries allocate disproportionately high points to others is because the people of those countries share similar musical tastes and cultures and speak similar languages, and are therefore more likely to appreciate each other’s music.

This reminds me about such kind of song contest which is called “super-girls”(direct translation from Chinese) in mainland China. It is a contest that open to all the youth girls in China, who are good at singing. They are selected from several interviews, and many rounds of competitions, finally they are rated by the first 50s, 20s, 10s, 8s, 6s, 3s, 2s,1. First of all, I have to admit that most of the young girls are really good, even professional at singing; they are also good looking. Even before the first 50s, the competition is quite equal, as all of them are judged by the famous singers or music writers. But since the first 20s, the competitions will be judged by the votes by text messages of the audience. Finally, it becomes kind of competition of who has the most fans, and whose family is the richest, so they can afford the expensive fees of the text messages. As a result, if someone is less beautiful, or less wealthy than the others, they have to be ‘kicked out’. That is fairly unfair.

This kind of truth of the competition is told by the press, maybe it is too extreme sometimes, but the form of voting is true. So of course, we can judge whether such kind of inequality is true or not. In my opinion, I think, to some extent, the inequal situation is true. Then I would like to question why people are still keen on watching such kind of contests for almost half a year every week. And who benefits the most out of such kind of voting system, or who is the really best singer out of thousands and thousands good looking girls.

Who knows, I don’t know.

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If you’re looking for a new adventure in Tremblant, you’re in luck! Mission Liberté offers an enthralling form of year-round indoor entertainment right in the pedestrian village. Themed rooms will immerse you in a thrilling experience where you must solve riddles an locate clues in order to find the key to your freedom! In one hour, the goal is to successfully complete many small intellectual and physical challenges in teams of 2 to 12 people. Entering is easy, but exiting will require all your senses and keen observation skill.

Fun for all ages, this live action adventure game is excellent for groups of friends, date nights, corporate team building, and family reunions. Discover your detective abilities and other hidden talents as you and your teammates work together in solving a great and mysterious challenge. After the game, you and your group can debrief and gauge your strengths and weaknesses.

Since its opening last February, Mission Liberté has grown from 1 escape room to 6 and has established itself as a MUST DO Tremblant activity along the way. Visitors can try to escape from the Mafia, Pirates, Super Villains and explore deep Space or the classic tale of Jack and the Beanstalk. Up for a nerve wrenching experience? You can even try disarming a bomb before it explodes at a crowded hockey match! Until May, Mission Liberté will also offer Virtual Reality trial sessions on the incredible Vive VR system. They will also be reinventing their first room, the popular Pirates adventure, in May, so be sure to come try the classic original version before it’s gone!

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Visit Mission Liberté’s website for more information: missionliberte.com


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Lovely Little Link Party

Hi Everyone!  Hope you all have had a great week.  Thanks for stopping by our Lovely Little Link Party. I am getting ready for a sweet birthday party for my Hillary this weekend. Pop back in on Friday and I will shar 2 new party themes with you from parties I hosted this summer. Last weeks most viewed and favorite links were…

Back to School Teacher Pencil Holders by Liz on Call

Chocolate Dipped Frozen bananas by Mom’s Favorites

Mojito Sugar Scrub by A Blissful Nest

Pineapple Cooler by Kleinworth and Co.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Popcorn by Home Cooking Memories

Back to Pool Party by Jac O’ Lyn Murphy

Parmesan Asparagus Breadstick by Amy’s Cooking Adventures

Congratulations Everyone! Ready? This is your chance to share something YOU’VE created on my blog. I would love for you to share your parties, creative holiday ideas, recipes and favors. Really, I would love to see anything pretty. HOWEVER, if you want to be featured, you must have a link (text hyper link or my linked button) to my site. PLEASE VISIT 2 OTHER LINKS SO I KNOW WHAT INTERESTS YOU! A few rules:

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ιнεαяттσяσηтσ™ (blossombunny) wrote,

Daily Shizz

Today's rants and whatnot consist of..

  • 12:31 just voted "Canada" on "USA, Canada or Mexico" vote too ➔ bit.ly/GSBdc #
  • 21:37 @Karina_Fansite you can add me on AIM if you want: ImgnryFrnd3514 :) #
  • 21:44 @phronq i am thankful that the rest of your ugly face is covered :] #
  • 21:46 so what happened to the amerieweb board? :( #
  • 21:48 so would Paranormal Activity be worth my time and money? if anyone has seen it, let me know, k? :) #
  • 21:50 @1beachsax11 i admire and respect you draggin these shits down. :) you get a cake from meeeeeeeeeeee!! :D #
  • 21:51 i stan for: Amerie, Keri Hilson, Corner Gas, Canada, Lorne Cardinal, Tony Munch, etc. and if anyone disses ANY of that, YOU DIE!!!!!!!!!! :) #
  • 21:52 and if you HATE any of what i just listed, feel free to remove me. or just not say anything about it all. k? k! *blows kiss and smacks ass* #
  • 21:54 @BlackNLatin *makes booty pop* hehehe :) i like her, too. hot song #
  • 21:55 and yes, you can stan for tv shows, movies, etc. it's not only about music, ya know. #
  • 21:56 i just know that these Del Taco chilil cheese fries are gonna give me serious ass issues later :( i'm all about TMI and i don't care :) #
  • 22:11 just voted "kimberly_bunner and the hell if i knew!" on "Which @Stassi09's created comparison is the funnies" vote too ➔ bit.ly/r9oFQ #
  • 22:14 just voted "Beyonce - Single Ladies " on "Best song of 2009?" vote too ➔ bit.ly/MNiap #
  • 22:16 just voted "yes she is great x" on "Do you like Taylor Swift?" vote too ➔ bit.ly/4dCxDb #
  • 22:53 @VH1access yup! and i'm glad Kristy left. woo! #
  • 23:33 @MissKeriBaby is a Family Guy fan. WOOOOOOOOOOO!! :D #
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It Worked!

Do you remember my crazy “early-February there is snow on the ground” attempt at planting my sale bulbs that should have been planted in October?

You know – the 400 bulbs we put on the ground and covered with the frozen blocks of top soil we got on clearance?

Yep – that crazy idea.

Would you believe –

It worked!

Well – kind of.

I didn’t get 400 beautiful flowers – not even a hundred.

Okay – barely 25.

But the ones that came are beautiful.

And it makes me happy.

Maybe I’m not so crazy after all.

Wait…don’t answer that.

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Sugar Land Movers

Sugar Land Moving Company

Sugar Land is one of the fastest-growing cities in Texas.  Beautifully master-planned communities and stunningly appointed apartment communities are abundant and affordable. Incorporated in 1959 it has grown from a Sugar Mill town into a thriving metropolis 20 miles southwest of Houston with exceptional schools,  home to corporate headquarters, entertainment venues, and great shopping and dining.

Minute Maid, Schlumberger, and Fluor Corporation are among the top international corporations that have made their home in Sugar Land.  The city was included on many “Best Cities to Live” lists throughout the years and was awarded the “Best Tasting Water in Texas” award.  The Sugar Land Town Square provides 32 acres of living, shopping, and gathering opportunities. With a festival site, Smart Financial Centre, and Constellation Field residents are able to enjoy concerts, ball games, and festivals right in their own community.

Sugar Land Moving Services we provide:

The Master Planned communities and roads of Sugar Land are easy to navigate when you know the area.  Our team at Blue Ox has the experience and professionalism to get your move handled expediently and with care.  Call us for your fair and free estimate today for an expertly planned move by professionals backed by a reputable and reliable company with 15 years’ experience in the moving industry.  Have your inventory list ready so that we can discuss what we will be moving, your origin and destination points, and any special requirements you may have.

We look forward to serving your moving needs in Sugar Land.

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SIMY unveils My-AIS, The smallest marine emergency beacon in the world

SIMY unveils My-AIS, The smallest marine emergency beacon in the world

SIMY® launches My-AIS™(*), the world’s smallest marine distress beacon.

Maritime safety has been dramatically increased since the emergence of AIS-MOB emergency beacons used by sea professionals.

By sending a distress message using AIS local network, AIS-MOB beacons are today the smartest and fastest way to send a local alert, being GPS-located and rescued by nearby vessels within radio range (5 to 10 nautical miles).

With SIMY My-AIS fitted into your lifejacket, save up to 100 € per beacon and offer to everyone aboard a true safety ally.

SIMY aims at providing the most inexpensive and the most advanced high-tech products for your outdoor activities, on land and at sea.

SIMY My-AIS is 2 to 4 times more compact than other comparable beacons and has 7 years battery life. My-AIS has been designed with care by SYRLINKS in France, one of the world leaders in miniaturization of space radio communication devices.

SIMY® is the brand name of SYRLINKS’ safety products marketed on

UNEQUALLED COMPACTNESS: 2 to 4 times smaller than competing beacons

COST-EFFECTIVE & FOR ALL: Save up 100€ per beacon

Quality design & manufacturing: Designed & produced in France

Compactness: My-AIS fits into all lifejackets

Most distress beacons are large and can interfere with the movements of those who wear them. They are generally used very little by amateur or occasional boaters. My-AIS is smaller than a cell phone (11x4x2 cm) and very light (95g), it will be discreet and quickly forgotten once inserted into the user’s vest.

SIMY: safety at sea for all

The United Kingdom boating market currently covers 256 coastal ports and 229 inland ports. Growth in the yachting sector increased by 3.4% in 2017 with the east and south of the United Kingdom representing the heart of the market. My-AIS makes safety at sea accessible to all at an affordable price. This type of beacon is no longer only reserved for insiders or sea professionals.

At sea, mutual assistance prevails in case of distress

Once activated, My-AIS transmits the GPS position of the shipwrecked by VHF waves. Ships or coast stations within radio range (5 to 10 nautical miles) will instantly know their distress situation and GPS position. They can then intervene as quickly and efficiently as possible to rescue the shipwrecked.

Real-time location of ships with an AIS receiver (global coverage) / source:

My-AIS is available for sales on the SIMY merchant website for 199€:

My-AIS technical characteristics:

  • Fast and precise GPS signal (72 channels)
  • Norms and Certifications: ETSI EN303098 V.1.2.1; IEC61108-1; RTCM11901.1
  • Operating temperature range: -20°C to +55°C
  • Long range radio antenna
  • Flash LED signal
  • Frequencies: AIS1 161.975 MHz, AIS2 162.025 MHz
  • Waterproofness: IP67

About SIMY

Simy® is the trademark registered for all consumer safety products by Syrlinks. Simy has miniaturised, improved performance and generalised the use of emergency beacons, now used by professionals or enthusiasts. With Simy, the safety of people at sea or on land is made easy and accessible to all. For more information:

SYRLINKS, based in Cesson-Sévigné, France, designs state-of-the-art technologies in the field of human safety and space communications. SYRLINKS manufactures robust, miniature and high-performance products for all its customers around the world. Today, its products are deployed on board of several hundred of satellites and used in numerous space missions such as Rosetta and its little Robot Philae who went to explore the Comet Tchoury in the confines of our solar system.

For more information about Syrlinks:

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BMA Library Blog

Monthly Archives: June 2012

The BMA has launched a brand new website – If you have bookmarked any of the pages on the previous website you will find that they are no longer working because of changes to how the URLs are structured. In order to access the Library home page on the BMA Website please use the following short cut: We also recommend that you delete any old cookies that have for the… Read More

We are pleased to announce that we have added 48 new titles to our List of E-Books for General Practitioners, taking the list to more than 140 titles! The newly added titles include: Differential Diagnosis in Primary Care Evidence-Based Cardiology Evidence-Based Chronic Pain Management Fast Facts : Obesity The Great Ormond Street Colour Handbook of Paediatrics and Child Health Intergrative Women’s Health Managing Long-Term Conditions and Chronic Illness in Primary Care :… Read More


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The Company:

Launch is an agency that creates digital products and experiences. But that doesn’t tell the full story of how we apply strategy and creative thinking. We solve complex problems through research, analysis, and firsthand conversations with users. Our multidisciplinary team brings research and strategy together, building user-friendly designs that engage and inspire. Learn more about our team and culture.

The Role

As a Lead UX Designer at Launch, you’ll work hands-on in teams of Designers, Strategists, and Technologists to create user-centered digital experiences built upon research, strategy, and well-cultivated intuition.

A seasoned design practitioner, you’ll stay abreast of the latest trends in User Experience Design and Research, bringing insights and a fresh perspective in a hands-on role creating experiences that matter - from shaping the big picture to crafting pixel-perfect details.

The Requirements

Candidates must submit an online portfolio demonstrating their process and experience creating artifacts that communicate User Experience Design to clients, designers, and developers.

  • 8+ years of experience as a UX practitioner in an agency or consultancy environment
  • Proven track record of delivering cross-platform design solutions that blend user and business needs
  • Expert understanding of the capabilities and limitations of contemporary development technologies
  • Fluent in applying user centered design methodologies on projects across web, mobile, and more, including:
    • Seasoned research skills – able to independently extract key insights from customer research, stakeholder interviews, and co-creation workshops
    • System-level perspective – able to understand the bigger picture and convert complexity into beautifully simple concepts and artefacts
    • Mastery of UX design – including Information Architecture, Wireframing, Prototyping, and Design Systems
    • Forward thinking – staying up-to-date and championing innovation in design and technology possibilities
    • Delivery focus – embody the passion, grit, and flexibility needed to deliver world-class User Experiences to market
  • Intrinsically motivated, self-starter
  • Effortless communication and presentation skills
  • Natural leadership and collaboration skills
  • 1+ years experience coaching or mentorship
  • Meticulous attention to detail

Daily/weekly responsibilities:

Research - 50%

Lead research activities with users, clients, and the wider market landscape to create actionable insights.

  • Work directly with the UX Director to define research proposals and plans
  • Lead and collaborate with fellow Designers and Strategists during discovery activities, including stakeholder interviews, user research, and competitor analysis
  • Craft deliverables that persuasively communicate UX Strategy, including user journeys, archetypes & personas, discovery reports, and information architecture

UX Design - 50%

Translate user insights and strategic recommendations into world-class User Experience Design solutions.

    • Collaborate with the UX Director to lead the design of products and services that can be mapped directly to the requirements of the project and clearly communicate the UX strategy

  • Hands-on crafting of deliverables that persuasively communicate UX design functionality and the strategy behind them, including site maps, user flows, annotated wireframes, prototypes, and more

  • Present designs to clients and advocate for world-class User Experience Design solutions that blend user and business needs
  • Collaborate closely with Creative, Development, and Strategy teams
  • Mentor junior team members

Launch is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

Reporting Structure

Reports to Steve Boulton, UX Director.

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Because you belong at Twilio

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Twilio is growing rapidly and seeking a talented analyst to join Commercial Finance and provide overall in-region financial support for our NAMER region This role gives you a platform to accelerate commercial momentum and regional growth while driving the region’s financial targets and optimizing sales cycle time.

As a Commercial Finance Analyst, your ability to build deep cross-functional partnerships and to clearly and consistently articulate recommended course of actions will determine your success.

You will partner with sales, sales operations, product managers, super network, pricing & packaging and the extended Twilio’s Finance team. You will have a significant impact in bringing Twilio’s core offerings and new innovations to market as you create and evaluate deal models, their impact to Twilio’s P&L and make recommendations on transactions and overall pricing & packaging strategies. Reporting to the Director of Commercial Finance NAMER, you will have a significant impact on how Twilio shapes strategic deals and continues to accelerate its global growth.

Twilio is looking for a talented professional who lives the Twilio Magic and has a demonstrated track record of working within financial analytics. They also have:

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As a Commercial Finance Analyst, your responsibilities will include:

  • WRITE IT DOWN: Contribute to the design, delivery & development of deal metrics that report on regional trends including pricing, product win/loss insights and customer requests. Partner closely with the Pricing & Packaging team to strategize on new pricing, packaging and discounting initiatives. Maintain accurate product cost information and key deal fields needed for margin determination.
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Twilio is a complex, high-growth, and quickly evolving business. The Finance team is central to Twilio’s decision-making process and the GTM Finance team guides company investment decisions to maintain Twilio as the platform to fuel the future of communications.  Your ability to identify and communicate trends, opportunities and problems--and more importantly, recommend a course of action--will play a critical role in charting Twilio’s future.

Twilio is a company that is empowering the world’s developers with modern communication in order to build better applications. Twilio is truly unique; we are a company committed to your growth, your learning, your development, and your entire employee experience. We only win when our employees succeed and we're dedicated to helping you develop your strengths. We have a cultural foundation built on diversity, inclusion, and innovation and we want you and your ideas to thrive at Twilio.

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Summertime Mixtape Vol. 7 — Justin Strubing, ‘Art Bars’

During one of Foundation’s more interesting periods, occurring between the Steve Olson/Heath Kirchart mid-90s heyday and the leather clad, Corey Duffel-helmed handrail machine of the mid-00s, Justin Strubing upped the Magic F’s finesse quotient with a focused trick array and a quick-feeted fluidity not much seen at the time. The tricks he was dealt by the great trick dealer-outer in the sky, like the bluntslides, the ollie poke and those backside tailsides, he took further and higher than his Tum Yeto contemporaries and most others too, mixing in lesser-seens like the fakie heelflip, the frontside 5-0 backside 180 out, and fond devotion to the MJ2s.

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Angie Christie sells homes in Sanibel Captiva-Island Real Estate
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Angie is dedicated to providing you the care and devotion you deserve during your real estate transaction and beyond. Hailing from Canada she moved to Key West in 1989, but living and loving the island life came to an end when her daughter decided she wanted a horse...and so it began. In 2004, the island life was traded for something else. A pitch fork and pastures were soon a reality, leaving behind the sandy shores and bright blue waters. Angie's love for her daughter and fueling her dreams with the passion for horses has now become Angie's lifestyle, incorporating a farm filled with happy rescue dogs, cats, goats and horses.

Angie's compassion, dedication, loyalty and knowledge of the real estate market makes her the perfect candidate for your real estate adventure. You are in good hands with Angie.


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Home > 2000, American Literature, Novel, Robinson Marilynne > Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson

Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson

February 10, 2013 Leave a comment Go to comments

Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson. 1980. French title: La maison dans la dérive.

The people of Fingerbone and its environs were very much given to murder. And it seemed that for every pitiable crime there was an appalling accident. What with the lake and the railroads, and what with blizzards and floods and barn fires and forest fires and the general availability of shotguns and bear traps and homemade liquor and dynamite, what with the prevalence of loneliness and religion and the rages and ecstasies they induce, and the closeness of families, violence was inevitable.

Robinson_HousekeepingAren’t you already packing a suitcase, wanting to visit this cheerful place right away? This is where Housekeeping is set. And it is a strange story. It’s a first person narrative and we see the events through Ruthie’s eyes. She relates her childhood and adolescence in the little town of Fingerbone, somewhere in Idaho. Her grand-father disappeared in the lake close to town. He used to work for the railroad and one train left the rails and fell into the lake. The grand-father died in the accident, along with all the people who were on the train.

He was married to Ruthie’s grand-mother who raised her two girls Helen and Sylvie on her own. Their childhood and adolescence was quiet. They both left home almost at the same time rather unexpectedly. They never really came back, even to see their mother. Helen got married and Sylvie as well. Both marriages were failures, the men disappeared. For Helen, her husband had the time to father two daughters before leaving her behind. This is where Ruthie and Lucille come from.

Ruthie relates how her mother drove them to Fingerbone one day and then committed suicide by launching her car in the lake. The two girls stayed with their grand-mother until she died. Then two great-aunts moved in temporarily until they tracked down Sylvie and ask her to come home and take care of the children. Do the housekeeping.

The main part of the book relates how the situation goes downhill from there. Sylvie is described as a transcient, a drifter. The word hobo isn’t used for her but she’s a wanderer and from the very start, Ruthie is afraid that she leaves too.

It’s a very strange book, I have a hard time writing about it. I was uncomfortable, bored, unable to know where the writer wanted to lead us. I had the impression to be kept in a literary fog. I couldn’t figure out at what time it was happening. It could have been anytime from 1850s to now. OK, the fact that Helen drives a car narrows a bit the period and I noticed somewhere near the end that Lucille was wearing a sweatshirt, jeans and sneakers. So it was post 1960s. But without these details, I was clueless.

The atmosphere is eerie like in Le Grand Meaulnes by Alain Fournier, smothering like in Les Ames grises by Philippe Claudel. The characters spend a lot of time in the woods, near the lake and nature is never inviting. It’s cold, windy, snowy, wet and muddy. Winters are very long. The lake is a sort of character in himself, like an ogre who has swallowed the grand-father and Helen. This lake eats people and Ruthie speaks about these souls wandering in the lake’s surroundings. There were a lot of descriptions of the wilderness around Fingerbone and all this greenery weighed on my reading.

Sylvie is clearly unbalanced, unable to take care of the children, physically and emotionally. She has no schedule, wanders at night, doesn’t cook diner. She accepts that the girls don’t go to school. She doesn’t serve as a guiding light to these two girls. While Lucille is resilient and decides to leave the house and live with a neighbor to save herself, Ruthie stays there and becomes more and more like Sylvie.

Ruthie is an unreliable narrator. She describes her life as if it were normal to live in a house crowded with old newspapers, walls of empty cans and broken windows. The grand-mother’s house is also a character, like a strange house in a fairy-tale. The grand-father built it himself, so it’s not very square. It’s dirty, old and full of memories. Housekeeping is the title of the book but I like the French translation better, La maison dans la dérive. It’s a strange phrase in French. It means the house in the drift. That’s exactly how it is. At the same time, the house is an anchor, the place they come back to, that prevents them from leaving Fingerbone. The house is the link between the past and their present. It hosts the ghosts from the past, the grand-father as a young man, Helen when she was a child and an adolescent, the grand-mother.

I felt ill-at-ease when I read Housekeeping and I didn’t care about the characters. They never touched me. I didn’t like the biblical references; that’s always a put-off for me. Perhaps they were there to enforce the atmosphere of this strange town:

For if Fingerbone was remarkable for anything besides loneliness and murder, it was for religious zeal of the purest and rarest kind. There were, in fact, several churches whose visions of sin and salvation were so ecstatic, and so nearly identical, that the superiority of one church over another could be argued only in terms of good works.

Something was chilling and I wanted to stay away from the book, it’s only 200 pages but it took me ages to read it because I didn’t want to go back to this unhealthy atmosphere after a day at work.

Robinson’s style is very good, very literary and elaborate. The fog and the smothering were in the writing too: not enough dialogues, long paragraphs of descriptions, long sentences with lots of commas, which is strange for an English text. The pages were stifling to look at, without the visual air brought by paragraphs and Ruthie’s long monologue seemed endless and trapped me.

I knew the bridge well. It began above the shore, some thirty feet from the edge of the water. I knew the look of its rusted bolts and tarred pilings. The structure was crude, seen from close up, though from any distance its length and the vastness of the lake made it seem fragile and attenuated. Now, in the moonlight, it loomed above us and was very black, as black as charred wood. Of course, among all these pilings and girders the waves slipped and slapped and trickled, insistent, intimate, insinuating, proprietary as rodents in a dark house.

Strange style, isn’t it? I wonder if she always writes like this or if it’s special for this story.

I should have felt something for Ruthie and Lucille, losing their beloved ones like this. It’s so much pain to take. And that’s one of the aspects of the book. The characters try to deal with the successive losses in their lives, a mother, a sister, a grand-mother. The ghosts from the past hover over them, they don’t manage to move on and they feel this presence all the time. At least Sylvie and Ruthie do.

The whole book was that uncanny and that kind of weird doesn’t agree with me. This is one of the two books Guy chose for Humbook exchange event last Christmas. I’d never hear of this writer before. I’m glad I read it, but sorry Guy, I can’t say I liked it. Has anyone read it? I’d like to hear someone else’s opinion since I really found it chilling. Creepy.

  1. February 10, 2013 at 11:52 pm

    I have not read this. I tend to like uncanny and unusual stories some of the things that you did not like about this work make it at least sound interesting. On the other hand characters that are difficult to care about really can put a damper on a book for me.

    • February 10, 2013 at 11:55 pm

      The ratings on Goodreads are either 2 stars or 5 stars: the book doesn’t leave indifferent.

      It’s a good book but it didn’t work for me.

      • February 11, 2013 at 12:44 am

        I read it after watching the film. Sorry you didn’t like it as it is torture to read something you’d rather avoid. Better luck with the other pick

        • February 11, 2013 at 12:59 am

          She’s a good writer.

          What did you like so much about it? I find it disturbing.

        • February 11, 2013 at 9:32 pm

          Don’t worry about it.
          However, I saw you gave it 5 stars on Goodreads and I’m a bit surprised. I wouldn’t have imagined you loving this book. What did you like about it?

          It reminds me of a recent review you wrote about a book with lots of descriptions of woods and greenery. I remember writing it would put me off and someone else said the same. Are the books alike? (sorry, I don’t remember the title)

  2. February 11, 2013 at 1:43 am

    Given the extent to which it creeped you out it sounds extremely well written. I can see how it would divide opinion.

    I’m not familiar with her work. Fingerbone, even the name is creepy. It sounds like a sort of literary horror fiction. Great cover too. I may look further into it, since I do read some horror. I’ve heard of the author, but not read her and don’t know her work so I’ve no idea if this is her normal style or a choice for this book. Hopefully someone else can answer that question in the comments.

    • February 11, 2013 at 6:50 am

      No doubt, it’s a good book.
      I also thought that Fingerbone was a creepy name.
      I don’t know if it qualifies for “horror” fiction, you know I’m not good with genres.
      I’m curious to read other reactions to it. I exchanged a few tweets with Pykk about it and he found it eerie, chilling but well written too.

    • February 11, 2013 at 8:02 am

      Housekeeping was her first piece of fiction and she’s only written two others, Gilead and Home. The other two are less overtly eerie than Housekeeping — there’s the sense that something is not right, but this uncanny restlessness doesn’t possess the whole scenery of the novel, the way it does in the first book. The second book pretends to be a letter written by an elderly man to his young son. The third book is a third-person narrative set in the same town as book two. Neither of them are like Housekeeping. Less Gothic.

      • February 11, 2013 at 9:15 pm

        Thanks for this.
        I wondered if her style was always like this. Restlessness, that’s the word. It applies to the dead whose bodies are in the lake and have no proper grave, it applies to Sylvie who can’t settle down and it applies to Ruthie’s disquiet.

        I think this book is very American too, full of American myths, at least seen from Europe: the grand-father who built his wooden house, the untamed nature that claims humans, the nights in the woods, the references to the Bible.

  3. February 11, 2013 at 8:05 am

    I’ve read her Gilead and really didn’t like it and I got this one too. The way you describe it, so eerie and creepy, I have a feeling I will like it very much. I’m actually tempted to go and grab the book right now. I think the Cornflower Book Club read this last year and they were not too keen on it. Can’t remember what Litlove said (she did read along), someone found the writing too forced, too artificial.

    • February 11, 2013 at 9:16 pm

      I was thinking you might like it. I’d like to read your review.
      I’ll check Litlove’s review, thanks for the tip.

  4. leroyhunter
    February 11, 2013 at 3:35 pm

    I haven’t read her, but I’m aware she has a huge reputation. I didn’t realise her stuff was creepy or Gothic as Pykk puts it. Interesting.

    Few things worse than having to come back to a book you dread though!

    • February 11, 2013 at 9:20 pm

      I suppose the Pulitzer prize helped her reputation. I don’t remember her winning it, it was one of those no-reading years.

      It probably deserves to be read in several sittings, to get caught by the atmosphere and the style. It takes a bit of time to enter her language. I thought it was a bit difficult for me, which doesn’t help at night after work. It must be easy to translate into French though.

  5. Vishy
    February 11, 2013 at 5:23 pm

    Interesting review of an interesting book, Emma! I love that picture on the cover – it depicts the central theme of the book beautifully. I love the French translation of the title too. I liked what you said about Marilynne Robinson’s prose – that it was literary and the book had long sentences with lots of commas and less dialogue. Maybe she was inspired by Proust 🙂 I remember reading somewhere that either this or ‘Gilead’ won the Pulitzer prize. Thanks for this beautiful review.

    • February 11, 2013 at 9:23 pm

      The cover is beautiful indeed. For once, it’s not a part of a woman’s body. Have you noticed how many covers involve a woman’s legs, a woman applying make-up, a woman’s back…
      This train is where everything started. It’s the end of the grand-father’s life and the symbol of Sylvie’s restlessness.

      Her prose isn’t like Proust’s or James’s.

  6. February 11, 2013 at 6:05 pm

    I loved Housekeeping. It took twenty years for her to follow it with Gilead which won the Pulitzer Prize. This was then followed by Home which told the story of Gilead from a different perspective.
    @Caroline – A lot of people who are not keen on Gilead like Housekeeping, I’ve noticed.
    The closest thing between Housekeeping and the later books are the characters of Jack and Sylvie – two drifters who return to their home place but never belong. The omnipresence of religion is also a link, although it is far more explicit in the later works.
    ***Blurb warning*** – I think Robinson is one of the greatest writers currently at work. She is a supreme stylist and deals with profound and often unsettling issues.

    • February 11, 2013 at 9:27 pm

      Well, it didn’t speak to me but I agree, she writes well but sometimes I think her style is a bit heavy. Or is it because English isn’t my native language? It was challenging.

      All this rain, this sadness weighed on me. It was like Ruthie and Sylvie were following their lives instead of living them. I’m not very keen on passive characters and that probably didn’t help either.

      It’s nice to read your comment, it balances all my negativity.

  7. February 11, 2013 at 7:27 pm

    I have tghis on my tbr but recently saw the film it looks very strange story if the film was anything to go by ,all the best stu

    • February 11, 2013 at 9:28 pm

      You have to ask Guy about the film, he’s watched it too and read the book after.

  8. February 15, 2013 at 11:07 am

    I have tried to like Marilynne Robinson but I find her writing too – “precious” is a word I would use – she tries too hard to write beautifully and the result is a little “forced” (I hope these words get the idea across). It’s interesting that you compare this one to Alain Fournier (incidentally I shall be visiting his home town this year with my wife).

    When I reviewed her book “Home” I wrote “The fact remains that as with Gilead, these people are basically dull, with little knowledge of the world beyond their small town Christian community and have attitudes which caused this reader at least to want to fling open the windows and let some life in”. I think I would feel that same about this book.

    • February 16, 2013 at 7:12 pm

      I can understand why you thought her writing “precious”. Perhaps it’s easier for you to judge as you’re a native English speaker. I thought it was rather difficult to follow and the constant use of strings of words or phrases sounded odd in English. At least to me.

      • February 18, 2013 at 9:24 pm

        It is interesting that you found it “odd” – I agree with you but some people find that sort of writing to be “poetic” – it sounds a little pretentious to me

        • February 18, 2013 at 9:54 pm

          I find it odd for a writer who writes in English. Usually you can find that kind of long sentences with commas and lots of adjectives in French books.

  9. November 25, 2015 at 9:39 pm

    It is now available in paperback in French and the title is : La maison de Noé. Noah’s House: perfect title for this book where they seem constantly surrounded by water and rain.

  10. April 18, 2017 at 1:27 am

    It’s fascinating to see that your review and mine both attract so much conversation about this book. I see that you called it strange too, and that is a word that neither of us often use in our reviews…

  1. April 18, 2017 at 1:29 am

I love to hear your thoughts, thanks for commenting. Comments in French are welcome

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For if I thought it were not so,
Though it were so, it griev'd me not ;
Unto my thought it were as thô
I hearkened though I hear not.
At that I see I cannot wink,
Nor from my thought so let it go :
I would it were not as I think ;
I would I thought it were not.
Lo ! how my thought might make me free,
Of that perchance it needs not :
Perchance none doubt the dread I see ;
I shrink at that I bear not.

But in my heart this word shall sink,
Until the proof may better be :
I would it were not as I think ;
I would I thought it were not.
If it be not, shew no cause why
I should so think, then care I not ;
For I shall so myself apply
To be that I appear not.
That is, as one that shall not shrink
To be your own until I die ;
And if that be not as I think,
Likewise to think it is not.

[Born, 1516. Died, 1547.) Walpole, Ellis, and Warton, gravely inform Wood", and from him copied, by mistake, by us that Lord Surrey contributed to the victory Walpole and Warton, sends the poet on his of Flodden, a victory which was gained before romantic tour to Italy, as the knight errant of Lord Surrey was born. The mistakes of such the fair Geraldine. There is no proof, however, writers may teach charity to criticism. Dr. that Surrey was ever in Italy. At the period of Nott, who has cleared away much fable and his imagined errantry, his repeated appearance anachronism from the noble poet's biography, at the court of England can be ascertained ; and supposes that he was born in or about the year Geraldine, if she was a daughter of the Earl 1516, and that he was educated at Cambridge, of Kildare, was then only a child of seven years of which university he was afterwards elected oldt. high steward. At the early age of sixteen he That Surrey entertained romantic sentiments was contracted in marriage to the Lady Frances for the fair Geraldine, seems, however, to admit Vere, daughter to John Earl of Oxford. The of little doubt ; and that too at a period of her Duke of Richmond was afterwards affianced to youth which makes his homage rather surprising. Surrey's sister. It was customary, in those The fashion of the age sanctioned such courttimes, to delay, frequently for years, the con- ships, under the liberal interpretation of their summations of such juvenile matches ; and the being platonic. Both Sir P. Sydney and the writer of Lord Surrey's life, already mentioned, Chevalier Bayard avowed attachments of this gives reasons for supposing that the poet's exalted nature to married ladies, whose reputaresidence at Windsor, and his intimate friend- tions were never sullied, even when the mistress ship with Richmond, so tenderly recorded in his wept openly at parting from her admirer. Of verses, took place, not in their absolute child- the nature of Surrey's attachment we may conjechood, as has been generally imagined, but imme- ture what we please, but can have no certain test diately after their being contracted to their even in his verses, which might convey either respective brides. If this was the case, the much more or much less than he felt ; and how poet's allusion to

shall we search in the graves of men for the The secret groves which oft we made resound

shades and limits of passions that elude our living Of pleasant plaint, and of our ladies' praise.

observation ? may be charitably understood as only recording

* Nash's History of Jack Wilton. the aspirations of their conjugal impatience. | If concurring proofs did not so strongly point out his Surrey's marriage was consummated in 1535.

poetical mistress Geraldine to be the daughter of the Earl

of Kildare, we might well suspect, from the date of In the subsequent year he sat with his father, as Surrey's attachment, that the object of his praises must Earl Marshal, on the trial of his kinswoman have been some other person. Geraldine, when he deAnne Boleyn. Of the impression which that

clared his devotion to her, was only thirteen years of age. event made upon his mind, there is no trace to

She was taken, in her childhood, under the protection of

the court, and attended the Prir.cess Mary. At the age be found either in his poetry, or in tradition. of fifteen she married Sir Anthony Wood, a man of His grief for the amiable Richmond, whom he sixty, and after his death accepted the Earl of Lincoln. lost soon after, is more satisfactorily testified.

From Surrey's verses we find that she slighted bis ad

dresses, after having for some time encouraged them ; It is about this period that the fiction of Nash, and from his conduct it appears that he hurried into war unfaithfully misapplied as reality by Anthony and public business in order to forget her indifference.

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Towards the close of 1540, Surrey embarked approach with 60,000 men, the English in public business. A rupture with France able retreat, of which Surrey cond being anticipated, he was sent over to that king- movements as marshal of the camp. dom, with Lord Russell and the Earl of South He returned with his father to Ens ampton, to see that everything was in a proper must have made only a short stay at state of defence within the English pale. He we find him soon after fighting a spirit had previously been knighted ; and had jousted in the neighbourhood of Boulogne, in in honour of Anne of Cleves, upon her marriage chased back the French as far as A with Henry. The commission did not detain The following year he commanded the him long in France. He returned to England of the army of Boulogne, and finally before Christmas, having acqaitted himself and obtained the government of that i entirely to the king's satisfaction. In the next was then nearly defenceless; the bread year, 1541, we may suppose him to have been paired, the fortifications in decay, and t) occupied in his literary pursuits—perhaps in his with superior numbers, established so i translation of Virgil. England was then at peace be able to command the harbour, ar both at home and abroad, and in no other subse upon the lower town. Under such quent year of Surrey's life could his active service tages, Surrey entered on his command, have allowed him leisure. In 1542 he received up and sent home a plan of alteratio the order of the Garter, and followed his father works, which was approved of by the in the expedition of that year into Scotland, ordered to be acted upon. Nor were h where he acquired his first military experience. merely defensive. On one occasion h Amidst these early distinctions it is somewhat men into the enemy's country as far a mortifying to find him, about this period, twice au-Bois, which he destroyed, and ret committed to the Fleet prison ; on one occasion safety with considerable booty. on account of a private quarrel, on another for hearing that the French intended to eating meat in Lent, and for breaking the win their camp at Outreau, he compelled dows of the citizens of London with stones from abandon their object, pursued them a his cross-bow. This was a strange misdemeanour Hardilot, and was only prevented from indeed, for a hero and a man of letters. His a complete victory through the want of apology, perhaps as curious as the fact itself, But his plan for the defence of Boulogne turns the action only into quixotic absurdity. by his own extant memorial, is said t His motive, he said, was religious. He saw the great military skill, was marred by the citizens sunk in papal corruption of manners,

one unfortunate sally. In order to pre and he wished to break in upon their guilty French from revictualling a fortress that secrecy by a sudden chastisement, that should the safety of Boulogne, he found it ne remind them of Divine retribution !

with his slender forces, to risk another a The war with France called him into more St. Etienne. His cavalry first charg honourable activity. In the first campaign he routed those of the French : the foot, w joined the army under Sir John Wallop, at the commanded in person, next advanced, siege of Landrecy; and in the second and larger first line, consisting chiefly of gentlemer expedition he went as marshal of the army of with corselets, behaved gallantly, but the which his father commanded the vanguard. line, in coming to the push of the pik The siege of Montreuil was allotted to the Duke seized with a sudden panic, and fled of Norfolk and his gallant son ; but their opera. Boulogne, in spite of all the efforts of the tions were impeded by the want of money, mander to rally them. Within a few ammunition, and artillery, supplies most pro

after this affair he was recalled to Engla bably detained from reaching them by the in. Hertford went out to France as the king fluence of the Earl of Hertford, who had long tenant-general. regarded both Surrey and his father with a It does not appear, however, that the jealous eye. In these disastrous circumstances this action was the pretext for his recal, Surrey seconded the duke's efforts with zeal and direct cause of the king's vengeance, by ability. On one expedition he was out two days he was subsequently destined to fall. and two nights, spread destruction among the

faction of Hertford, that was intriguing resources of the enemy, and returned to the camp him at home, ever succeeded in fretting the with a load of supplies, and without the loss of humour against him, by turning his mis a single man. In a bold attempt to storm the into a topic of blame, Henry's irritation town he succeeded so far as to make a lodge have passed away, as we find Surrey re ment in one of the gates ; but was dangerously with promises of being replaced in l.is con wounded, and owed his life to the devoted (a promise, however, which was basely fal bravery of his attendant Clere, who received a and again appearing at court in an hond hurt in rescuing him, of which he died a month station. But the event of his recal (th after. On the report of the Dauphin of France's does not seem to have been marked by

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of royal displeasure) certainly contributed in- against her husband, from whom she had been directly to his ruin, by goading his proud temper long separated, and by the still more unaccountto farther hostilities with Hertford. Surrey, on able and unnatural hatred of the Duchess of his return to England, spoke of his enemy with in Richinond against her own brother. Surrey was dignation and menaces, and imprudently expressed arrested on the 12th of December, 1546, and his hopes of being revenged in a succeeding committed to the Tower. The depositions of reign. His words were reported, probably with witnesses against him, whose collective testimony exaggeration, to the king, and occasioned his did not substantiate even a legal offence, were being sent, for some time, as a prisoner to transmitted to the king's judges at Norwich, and Windsor. He was liberated, however, from a verdict was returned, in consequence of which thence, and again made his appearance at court, he was indicted for high treason. We are not unsuspicious of his impending ruin.

told the full particulars of his defence, but are It is difficult to trace any personal motives that only generally informed that it was acute and could impel Henry to wish for his destruction. spirited. With respect to the main accusation, He could not be jealous of his intentions to marry of his bearing the arms of the Confessor, he the Princess Mary—that fable is disproved by proved that he had the authority of the heralds the discovery of Surrey's widow having survived in so doing, and that he had worn them himself him. Nor is it likely that the king dreaded him in the king's presence, as his ancestors had worn as an enemy to the Reformation, as there is every them in the presence of former kings. Notwithreason to believe that he was a Protestant. The standing his manifest innocence, the jury was natural cruelty of Henry seems to have been but base enough to find him guilty. The chancellor an instrument in the designing hands of Hert-pronounced sentence of death upon him ; and in ford, whose ambition, fear, and jealousy, prompted the flower of his age, in his 31st year, this noble him to seek the destruction of Norfolk and his soldier and accomplished poet was beheaded on

His measures were unhappily aided by the Tower-hill. vindictive resentment of the Duchess of Norfolk

So cruel prison how could betide, alas !

The wild forest, the clothed holts with green; As proud Windsor? Where I in lust and joy, With reins avail’ds, and swift ybreathed lorse, With a king's son, my childish years did pass, With cry of hounds, and merry blasts between, In greater feast than Priam's sons of Troy ; Where we did chase the fearful hart of force. Where each sweet place returns a taste full sour. The void walls eke that harbour'd us each night : The large green courts, where we were wont to rove, Wherewith, alas ! revive within my breast With eyes upcast unto the maiden's tower, The sweet accord, such sleeps as yet delight ; And easy sighs, such as folk draw in love.

The pleasant dreams, the quiet bed of rest; The stately seats, the ladies bright of hue,

The secret thoughts, imparted with such trust; The dances short, long tales of great delight; The wanton talk, the divers change of play ; With words and looks that tigers could but rue, The friendship sworn, each promise kept so just, When each of us did plead the other's right. Wherewith we past the winter nights away. The palm plays, where dèsported for the game, And with this thought the blood forsakes the With dazed eyes oft we, by gleams of love,

face; Have miss'd the ball, and got sight of our dame, The tears berain my cheeks of deadly hue : To bait her eyes, which kept the leads above. The which, as soon as sobbing sighs, alas ! The gravell’d ground, with sleeves tied on the helm, Upsupped have, thus I my plaint renew : On foaming horse with swords and friendly hearts; O place of bliss ! renewer of my woes ! With cheer as though one should another whelm, Gis

me account, where is my noble fered? Where we have fought, and chased oft with darts. Whom in thy walls thou didst each night With silver drops the meads yet spread for ruth; enclose; In active games of nimbleness and strength, To other liefe: but unto me most dear. Where we did strain, trained with swarms of youth, Echo, alas ! that doth my sorrow rue, Our tender limbs that yet shot up in length. Returns thereto a hollow sound of plaint. The secret groves, which oft we made resound Thus I alone, where all my freedom grew, Of pleasant plaint, and of our ladies' praise ; In prison pine, with bondage and restraint : Recording oft what grace each one had found, And with remembrance of the greater grief, What hope of speed, what dread of long delays. To banish the less, I find my chief relief.

d Companion. e Beloved.

* Tennis-court.

b Stript.

c Shortened.

The sooter season, that bud and bloom forth

With green hath clad the hill, and eke the vale,
The nightingale with feathers new she sings;
The turtle to her makes hath told her tale.
Summer is come, for every spray now springs.
The hart hath hung his old head on the pale ;
The buck in brake his winter coat he flings ;
The fishes fleet with new repaired scale ;
The adder all her slough away she flings;
The swift swallow pursueth the flies small;
The busy bee her honey now she mingsb;
Winter is worn that was the flower's balei.

And thus I see among these pleasant things
| Each care decays, and yet my sorrow springs.
1 Sweet
& Mate.

h Mingles i Destruction.

When Windsor walls sustain'd my wearied arm;
My hand my chin, to ease my restless head;
The pleasant plot revested green with warm ;
The blossom’d boughs with lusty ver yspread ;
The flower'd meads, the wedded birds so late
Mine eyes discover ; and to my mind resort
The jolly woes, the hateless short debate,
The rakehell k life that longs to love's disport.
Wherewith, alas ! the heavy charge of care
Heap'd in my breast, breaks forth against my will
In smoky sighs that overcast the air.
My vapour'd eye such dreary tears distil,
The tender green they quicken where they fall ;
And I half bend to throw me down withal.

k Careless-Rakil, or rakle, seems synonymous with reckless.

(Died, 1560)

He was

It is now universally admitted that Lord Vaux, / pieces are found in the Paradise of Dainty De. the poet, was not Nicholas the first peer, but vices. Mr. Park a has noticed a passage in the Thomas, the second baron of that name.

prose prologue to Sackville's Introduction to the one of those who attended Cardinal Wolsey on Mirror for Magistrates, that Lord Vaux had his embassy to Francis the First. He received undertaken to complete the history of King Edthe order of the Bath at the coronation of Anne ward's two sons who were murdered in the Boleyn, and was for some time Captain of the Tower, but that it does not appear he ever island of Jersey. A considerable number of his executed his intention.

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(Born, 1523 Died, 1566. ] Was a principal contributor to the Paradise | able sonneteer, and the most facetious mimic of of Dainty Devices, and one of our earliest dra the court. In the beginning of Elizabeth's reign matic authors. He wrote two comedies, one he was one of the gentlemen of her chapel, and entitled Damon and Pythias, the other Palamon master of the children there, having the character and Arcite, both of which were acted before of an excellent musician. His pleasing little Queen Elizabeth. Besides his regular dramas, poem, the Amantium Ire, has been so often rehe appears to have contrived masques, and to printed, that, for the sake of variety, I have have written verses for pageants; and is described selected another specimen of his simplicity. as having been the first fiddle, the most fashion

The mountains high, whose lofty tops do meet

the haughty sky ; The craggy rock, that to the sea free passage doth

deny ; The aged oak, that doth resist the force of blus

tring blast; The pleasant herb, that everywhere a pleasant

smell doth cast ; The lion's force, whose courage stout declares a

prince-like might ; The eagle, that for worthiness is born of kings in

My faith, lo here! I vow to thee, my troth thou

know'st too well ; My goods, my friends, my life, is thine ; what

need I more to tell ? I am not mine, but thine ; I vow thy hests I will

And serve thee as a servant ought, in pleasing if

I may ;
And sith I have no flying wings, to serve thee as

I wish,
Ne fins to cut the silver streams, as doth the

gliding fish;
Wherefore leave now forgetfulness, and send

again to me, And strain thy azure veins to write, that I may

greeting see. And thus farewell ! more dear to me than chiefest

friend I have, Whose love in heart I mind to shrine, till Death

his fee do crave.

Then these, I say, and thousands more, by tract

of time decay, And, like to time, do quite consume, and fade

from form to clay ; But my true heart and service vow'd shall last

time out of mind, And still remain as thine by doom, as Cupid hath

assigned ;

Was a gentleman of Edward the Sixth's Chapel, | ful of Honeysuckle," and other godly works. and afterwards master of the boys of Queen He died in 1568. Hunnis was also a writer of Elizabeth's Chapel. He translated the Psalms, Interludes..See Collier's Annals of the Stage, and was author of a “ Hive of Honey,” a “ Hand vol. i., p. 235.

In search of things that secret are my mated

muse began, What it might be molested most the head and

mind of man ;

The bending brow of prince's face, to wrath that

doth attend, Or want of parents, wife, or child, or loss of

faithful friend ;

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