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Editorial

In the Land of the Giants: Folklore’s Biggest Villains. Literally

Folklore’s Biggest Villains

Even though Jack commits violent acts, such as ripping a giant’s belly open in one of the stories, more often that not, it is his clever trickery and quick thinking that helps him out of tough situations. He knows he cannot match the strength and the size of Cormoran, Galigantus, or any other giant, so he exploits their weaknesses. Right from the beginning, it’s an unfair right, but Jack is not the one to be discouraged. At the heart of these stories is the battle of good vs. evil, but the giants are used as villains for a reason. They aren’t fully fleshed-out characters with unique qualities that to them apart from one another, but their lowest common denominator is their size, power, brutality, but also their lack of skill and intelligence, as they are always portrayed as blood-thirsty monsters, often clumsy and dim-witted. As such, they serve to provide the perfect foil for our tiny hero, as Jack’s qualities can shine when juxtaposed with characteristics of the giants. These stories give us the message that is that no matter how small you are, you always have a fighting chance to emerge victorious if you use your smarts, wit and bravery against a brute, mindless, destructive force.]]>

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Editorial

Bad Vs. Good: Two Sides of the Same Coin

Warrior

The villains play an ungrateful role, and ironically, sometimes their only purpose is to make the hero more appealing. The battle of good vs. evil, light vs. dark, hero vs. villain is as old as time itself. There are many examples of that in folklore, mythology, religion and literature of all cultures. There are numerous references in the Bible, Torah, and Quran which address that subject. Interestingly enough, even though there were and there still are many civilizations, cultures, countries and languages, that particular battle seems to be rather universal. The only thing that changes are the names, locations and the circumstances, but the core of it remains the same. If we were to perform a more thorough research on a single example, we would find that it probably has a similar counterpart in a different culture, under a different name. Of course, this can also be due to the fact that when a new culture suppresses the old one, it inherits some of its characteristics as well. For example, there are many examples of pagan beliefs that were carried over into Christianity. One of the oldest legends which depicts the age-old battle of good vs. evil is the story of Beowulf. Beowulf is an Old English epic poem about the eponymous hero, set in Scandinavia, and is considered one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature. Beowulf, the hero of the Geats, comes to the aid of Hrothgar, the king of the Danes, whose great hall, Heoroth, is being terrorized by a vicious monster named Grendel. In addition to Grendel, Beowulf also has to battle Grendel’s mother and a dragon. Each of these is used to develop the characterization of our hero further, each one presenting a unique set of challenges he has to overcome, displaying his best qualities. Beowulf is a classic example where establishing a dichotomy between a hero and a villain is used to infuse life in both the hero and the villain, making them more complex and real, as opposed to just treating them as polar opposites, with a clear line of division between them. Depicted simply as an evil monster, Grendel isn’t exactly a fully fleshed-out character, but then again, he doesn’t need to be, as his purpose is to make the reader root for the hero, in this case, Beowulf. Very early in the story, we see a dichotomy being created: Grendel, who is sinister and bloodthirsty, spreading evil and fear among the people, and Beowulf, who fights for the people and wants to protect them. We aren’t familiar with what drives Grendel to commit such despicable acts, nor do we know his motives, as he is simply described as creature of darkness, and that serves as a stark contrast to Beowulf’s motives and actions, which are selfless, to an extent, as he does desire glory. The point is the villain, in this case Grendel, is used merely as a tool to make the hero more approachable and likable, and therefore an emotional connection is forged between the reader and the hero. By making the villain as heinous as possible, the hero is glorified and his actions, even those who might be considered questionable, or even flat out wrong, are justified and made acceptable. The hero and villain often share some of the qualities, such as strength, wisdom and intelligence, which makes their rivalry all the more interesting and realistic, but, there is a key difference in their goals and desires. The hero fights to protect others, even if that means putting himself in harm’s way, which might cost him his life, and the villain feeds off his evil acts and his ultimate goal is his self-satisfaction. But, perhaps there is another reason why we always root for the hero. We all like to think of ourselves as good people, with good character traits, and we tend to see the hero as a perfected image of ourselves, and that’s what makes him so relatable]]>

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Editorial

Sir Henry Lytton (1867-1936)

Harlequin

A Youthful Love Sir Henry Lytton’s path to the footlights started with a crush he developed on a young actress. In 1884 seventeen year old Henry Lytton was a student at St. Mark’s College in Chelsea, London. On a visit to the theatre his eye was caught by an attractive young actress called Louie Henri. He courted Ms. Henri and the feelings proved mutual. He took a holiday from school and got married. When he returned to resume his schooling the headmaster wanted to administer the customary punishment for a truant in those days – a sound caning. Lytton thought that he could escape the pain and told the headmaster that if he brought done the can he would be “thrashing a married man.” The headmaster thought for a second and then decided to beat him even harder than he originally planned because of his insolence. Although Lytton might have regretted playing truant he certainly did not regret his choice of partner. Louie became his faithful companion until his death over half a century afterwards. My Wife’s Brother While Louie Lytton did not fear the kind of punishment her husband received for marrying while still at school, she did fear for her job. She had just begun touring with the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company. In those times an actress getting married so young was not the accepted practice. She did want to be parted from her new husband but at the same time she felt the need to hide her married status from other members of the company. She came up with an ingenious solution. She introduced her husband to the company as her brother and asked if he could be given an audition for the chorus. Lytton did well in this trial and was offered two pounds a week to sing in the chorus. Thus he began his acting career using the name of H. A. Henri and posing as his wife’s brother. In the Right Place at the Right Time Lytton’s first tour was with the opera Princess Ida. He was given the job of understudy to the actor playing King Gama but he was not called upon to perform. Lytton’s first opportunity to take on a leading role came in 1887. The famous George Grossmith was playing Robin Oakapple in a production of Ruddigore at London’s Savoy Theatre. His understudy was an actor named Eric Lewis. Lewis was eager to show his skills in a leading Gilbert and Sullivan operatic role but Grossmith never failed to miss a performance. Lewis was continually waiting in the wings but never called to perform. Finally he lost his patience and decided to seek his dramatic fortunes elsewhere. Just after he left Grossmith took ill and Henry Lytton was asked to take his role. From this point onwards there was no turning back in his career. Although Lytton left the D’Oyly Carte Company for a period to try his hands at theatre management, he soon returned. He played a large number of different roles in the Savoy operas. Interestingly enough for a person who could not read music he had a fine ear for rhythm and excellent sense of timing. He was not shy to give his own interpretation to roles. For example, Grossmith had adopted a comic interpretation of role of the jester Jack Point in the Yeoman of the Guards (1888). Lytton thought it better to play Jack Point as a tragic figure and this was much closer to Gilbert’s intention when he wrote the script. Honour and Sadness In 1930 Henry Lytton’s services to theatre were recognized when King George V bestowed a knighthood on him. The following years brought a tragedy. Sir Henry was driving from Manchester to Cambridge when his car skidded and crashed. Although he was not seriously injured, his passenger, Bertha Lewis, died shortly afterwards from her injuries. Ms. Lewis was one of the leading actresses and singer of the D’Oyly Carte Company and her death was a serious blow. Sir Henry recovered from his injuries to celebrate fifty years in theatre in 1934. A special fund was set up by his admirers and he was presented with a testimonial album. The album was signed by the then Prime Minister, Ramsay MacDonald. Previous Prime Ministers Stanley Baldwin and David Lloyd George also signed. Sir Henry Lytton died in 1936.]]>

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Editorial

Sir Arthur S. Sullivan (1842-1900)

Sir Arthur S. Sullivan

The Beginnings of a Great Composer Arthur Seymour Sullivan was born in London on 13th May 1842. Music was part of his life from his earliest years since his father, Thomas, served as Bandmaster at the Royal Military College in Sandhurst. Although the family financial means were stressed the relationships between family members were very warm. As his surname suggests, Thomas Sullivan was of Irish origin but his wife was Italian. Arthur was close to both his parents and to his talented older brother, Frederick. Everything was in place for a happy childhood but Arthur Sullivan had health problems from an early age. He was also burdened with a second name that he detested. If you see what the initial of his names spell out it is easy to understand why Sullivan wished his middle name forgotten! Coming from such a musical family it is hardly surprising that Arthur Sullivan learned to play the flute and most other wind instruments as a young child. He also had a fine voice. He was appointed “first boy” in the choir of Queen Victoria’s Chapel Royal. Albert, the Prince Consort, was so delighted with Sullivan’s singing that he rewarded him with a gold half sovereign coin. This was a most generous present at the time. In twenty-first century terms it might have been worth as much as 100 pounds in purchasing power terms. Even before the young Arthur Sullivan had made his name for himself in the Chapel Royal Choir he had published his first musical composition. Sullivan was not even twelve years old when he composed the piece of religious music named “O Israel.” It is easy to understand how this young musical genius won the prestigious Mendelssohn Scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music. He continued his musical education in Germany where he became acquainted with the composer Franz Listz. While studying at Leipzig 18 year old Sullivan’s music first came to public attention with a performance of his composition for Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”. The performance was repeated the following year at London’s Crystal Palace. Now back resident in London Arthur Sullivan supported himself as a church organist while at the same time writing classical music such as the Prince of Wales march. The death of his father caused him great distress but he turned his feelings in a creative direction to write a work called In Memoriam. On a happier note Sullivan became friendly with Sir George Grove who later became a famous figure in his own right through his Dictionary of Music. Grove and Sullivan travelled together to Vienna in a search for a lost score of Schubert. They were about to give up their search and return to England. Before packing their bags and leaving an old cupboard caught their attention. In a dramatic moment in musical history they discovered the manuscript of Schubert’s Rosamunde in this cupboard! Gilbert and Sullivan At the time of Gilbert and Sullivan’s first meeting in 1869 the latter had already established a reputation as a star of London’s serious music scene. In truth he had also turned his hands to writing light music for the playwright F.C.Barnand but he certainly had no intentions of focusing on this area of music. Sullivan and Gilbert were first introduced by their mutual friend, dramatist and musician Frederick Clay. Clay was working with Gilbert on a play entitled “Ages Ago” and he invited Sullivan to see it. Although they made each other’s acquaintance at this time it took another 6 years before they first worked together. London theatre promoter John Hollinshead brought Gilbert and Sullivan together in 1871 to produce the one act comedy “Thespsis.” This comedy based on an Ancient Greek theme ran for 64 performances. This was a reasonable run for a production put together so quickly but with this play behind them, Gilbert and Sullivan continued their separate careers. In Sullivan’s case this included writing music for Shakespeare’s “Merry Wives of Windsor”, and a hymn of thanks for the recovery of the Prince of Wales from a serious illness. The man who finally brought Gilbert and Sullivan into their famous partnership was theatre impresario Richard D’Oyly Carte. In 1875 D’Oyly Carte encouraged Gilbert to approach Sullivan to write a score for his comic opera “Trial for Jury”. Gilbert was confident that the serious composer Sullivan would not be interested in writing music for his work, but Sullivan found the script hilarious and was happy to co-operate. Arthur Sullivan’s older brother Frederick played the role of the Judge and was a great hit. The opera ran for over three months and would have continued longer but Frederick Sullivan took ill and died. Arthur was close to his brother and his early death delivered him a heavy blow. As with the death of his father years earlier he expressed his grief through his music. Sullivan’s composition “The Lost Chord” remains very popular to this day although not everyone knows the sad background behind its composition. Sullivan was very sensitive over this work. When he found out someone was making a parody of it he wrote to them to explain how he came to write the ‘Lost Chord” and he urged the parodist not to proceed with something he would consider disrespectful of his brother’s memory. Although saddened by his brother’s death, Sullivan must have found some consolation in the success of his music. The popularity of Trial by Jury convinced Richard D’Oyly Carte that the partnership between Gilbert and Sullivan was a potential gold mine. Their co-operation on the comic operas HMS Pinafore (1878) and the Pirates of Penance (1879) proved that D’Oyly Carte had correctly assessed public taste. The operas quickly became very popular in England and also in the United States. Sullivan’s light music reached a far greater audience than his serious music ever reached with even the delivery boys in the streets of London humming tunes from the operas. He became one of the pioneers of style of opera that gently poked fun at while at the same time became an integral part of British culture. His fame resulted in the bestowal of a knighthood by Queen Victoria. It is interesting to note that these D’Oyly Carte productions were also pioneers in the use of the latest technology. When a scene in the opera Ruddigore (1887) demanded the theatre to be darkened, the question arose how could Sullivan possibility conduct the orchestra when they would no longer be able to see him gesturing with his baton? The ingenious solution was to provide him with a baton lit by electricity. A Difficult Partnership The success of the series of Gilbert and Sullivan operas throughout the 1880s elevated Gilbert and Sullivan into the mega-stars of the late Victorian entertainment scene. It also made them both into very wealthy men. Sullivan’s addiction to gambling at the tables of Monte Carlo meant that the income from the operas became indispensable to the kind of lifestyle he aspired to lead. He certainly realised that he was earning far more than he might hope to get as a classic composer but his sense of artistic self-esteem was damaged. He did not want his reputation to rest on comic opera but wanted to take his place alongside Franz Listz and the other highly-respected classic composers of the era. He regularly struggled with his need for funds that his partnership with Gilbert answered and his desire to break away and make his name as a classical composer. Gilbert’s contentious personality did not make their co-operation any easier. It took all the diplomatic skills of Richard D’Oyly Carte and his wife Helen to put the partnership back together after a serious of quarrels and breakups. At one point he wrote angrily to Gilbert about how he had become burned out writing music for comic opera and was angry how he thought that the emphasis is always on Gilbert’s words with his music “never allowed to rise and speak for itself.” The most famous dispute between them over the expenses of a production ended up in a legal case when Gilbert took Sullivan and D’Oyly Carte to court in a dispute over 200 pounds spent on a carpet for theatre auditorium. The Closing Curtain Gilbert and Sullivan came together for the last time in 1896 for the light opera the Grand Duke. Although it was nowhere near the success of their earlier operas, the audience gave them enthusiastic applause when they came out and took their bows from the opposite end of the stage. Sullivan resumed writing music on more serious themes working on a score for a ballet to mark Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. The liver complaint that he had suffered from since his earliest years became increasingly serious. He had almost died from this on previous occasions and finally on November 22nd 1900 he succumbed. He was buried in St.Paul’s Cathedral. Sir William Gilbert expressed genuine sadness at his death and chose to focus on all they had accomplished together and ignore the ill-feeling that had often been expressed between them.]]>

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It’s Good to Be Bad: Shining the Spotlight on the Villain

And, really, if we take a quick look at some of the famous and infamous villains, such as Dr. Hannibal Lecter, Hans Gruber, Col. Hans Landa or The Joker, the films in which they appeared wouldn’t have had such an impact without them, or they would be something entirely different. And most actors relish playing those roles, as they can get away with a lot more, as opposed to when they are playing the hero. We always root for the heroes, but they are often one-dimensional characters, limited by the requirements of the script and the expectations of the audience, as they have to be the epitome of all that is good and righteous. Ok, maybe every now and then, there comes a hero that is a bit more complex and dark, with his own demons, but still, he has to obey some rules. A villain doesn’t have to do any of that. He’s not constrained by morals, ethics, and while we may not love them, we certainly love to hate them. If a villain is smart, powerful, ruthless, cunning and often charismatic, we feel that much more satisfied when the hero triumphs. But this is not only true of films. Examples of this can also be found in literature, mythology and folklore of all cultures, and while the line between these three is often blurred, and they share some of the stories and characters, the rules are almost the same. As this subject is really broad, this time we’re going to focus on one well-known Hero vs. Villain rivalry, the one between Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham. Without question, the Sheriff of Nottingham is Robin Hood’s principal nemesis. There have been many incarnations of both Robin and the Sheriff in films, literature, folklore and each of them brought something new, establishing a distance from the original story in terms of accuracy. It is almost impossible to determine the real facts, or even if Robin or Sheriff were historical figures, but, that’s not our concern at this time. We’re going to focus on what’s common to all the interpretations, the antagonism between the two of them. A good source, if you’re interested in a more in-depth study, is “Robin Hood: A Collection of All the Ancient Poems, Songs, and Ballads, Now Extant, Relative to That Celebrated English Outlaw; To Which Are Prefixed Historical Anecdotes of His Life” by Joseph Ritson (PIBN: 1000597106). We practically know all there is to know about Robin Hood, but the same cannot be said about the Sheriff of Nottingham. The Sheriff himself was appointed by the King, as a legal authority, but that certainly didn’t make him the moral authority, as he and his henchmen were rotten and corrupt, introducing unfair taxes and robbing the people they supposed to protect, executing everyone who stood in their path. He is most commonly portrayed as intelligent, ruthless, greedy figure, who will do anything to stop Robin Hood, the only one brave enough to stand up to him. While we are more familiar with Robin, as he is the hero of this story, and more attention has been given to him and the people around him, such as the Merry Men, or Maid Marian, some space has been left for the Sheriff of Nottingham to counterbalance the good deeds done by Robin, thus making the story more suspenseful and making the hero more likable by setting him up against a truly heinous villain. And although the Sheriff doesn’t have the support of the people, or his associates, which might assist him sometimes, but at the same time have their own agenda, he still has considerable means at his disposal which he uses to battle Robin, including his blackmail, bribe, money or worse. Even though he is evil, he isn’t just a mere psychopath, spewing venom, but a more shrewd, calculated figure, driven by ambition and greed, using his intellect in addition to violence to remove the opponents who stand in his way. In that aspect, he serves as a perfect foil for Robin Hood, displaying character traits of equal intensity, but on the opposite end of the scale. Also, some of the tactics employed by Robin and his men, such as theft, are justified as they present the only way of fighting the villainous authority figure. And that is the key fact that explains our perception of a hero: as someone who is defined by his great deeds, and not necessarily someone who is morally incorruptible. That, in turn, defines the role of a villain, as well, who isn’t burdened by similar requirements. The villain’s job is to provide the archenemy and moral nemesis for our hero. That’s what makes a villain. However, being a great villain is something a lot more complex, as the author needs to infuse the character with a human element, motivation and the reasons for his wrongdoings, making him into something more than a cardboard cutout. As a consequence of that, the story sets itself apart from the bunch, ultimately becoming something more: a legend.]]>

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Richard The Third

Richard the Third is believed to be one of Shakespeare’s earliest plays. It is also the second longest in the collection, with only Hamlet being longer. It is so long, in fact, that its full text is rarely played out. With five acts, each comprised of at least four scenes, it is a monumental accomplishment, even for the most prolific writer in the English language. It is crowded by a litany of characters, with most being from royal families, but including clergy, elected officials, and a handful of ghosts for good measure. Perhaps its best known phrase is the beginning of a speech given by Richard the Third at the start of the second scene. The oft-quoted line, “Now is the winter of our discontent”, has been referenced in popular culture, including the movie “Being John Malkovich”, and even used as the title of a novel by Steinbeck. The plot is complex and demands rigourous attention to the characters and the storyline. It twists and turns through elaborate schemes with different members of different royal families manipulating one another in a fierce battle for power. With his plot to gain the throne having succeeded, Richard goes on to rule for only two years, during which members of rival families make efforts to have him removed. In the finale, his wicked ways return to haunt him on the fields of the Battle of Bosworth where his followers abandon him and the ghosts of his victims admonish him to “despair and die”. His imminent death occurs at the hands of the Earl of Richmond who subsequently assumes the throne. As with all of Shakespeare’s creations, the play contains elements contrary to the principal themes. Some of the despised king’s speeches draw sympathy from the audience and, despite it being classified as a tragedy, it is infused with comedic elements. To be sure, though, it is a dry and ironic humour. And, for all the murderous acts alluded to in the story, acts of physical violence are notably omitted. Richard the Third is available, in unabridged form, from forgottenbooks.org. It is faithfully reproduced from a stage adaptation that was originally published in 1822. As such, it contains details about costumes and notes about how it was to be played. Specifically, there is a diagram of the arrangement of characters at the closing of the final scene. The text has a classic, yet spartan, appearance that lends an ominous atmosphere to the script. It also contains a list of the actors and their corresponding roles as played at two different theatres as well as a list of other publications in the same collection. There is renewed interest in the historical figure of Richard the Third thanks to a bizarre post-mortem on a skeleton found beneath a church in 2012. DNA studies confirmed its identity and anatomic analysis showed evidence of the deformed figure depicted by Shakespeare. It also identified multiple crushing and penetrating wounds to the skull, corresponding to the violent end to a tyrannous reign. Finally, just two weeks ago, the identification of parasitic eggs at the site of the inauspicious burial added yet further to the stranger-than-fiction legacy. For some weary followers, it may be an epilogue, drawing the story of Richard the Third to a close and leaving Shakespeare’s play to tell the tragic tale of England’s most infamous king.]]>

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Editorial

King Ludd Versus Modernisation

People

The Wronged Apprentice Historians have found some evidence of person around whom the Ludd legend might have developed. It is possible he might have been an apprentice cloth worker in the late 1700s in the Midlands county of Leicestershire. His employer thought that Ludd could work harder and decided to report his laziness to the local justice of the peace. Ludd faced a whipping and became so enraged by his master’s action that he smashed the knitting machine with a hammer. Yet the Ludd who lay behind the violent industrial unrest in the second decade of the nineteenth century is not yet identified with a particular individual. Most historians believe that he was an imaginary character who conveniently allowed local activists to portray themselves as part of a more powerful movement, or perhaps to shift responsibility for violent actions. The Years of Ludd The first record of the name Ned Ludd in connection with an industrial dispute appeared on letters sent to mill owners in Nottingham in 1811. The frame knitters felt threatened by the introduction of powered knitting machinery in local factories. The letters were followed by attacks on the factories and hundreds of these modern knitting frames were smashed. Many of these machines were built by a manufacturer named Enoch, but Enoch also curiously enough made the large hammers Ludd’s followers used to smash the machines. Thus the expression began to circulate, “Enoch did make it, and Enoch will break it.” This was a period of great distress in the Midlands and North. Prices were rising and workers who had supported themselves by working from home were losing their independence and being forced into the highly-disciplined factory environment. Gathering around the banner of Ned Ludd weavers and cloth finishers attacked the new factories and destroyed the new machinery. On a number of occasions the factory owners saw what was coming and defended their business with firearms. Soldiers were also dispatched to restore order. Draconian laws were passed introducing the penalty of death for destruction of mill machinery. When the followers of Ned Ludd killed Yorkshire mill owner William Horsfall in 1812, over 60 people were arrested for this murder and an attack on a Huddersfield factory. Of the arrested men seventeen were executed on the gallows. In another prosecution for Luddite activity in Lancashire one of those arrested and executed was a 12 year old boy. By 1817 these oppressive measures had succeeded in breaking the Luddite movement and worker unrest took other avenues. The Power of Ludd The obvious question is how could the Ludd character form a rallying point for workers in different industries across a wide geographical area? Nobody today believes that Ludd was a real person who stood at the head of an organized movement. The best way of understanding this phenomenon is to place Ludd in a similar category as Robin Hood. In a similar way that Robin Hood stories came to represent the struggle of ordinary people against a repressive, powerful authority, Ludd took on the role of the protector of the workers against the encroachment of the new factory system. Ludd upheld the rights of the downtrodden handloom worker against the threat to their livelihoods from new technology and greedy employers.]]>

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Joseph Grimaldi (1778-1837)

Joseph Grimaldi Book Cover

A Family of Clowns As the family name suggests, the Grimaldi family came from Italy. They had been living in England for half a century when Joseph was born. They made their living from comic performances and acting in the London theatres. Joseph’s father, Joseph Giuseppe Grimaldi, was an accomplished entertainer but a harsh parent who regularly beat his children. Joseph’s mother was a 14 year old dancer taken into his father’s apprenticeship. His father was 60 years old at the time of his birth. Joseph’s mother was not the only woman in his father’s life. He had a few mistresses. Born into such a family it was not surprise that Joseph Grimaldi began his stage career at an early age. He was only a toddler when his father took him on stage with him to take a bow on the stage of the famous Drury Lane Theatre in 1780. With no compulsory education law in those years the young boy only received the most rudimentary education. He was raised a child actor to appear in support of his father. Sometimes he had to play the role of animals. It is recorded that once his father brought him on the stage in the guise of a pet monkey with a chain around his neck. His father swung him round so fast by the chain that he was thrown off the stage into the orchestra pit. He survived this fall and many cuts and bruises. This turned out to be a good preparation for the athletic clowning style that brought him later fame. Joseph Grimaldi’s father died when he was just 10 years old. He had developed a paranoid fear of death, and especially being buried alive. In the 1700s the poor state of medicine made this a real concern, but nevertheless Grimaldi Senior went a little too far in his fears. He asked his daughter to cut off his head after his death just to make sure that he would not be buried alive. He offered her the princely sum of five pounds for performing this grisly duty. Joey the Clown The young Joseph Grimaldi was forced to become the main supporter of his family at such a young age. The famous theatre manager Richard Sheridan gave him employment at the Drury Lane Theatre for a pound per week. His mother was also employed as a dancer. Over the next few years he continued to play a series of child, animal and dwarf roles on the London stage. In 1794 he had his first major breakthrough in the Thomas John Dibdin pantomime “The Talisman; or, Harlequin Made Happy” During this era productions build around the comic characters of Harlequin and Clown were the mainstays of comic theatre. Into this particular milieu, Grimaldi found that his comic acting skills fitted very well. He developed his unique clown identify with the painted face. He also entertained the audience with acrobatics and sword play. Not infrequently he caused himself injury through his energetic performance. Another popular element in his performance was the way he used satire to poke fun at characters or stereotypes that his audience easily recognised amongst their own family or acquaintances. He also courted audience participation. In a tactic that is followed by pantomime performers today he asked the audience if he should do a certain move or trick. Invariably his audience shouted yes and egged him on. He also coined the “here we come” catchphrase which successive generations of clowns have borrowed. Some of his comic songs have also stood the test of time and you might hear them sung today where clowns perform. In the first decade of the nineteenth century Joseph Grimaldi rose to the position of the leading comic performer of Regency England. His performance as clown in the Mother Goose pantomime in 1806 brought the theatre an amazing 20,000 pounds in takings. In 1815 along with his fellow clown Jack Bologna, he earned 1,743 pounds in the course of just 56 performances. Theatrical Family Life In 1799 Joseph Grimaldi married Maria Hughes, daughter of Sadler’s Wells Theatre manager Richard Hughes. His wife died in childbirth in 1801. Joseph was devastated by his wife’s death. To take his mind off his grief he added to his performing schedule by performing at both Drury Lane and Sadler’s Wells theatres each night. During one of his routines he accidentally shot himself in his foot. His mother arranged for a dancer called Mary Bristow to attend to him in his sickness. A relationship developed and in the end of 1801 they married. By Mary Bristow he had his only child, Joseph Samuel. With his career at its peak they could afford to take a country cottage at Finchley, which was in those days a country village outside London. Just as Joseph had been introduced to the stage at an early age by his father, he decided to do the same with his own son. Joseph Samuel also developed into an accomplished pantomime performer but he remained in the shadow of his famous father and came to resent it. The Unhappy Clown It is a well-known phenomenon that comic entertainers are often struggling to cope with depression. A story is told that Joseph Grimaldi once went to a leading doctor for treatment for his depressed condition. The doctor was not aware of his patient’s identity. He recommended that the man go to see a performance of Joseph Grimaldi the clown to cheer him up. The patient looked the doctor straight in his face and said to him, “I am Joseph Grimaldi.’ Another time he is recorded as saying that while he makes other people laugh he remains “grim all day” (a clever play on his name). Grimaldi’s acrobatic stunts and numerous injuries in the course of his performances took their toll on his health. In 1821 he collapsed after a performance and from this point on his health went continually downhill. He gave a farewell performance at Drury Lane Theatre in 1827. His wife’s spendthrift habits and people taking advantage of his own lack of skills in money management led to the Grimaldi family’s fall into poverty. His own son became an alcoholic. The drunken friends and ladies of the street he brought home aggravated his parents suffering. Joseph Samuel Grimaldi died age 30. His parents made a suicide pact but their attempt to take poison was botched. Mary Grimaldi died in 1834. Joseph continuing living on his own in abject poverty relieved by visits to the tavern to drink and talk about better times. He died on 1st June 1837, probably from alcoholism. Charles Dickens edited Grimaldi’s memoirs. He had a strong admiration for the clown whom he saw while a young child in 1812. The book was a great success and still makes an entertaining read. ]]>

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How to Find Free E-Books Online?

  • Forgotten Books: the world’s largest online library with over 1,000,000 books available on demand, carefully organized into categories and available for download in multiple formats. Forgottenbooks.org also features advanced analytical data. Every single word, page and image inside each and every one of their books has been analyzed, indexed and classified. With this valuable research information, it can tell you virtually anything about anything, from the most commonly used word in fiction books published in 1765, to the book with the most images of cats in the first 20 pages. Or perhaps some more useful information, such as a list of every word in the English language in order of usage frequency.
    • Project Gutenberg: boasting the title of the oldest, if not the largest, online library, Project Gutenberg that offers hundreds of thousands of free e-books for readers to download. Started in the 1970s by Michael Hart, it has grown into a non-profit organization that allows you to access over 30,000 titles whose copyrights have expired and which now belong to public domain.
    • ReadPrint: ReadPrint offers you thousands of free books, novels, poems, essays, and works of fiction to choose from. In 2010, they were included in Time Magazine’s list of 50 best websites. It allows you to navigate their library of over 8,000 titles in several different ways, such as a list of Top Authors, and many more.
    • ManyBooks: similar to Project Gutenberg in many respects, ManyBooks is a great place for those who find Project Gutenberg’s basic interface a bit off-putting. Manybooks offers a more polished, user-friendly exterior, and a large number of free e-books to choose from. You can also browse the books by cover art, reviews and summaries.
    The only thing left now is to familiarize yourself with some of the most popular e-books formats available:
    1. EPUB: an extremely popular e-book format designed to run on most devices, such as iPad, iPhone, Sony Readers or the Nook. You can also open it on your computer with the use of appropriate software, such as Adobe Digital Editions or EPUBReader extension for Mozilla Firefox.
    1. PDF: developed by Adobe, it has consistently been one of the most popular formats for years. It is supported by many platforms, and there are a lot of viewers out there that can open it, such Adobe’s own Acrobat Reader, Foxit Reader, Xpdf, among others.
    1. MOBI: originally conceived as a PalmDOC format extension, it can be opened by MobiPocket Reader, which can be installed on numerous devices. There are some drawbacks of the format, such as tables being displayed differently on some readers, or images remaining the same size if the font size is changed.
    After reading this, you should be all set and finding a free e-book should not pose much of a problem for you.]]>