Wilkie in Winter: The Frozen Deep

from Dickens and Showbiz site

First off, a very happy 190th birthday to Wilkie Collins, born on January 8, 1824! I'm actually quite excited for his bicentennial in ten years.

As one of two reads for Wilkie in Winter, I was looking forward to this one because I hadn't read it but I had learned some of the background about it through various sources. The Frozen Deep was first written as a play in 1856 and then released as a novella in 1874. Charles Dickens had a hand in it as well, both by coming up with the original idea and also by editing it later. I was tempted to read the play version but decided on the novella instead. It still read somewhat like a play, quite simple with mostly dialogue and only a few bits of scene-setting.

I thought it worked fairly well as a novella but I have to admit that I now have a greater desire to see it performed as a play. It is a very emotional and intense story and I think that would come through much more if it was well-acted. I enjoyed the themes of love, clairvoyance and self-sacrifice and thought there was just enough of a twist to keep it interesting. I would also love to see the period polar exploration costumes. Perhaps there will be a revival of the play for the bicentennial?

Enduring the chill,
K

Once Upon a Time V Wrap-Up Post

I'm so happy to have finally joined in on the Once Upon a Time Challenge this year! It was nice to explore myth and magic this spring, especially since the sun decided not to ever come out in Seattle and so I've had to escape through reading.

I started in April with a re-read of Dogsbody by Diana Wynne Jones for Tif's Tales to Tomes reading group. I was just as heartbroken by the heavy topics this time through but fell in love with the book all over again. (mythology)

I then read the middle-grade new release Kat, Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis. This was a fun tale of magic but I thought it relied too much on copying its magical and Regency influences rather than forging its own path. (magic)

I then went with the amusing and charming The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde. The sequel is already in the works and I can't wait to find out what happens next for young Jennifer Strange! (magic)

Next was The Emerald Atlas by John Stevens which I couldn't get enough of. It was the perfect blend of adventure and mystery. (magic)

Then I read Clockwork Angel, the first in the Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare. This was also for Tales to Tomes and it was kind of awesome. (magic)

My last "youth" read for the challenge was The Witch's Boy by Michael Gruber. This one took fairy tales in a fascinating direction and also took me by surprise with how good it turned out to be. (fairy tales)

Next, I picked up a very adult read -- American Gods by Neil Gaiman. This was an amazing and intense book that won't be for everyone. (mythology)

Finally, I found time for another Diana Wynne Jones re-read -- House of Many Ways. Though this is billed as a sequel to Howl's Moving Castle, it can definitely be read as a stand-alone book. It's one of her most perfect stories and I adore it. (magic)

And, because it was part of the quest I signed up for (5 books and a play), I finished this journey with a joint reading and watching of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. I prefer Shakespeare when it is spoken aloud and, as I didn't have much time to myself to recite it, I simply read along with a bizarre version of the play from 1968, starring Helen Mirren, Judi Dench, Ian Holm, Diana Rigg and others. The acting was quite good but the makeup, costumes and special effects were rather bad and it was somewhat startling to see Judi Dench's breasts on nearly-full display. I think I prefer when this play is performed in a more whimsical and sweet manner rather than the dark and hate-filled way it was done in this version.

And that is the summary of my challenge overachievement! I can't wait to participate again next year.

With a little magic,
K

"Once upon a time ... Lived a very small girl on a very large estate."

My first exposure to the play Sabrina Fair by Samuel Taylor was in college.  I had a roommate that was a theater major and she also did community theater.  One of the times I went to see her perform during the year we lived together was in this play.  I don't remember much except that it was witty and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

A few years later, I discovered the two wonderful film versions of Sabrina -- 1954's version with Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart and the relatively new 1995 production starring Harrison Ford and Julia Ormond.  (Side note: Audrey's Givenchy dress in the party scene--the one you see in the picture here-- is my dream dress.  I want to wear that dress to a dance.  I want to look like Audrey does in it!  I dream of this dress!)

The story centers around Sabrina Fairchild, the chauffeur's daughter.  She is a mousy child who lives vicariously through the upper class happenings in the main house.  When she is grown, she leaves for Paris and spends time there growing and changing.  She returns and is barely recognizable -- she has become a woman and a glamorous one at that.  All that is left for her is to find out where her heart lies.

Each version of the story is different.  What Sabrina spends her time doing while she is in Paris changes greatly over the years.  In the 1954 play, she is a secretary.  In the movie the same year, she attends a culinary school.  In the 1995 film, she spends her time in the world of fashion and photography.  Her romantic situation also changes in a time-appropriate way.  I think that this gives the story a sense of timelessness.  Even the classism of the play is moderated over time.  And yet, it seems that some of the fire, the spark that makes her delightful, is taken away from Sabrina over time.  I like the 1954 Sabrina better but love the environment around her in the 1990s.

Regardless, this is one of my favorite stories, no matter how it's told.

But then one day the girl grew up
And went beyond the walls of the grounds
And found the world.

Lost in the fairy tale (and the dress),
K


Support our site and buy Sabrina Fair (the play), Sabrina (the 1954 film) and Sabrina (the 1995 film) on Amazon or find them at your local library.  We own both films and borrowed the play from the library.