I reached a milestone birthday a couple of weeks ago! There’s nothing quite like a surprise party with guests from all parts of your life, to remind you of your own history. It was wonderful to see everybody from old schoolfriends and family to teaching colleagues and fellow writers. A few connections from afar (and... Continue Reading →
‘A good, clear fire’: A Frenchman’s View of Victorian Britain (Snippets: 5)
A Victorian home. Via Wikimedia Commons. In a series of visits to Britain between 1862 and 1870, outspoken Frenchman Hippolyte Taine wrote lengthily about his impressions, and his comments-at-a-distance give us a clear and fascinating view of our ancestors in a way that no other source quite achieves. Taine considered the most important feature of... Continue Reading →
‘Stronger Than a Man: Simpler Than a Child’: What did Emily Bronte (and your own ancestors) look like?
By Ruth A Symes Link to buy my books Amazon.co.uk: Ruth A Symes: books, biography, latest update Fragment of a larger portrait. But is this Emily or Anne? National Portrait Gallery via Wikimedia Commons [A version of this article was first published in the family history press in 2018] With the recent release of the latest... Continue Reading →