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Families in the twenty-first century often bear little resemblance at least in physical appearance to families of yesteryear. Where large, extended families with several generations living under the same roof were once the norm, today's families often consist of one parent and a child or several children. While many children still live with a mother and a father, others find themselves spending part of the week with one parent and the rest with another. Others may live with two mothers, two fathers, a foster parent or even an aunt or an uncle, and share strong bonds with close family friends who are as much a part of the family as if they were related to birth. The older we get, the more likely we are to become a part of a created family filled with the individuals who mean the most to us. For some, pets are an integral part of a family, and the bond between humans and cats and dogs is as strong as those between humans. Whatever the size or composition of today's families, they have one thing in common—familial love. This week's book reviews from members of the International Reading Association's Children's Literature and Reading Special Interest Group focus on recent titles featuring families. ReadWriteThink offers numerous lesson plans about families across the grade levels and curriculum areas including interviews, comprehension activities, recording family stories, family timelines, graphing life events, family message journals, captions for photographs, poetry and much, much more.
Alsdurf, Phyllis. (2012). It's milking time. Illus. by Steve Johnson & Lou Fancher. New York: Random House.
The lines "Every morning, every night, it's milking time," thread through each page in this gentle memoir from the author's childhood on a dairy farm in southern Minnesota. A young girl and her father go about the daily routine of caring for and milking their cows. Since many children today probably have little knowledge of where milk really comes from, the author has created this story to depict the daily work involved in getting milk from the farm to the table to the market. The relationship between the young girl and her father quietly working together adds to the book's special feel. The illustrators have used acrylic paint to provide a gentle touch to the pictures of the farm routines portrayed in a nostalgic manner. Poetically written, this book will make a wonderful read aloud not only about girls and their fathers but for any pre-field trip to a local farm. Teachers may want to read more about the author's background that contributed to the book at her website.
- Karen Hildebrand, Ohio Library and Reading Consultant
Clements, Andrew. (2012). Because your mommy loves you. Illus. by R.W. Alley. New York: Clarion Books.
This new title is a companion book to Clements' 2005 book, Because Your Daddy Loves You, but now the scene shifts to a mother and son camping trip to White Mountain National Forest. From the beginning when the young boy gets lost in the grocery store while they are buying supplies for the trip, his mother doesn't come to his rescue but calls his name softly so that he can find her. After all, he is the one who wandered off. This is just the first of many scenarios in which the mother is patiently teaching her son self-reliance. For instance, as the two of them backpack into the woods and have to cross a log bridge, Mother goes first to show her son how it's done. Later, after burning a few marshmallows, they both get to enjoy a really yummy toasted marshmallow treat. Each little episode repeats the phrase, "Your mommy could say … But she doesn't." As in the earlier title, the illustrations are created with ink, watercolor and acrylics, and depict the gentle nature of the story as well as the beauty of the outdoors. Readers will watch as the young boy grows in confidence and pride as he develops new skills and independence. Readers may enjoy visiting the author's website to find fun extras about writing.
Egan, Kate. (2012). Kate and Nate are running late! Illus. by Dan Yaccarino. New York: Feiwel and Friends.
Told in a rhyming cadence, the story begins in a hectic way on one morning when Nate runs into his mother's bedroom, leaps onto her bed, and announces that they are late. For single-mom Kate, this is not unusual, and she has her routine down pat. She leaps out of bed, robe flying, and dashes to the kitchen where she throws on the coffee and slaps breakfast together. Nate and his older sister, Maddie, begin their own preparations to hurriedly dash off to school. It isn't easy, though, when pets have to be taken care of, lost socks found, backpacks gathered, and forgotten toys found. In the rush outside, Nate slips in a puddle. The gouache illustrations are caricature-like and add to the humor. On a final double-page spread, the little family squeals tires to get to school on time only to find out … it's Saturday! All for naught! Readers will enjoy the illustrator's website.
Harris, Robie. (2012). Who's in my family? All about our families. Illus. by Nadine Bernard Westcott. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.
Part of a blended family themselves, Nellie and Gus become particularly aware of the infinite varieties, sizes, and compositions of families while on a trip to the zoo. While they see families just like their own, they also notice extended families and single-parent families. Not only do the children consider the different places families live, but they also recognize that different families eat various foods for breakfast. Once they return home for a family dinner, the children also discuss the physical characteristics of family members with some having mostly wavy hair and others having mostly straight hair. The digital illustrations show happy children exploring the world around them and satisfying their curiosity about the members of their own family while acknowledging that not all families are like theirs--and that's perfectly fine. This is an appealing title to add to a family text set or one on diversity. In a matter-of-fact fashion it celebrates our many similarities and differences.
- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University, Pullman
Higgins, Melissa. (2012). We all have different families. Chicago: Heinemann/Capstone Press.
One family is often quite different from another family, and this book provides many examples of the ways each one is unique. For instance, families come in different sizes as well as different forms and configurations. While some families consist of a mother and a father, others consist of only a mother or a large extended family that includes a grandparent or aunt or even two fathers. The book also discusses foster parents and adoptions in simple, straight-forward fashion. The photos are full-page in size, showing smiling family members enjoying their time together. Representations of various cultures and types of families are included in the simple text and photographs, but all of them have one purpose: insuring that readers recognize that the one thing all of these families have in common is love for one another. A glossary, suggested readers, and websites are part of the book's back matter.
- Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman
Klise, Kate. (2012). Grammy Lamby and the secret handshake. Illus. by M. Sarah Klise. New York: Henry Holt.
After hearing or reading this fun picture book children will automatically use "the secret handshake" when they hold a family member's hand. Larry, who was a little lamb, didn't care for his Grammy. When Grammy visited, she talked too much, sang too loud in church and dreamed of taking him to exotic places he didn't want to visit. When Grammy taught him a secret handshake, he imagined it meant, "Please (squeeze). Go (squeeze). Away (squeeze)" (unpaged). But Grammy's boisterous attitude proves to be helpful when a summer storm tears a hole in the family's roof. Grammy immediately begins patching and repairing the home, while telling wonderful stories to Larry. She helps rebuild the community school and church. Even her sewing machine comes in handy as she makes clothes and curtains for anyone who needs them. Larry begins to see his grandmother in a different way, and when it is time for her to return home he has a special present that accompanies the secret handshake. Read Klise's "Beyond the Notebook: Start with a Transcript" on the Engage blog.
- Deanna Day, Washington State University Vancouver
Mackintosh, David. (2012). The Frank Show. New York: Harry N. Abrams.
Something of a curmudgeon, the narrator's grandfather, Frank, is set in his ways, stubborn, and given to complaining. Family members have to be tolerant of each other's eccentricities, but when the school has a show-and-tell day and the narrator must bring Frank as his guest, he is understandably anxious. After all, he hasn't a clue about anything interesting about Frank that's worth telling to his classmates. But it turns out that Frank has had an adventurous life with a tattoo to prove it. The book explores some familiar territory about the assumptions many of us make about anyone older than forty, but it does so in a charmingly original way. It's easy to experience the narrator's dread over what a disaster Frank's appearance will be and then his delight at Frank's popularity. Especially appealing is the illustration near the book's end with Frank, the star of the show, hanging out with all of the narrator's classmates. Reminding readers that everyone has a story to tell, this picture book is fun to read while providing insight into human character.
McPhail, David. (2012). The family tree. New York: Henry Holt.
This gentle story, told in sparse text, spans five generations. In the opening scenes, the family arrives in covered wagons to build a new home. They clear the land and build their house. However, one tree is saved to provide shade for the new home. The years go by and the country gets more and more developed, until the contemporary time comes when a work crew arrives to cut down the tree to make room for a highway. The great-great-grandson of the original owner decides to protest the cutting of this tree and stands in front of the tree and declares, "Not this tree." The forest animals join the protest and move in to offer additional help and protest. Eventually a compromise is reached, and in a double page spread readers will see a new highway cutting a wide path around the tree. Reminiscent of Virginia Burton's The Little House, this book makes an up to date environmental statement. For a detailed background on the author, visit Sharon McElmeel's website.
Manushkin, Fran. (2012). Big sisters are best. Illus. by Kirsten Richards. Mankato, MN: Picture Window Books.
New additions to a family may be hard for children to accept, and this simple story follows a young girl as she learns to love her new sibling and to help her parents care for "our baby" (unpaged). One of the most impressive aspects of this appealing account is how the parents reserved time for their first-born child rather than lavishing all their attention and affection on the newborn. This simple action helps her see that she is loved for herself and not what she can do for the family's new addition. While being a big sister is a pretty cool role, there's more to the main character than that, and her identity shouldn't be wrapped up in being a sibling. The message here is positive, accentuated by the illustrations depicting rosy cheeks and smiling faces amid at atmosphere of trust, love, and acceptance. This would be a great title for anyone whose family is growing larger.
Rissman, Rebecca. (2012). What is a family? Chicago, IL: Heinemann/Capstone Global Library.
The Common Core State Standards suggest that students read more nonfiction literature. This book, part of a new series on families, could help teach young learners understand how families are different and that a family need not be limited to direct relatives. Each of the titles in this series contains a table of contents, bold headings, highlighted vocabulary words, photographs and an index. In addition, there is a note for parents and teachers on how to read and share this book with children. This particular book asks, "What is a family?" (p. 4). The colorful photographs showcase how different families are by answering, "A family is a group of people who care for each other" (p. 4). After discussing siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents, the text then highlights foster parents—adults who care for children to whom they are not related. The text says, "Foster parents help keep children safe" (p. 18). An illustration of a family tree with the different members that make up a family closes the book.
Sitomer, Alan. (2012). Daddies do it different. Illus. by Abby Carter. New York: Disney-Hyperion.
Based on his own experiences as a young father, the author has written a playful look at the differences between a mother and father through the day as told through the voice of their young daughter. When Mother gets her ready for the day, the child's clothes are fashionably put together complete with matching socks and barrettes. When Dad is in charge, the stripes and plaids and crooked hairpins seem to get the job done. While Mom always prepares a nutritious breakfast, Dad's turn at breakfast offers waffles heaped into a fort with syrup ending up everywhere including topping the dog. Although a bit stereotypical, the story's intent is playful and fun. The watercolor illustrations add to the text's humor with cartoon-like pictures that frolic alongside Sitomer's repeated phrase that, "Daddies do it different." At the end of the day, however, when it is time for bed, both parents tuck their daughter in with a kiss and tell her they love her in exactly the same way. Readers will enjoy learning more about the author and this book at his website. And check out his Engage blog series "A Fun Look at Our Serious Work."
Verplancke, Klaus. (2012). Applesauce. Toronto: Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press.
Although Johnny's father lovingly spends time with him and even painstakingly prepares applesauce for his son, there are other times when he's too tired to play or annoyed with him. But when his father sets limits or tells him to do his chores, Johnny becomes angry and wishes for a different father. After sulking and wandering into the woods, he returns home to feast on applesauce once again, confident in his father's love. The colored pencil and acrylic illustrations show Johnny's reactions vividly while in his imagination, his angry father resembles a savage beast, eyes flashing, lips thinned in annoyance, fingers pointing, and face covered with hair. After Johnny has calmed down, he realizes that his father still loves him, and his beast-like qualities have softened. Intended to reassure young readers that love transcends anger, this picture book may prompt reflection about the messages we deliver to the children in our lives, and how those messages may be received.
Walsh, Melanie. (2012). Living with mom and living with dad. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.
With approximately half of all marriages ending in divorce there are many children who live with one or both divorced parents throughout America. This simple picture book begins with, "My mom and dad don't live together anymore. So sometimes I live here, with my mom and my cat in our house with the pink door…" (unpaged). In the accompanying illustration a little girl peeks out one window while her mother looks out of another one, and their black cat is sitting on the front stoop. Children will delight in the opportunity to lift a flap that reveals another home showing the little girl with her father and dog. The text continues, "And sometimes I live with my dad in our apartment at the top of the building!" (unpaged). The book continues in this manner, comparing and contrasting the two different places she calls home where she lives with each parent. Each page features a flap to help children interact with the book even more. The book concludes with the reminder that while they are no longer together, her Mom and her Dad love her very much, and so does everyone else in her family.
Wells, Rosemary. (2012). Yoko learns to read. New York: Hyperion.
When Yoko's teacher motivates her beginning readers by awarding a leaf for every book they read, Yoko is eager to earn even more leaves for the school book tree. However, since she has only three books at home, she and her mother head to the library for easy-to-read titles. As Yoko learns new words, she gains confidence, and inspires her mother, who only knows Japanese, to learn to read in English too. Yoko's steadfast determination to master reading amid the naysaying of some of her bullying classmates and with her mother's constant support shines through the book's illustrations that show her eager-eyed wonder as the world of words opens up before her. The illustrations, rendered in oil pastel and collage and brimming with swirling colors and cats representing humans dressed in vivid kimonos, are particularly eye-catching as are the endpapers filled with replicas of the one-syllable word cards and images used by someone cracking the alphabetic code and learning word families. Together, the illustrations and text capture perfectly the joy with which Yoko celebrates her ability to read better with each book she tackles.
Adderson, Caroline. (2012). Middle of nowhere. Toronto: Groundwood Books.
Although Curtis is one hundred percent positive that his mother will come back soon from wherever she is, another part of him doubts that she will. After all, she's left him before, prompting an unhappy stay in a foster home. With each passing day, Curtis's doubts increase. Curtis begins running errands for their elderly neighbor Mrs. Burt, and eventually the boys come to confide and trust in her. Eventually, she concocts a plan involving a road trip to a family cabin near a lake far from their home, certain that the distance and isolation will keep the police and social services from bothering them. The boys have the time of their lives at the cabin, and Artie faces many of his fears. Curtis, however, can't quit thinking about his mother, and wants to head back to town. The book has many unexpected twists and turns, and the kindly Mrs. Burt turns out not to have been as truthful as she might have been in her own desire to cobble together a family while also maintaining a level of independence. The author skillfully plays with many readers' assumptions about family and maternal instincts, revealing that making one mistake doesn't make someone a bad mother. Any mother whose sole treasure is the first baby tooth lost by a child can't be all bad.
Atinuke. (2012). The No. 1 Car Spotter and the Firebird. New York: Walker & Company.
This short chapter book featuring the No. 1 Car Spotter in the Village is just as delightful as the first one. Although No. 1's ideas often meet with resistance from his family members at first, eventually they turn out to be creative solutions to problems. For example, when a leopard preys on the villagers' goats, No. 1 is unable to use a slingshot skillfully enough to frighten the leopard away, but he coats a shirt with chili pepper soup and wraps it around the goat. When the leopard gets a taste of the hot stuff, he runs away with a burning taste in his mouth. One of the hilarious aspects of the story has to do with his suggestion that Mama Coca-Cola build a house made of cement with results that are totally unexpected. Every page in this title shows the affection family members have for one another even through life's challenges.
Lean, Sarah. (2012). A dog called Homeless. New York: Katherine Tegen Books.
Fifth-grader Cally Fisher lost her mother a year ago. Her father and brother, Luke, are not handling their grief very well. Cally's father has become closed off and withdrawn while Luke seems to have disappeared into the world of video games. Cally is yearning to talk with someone about her mother when she begins seeing her mother in various places – or is it a ghost? Her father tells her she is imagining things and will discuss it no further. In addition to her mother's spirit, a strange and possibly homeless dog appears whenever her mother is around. As Cally continues to question what is really happening here, a charity fund-raiser at school requires the students to be silent for a day. Comfortable with the silence, Cally decides to continue not to speak. When the family has to move, Cally soon meets Sam, her downstairs apartment neighbor who is blind and nearly deaf. As a friendship blossoms, so does an understanding of surviving difficult situations. This first novel from Sarah Lean offers a tender and thoughtful story about life, loss and healing to middle grade readers. Readers may be interested in visiting the author's website devoted to this book. It includes a variety of resources and extension activities.
Creech, Sharon. (2012). The great unexpected. New York: HarperCollins.
There are two narrative strands at work in this novel that bears some resemblance to Charles Dickens' Great Expectations. Two orphans, Naomi Deane and Lizzie Scatterding, become best friends while living with families in the small town of Blackbird Tree, but their friendship is threatened when a boy named Finn literally falls through a tree. Naomi is strangely drawn to him and anxious that he might be attracted to her friend. Meanwhile, in Ireland, a wealthy woman named Mrs. Kavanaugh is busily concocting her revenge. Although there are references to murder and hints of revenge that may lead readers to assume the worst of Mrs. Kavanaugh, she turns out not to be the villain of the book. In fact, her revenge comes from giving gifts to those who don't expect them. The notion that there are often unexpected, mysterious connections among individuals that somehow shape lives and change fortunes is a powerful idea that moves throughout the book, heightening readers' enjoyment. As that Finn boy causes the same sort of problems between Naomi and Lizzie as he did in an earlier generation, the past and the present seem to collide improbably. In the end, unanticipated love, fortune, friendship, and forgiveness change the characters' lives in unexpected ways.
Hartman, Brett. (2012). Cadillac chronicles. El Paso, TX: Cinco Puntos Press.
Although the road traveled in this novel by a debut YA author has been well-traveled by others, it's hard not to root for sixteen-year-old protagonist Alex Riley as he figures out where he belongs. Alex and his mother don't get along, and he knows next to nothing about his father who lives in Florida. Because it will make her look good and advance her political career, Alex's mother agrees to take in elderly Lester Bray but then changes her mind after he proves to be too troublesome. As Alex becomes increasingly annoyed with his mother, he and Lester set off on a road trip in Lester's Cadillac. Enroute from New York to the South, the two bond as Alex learns the truth about his father's sexual identity and loses his own virginity while visiting Lester's hometown. Conversations with Lester and detours help Alex come to understand himself better and develop tolerance for those around him, including his own family members. Readers will certainly fall in love with Selma who deflowers Alex and shows him how to please her physically. While road trips may provide opportunities for growth and self-reflection, so can practicing a little patience and listening to others. Teen readers will look forward to the next title from this author who balances humor and pathos so skillfully.
These reviews are submitted by members of the International Reading Association's Children's Literature and Reading Special Interest Group (CL/R SIG) and are published weekly on Reading Today Online. The International Reading Association partners with the National Council of Teachers of English and Verizon Thinkfinity to produce ReadWriteThink.org, a website devoted to providing literacy instruction and interactive resources for grades K–12.
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Biography (Critical Survey of Drama, Second Revised Edition)
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was born on October 16, 1854, in Dublin, Ireland, to parents who were among the most colorful members of the Irish gentry. His father, Sir William Wilde, one of the foremost Victorian oculists and surgeons, numbered crowned heads of Europe among his patients. He was equally famed for his archaeological research and his amorous adventures. Oscar Wilde's mother was no less remarkable. Born Jane Francesca Elgee, she gained public notice for the patriotic pieces she published under the pseudonym Speranza. When one of Speranza's essays brought Sir Charles Gavan Duffy, leader of the Young Ireland party, to trial for high treason and sedition, the tall and dramatic authoress rose in court, proclaimed "I alone am the culprit," and on the spot became one of the heroines of Ireland.
This colorful background and his mother's doting attention must have fostered young Wilde's imagination. His mind received more discipline and direction when, through good fortune, he was brought into contact with a series of fine teachers. At Trinity College in Dublin, Wilde's Greek tutor, the Reverend John Pentland Mahaffy, inspired him with a love of Hellenic culture and, by his own witty example, honed and polished the younger man's conversational talents. Next, having won a demyship to Magdalen College, Oxford, in 1874, Wilde encountered Ruskin (then Slade Professor of Art), whose social conscience, love of medieval...
(The entire section is 1133 words.)
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Biography (Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults)
Oscar Wilde was born in Dublin, Ireland, on October 16, 1854. He attended Trinity College in Dublin and Oxford University in Oxford, England, and he achieved widespread fame as a dramatist, novelist, essayist, short story writer, literary critic, and poet. Wilde has been recognized for his eccentricity and flamboyance, both in his lifestyle and in his writings. He was one of the most prominent of the literary Decadents—English writers of the 1890s who adhered to the doctrine "art for art's sake," and whose works exhibited a fascination with the morbid and perverse. In the tradition of the Decadents, Wilde was disdainful of conventional morality and strove to obliterate moral concerns in his writings. His most famous work, The Picture of Dorian Gray, was attacked for being immoral, and in time Wilde's personal morality was challenged as well. Wilde married and had two sons but later entered into a homosexual affair with Lord Alfred Douglas, son of the Marquess of Queensberry. The Marquess did his best to break up the relationship and eventually Wilde was tried and convicted of "gross indecency between male persons" and spent two years in prison. After his release, Wilde assumed the name Sebastian Melmoth and moved to France. He died in obscurity in Paris on November 30, 1900.
Wilde is most noted for his gothic novel The Picture of Dorian Gray and for his play The Importance of Being Earnest. "The Canterville Ghost" was the first of...
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Biography (Critical Survey of Long Fiction, Fourth Edition)
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was born to ambitious, successful Irish parents in Dublin in 1854. As a young man he attended Trinity College, and in 1874 (at age twenty) he entered Magdalen College, Oxford, on a scholarship. Wilde was drawn to art criticism and literature in his studies, and he was strongly influenced by several mentors, most notably writers John Ruskin and Walter Pater. At college Wilde discovered, developed, and began to refine his extraordinary gifts of creativity, analysis, and expression. These he pressed into the service of aestheticism, an iconoclastic artistic movement, promoted by Pater, that advocated art for art's sake. Wilde would come to personify aestheticism, with all its intellectual refinement, provocative posing, and hedonistic excess.
Wilde married Constance Lloyd in 1884 and with her had two sons. Although throughout his short life Wilde evinced great love and devotion to his wife and sons, he grew increasingly involved in sexual liaisons with men. Most notably and tragically, Wilde became engrossed in an obsessive and rocky gay friendship with Lord Alfred Douglas, the son of the marquis of Queensberry. Douglas helped to lead Wilde deeper into London's gay underworld. While Douglas at times seemed to love Wilde genuinely, he periodically became impatient, selfish, and abusive toward his older friend. Still, Wilde remained, with increasing recklessness, committed to Douglas.
During the second...
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Biography (Critical Survey of Poetry: British, Irish, & Commonwealth Poets)
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was born in Dublin, Ireland, on October 16, 1854. Flamboyance, so characteristic of the adult Wilde, was an obvious quality of both of his parents. His father was noted for physical dirtiness and love affairs, one of which led to a lawsuit and public scandal. Something of a social revolutionary, his mother published poetry and maintained a salon for intellectual discussion in her later years. Wilde grew up in this environment, showing both insolence and genius. He was an excellent student at all his schools. He attended Portora Royal School, Trinity College in Dublin, and then won a scholarship to Magdalen College, Oxford. At this time, John Ruskin was lecturing, and Wilde was influenced by Ruskin's ideas and style. More important, he heard and met Walter Pater, who had recently published his Studies in the History of the Renaissance (1873). It is Pater's influence that is most obvious in Wilde's development as a poet. While at Oxford, Wilde visited Italy and Greece, and this trip strengthened the love of classical culture so obvious in his poetry.
In the 1880's, as he developed as a writer, he also became a public personality. He toured the United States for about a year, and in both the United States and England, he preached an aesthetic doctrine that had its origins in the Pre-Raphaelites and Pater. He married in 1883 and had two sons. Wilde serially published his only novel, The Picture of...
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Biography (Magill's Survey of World Literature, Revised Edition)
Born in Dublin, Ireland, on October 16, 1854, into a respected family, Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was the second son of Sir William Robert Wills Wilde and his wife, Lady Jane Francesca Elgee Wilde. His father, a noted ear and eye surgeon, wrote some twenty books in his lifetime, including Practical Observations on Aural Surgery, and the Nature and Treatment of Diseases of the Ear (1853), a standard textbook. Lady Wilde, under the pseudonym "Speranza," wrote inflammatory articles about Irish nationalism and women's rights. She gained celebrity in 1848 when she admitted writing an article in Nation that caused the head of the Young Ireland Party to be tried for high treason. She told the court that she alone was the culprit, thereby becoming the heroine of the movement. She published poems, essays, stories, and folklore.
Wilde was a bright youngster who took prizes in religious and classical studies at Portora Royal School, which he and his older brother Willie (born in 1852) attended. In 1871, Oscar entered Trinity College, Dublin, and gained sufficient recognition in classical studies that, in 1874, he won the Classical Demyship to Magdalen College, Oxford. John Mahaffy, who taught ancient history at Trinity College, greatly influenced Wilde. He supported him for the Oxford scholarship. Wilde spent the summer of 1874...
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Biography (Magill's Survey of World Literature, Revised Edition)
Oscar Wilde's life was an outrageously interesting one that grew wholly sensational toward its close. Wilde lived a philosophy that perhaps was not meant for living, but he appears to have believed in it and to have accepted it fully. Art for art's sake remained his credo even after his imprisonment, although it is not reflected in The Ballad of Reading Gaol, which is his maverick work. De profundis, written in prison, leaves little doubt about what Wilde really accepted philosophically.
Although the comparisons of Wilde to William Shakespeare abroad when his plays were running in the West End are gross exaggerations, one cannot deny that Wilde was a remarkably able playwright who, by defying social and dramatic conventions simultaneously, created plays that articulated well the aestheticism espoused by Walter Pater. Wilde's often neglected essays on criticism are also significant and deserve further study and consideration. In these essays are articulated the maxims by which Wilde tried to live and write.
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Biography (Cyclopedia of World Authors, Fourth Revised Edition)
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was born the second son of Sir William Robert Wills Wilde, surgeon oculist in ordinary to the Queen, and Jane Francesca Elgee Wilde, known as the Irish revolutionary author "Speranza." Early noted for his casual brilliance, Wilde won prizes at the Portora Royal School in Enniskillen, and later in Trinity College, Dublin, where the Reverend John Mahaffy encouraged Wilde's passion for Hellenic culture. Having studied under two famous masters, John Ruskin and Walter Pater, Wilde achieved recognition at Magdalen College, Oxford, for taking double firsts in classics examinations and for winning the Newdigate Prize for the poem "Ravenna" in 1878.
Famous for his peacock feathers, sunflowers, dados, blue china, long hair, velveteen breeches, and later his green carnations, Wilde first distinguished himself with the public as the leader of London's art-for-art's-sake school of aesthetics. He and his cohorts were lampooned in cartoons, novels, and comic opera, but he remained a sought-after conversationalist. Everyone eagerly followed his outrageous affectations, witty sayings, and paradoxes; and no one ever heard him utter an oath or an off-color remark.
When Gilbert and Sullivan's Patience (1881), a spoof of aestheticism, was to tour North America, Richard D'Oyly Carte engaged Wilde for a...
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Biography (Dictionary of World Biography: The 19th Century)
Article abstract: Wilde's comedies, including such masterpieces as The Importance of Being Earnest, were the finest seen on the English stage for many years and have endured as witty testaments to his artistic credo that art is superior to life.
Early Life
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was born in Dublin, Ireland, the second son of Sir William Wilde, a prominent surgeon, and Jane Wilde (née Elgee), a poet and Irish nationalist. He was raised in an affluent, successful, and intellectually stimulating home. From an early age, Oscar and his brother Willie were allowed to sit at the foot of the adults' dinner table and listen to the conversations of the Wildes and their guests, many of whom were prominent in Irish social and literary circles.
At ten, Oscar was sent to the Portora Royal School in Enniskillen. Physically, he was a tall and awkward boy, but he had already revealed signs of the sharp wit that would later fascinate the literary world. He was also noted for his fast reading, once claiming to have read a three-volume novel in thirty minutes. He excelled in Latin and Greek and won a scholarship to Trinity College, Dublin, which he entered in October, 1871.
At Trinity, Wilde won several academic prizes, including the Berkeley Gold Medal for Greek. Strongly influenced by his tutor, the Reverend John Mahaffy, a professor of ancient history, Wilde continued to excel at classics and...
(The entire section is 2041 words.)
Biography (Drama for Students)
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was born in Dublin, Ireland, on October 16,1854. His father, Sir William Wilde, was an internationally-known eye and ear surgeon, and his mother, Lady Wilde, born Jane Francesca Elgee, was an Irish Nationalist who published essays, poems, and stories under the name "Speranza," meaning Hope. Wilde had an elder brother, Wills, and a younger sister, Isola, whose death at the age of nine brought Wilde lasting grief.
At ten, Wilde was sent to Portora Royal School in Ulster, where he first developed what became a lifelong love for the art and philosophy of the Greeks, and where he first became known for his eccentric manner of dress. From there he went to Trinity College, Dublin, and then to Magdalen College, Oxford University, where he continued his study of the classics and was exposed to John Ruskin and Walter Pater's theories of devotion to art. Thus began Wilde's conviction of the importance of Art for Art's sake, rather than for a greater moral purpose, and to the importance of beauty for its own sake as well.
In 1879, Wilde left Oxford for London, where he became known as a witty conversationalist and an aesthete, a person devoted to beauty. Cartoons in the British magazine Punch satirized Wilde's outlandish dress and his love of sunflowers and lilies. In 1880, Wilde published his first play Vera; or the Nihilists, and in 1881, he published Poems, which received mixed reviews. That same year,...
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Biography (Short Stories for Students)
An important figure in the literary Decadence movement, a literary movement that challenged Victorian standards at the end of the nineteenth century, Oscar Wilde lived a life that shocked conventional standards and eventually led to the dismissal of much of his work. Born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1854, he was the son of William Wilde (later knighted), a surgeon, and Jane Francesca Elgee, a writer who used the pseudonym Speranza. Wilde attended both Trinity College in Dublin and Oxford University, and later settled in London. Influenced by the English writer, Walter Pater, Wilde embarked on a literary career and published Poems in 1881.
He married Constance Lloyd, a wealthy Dubliner, in 1884, and they had two children, Cyril and Vyvyan Holland. As the editor of Woman's World, Wilde espoused the values of aestheticism and his belief in "life for art's sake.'' His wardrobe included green carnation buttonholes and velvet knee breeches; not surprisingly, his attire attracted both followers and parody. Most notably, in 1881 Gilbert and Sullivan wrote Patience, a comic opera that ridiculed both the aesthetic movement and Wilde.
Wilde's work enjoyed a great deal of critical success from 1888 to 1895, when he published his only novel The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891) and his popular plays: Lady Windermere's Fan (1892), A Woman of No Importance (1893), An Ideal Husband (1895), and The Importance of Being...
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Biography (Drama for Students)
In 1854 Oscar Wilde was born in Dublin to affluent parents. His father was a prominent surgeon and archaeologist; his mother was a witty poet, Irish nationalist, and feminist.
Wilde excelled at the Portola Royal school and then at Trinity College, where he took the Gold Medal for Greek. In 1878 he won a scholarship to Magdalen College at Oxford.
Wilde attracted a crowd of admirers for his witty, intellectual lectures and his outrageous cult of ''aestheticism.'' He believed in art-for-art's-sake, a philosophy he had learned from his association with John Ruskin, an art critic and Oxford don.
A very successful lecture tour of America in the early 1880s on ''The Principles of Aestheticism'' earned him much-needed income as well as an international reputation.
His marriage to Constance Mary Lloyd in 1884 produced two children; it was during this time he wrote his best works: The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891), Lady Windermere's Fan (1892), A Woman of No Importance (1893), An Ideal Husband (1895), and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895).
These works brought him financial success and the admiration of the literary circles. His reputation as an insightful, witty, and urbane playwright was established worldwide.
In the early 1890s, at the peak of his career, Wilde entered into a destructive romantic relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas, nicknamed...
(The entire section is 280 words.)
Biography (Novels for Students)
Irish poet, novelist, and playwright Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was born on October 16, 1854, the son of Sir William Wilde, a distinguished doctor, and Jane Francesca Elgee, a poet and journalist. Wilde attended the Portora Royal School at Enniskillen, where he excelled at classics. In 1871, he was awarded the Royal School Scholarship to attend Trinity College in Dublin. He excelled there also, winning the college's Berkeley Gold Medal for Greek and being awarded a Demyship scholarship to Magdalen College in Oxford. At Oxford, Wilde won the Newdigate prize for his poem, "Ravenna," and was awarded a First Class degree in 1878.
After graduation, Wilde moved to London, where he became famous in fashionable and intellectual circles for his witty conversation and outlandish dress. He quickly established himself as one of the leaders of the Aesthetic Movement, and in 1881 he published his first collection of poetry, Poems. In January 1882, he began a lecture tour of the United States. On his arrival he famously told customs officers that he had nothing to declare but his genius. During the course of nearly a year, Wilde delivered over 140 lectures on aesthetics.
The following year, Wilde's play Vera was produced in New York, and Wilde became engaged to Constance Lloyd, whom he married in 1884. They had two sons, Cyril in 1885 and Vyvyan in 1886. To support his new family, Wilde became editor of The Woman's...
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Biography (Drama for Students)
The writer and wit known as Oscar Wilde was born Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde in Dublin, Ireland, on October 16, 1854. This lavish and romantic set of given names evokes Irish myth and heroes, conveying Wilde's parents' pride in their Irish nationality.
Wilde came from a prominent family. His father, a surgeon who operated on the monarchs of Europe, was knighted. His mother, a historian and political commentator and activist, was very prominent in the Irish freedom movements that would bring Ireland its independence from England in 1921. Both of Wilde's parents published numerous books in their lifetimes.
As a boy in school, Wilde excelled in his favorite subjects. He then spent three years at Trinity College, one of the foremost universities in Ireland. He excelled at Trinity and then made his way to Oxford University in Cambridge, England. At Oxford he distinguished himself yet again, winning prestigious prizes.
Once he had graduated and established himself in London, Wilde began publishing in various genres: poetry, drama, essays, fairy tales, and more. He was also an editor of magazines. Equally important was the fame he gained in London as a wit and a dandy (someone devoted to fashion and style). In the midst of late-Victorian England's drably coated men, Wilde went about in knee breeches, fine vests, and long hair (at least for a time). He would speak at public events and art exhibits, and people would...
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Biography (Drama for Students)
Oscar (Fingal O'Flahertie Wills) Wilde was born on October 15 (though some sources cite October 16), 1854 (some sources cite 1856), in Dublin, Ireland, where he would spend his youth. His father was a celebrated eye and ear surgeon who was knighted by Queen Victoria for founding a hospital and writing an influential medical textbook. Wilde's mother, Jane Francesca Elgee Wilde, came to be called "Speranza," writing poems, stories, essays, and folklore meant to give hope to advocates of rights for women and Ireland.
Wilde won prizes in the classics at Portora Royal School in Ulster, and his continued success in classic studies at Dublin's Trinity College won him a scholarship to attend Magdalen College, Oxford, where he earned a B.A. In 1878, the undergraduate Wilde won the Newdigate Prize for his poem "Ravenna."
While at Oxford, the ideas of Walter Pater and John Ruskin shaped Wilde's thinking about art. He became known for flamboyance in dress (his trademark became wearing a green carnation in his lapel), collecting peacock feathers, and blue china; he came to personify the term "Dandy" used to describe men who paid excessive attention to their appearance. He also became a spokesman for Aestheticism, a belief in the supreme importance of "Art for Art's sake," without regard for its practical, ethical, or social purpose. ("The object of Art is not simple truth but complex beauty," Wilde wrote later in his 1889 essay "The Decay of Lying.") Following publication of the first volume of his Poems in 1881, which included "The Harlot's House" and "Impression du Matin," Wilde spent ten months giving 125 lectures throughout the United States. The Aesthetics movement and Wilde were satirized in the magazine Punch and in W. S. Gilbert's Patience (1881).
After the disappointing reception of his first play, Vera, in 1883, Wilde returned to Britain to spend eighteen months lecturing on "Impressions of America." In 1884, he married Constance Lloyd and began working as a reviewer and editor. The Happy Prince and Other Tales, a volume of fairy tales originally written for his sons appeared in 1888, followed two years later by Wilde's novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray.
Success eluded Wilde's second play, The Duchess of Padua (1891), but his subsequent theatrical efforts received increasing acclaim: Lady Windermere's Fan in 1892, A Women of No Importance in 1893, An Ideal Husband in 1895, and, that same year, his greatest theatrical success, The Importance of Being Earnest.
While in Paris, Wilde wrote Salome in French, but the play was refused a license for performance in England, though the 1896 Paris production starred noted actress Sara Bernhardt. An English translation of Salome appeared in 1894 with illustrations by famed illustrator Aubrey Beardsley and the play provided the libretto for Richard Strauss's successful 1905 opera of the same name.
Social criticism of Wilde's openly homosexual behavior (though married with children, he professed a deep passion for young men) led to the end of his career. Wilde's relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas led Douglas's father, the Marquess of Queensberry, to publicly accuse Wilde of sodomy. Encouraged by Lord Alfred, Wilde sued the Marquess for slander, losing his suit when the Marquess offered evidence of Wilde's homosexuality. Wilde refused the advice of friends to flee to the Continent and in subsequent trials was convicted of "public indecency" and sentenced to two years of hard labor. With the scandal, Wilde's plays ceased production.
Two major works written in prison were published following Wilde's release. De Profundus appeared in 1905, offering an apologetic confession of Wilde's conduct, while The Ballad of Reading Gaol, published initially in 1898, indicts England's prison system and tells of his experiences there. Upon his release, Wilde, divorced and bankrupt, adopted the name Sebastian Melmouth and moved to Paris France where he died in 1900.
Wilde's literary reputation enjoyed a considerable resurgence in the years following his death. He is now regarded as one of modern literature's major figures. His skill and diversity within multiple genres has earned him respect as a poet, novelist, essayist, and playwright. His works are still widely studied and his plays enjoy frequent revivals.
Biography (Censorship (Ready Reference series))
By the 1890's, Oscar Wilde was the most popular playwright in London. His successes included Lady Windermere's Fan (1892), A Woman of No Importance (1893), An Ideal Husband (1895), and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895). Nevertheless, censorship of his work began with his very first play, Vera, or the Nihilists, scheduled for performance in 1881. Set in Russia around 1800, the play was based on the 1878 assassination of a St. Petersburg police official by an eighteen-year-old girl—who became the heroine of Wilde's play. Following the assassinations of Russian czar Alexander II on March 13, 1881, and U.S. president James A. Garfield—who died on September 9, 1881—unofficial pressure, reportedly from the Russian government, caused cancellation of the play's rehearsals. In 1892, Wilde's Salomé was being rehearsed for a London performance with French actress Sarah Bernhardt when the Lord Chamberlain refused a license because British law forbade theatrical depiction of biblical characters. Wilde published the play in Paris in 1893 and had it produced there in 1896. It was successful in Europe, especially after Richard Strauss produced a popular operatic version in 1905.
Wilde also wrote a controversial novel and is associated with another. The...
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A "love that dare not speak its name" found a somewhat involuntary spokesman in Oscar Wilde. Wilde's homosexuality and the indecency trial it spurred in 1895 have gained so much critical and literary attention as to threaten to eclipse Wilde's notable body of work. At a time when late melodrama and early realism characterized much of English theater, Wilde distinguished himself as an author of unparalleled wit. His most famous work, The Importance of Being Earnest, remains the standard for social satire. In Earnest, as in his play An Ideal Husband, Wilde made upper-class Victorian life hilariously ridiculous. Ironically, its premiere would be his last great success. His romantic relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas drew Wilde into a legal battle with the young man's father. Wilde was sentenced to two years of hard labor and died a few years after his release.Essential Facts
- Wilde is often associated with the aesthetic movement called "Art for Art's Sake," which posits that art is self-sufficient and does not need to have a moral, social, or political purpose.
- Along with his sparkling prose, Wilde is also known for his flamboyant fashion sense. He often, for example, wore green carnations in his jacket lapel.
- The Picture of Dorian Gray, a classic of English literature, was Wilde's only full-length novel.
- Among Wilde's many controversial views were his socialist politics. His views are detailed in his essay "The Soul of Man Under Socialism."
- After he was released from prison, Wilde went to Paris, where he died penniless and divorced in 1900.
Recommended Resources
All Resources by Category
Lesson Plans
The Importance of Being Earnest Lesson Plan (Teaching Unit)
The Picture of Dorian Gray Lesson Plan (Teaching Unit)
De Profundis Summary - Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde Biography / Profile
The Ballad of Reading Gaol Summary - Oscar Wilde
The Picture of Dorian Gray Review - Oscar Wilde
The Poetry of Wilde Summary - Oscar Wilde
Study Guides
An Ideal Husband Summary & Essays - Oscar Wilde
Lady Windermere's Fan Summary & Essays - Oscar Wilde
Salome Summary & Essays - Oscar Wilde
The Canterville Ghost Summary & Essays - Oscar Wilde
The Importance of Being Earnest Summary & Essays - Oscar Wilde
The Picture of Dorian Gray Summary & Essays - Oscar Wilde
Source: Dictionary of World Biography: The 19th Century, ©1999 Salem Press, Inc.. All Rights Reserved.
Source: eNotes Publishing, ©2013 eNotes.com, Inc.. All Rights Reserved. Full copyright.
Source: Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults, ©1999 Gale Cengage. All Rights Reserved. Full copyright.
Source: Drama for Students, ©2013 Gale Cengage. All Rights Reserved. Full copyright.
Source: Drama for Students, ©2013 Gale Cengage. All Rights Reserved. Full copyright.
Source: Drama for Students, ©2013 Gale Cengage. All Rights Reserved. Full copyright.
Source: Short Stories for Students, ©2013 Gale Cengage. All Rights Reserved. Full copyright.
Source: Novels for Students, ©2013 Gale Cengage. All Rights Reserved. Full copyright.
Source: Drama for Students, ©2013 Gale Cengage. All Rights Reserved. Full copyright.
Source: Censorship (Ready Reference series), ©1997 Salem Press, Inc.. All Rights Reserved.
Source: Dictionary of World Biography: The 19th Century, ©1999 Salem Press, Inc.. All Rights Reserved.
Source: Cyclopedia of World Authors, Fourth Revised Edition, ©1997 Salem Press, Inc.. All Rights Reserved.
Source: Critical Survey of Drama, Second Revised Edition, ©2003 Salem Press, Inc.. All Rights Reserved.
Source: Critical Survey of Poetry: British, Irish, & Commonwealth Poets, ©2011 Salem Press, Inc.. All Rights Reserved.
Source: Critical Survey of Long Fiction, Fourth Edition, ©2010 Salem Press, Inc.. All Rights Reserved.
Source: Magill's Survey of World Literature, Revised Edition, ©2009 Salem Press, Inc.. All Rights Reserved.

subset: commoncrawl


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Race Organizer Comments Desert Challenge Calico Racing (4/10/07) Most race organizers go to great lengths to ensure their races are held in ideal running conditions; 40 degrees, light breeze, overcast. Many aim to make their courses flat and fast, or even downhill to facilitate runners to smash their PR. Not this one! Held in summer in the middle of the day thru the dry Mohave Desert. Course covers scenic, unrelenting rolling hills and an experience not soon forgotten. Challenge yourself in new ways and come out and see Calico Racing's Las Vegas.
Most race organizers go to great lengths to ensure their races are held in ideal running conditions; 40 degrees, light breeze, overcast. Many aim to make their courses flat and fast, or even downhill to facilitate runners to smash their PR. Not this one! Held in summer in the middle of the day thru the dry Mohave Desert. Course covers scenic, unrelenting rolling hills and an experience not soon forgotten. Challenge yourself in new ways and come out and see Calico Racing's Las Vegas.
I ran the 'Running With the Devil Marathon' in 2009 when I was in top shape. If you're running for a fast time, pick another race, cause this ain't it. No humidity, but the sun and hills will slow you down. Drink often!
Now THAT was one TOUGH marathon! First half run very conservatively. Second half the unrelenting and in my opinion HUGE hills made me feel like a rag doll going up them. Oh and the 100 degree heat was not a big deal as the course had a perfect amount of well stocked and well iced aid stations. Really enjoyed the event from the host hotel, the Hacienda in Boulder City, to the race management and fellow competitors. This is another one of those little gems of a race worth doing if HUGE hills and Massive heat does not scare you. Three cheers to Calicoracing for having the courage to put on this wonderful event.
I thoroughly enjoyed this race. It really pushed me and was just crazy! I don't know what I would've done without my darling assistant!!! Heheheh. A word of advice: keep dumping ice water on your body. I started to get a little exothermic and keeping my body cool made all the difference. Thank you, Mary....
This was my second race, and the second full marathon I have ever run. Being from Vegas, I had the advantage of doing a lot of heat training before the race, but I wasn't ready for the hills and heat combined. I had to stop at every aid station to put my gear in ice water and fill my two-liter Camelbak up, since it would almost be empty. I ran the entire race wearing a devil horns, a tail, and a pitch fork (which gave me a good bicep workout). The asphalt was so hot that my feet were burning for the last 10 miles. After the race, my feet were covered in horrible blisters. It was definitely an experience I can brag about.
Being from East Texas, with its HUMIDITY, all I can say to those who say, "But it's a dry heat": come on and give this one a try!! I have one other half-marathon under my belt and the temp was 42 degrees. This was a great challenge. Make sure you are ready for HILLS and HEAT. I trained in the humid heat and that helped, but I was unaware of the length and grade of the hills. Aid stations were great, though the next to last one ran out of ice, which I really needed. They did run out of t-shirts too, but I registered late. There was not much in the way of crowds cheering; it was only you and the Mojave Desert. Good view of Lake Mead. (Who would want to stand out in the heat to cheer you on anyway?!) Very little hoopla at the finish line. Would have liked to see more of a "welcoming committee" after finishing such a race. An awesome challenge - not for a PR. DO NOT DO THIS RACE WITHOUT TRAINING FOR THE HEAT! If you do, you may get to meet the local EMS.
This was my first experience with the "Devil." This race offers a great view and a great chance to challenge yourself mentally and physically. If the hills don't do you in, the heat will - and vice versa. It's not a course for PR's or fast times, but rather a demanding challenge for those who love an adventure. The race director, Joyce, is great and friendly. The people who ran the race with me were kind and friendly too. The entire course is pavement. There are cars on the course; it's not closed. You need to bring a good 24-ounce water bottle with you or a Nathan Camelback. Bring your sunblock too! You'll need it. I suggest wearing a hat and sunglasses as well. Wear socks that are thin and won't blister your feet. Train on hills and in high heat for this one. Don't come under-prepared or you'll be walking up several hills! I had a great time at this race and I would definitely do it again!
What can I say about Running With The Devil other than that it is as difficult as the name sounds?!?! DO NOT ATTEMPT to run this event unless you are serious about pushing your limits in extreme heat conditions and desire to learn what can happen to your body and mind in the most devilish of marathons and ultra marathons! The organization and structure for the event is always near perfect (I've run the 50 all three years, 2007, 2008, 2009) and never had reason to complain about the race itself, even though I've had to drop (literally) all three times - at 36 miles in the first year, 28 miles in the second year, and 41 miles this year. Some finish, usually about only half of the field; the rest go as far as their poor, heat-exhausted and dehydrated bodies allow them. It's a challenge like no other, with NO support crews allowed (unless that changes in the future). It's just you, the aid stations, and personal management out in the extreme hot and dry climate of the desert. A "Mini-Badwater," it's been called. I'm a Badwater veteran myself, yet RWTD 50 has shown me that few are capable of surviving it without a support crew in those conditions. I admire those who can handle the heat. I can't... yet I enjoy a challenge, and this one is exactly that. Don't register thinking it'll be a nice scenic run to chalk up on your list of marathons or ultras. Realize that it will truly prove that you don't know your limits yet. - JT
It was a positive experience except that the water stop about six miles from the finish ran out of ice. Not a big deal for most races, but this is not most races. Later, the race director asked runners to deliver supplies to the stops when they drove home. They need a much better plan than that. The course is as expected - arid, hot, sunny, and challenging. If that is not what you like, do not run it. Fans are sparse, but supportive.
I did the half-marathon, and it was my proudest moment to complete this one. I hate the heat, and I'm not a fan of hills, but I had a good time and a definite sense of accomplishment. It was 115 degrees (F) out, with good hills. Definitely bring your own aid supplies to supplement their too-far-apart aid stations. They ran out of event shirts as well. Otherwise, a fun experience. Worth doing just for the uniqueness of the temperatures and noon start. Scenery's nice too.
This was my first half-marathon, and it was so much fun! They really took care of us - the aid stations were a welcome relief and had everything a person needed. The event was well organized, with lots of support from volunteers and competitors. Challenging? You bet. But as long as one came prepared and took the time to take care of themselves throughout the race, it was not bad. It definitely required more mental focus and self-awareness than a "fair weather" race. I felt well most of the race and can't wait for next year. Well done!
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Scholars have drawn many parallels and similarities between Michael Haydns Requiem and Mozarts later unfinished masterpiece. Mozart would certainly have been thoroughly familiar with Haydns work, and such a retentive mind one that was able to recall entire pieces after just one hearing would surely have remembered both the occasion and much of Haydns setting. The extent to which Mozarts work of twenty years later was influenced can never be fully known, but it is hard to ignore some striking musical similarities.
Haydns Requiem provides a vivid musical picture of the archbishops memorial service in Salzburgs cathedral. The orchestral sound is magisterial, often quite dense, with the stirring colours of four trumpets (two clarini playing in the higher, Baroque register and two trombe playing lower indeed, the fourth player rarely moves into the treble stave) enhanced by three trombones (largely doubling the lower chorus parts), timpani and the strong bass sound that was a feature of Salzburg sacred music. The spirit of Austrian rococo is however not entirely absent, emerging from time to time in elegantly florid string-writing, but the overall picture is, for Haydn, unusually sombre, retaining a palpable depth of feeling. The key, C minor, is also an unusually dark one for him.
The opening movement, Requiem aeternam, demonstrates a remarkable sense of structure and sonority. It is underpinned by a solemn walking bass line which harks back to the Stabat mater of Pergolesi, which had already become the most performed and most emulated sacred work of the entire century. The trumpets punctuate this grave orchestral texture first with stark fanfares, then with stabs at the bass line. At the choirs first fugal entry, the violins turn to a syncopated accompaniment the same rhythm that Mozart was to use in the violins at his first choral entry twenty years later. Mozart also uses the same melody as Haydn for the bold statement of et lux perpetua. For Te decet hymnus Haydn gives the plainsong chant to the upper chorus voices, over which the violins begin a passacaglia-like triplet rhythm (Mozart also sets that section in quasi-plainchant and gives it to an upper voice, in his case a solo soprano), later modulating to a demisemiquaver pattern which swirls around the choral lines. At the Christe eleison choir and soloists enter into antiphonal dialogue before the powerful opening Kyrie theme returns, ending with a mighty trumpet tierce de Picardie.
Haydn sets the substantial text of the Sequenz as one continuous, though sectionalized, movement. The Day of Judgement is depicted by sforzando daggers and surges of sound, culminating in a splendid trumpet call for the Tuba mirum, before the soprano and then the alto soloist present a more expressive section, led off by the sopranos Mors stupebit (Mozart also moves to solo voices for this section). Amongst Haydns constantly varied and imaginative instrumental accompaniments come some remarkably modern harmonies. The descending Recordare, Jesu pie introduces a major-key Juste judex for the tenor, complete with a groaning Ingemisco, and a lyrical Preces meae from the bass. Stark accents punctuate the Confutatis maledictis; Oro supplex is smoothly arpeggionic. Another similarity between Haydn and Mozart comes with the rhythm of the Lacrimosa motif before an extensive Amen closes this, the longest movement of the Requiem.
The tenor opens Domine Jesu in optimistic dialogue with the chorus (whose opening rhythm is similar to that later used by Mozart); Haydns harmonies and the chorus inexorably slide towards the bottomless pit from which the bass soloist also calls for deliverance; the brass drive the chorus closer towards a possible fall into darkness from which they are rescued by the sopranos gloriously lyrical Sed signifer sanctus. The G minor fugue at Quam olim Abrahae finds Mozarts and Haydns fugal rhythm to be identical. Haydns Hostias is lyrical, with a triplet string motif woven amongst solo episodes before an identical repeat of the Abraham fugue (Mozarts own writing of his Requiem comes to a halt at this point).
The Sanctus returns to the grandeur of the opening movement, with a wonderfully understated opening to the Osanna which builds to a fine climax. The Benedictus is more representative of the charming, light style more normally associated with the Austrian rococo, largely scored for the conventional quartet of soloists. Elegant solemnity returns with the Agnus Dei, with each of the three choral pleas for rest increasing in fervour. The descent into eternal rest, the solo sopranos Lux aeterna and the supplicatory string-writing are magnificently handled. The sturdy, fugal Cum sanctis tuis is optimistic, underpinned by a noble orchestral walking bass; the call for eternal rest brings a poised vision of heaven with a gently stroked string accompaniment before the striding bass line of Cum sanctis tuis interrupts, this time with jagged additions from the violins. A merciful God brings redemption and solemn optimism finally prevails.
Setting aside whatever joys musical detectives may find in the work, there is no denying that Haydns moving Requiem is an astonishing piece of vocal and instrumental writing. The product of a grief-stricken composer who, until the deaths of his daughter and then his beloved employer, was described as perpetually serene, its contemporary importance remained great indeed, thirty-seven years after its first performance, in 1809 (three years after Michaels own death) it formed the musical centrepiece of the funeral service for his illustrious older brother, Joseph.
from notes by Robert King © 2005


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Specific Issues Reports for H.R.7327 by New Generation Biofuels, 110th Congress
Content of Specific Issue field
Energy tax issues in H.R.6401, "Renewable Energy Jobs and Security Act"; H.R. 6899, "Comprehensive American Energy Security and Consumer Protection Act"; S.2076, "Clean Renewable Energy and Development Act"; H.R. 6049, the "Energy and Tax Extenders Act of 2008"; H.R. 6049, "Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act of 2008"; H.R. 7006, "Disaster Relief Act of 2008", House Amendment and Senate Amendment to H.R. 6049; H.R. 6899, "Energy Tax Incentives Act of 2008"; H.R. 3221, "Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008"; S.2886, "Alternative Minimum Tax and Tax Extenders Relief Act of 2008"; S.3125, "Energy Independence and Tax Relief Act of 2008"; S. 3335, "Jobs, Energy, Families, and Disaster Relief Act of 2008"; H.R. 7060, "the Renewable Energy and Job Creation Tax Act"; SA to H.R. 1424, "the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008"; H.R. 7327, "Worker, Retiree, and Employer Recovery Act of 2008"; H.R. 6258, "Carbon Capture and Storage Early Deployment Act"; H.R. 3776, "the Energy Storage Advancement Act of 2007"; H.R. 3775, "the Industrial Energy Efficiency Research and Development Act of 2007"; S.3345, "the Future Fuels Act of 2008"; H.R. 1424, "the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008"; H.R. 3997, "the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008'; extension and revision of biofuel tax incentives
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Lawmakers preparing to grill GSA over spending scandal
Calls mounting to scrap embattled federal agency
Apr 14, 2012
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Calls mounting to scrap embattled federal agency
Apr 14, 2012
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The party's over for the GSA house hearings set to kick off on Monday at issue of course.
-- -- lavish government conference in Vegas a five day trip for a one hour ceremony in Hawaii.
A retreat.
For the agencies in turns in his Palm Springs not to mention a 300000.
Dollar bill to relocate only one employee to Hawaii.
Who ended up quitting.
The list goes on and on now summit -- say skipped the hearings just scrap the government services agency instead.
Hi everybody I'm David has been welcome to Forbes on FOX let's go -- focus we have Steve Forbes.
Dennis -- Elizabeth MacDonald Victoria Barret -- -- and John Tammy.
So Steve just get rid of the problem by getting rid of the agency.
Hey why not.
David every agency every organization over time loses sight of what they were created for loses sight of who they're supposed to serve.
At least in free market she gets caught up short if you don't pay attention to your customers.
There's a bloated government agency break it up privatize it put out for competitive bidding and get real efficiencies -- not gonna do it through hearings are memos or.
Commands from the top -- And we're gonna hurt doesn't matter who's in charge you always see these things happening -- -- it's just why you need to shrink the number of government agency strike.
Yeah let's be a little bit careful here blaming the entire agency for bad behavior a few people would be akin to blaming the entire securities industry for bringing that up.
Some bad things happen here no denying it saw -- and -- we have always.
Long list I have.
The people the people in charge were fired and not only that the woman who was running the agency took responsibility.
And she resign.
Not good things to happen should never happen and any organization which can't throw out the baby with the bath water.
We need the GSA -- the quartermaster for the entire executive branch of government.
-- Victoria there -- so many there are dozens hundreds of federal agencies do think it's any different and these other agencies I grew up in DCI -- went through those offices at five and the Agriculture Department at setter it's -- They all work this way don't -- The will -- -- hears that really sort of damaging irony here is we have the organization that is overseeing procurement.
They're setting the per -- hotel rates for federal employees.
And there are the ones that seem completely corrupted will.
They're hosting these lavish conferences.
They're making these bizarre videos about giving -- President Obama press release by going Green I mean yeah.
This isn't really broken organization and Steve is right we could weaken.
Al outsource is weakened how it automate half -- -- on -- -- So I agree with Steve.
Dennis one video is extraordinary where they show the -- standing himself with -- dollar bills I did get it did there it's like a burglar taking a video of himself what his face fully exposed it was really witty.
And really stupid I mean how could these government employees not know that this wasn't gonna make it on to YouTube in some -- but here's the thing guys.
You don't visit McDonald's for our network Fox Business has been doing great reporting on this and I wanted to cut that but I do -- -- say.
This is a nap on the back side of an elephant right now our government is spending one point three trillion dollars more -- it will take him in the coming here.
And we're worrying that they spent less than a million dollars on a retreat for employees -- -- no offense.
IE Mac it wasn't just the one free -- as you mentioned there was one Q where the wanna broke the story about that Palm Springs thing for inter arts and it went on and -- not only that but the reason for these retreats very often was to bring in.
Many federal agencies to tell them how to spend money to buy Chevy and stuff I mean that's right where the billions the millions turn into billions -- Sadr.
I mean and the GSA was responsible for policing federal spending on airline tickets and hold teleconference this.
Throughout the government the issue -- -- the president wants to raise taxes at a time when we have.
Really scandalous waste and abuses going on at a disease like the GSA.
I say get rid of it look I'm not a burn down the government type of person I think the CDC for example does a great job.
But the issue the other -- -- -- -- -- -- it didn't unload the real estate that it's sitting on at the top of the market it's like over a trillion bucks economy for US taxpayers.
That's an indication that it is completely incompetent I -- breaking out.
And John Candy this gets to the point you're not gonna really reform government that is as big as this when the only.
Answer in terms of reform is to shrink it right.
That you're.
Ever -- a reform a government that by definition can't act like a business -- doesn't suffer under market discipline mean this is what the founders thought about when they authorize the federal government.
Then severely limit its power keep its power limited we have too much government spending way too much money.
It's a bludgeoned on it real economic growth what's either return the power -- the states are returning this to someone so that they -- they can abolish organizations like.
Us and -- Conger I know that there are thousands of pages guiding federal bureaucrats in terms of how to spend money etc.
but you read the transcripts.
Of these guys -- GSA in the way that they were spending money on relocation costs 300000 dollars per employee.
On big these trips to -- And by the way five employees went to Hawaii for a five day or six day visit.
For one hour ribbon cutting ceremony I mean that's sort of stuff happens much too frequently -- BC.
Well there's there's two lessons to be drawn from that one we should all be working for the GSA I'd love to go to Hawaii for an hour every now and then be great when -- -- really -- definitely what I what I really want to know I've heard you take a shot at the Chevy more what is that you guys have against this sport car.
Because were paying for it and it's not an acorn and I think that's what we hit that.
No it's.
Usually ball big time.
Guys the guys I in his entire debate and it's going to -- probably -- a this entire debate.
Is their bigger issues you know the government -- -- A hundred billion dollar for the property in Washington they're -- 120 year old post office it is worth a hundred million dollars or more it is largely empty daily under the -- -- -- -- we can't they just by copying it.
Saves -- Steve this is a great object lesson as to what happens when you have a government as large -- are you can't monitor everybody and things get out of control right and that's the thing it's like the window -- in crime let one -- gone soon lose the whole block of small things that of the big things is -- that -- -- So I think it just brought to the -- in a way that's understandable this thing is out of control.
Broken up -- is something and this is a cultural issue because -- intern conference for example that the palm spring.
We is Riviera resort to spot those conferences went on year after year out here yeah.
One thing it's not.
Writing alimony -- Our watney now aren't what did you guys were acting like every single dollar spending is inappropriate -- -- government agency I think I'm gonna motivate your employees don't -- there was -- Yeah some of the -- is good look at what.
Hey why do you think it is to let that entering conference had a rumor two fireplaces and it's not in the world -- it's I worry earns that is Victoria road that.
Are you serious please saying so what I was an intern at -- and worked for you.
You did not send need to Palm Springs but I still came back to work for very sensitive -- it apparently knew who met.
It -- I would have done it and I don't care what -- like to.
Yeah he just threw down the guy was Steve would you ever have allowed Dennis do something like this while for Victoria yes I think she's.
But the bottom line yeah.
Yeah easy to -- and other people's money and that's what the government is doing they should be don't Johns and you live in DC you're in the belly of the beast so -- -- it does this happen everywhere and all these bureaucracies down there.
Don't insult me in that way but by definition that does and that's what the founders thought about that -- the federal government as far away from the people they can't police it.
And the problem now is capital's been destroyed an utter waste if we return these powers.
To local governments will be much more difficult for politicians do what they're meant to do -- is to -- brings.
Remember you want to update if it's if it's in your locality if it's money -- that you can -- being spent RG gonna guard at work carefully.
Well I mean I think the evidence would show us unfortunately it doesn't turn out that way there -- local officials that are wasting money.
Just as much as their federal officials wasting money wasting money is bad no one's gonna defend that.
With which gets the whole but I like -- -- I don't I don't really the point low small government not big government less waste and aren't that.
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SOURCE Information Office of Yiwu City
YIWU, China, Oct. 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently, the Organizing Committee of the 19th Yiwu Fair announced that many events, including the Sourcing Fair for Domestic and Foreign Buyers, will be simultaneously held to better serve domestic buyers.
(Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131018/CN96778LOGO )
As the most important part of this Yiwu Fair, the Conferences & Forums section will focus on serving the overall layout of the Fair as well as the bigger picture of prosperity and development for Yiwu city. The aim of the themed activities will be focused on enhancing the effectiveness of fair trade. Trade-supporting events such as the 3rd China Jewelry Forum, the Industry Trend Release Conference and the Trade Matchmaking will be concurrently held. Meanwhile, in addition to the aforementioned Sourcing Fair, other events included are the 3rd Yiwu Overseas Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention and Visit to Yiwu by Commercial Officers: Concerns for Import -- aimed at enriching the Fair and inviting buyers to participate in the Fair to enhance the economy and effectiveness of the fair.
Of all the events, the Sourcing Fair for Domestic and Foreign Buyers will be of the most concern for exhibitors and buyers. According to the information the organizers revealed, most buyers were more inclined to participate in the Sourcing Fair, which will undoubtedly feature this Yiwu Fair and be one of the highlights.
As introduced by the head of the promotion department, invitations will be sent to domestic and foreign buyers, major retail groups and purchasing representatives from stores and supermarkets to stay for purchasing at the Sourcing Fair, which is a new trade pattern different from the past. The Sourcing Fair will provide more attentive and professional service, as more qualified and precise trade match-making services will be provided for buyers and suppliers.
Meanwhile, the promotion department also indicated that various sourcing fairs covering industries in different scales and forms will be held at the Yiwu Fair -- arranging for suppliers and buyers selected beforehand to negotiate face-to-face to create a better chance that buyers and suppliers conclude transactions. We fervently hope the Sourcing Fair will be a bridge for business cooperation for many suppliers and buyers!
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