Today's Report comes as a result of a story run yesterday by The Daily Beast: F. Scott Fitzgerald's Baltimore home is for sale.
The 113 year old home sounds quite nice, but as the newsblurb says,
it's not exactly the West Egg mansion of Jay Gatsby. Even still, the
Beast links to a list of Nine Illustrious Houses in Fiction,
which includes Gatsby's mansion. Interestingly, Gatsby's Mansion,
incorrectly referred to as "West Egg" on the list, is the only one of
the nine houses that doesn't have a formal name. Pemberely, Brideshead,
Tara... All these illustrious residences come with similarly
illustrious names. So what's going on there? When did we stop naming
our houses?
The Internet suggests that doing so is a distinctly British custom,
as a quick search for the practice of doing so provides information on
official methods of naming and this entertaining history of/guide for naming.
Where are the names of American homes? Where are our Skyfalls and
Manderlays? Let's bring this practice back! The question becomes, how
do we pick the name? Some sort of factor of the environment? Mine
could be Creaking Tree. A combination of the names of its residents?
I'll check and see what my housemates think of Marshmolie. (Rhymes with
Molly, not guacamole.) Can we just name it Winterfell?
But: Let's circle back to literature for a moment. Is it a function
of the Britishness of naming houses that so many of literature's famous
houses are British? Consider the list above: Six of the nine listings
are from British literature. Is it just because named houses are
easier to reference? Or is there a dearth of houses in American
literature? When I think about what houses were missing from the list,
my mind goes straight from house to Holmes, and wonders about 221B Baker Street. Then to Bag End. Then, even though I haven't read it, on to Bleak House.
When I try to think of houses in American literature, I have much
less success. The first image my mind produces is the completely
uninhabitable floating house the Huck and Jim find upon in the river. When I finally arrive at an actual house, I think of Mark Z Danielewski's House of Leaves,
but here the home is shifting and changing and impossible, bigger on
the inside than it is on the outside. The residences that I think of in
American literature are of a more temporary nature: The Overlook Hotel,
the mental institution of Nurse Ratched, the Ennet House Drug and
Alcohol Recovery House (sic)... Is it something about the nature of
mobility and change that characterize American literature? Is it
because we name institutions and not houses? Or is it because I'm just
failing to think of any good examples, when really there are a whole
bunch out there?
Readers, never before have I been so curious about what you have to
say. What would you name your house? What should I name my house? And
where are the houses of American literature?
I promise something less academic and rambling tomorrow, but til then I'm thinking about my house (in the middle of my street).
From the Desk of the Morning Reporter: A guided tour of the Internet.
Showing posts with label Houses. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Houses. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Friday, May 18, 2012
City Skies, the Ken Burns Effect, Coffee
Welcome to the end of another work week. Time flies, it really does. As
I walk through Georgetown's campus and find it all prepared for a
graduation that is not mine, and look at my calendar to find I've been
working here for exactly 10 months, that's the only conclusion I can
reach. (Another example of time flying... Started this report this
morning, didn't finish til 12:45. All work and no play.)
Lots of excitement around Wednesday's report. Two readers reflected on how much their younger selves would have loved to stumble on a real-life mystery like that in their own home. Another was reminded of childhood adventures, though his were less hypothetical, as he reflected on trips to the Winchester Mystery House, which he describes as "the incredible product of a deranged woman who, from the time her husband died until the time she herself croaked, kept adding rooms and staircases-to-nowhere and trapdoors and reverse fireplaces and all kinds of weird stuff to the house." I've never been, but I remember seeing it on some sort of scary homes special on the Travel Channel or something. Looking at it now, I am reminded of the thrilling and wildly original novel House of Leaves, which centers on a house larger on the inside than it is on the outside.
One reader is actually a wealth of resources for today's report, having also provided some excellent links to city skylines. First, he sent over an Atlantic photo series on night sky views focused around London, though including some other UK cities, as well. I am struck first by how many Ferris wheels there are in the series, beyond just the now iconic London Eye. Is the UK particularly rich with Ferris wheels, or do they just make neat things to photograph, I wonder. I was also disappointed to see that a photo featuring the BT Tower in London did not make the cut. Though not as iconic as some of London's other towers, it was right near where I lived when I studied there, and thus served as a guiding star home on many a night when the exact route to where I lived was a bit foggy... The second link provided by this reader also features a skyline with a missing tower. I have heard it noted of the Eiffel Tower that, while it provides the best view of Paris, photos taken from the top always miss one element of the City of Light, namely the Eiffel Tower. Still, even without an appearance from the Tower itself, this interactive Paris panorama is a great way to look around the city.
To close things out for the week, two shorter items, both found via Andrew Sullivan's "The Dish." First, Ken Burns reflects on storytelling. Burns is, of course, a master of turning massive events, histories, or pastimes into interesting stories, even when footage is limited to slow pans and zooms across still photographs. So his two cents is probably worth something. And second, good-ish news for the coffee addicts among the readership. The Washington Post reports on a study that argues that heavy coffee drinkers show potentially prolonged lifespans. But even on Causal Friday, correlation is not causation, as the commenters have been quick to note. The best comment, by far, though, is the reader who notes that, regardless of her own prolonged lifespan, those around her have a better chance of living longer when she has her coffee. Touche, sassy reader, touche.
Hope the rest of your Friday (30) Rocks. (It's Tina Fey's birthday!)
Lots of excitement around Wednesday's report. Two readers reflected on how much their younger selves would have loved to stumble on a real-life mystery like that in their own home. Another was reminded of childhood adventures, though his were less hypothetical, as he reflected on trips to the Winchester Mystery House, which he describes as "the incredible product of a deranged woman who, from the time her husband died until the time she herself croaked, kept adding rooms and staircases-to-nowhere and trapdoors and reverse fireplaces and all kinds of weird stuff to the house." I've never been, but I remember seeing it on some sort of scary homes special on the Travel Channel or something. Looking at it now, I am reminded of the thrilling and wildly original novel House of Leaves, which centers on a house larger on the inside than it is on the outside.
One reader is actually a wealth of resources for today's report, having also provided some excellent links to city skylines. First, he sent over an Atlantic photo series on night sky views focused around London, though including some other UK cities, as well. I am struck first by how many Ferris wheels there are in the series, beyond just the now iconic London Eye. Is the UK particularly rich with Ferris wheels, or do they just make neat things to photograph, I wonder. I was also disappointed to see that a photo featuring the BT Tower in London did not make the cut. Though not as iconic as some of London's other towers, it was right near where I lived when I studied there, and thus served as a guiding star home on many a night when the exact route to where I lived was a bit foggy... The second link provided by this reader also features a skyline with a missing tower. I have heard it noted of the Eiffel Tower that, while it provides the best view of Paris, photos taken from the top always miss one element of the City of Light, namely the Eiffel Tower. Still, even without an appearance from the Tower itself, this interactive Paris panorama is a great way to look around the city.
To close things out for the week, two shorter items, both found via Andrew Sullivan's "The Dish." First, Ken Burns reflects on storytelling. Burns is, of course, a master of turning massive events, histories, or pastimes into interesting stories, even when footage is limited to slow pans and zooms across still photographs. So his two cents is probably worth something. And second, good-ish news for the coffee addicts among the readership. The Washington Post reports on a study that argues that heavy coffee drinkers show potentially prolonged lifespans. But even on Causal Friday, correlation is not causation, as the commenters have been quick to note. The best comment, by far, though, is the reader who notes that, regardless of her own prolonged lifespan, those around her have a better chance of living longer when she has her coffee. Touche, sassy reader, touche.
Hope the rest of your Friday (30) Rocks. (It's Tina Fey's birthday!)
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
New Houses, New Mysteries
It seems animals should be a regular part of our Tuesday morning
rotation... Lots of positive and thankful responses for the fuzzy faces
to get us through that terrible day. In fact, one response had
me ready to send out a follow-up report, it was so perfect. While it
was great to see the animal moms in the Daily Beast slideshow,
Victoria's Washington Post submission pays tribute to some of the adoptive mothers of the animal world.
The Rottweiler and wolf pup are so cute, and-- SQUIRREL! Andrew,
meanwhile, submitted a plug for his company's upcoming show, Animal Practice, which will definitely be one to keep an eye out for when new TV seasons begin.
While yesterday's morning was full of reporting, yesterday's evening was full of a new house. That's right, the desk of the Morning Reporter is moving back down to T Street. And with a new house comes new housemates. Here's hoping they aren't as lazy as Nate's roommate Drew. [They aren't.] But if they are, I hope they are lazy as creatively as Drew is. A meme-d excuse to not work out is a good excuse to not work out in my book.
And speaking of books, I'm still exploring the new house for the book that reveals clues to the house's secret codes and mysteries, like the one that the Klinsky family found in their 5th Avenue Apartment when they moved in in 2008. Described as family-friendly DaVinci Code meets Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, the story of this apartment is one of the pieces from the New York Times that has lingered in my memory the longest, right down to the little salamanders. What a fun (and beautiful) apartment with so many great details. I particularly love the simple little plane drawing that hides the scale kitchen. Any architects and artists among the readership, be prepared for a phone call when my family buys its first house, we'll be calling you up to help design a fun mystery adventure for our children to solve.
That's all we've got for the Report today! I'm off to be trained on the Adobe suite... So maybe future editions will include some of you guys photoshopped in with puppies or Pixar characters! We shall see! [Indeed future banners would indicate Adobe prowess...]
Dress up as a British nanny and sneak some cayenne pepper into your ex-wife's new boyfriend's jambalaya... It's Pierce Brosnan's 59th birthday! (A Bond reference was too straightforward, and all of his other roles decidedly forgettable.)
While yesterday's morning was full of reporting, yesterday's evening was full of a new house. That's right, the desk of the Morning Reporter is moving back down to T Street. And with a new house comes new housemates. Here's hoping they aren't as lazy as Nate's roommate Drew. [They aren't.] But if they are, I hope they are lazy as creatively as Drew is. A meme-d excuse to not work out is a good excuse to not work out in my book.
And speaking of books, I'm still exploring the new house for the book that reveals clues to the house's secret codes and mysteries, like the one that the Klinsky family found in their 5th Avenue Apartment when they moved in in 2008. Described as family-friendly DaVinci Code meets Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, the story of this apartment is one of the pieces from the New York Times that has lingered in my memory the longest, right down to the little salamanders. What a fun (and beautiful) apartment with so many great details. I particularly love the simple little plane drawing that hides the scale kitchen. Any architects and artists among the readership, be prepared for a phone call when my family buys its first house, we'll be calling you up to help design a fun mystery adventure for our children to solve.
That's all we've got for the Report today! I'm off to be trained on the Adobe suite... So maybe future editions will include some of you guys photoshopped in with puppies or Pixar characters! We shall see! [Indeed future banners would indicate Adobe prowess...]
Dress up as a British nanny and sneak some cayenne pepper into your ex-wife's new boyfriend's jambalaya... It's Pierce Brosnan's 59th birthday! (A Bond reference was too straightforward, and all of his other roles decidedly forgettable.)
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