Dog Bloggers of Bygone Eras
As a kid, I never read Lassie or Rin Tin Tin books, although as a big fan of Beverly Cleary, I did read Ribsy. Now, thanks to Cabana and my growing interest in dogs, I have started to search out books on canine subjects.
I am currently reading (listening to) Shaggy Muses, by Maureen Adams. It's about the role of dogs in the lives of 5 famous women authors: Emily Bronte, Emily Dickinson, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Edith Wharton, and Virginia Woolf. These women had rather bleak and tumultuous lives--but they all derived great comfort and companionship from their dogs. Many put their dogs into the stories, poems and letters they wrote. And their diaries contain many references to their dogs, which struck me as being the pre-internet way of blogging their dogs!
It's gratifying to think that we are following in the footsteps of some very talented and renowned women. And I'm so grateful to not be living in the Victorian era--what a horribly limiting and misguided period that was!
I am taking a literature class over the summer and we have read and studied several of the women Emily Dickinson and Edith Wharton so far. I will have to get that to read, I love books that have dogs in them! Thanks for sharing!
If you got it on CD from our library, Accord will take responsibility for any black hairs you find! Unless it is curly - then it is my friend's poodle.
We read it about 6 months ago. Very interesting read! Enjoy!
Fun perspective to think of -- I was a big Beverly Clearly fan.
Ha ha, Poppy, I just downloaded the book from the library website--so no telltale black hairs!
Rebecca, I think the book will be interesting to you since you've read and studied Emily D and Edith W. However, it didn't have enough about the dogs to satisfy me. It was more about the bleakness of the authors' lives than anything else--rather depressing.
Not quite as lighthearted as a Beverly Cleary book!!
This sounds like an interesting book. I'll have to look for it.
And I was a big Beverly Cleary fan too. :-)