Tea at Trianon: Catholic Writers' Contest

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Tuesday, March 6, 2007

Catholic Writers' Contest

Heidi has announced that Canticle magazine will be having its first writers' contest. Canticle is an excellent periodical and I highly recommend all ladies having a subscription to it. It is practical as well as spiritual and always uplifting. Genevieve Kineke announced that she will be reviewing both Trianon and Madame Royale in Canticle in the next few months. From her blog post, I can see that Genevieve has totally grasped the spiritual sub-plot that I hoped people would glean from the novels. They are not just historical novels but also explore the mystical role of women and how they suffer in their spiritual and physical motherhood. So watch for her review in the pages of Canticle and I will have a couple articles in there as well. Share

2 comments:

Anonymous said...: I agree with Genevieve's remarks. Most other authors are in the bush leagues compared to you....she got that right. It is so annoying to see the same authors being shoved onto the reading public by these big publishing houses who don't want to take any risks with unknown authors. Danielle Steele,Mary Higgins Clark, James Patterson, etc. etc. What puzzles me is,who are reading these books? In my lifetime, and it started before then, there has been a regression to the mean in all aspects of western culture and I blame it on the educational system and lazy teachers who themselves are mediocre people. Believe me,I have had first hand experience with them.; March 6, 2007 at 6:43:00 PM EST
elena maria vidal said...: Alice, thank you so much. To each his own. I never intended to write for a mass market, but originally just for home-schoolers. I am amazed that the books have been enjoyed by many people all over the world and continue to sell steadily after ten years. I thank God.; March 7, 2007 at 7:45:00 AM EST