A place for friends to meet... with reflections on politics, history, art, music, books, morals, manners, and matters of faith.
A blog by Elena Maria Vidal.
"She was not a guilty woman, neither was she a saint; she was an upright, charming woman, a little frivolous, somewhat impulsive, but always pure; she was a queen, at times ardent in her fancies for her favourites and thoughtless in her policy, but proud and full of energy; a thorough woman in her winsome ways and tenderness of heart, until she became a martyr."
"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."
"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
A Note on Reviews
Unless otherwise noted, any books I review on this blog I have either purchased or borrowed from the library, and I do not receive any compensation (monetary or in-kind) for the reviews.
Indeed, in southern central Pennsylvania, it is common to see older homes with two front doors, a tradition among the German families of the area, although not one brought from their original homeland. One door leads to the kitchen and "family room"--where the family conducts its business. The other door leads to the parlor--or best room--which is reserved for guests. This offers two ways of honoring those who are not members of the immediate family: the guest is honored, as in The Country of Pointed Firs, by being ushered into the "best room" but the closeness of the friendship may be honored by bringing the guest eventually into the kitchen and family area.
When designing a dream home in my mind, I looked at the traditional home and felt the one room which was saved for special guests was wasted space. Now I understand the idea of a space for entertaining special guests in a formal way.
What a lovely tradition. In certain parts of Ulster, it's still kept up - and even if the two doors are lacking, the 'best room' idea is still present in many homes.
I would love to have a parlor. In addition to being a clean, clutter-free place always ready to receive company, it could function as a family prayer/home altar area, a formal family portrait setting and a safe place to display family heirlooms. A quiet, set apart room for special events or devotions sounds lovely!
I am indeed. Of old Ascendancy stock - my family came to Ireland as Norman knights in the reign of King Henry II in the battalion led by John de Courcy. So, it's been a while! Ha ha. I think on my facebook albums, "Spring, Mayday and home 21st" and "Summer swimming" you can see it most clearly. (I should point out that in the latter I don't usually go clambering in a suit, but I'd been at the Secretary of State's garden party just before, so turning up casually to that was a no-no!) It's a lovely part of the world and the education system in Northern Ireland is really fantastic.
Marie-Antoinette "en gaulle" by Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun
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Marie-Antoinette, Daughter of the Caesars: Her Life, Her Times, Her Legacy
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Marie-Antoinette, Daughter of the Caesars: Her Life, Her Times, Her Legacy
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Trianon: A Novel of Royal France
My Queen, My Love: A Novel of Henrietta Maria
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The Saga of Marie-Antoinette's daughter, Marie-Thérèse of France
A Novel of the Restoration
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"In every Eden, there dwells a serpent . . . ."
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How traditions have changed about receiving company. According to Under the Gables:
6 comments:
When designing a dream home in my mind, I looked at the traditional home and felt the one room which was saved for special guests was wasted space. Now I understand the idea of a space for entertaining special guests in a formal way.
What a lovely tradition. In certain parts of Ulster, it's still kept up - and even if the two doors are lacking, the 'best room' idea is still present in many homes.
Gareth, are you from Ulster? I had no idea!
I would love to have a parlor. In addition to being a clean, clutter-free place always ready to receive company, it could function as a family prayer/home altar area, a formal family portrait setting and a safe place to display family heirlooms. A quiet, set apart room for special events or devotions sounds lovely!
I am indeed. Of old Ascendancy stock - my family came to Ireland as Norman knights in the reign of King Henry II in the battalion led by John de Courcy. So, it's been a while! Ha ha. I think on my facebook albums, "Spring, Mayday and home 21st" and "Summer swimming" you can see it most clearly. (I should point out that in the latter I don't usually go clambering in a suit, but I'd been at the Secretary of State's garden party just before, so turning up casually to that was a no-no!) It's a lovely part of the world and the education system in Northern Ireland is really fantastic.
Sounds intriguing and lovely. My ancestors are from the south of Ireland, except for the O'Connors who migrated from Roscommon in the 13th century.
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