Wednesday, January 04, 2006

"Arabella Hardy" by Charles Lamb

An orphaned girl from the East Indies is entrusted to the care of a ship's first mate, who is the object of much merriment to his mates. In this story, presented much like one side of a magazine interview, we are told of a memorable voyage back to England, where the girl learns valuable lessons about human nature and gender stereotyping. Read by Scoot.

The dry facts about Charles Lamb: Born in 1775, the son of a barrister's clerk. A clerk himself in various offices until his retirement in 1825. Best known works the Essays of Elia and his Letters. On a less statistical note, Lamb had an exceptionally unhappy private life which nonetheless did not impede the many stories, adaptations, essays, and poems which flowed from his gentle-spirited pen.

3 comments:

Scoot said...

Apologies to anyone who tried to download this story earlier today--it should be working now.

Anonymous said...

Welcome back! You've been missed. Here's to an enriching and crash-free New Year.
-- Mtte.

Scoot said...

Hearing this from the Empress of Podcast Literature, we're terribly flattered, Miette. Believe me, we listen to all your offerings (though we're more than a little behind at the moment) and though we haven't said so often enough, we've enjoyed each and every one of them. Call it an education. Any accidental visitor to these wastrel pages should first and foremost get a little bedtime storyin' at Miette's divinely elegant site.