#history of exploration

[croziers-compass]

Summary Notes of Terror Camp 2023 (10.12.23)

(A small summary of notes and references I took during Terror Camp Day Two - Antarctic Exploration!)

Branwell's Death Narratives

Captain Scott - The narrative tilts. It tilts according to who's written it.

Vitai Lampada by Newbolt

The Book of the Long Long Trail - Newbolt

Scott Supporters vs Critics. Was he a fool or a misunderstood individual? Challenge the complexities with which a Narrative is design and revolved around. Interrogate the Narrative and where it came from!

Caitlin Branden

Personal Bias and Individual experiences steer your experience with a particular Polar Expedition

"A wonderful Evening"

Which Member of the Expedition Are You?

What attracts you to your Expedition? What about your Expedition draws you to it? What do you talk about when you talk about the Expedition of your Heart?

Rach

"Terrebus"

Narratology

"How do we frame the Narrative and How does the Narrative Frame us?"

"We cannot ask reason to take us across the Gulf of the absurd"

" The real Quest was the books we tried to write along the way " - R - The Discord Chat

"We all have our special little guys"

"Perhaps being haunted is part of being Human"

"Any Narrative can become dangerous if it becomes The Narrative. Be aware of the Biases off the Narrative you are writing. Take responsibility for the Narrative."

"Carry your little Guys in your pocket"

Emma J. P. - From the South Pole to the Stars

Incredible Parallels twixt the Astral Exploration of Space and the Antarctic / Polar Explorations with Antarctica being a simile for time spent off of Earth itself.

Empty and Vast

Roald's Narrative during the South Pole Expedition!

Sam Botz - The Feminine (?) Antarctic

"The Last Imaginary Place on Earth."

Antarctica The Woman - Stephanie Krzywonos

"Flying and Singing Like Sparrows" - Le Guin

Phil M. (linked to Patreon) (Paper Doll Polar Explorer's Sea Chest)

Ross and Crozier Expedition!

"They were Hut Mates"

Crozier Passed His Leftenant Exam at 21 in the year 1817 Ross and Crozier serving under William Perry

They Celebrated St. Patricks day!

McCormick is our Narrator through much.

"EVERYONE WAS WET"

⚓ Robert McCormick's geological collections from Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, 1839–1843

⚓ (Ross Volume 1) Voyages of discovery in the Arctic and Antarctic seas and round the world [microform] : being personal narratives of attempts to reach the North and South Poles ⚓(Ross Volume 2) A voyage of discovery and research in the southern and Antarctic regions, during the years 1839-43

by Ross, James Clark, Sir, 1800-1862 (links to Archive for JCR)

⚓Cunninham's Transcribed Journal

⚓ (An X/Twitter Acc. that follows JCR Expedition)

Becca (I got pulled away so my notes are sparse here) "I'll be blowed."

Some of these Cold Boys should not have been there. (The Scientists) Elephant Island was quite the ordeal.

Clark, Hussey, Wordie, James, the Four Nations that did not live together in Harmony.

All in the Middle of the Great War.

"Nerdy and Outside the Narrative"

Meg - Cold off the Press

"You tried"

"Mr. Clark proved the faunistic richness of the coastal Antarctic Waters, but, unfortunately, all his collections were lost with the ship."

Hussey - "This Scientist is an outlier and should not be counted"

Avery S. - Oddments, Riff Raff, and Pocket Full of Rocks

Dancing on Ice Floes

Giving sea shells as gifts!

-The importance of Collecting was incredibly valuably psychologically. To collect these specimens meant that one would have to survive to deliver them. It also helped create routine

Trading Rocks for Tobacco.

“Some will tell you that you are mad, and nearly all will say, 'What is the use?' For we are a nation of shopkeepers, and no shopkeeper will look at research which will not promise him a financial return within a year. And so you will sledge nearly alone, but those with whom you sledge will not be shopkeepers: that is worth a good deal. If you march your Winter Journeys you will have your reward, so long as all you want is a penguin's egg.” - Apsley Cherry-Garrard

"When you reach out to understand the world, even scientifically, you are reaching out to understand your place in it." - Avery S (Polar Exploration Conference Terror Camp 12.10.2023)

"How McClintock Of You" - The Discord Chat

Key Notes: With Francis Spufford and Sarah Airriess

(I was very invested in the conversations so I did not write as much as I would have liked. But some critical things really stood out to me.)

The Homosocial responses/responsibilities between the men. Care-giving and demonstrating tender roles with one another. 'Unexpectedly Gendered'

Francis has not seen The Terror

The way of Knowing these people is very unique. Reading their letters and their diaries provides a particular perspective allows you to know what they really were like - more than what their fellows may have known. You see a more intimate part of these explorers through their very personal narrations through their journals and letters.

"People are clouds of possible selves." - Francis Spufford He goes on to say something along the lines of: "Which is the problem with storytelling - as a narrator of storytelling you have to decide what comes out and what fades in the background of their personality."

"You have to decide as a Narrator." - Francis Spufford

Empathy as a Tool for Understanding

(This part was incredibly important to me.)

Sarah goes on to explain (thereabouts): You have to Listen to people. They (people writing or creating a Narrative/Narration of events) look at a historical figure and get a "snap" of them. From there they decide that they know everything about them. From there, it's like Cinderella's shoe and the step-sister cutting off parts of her foot to make it fit. You need to let these people liver and breathe as a dynamic person with feelings and thoughts. You have to be truthful. Otherwise you are doing that person a disservice and shoving them into a specific box that is meant to just fit your Narrative. You should try and be empathetic to the individual you are writing about as if they are still alive.

Spufford goes on to extrapolate on that with (thereabouts): Finding out what people meant to themselves is important. Some things you want to keep at arms lengths but still play an intrinsic role in their character. Being empathetic to these people is critical to respecting and acknowledging them with care and showing them that you care about them.

"Captain Scott is a Myth"

"The Unified Field Theory of Cold Men."

"Neurotypical people don't go to the Antarctic. Normal people are not drawn to the Antarctic."

Extra Important Links:

These are just some that I have saved from the Terror Camp. There were so many more but here is a handful.

Observations on ca. 175-year old human remains from Antarctica (Cape Shirreff, Livingston Island, South Shetlands)

Cheer_Scott_expedition

Ursula K. Le Guin Books: The Wave in the Mind Dancing at the Edge of the World: Thoughts on Words, Women, Places (thriftbooks link)

An Empire of Magnetism (Global Science and the British Magnetic Survey in the Age of Imperialism) - Dr Edward J. Gillin

A Game! "To Keep the Meat"

The Popularization of Science in Nineteenth-Century America - Hyman Kuritz

"Have You Been There?" Some Thoughts on (Not) Visiting Antarctica - ADRIAN HOWKIN

The Ship that Never Was: The Greatest Escape Story Of Australian Colonial History - Adam Courtenay (Goodreads Link)

Tristian's Wordpress of Franklin Expedition Content

Francis Spufford! ⚓ Sarah Airriess ⚓

The Music Track for Terror Camp ⚓

Book Recs from Crewmate @jesslovesboats (thank you)

Thank you so much for the experience! This weekend was fantastic!

Personal Notes and Commentary

This was my first Terror Camp in its entierty. The weekend was such a delight. I had no idea what sort of experience I would be having. It was beyond my expectations. I got to learn a lot more about some of the other Expeditions that I was not as familiar with as I would have liked to be. My book list has expanded by a decent number. Getting to listen to Nive Nielsen and Paul ready was incredible. I loved everything about this experience. I cannot wait for @terrorcamp to announce the next year's event. I will certainly be attending it without a doubt. I look forwards to future projects and staying in touch with anyone else that would like to. Thank you again for such a wonderful experience! I want to give a shoutout to the people I know of the Tumblr Urls that contributed: @brainyraccoons , @jckielantern , @nopickls , @wllipt (who was a captioner), @vivtanner , @inkonfreshnewpaper - I do not know if I missed anyone. I went through the Muster Book to check out who had tumblrs. If I missed you, please let me know. I had a fantastic time. Thank you all.

With love, In heart and spirit, Second Leftenant, Wilbur

[longreads]

In the new issue of our sister publication, The Atavist Magazine, Allegra Rosenberg writes about a doomed expedition to Antarctica—and the untold love story of two crew members who survived the journey.

"Pennell left a trove of letters and diaries behind, but they sat largely unconsulted for a century. The romance hidden inside them was a gift waiting for the right moment to be discovered."

Read the introduction, “The Romance History Forgot,” on Longreads.

[fox-teeth]

Do you think someone will remember us?

DEEP TIME was originally published as an accordion-fold comic glued into a circular shape, so the story could be read backwards and forwards from any starting panel. Physical editions of DEEP TIME printed in bright red and teal risograph are avaliable in my shop.

[niidsch]

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky (2009)

[somewhereincairparavel]

JASON GRACE PLAYS LACROSSE AND TENNIS. I CAN'T AND WON'T BE NORMAL ABOUT THIS-

[sansculottides]

pisses me off to no end when people on reddit or whatever complain that the show wouldve been better off without the tuunbaq.....did we watch the same show? the tuunbaq is everything, it held everything together. the tuunbaq is the main transformative element of the terror. the tuunbaq elevates the text beyond mere historical fact and lets it say something about the expedition's broader context of imperialism. it hunted the british men who were trampling on its home as a mere stopover, a side casualty, to finding the northwest passage (for, you know, "trade with china" after britain beat china into submission after the imperialist opium war). silna couldnt complete a proper ritual with it because of the british men - just as british colonizers have historically intruded and disrupted the practice of indigenous culture. and in the end the tuunbaq dies, after all the injuries it's taken from the british over the course of 10 episodes and finally chokes to death on the worst of them. because there's no escaping the reality of colonial history, and there is especially no fantastical escape for the colonizer. there's no proper way for us to move forward otherwise.

good historical fiction doesnt have to limit itself to accuracy - it needs empathy to draw out meanings in history using literary craft. thats what the tuunbaq means to me.... if you wanted a straight depiction of historical record, just go watch a documentary.. TUUNBAQ DENIERS DNI

[ponkothepenguin]

Made this no good very bad presentation for a powerpoint night one of my friends is hosting! The instructions were to pick literally anything, and, well…. You know.

Sincerely hoping this isn't too insane for the non-polarhead. ah well

[the-blueprint]

Luther would late cover Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway’s “The Closer I Get To You” with Beyoncé in 2003. It was recently certified gold for sales of 500,000+ units in the U.S.12h

[jesslovesboats]

Hello friends, I am back with more reading recommendations for your agonies! Next up we have the long awaited and much requested Sad Boat Fiction list. As with all of my lists, this is NOT exhaustive and there WILL be great books left off, and also you may or may not like these books! I only rec things that I've personally enjoyed or that come highly recommended by trusted friends, but taste in books is incredibly subjective, especially with fiction. If I missed your favorite, please add it in the comments or drop it in my DMs!

Now that I'm feeling more settled in my new job, I will hopefully have a lot more time to make book lists and do more virtual Readers' Advisory. I have lists in the works for women in polar exploration and companion reads for the HBO War series, but if there's something else you would love to see, please send me a message!

Classics of the Genre

At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft

The Terror by Dan Simmons

Moby Dick by Herman Melville

Dark Matter by Michelle Paver

Media Tie-Ins

Who Goes There? (Filmed as The Thing) by John W. Campbell, Jr.

The North Water by Ian McGuire

Cold Skin by Alfred Sánchez Piñol

The Terror by Dan Simmons

Graphic Novels

Whiteout by Greg Rucka

How to Survive in the North by Luke Healy

The Worst Journey in the World- The Graphic Novel Volume 1: Making Our Easting Down adapted by Sarah Airriess from the book by Apsley Cherry-Garrard*

*this is only fiction in the broadest possible sense of the term, but there is a shiny new American version of this book coming out with a gorgeous new cover and you should pre-order it immediately

Science Fiction

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin

Antarctica by Kim Stanley Robinson

Romance

Under a Pole Star by Stef Penney

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

My Last Continent by Midge Raymond

Inspired by the Terra Nova Expedition

The Worst Journey in the World- The Graphic Novel Volume 1: Making Our Easting Down adapted by Sarah Airriess from the book by Apsley Cherry-Garrard*

The Birthday Boys by Beryl Bainbridge

Terra Nova: A Play by Ted Tally

Antarctic Navigation by Elizabeth Arthur

*this is only fiction in the broadest possible sense of the term, but there is a shiny new American version of this book coming out with a gorgeous new cover and you should pre-order it immediately

Inspired by the Franklin Expedition

The Rifles by William T. Vollmann

Minds of Winter by Ed O'Loughlin

Solomon Gursky Was Here by Mordecai Richler

On the Proper Use of Stars by Dominique Fortier

Literary Fiction

The Voyage of the Narwhal by Andrea Barrett

Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy

We, The Drowned by Carsten Jensen

Inspired by the Classics

The Route of Ice and Salt by José Luis Zárate

Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund

Modern Day Antarctica

How the Penguins Saved Veronica by Hazel Prior

South Pole Station by Ashley Shelby

Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

Polar and Nautical Horror

Where the Dead Wait by Ally Wilkes

Dark Matter by Michelle Paver

Cold Earth by Sarah Moss

The Deep by Nick Cutter

All the White Spaces by Ally Wilkes

Dark Water by Elizabeth Lowry

The Deep by Alma Katsu

Happy reading!

[vintagecamping]

In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks. -John Muir

Alaska

1940

[peatbogpirate]

A low effort polar comic for today: important Antarctic preparations

[amnhnyc]

Did you know? Uranus is four times wider than planet Earth. And on this day in history in 1781, it was discovered by British astronomer William Herschel. He was using his telescope when he noticed an object in the sky. He thought it to be a star or comet, but within two years, other astronomers showed it was a new planet orbiting the Sun! Uranus, the third largest planet in our solar system, appears blue due to the methane in its atmosphere.

Fun fact: One Uranian year (a complete rotation around the Sun) takes about 84 Earth years to complete.

Image: NASA / Orange-kun, CC0, Wikimedia Commons (artist rendering)

[theyonagoda]

For all Terror fans (and general Cold Boy Likers-) I think you'd enjoy this game.

Inua: A Story of Ice and Time is a point-and-click narrative/puzzle game centering on Inuit myths and folklore of the Franklin Expedition, spread across three protagonists and almost two centuries. And, yes, there is a big polar bear involved.

[niidsch]

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky (2009)

[cockroachesunite]

Sir John Franklin to Lady Jane Franklin:

James Fitzjames to John Barrow Jr. (x) :

LOVE the juxtaposition between these letters, these men are having very different experiences