#robert audley

[20genderchild]

alicia: I know what you are 👀

[mxcottonsocks]

Love it when a fictional character has pets.

Aurora Floyd and her horses and dogs. Count Fosco and his cockatoo and canaries and mice. Robert Audley and his canaries and all those silly little dogs that the sporting men laugh at. Barnaby Rudge and Grip the raven. Austin Caxton's duck.

[mxcottonsocks]

Literally

[musicmags]

[thedudleywomen]

MARGARET AUDLEY, DUCHESS OF NORFOLK: ANOTHER DUDLEY WOMAN

Introducing Margaret Audley, Duchess of Norfolk, wife of Lord Henry Dudley, (known throughout his short life as 'Harry Dudley').

Margaret was born in 1540, the eldest daughter of Thomas Audley, the Lord High Chancellor of England during the reign of Henry VIII, and his second wife, Lady Elizabeth Grey, the elder sister of Henry Grey, 3rd Marquess of Dorset (later the 1st Duke of Suffolk).

Margaret became a ward of Edward VI in 1549, following the death of Sir Anthony Denny, to whom her wardship had been given following her father's death in 1544. Given John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland's position within the regency council, as Lord President, towards the end of his reign, it is likely that aged around 13, she was married to Dudley's youngest surviving son, Harry, in late Spring/early Summer 1553. There were a round of weddings and betrothals at this time, including Margaret's cousin Jane Grey to Harry's elder brother Guildford Dudley, in attempts to secure political alliances in preparation for an inevitable upcoming regime change. Margaret was also a wealthy heiress, due to inherit many of her late father's properties in Hertfordshire, Oxfordshire and Essex, including Walden Abbey, which would also be an attractive prospect for the Dudley family, eager to expand their power.

Harry, along with his elder brothers, was imprisoned in the Tower of London following the failed coup to place Margaret's cousin Lady Jane Grey on the English throne in Jul 1553, and in Nov 1553 was found guilty of high treason and sentenced to death. However, he escaped the fate of his older brother Guildford and his young wife, and with brothers John, Ambrose and Robert was released from the Tower in Oct 1553. Having been pardoned by Mary I, Harry subsequently died at the Siege of Saint-Quentin, France in Aug 1557, aged "20 and a half years" (according to his portrait).

The following year, Margaret was betrothed to Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk; however, there were delays in the marriage, due to the need to obtain papal dispensation (Norfolk's previous wife was a cousin of Margaret's). However, following the death of Mary, the accession of Elizabeth I and the abandonment of Catholicism in England, the marriage went ahead in late Nov/early Dec 1558. The new Duchess of Norfolk had a role in the coronation of Elizabeth the following month.

Margaret died in Norwich in Jan 1564, a few weeks following the birth of her youngest child; she had left Walden Abbey, and was said to be making her way back to London, reportedly eager to be reunited with her husband, when her health began to fail, and she succumbed to her illness.

Margaret's eldest son, Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk, later inherited Walden Abbey, embarked on a major building project, demolishing the older extended house, and constructing an impressive Jacobean house, renamed as 'Audley End', reportedly costing £200,000. He would later be imprisoned in the Tower of London on charges of embezzlement, and would die at Audley End in debt and disgrace.

Her widower, the Duke of Norfolk, would be executed in 1571 at the Tower of London after being convicted of high treason, for his role in the 'Ridolfi Plot' - a Catholic Conspiracy to remove Elizabeth from the English throne, and replace her with the Scottish Catholic queen, Mary Queen of Scots.

[krispyweiss]

Warren Haynes “Going to be OK” after “Pretty Serious” Bout with COVID-19 and Influenza

- Guitarist to skip Gov’t Mule’s Jamaica gigs, rechristened Gov't Mule & Friends

Warren Haynes is home after being hospitalized with “some pretty serious complications from COVID(-19) and influenza,” the Gov’t Mule frontman said in a statement.

“I am going to be OK,” the guitarist said.

Needing “a few weeks of rest and recuperation,” Haynes is skipping Gov’t Mule’s Jan. 15-19 Island Exodus. Anders Osborne, Jackie Greene, John Scofield, Robert Randolph, Audley Freed and Rob Barraco are among those the musicians filling in.

“The show must go on,” Haynes said, promising “three great and unique ‘Gov't Mule & Friends’ shows.”

There is no mention of refunds. Gov’t Mule is meanwhile working to reschedule the year-end 2022 gigs that were abruptly postponed when Haynes fell ill.

1-8-23

[arrynnat]

first it's the great gatsby, then it's the picture of dorian gray and now lady audley's secret too? hell yeah

I am reading Lady Audley's Secret and I think it's hilarious how it's stated that Robert Audley has never cared about shit in his entire life and how he is described as someone who would die of old age before realizing that he had feelings for another person and yet the moment is best friend George disappears he is like "I would never have a wife, leave everything behind if that meant having him back at my side. I miss him so much." Fellas,

[fictionadventurer]

I need to tell you about my new fail-son, Mr. Robert Audley of Lady Audley's Secret.

He's a lawyer but literally never does any work.

Never moves quickly. Ever.

Hates hunting because it's too much work

Likes fishing because you just sit there all day

Has multiple pet canaries

A girl has been in love with him for years and he wouldn't notice unless she came up and proposed

Adopts ugly and mistreated stray dogs

Once went ice skating, immediately fell flat on his back, then just laid there "until such time as the bystanders should think fit to pick him up."

Went for a pleasant morning carriage ride, and made them stop every ten minutes to adjust the cushions

Now has to investigate his friend's disappearance, and is proving he could actually be good at his job if he put in any effort whatsoever

[rose-of-pollux]

My MFU episode recs

Since everyone else is doing this; as others have said, most episodes are worth seeing, but here are my absolute faves--

The Shark Affair -- probably my favorite episode of all time, Napoleon and Illya are on two separate missions that converge and pit them against a modern-day pirate.

The Project Strigas Affair -- you'll be playing the "Hey, it's that guy!" game all though this ep. Also Illya is in a ridiculous disguise and Napoleon still finds time to flirt with him.

The Fiddlesticks Affair -- SO. MUCH. DRAMA.

The Mad, Mad Tea Party Affair -- so much insanity, plus that lovely shot of Napoleon and Illya in the elevator shaft with their suitjackets off (one of my more notable "I may be ace, but dang" moments).

The Secret Sceptre Affair -- the clips that @justabigoldnerd has been posting should tell you all you need to know about this ep.

The Never-Never Affair -- what do you get when you take Napoleon and Illya and add in Agent 99, the Joker, and Mr. Slate from The Flintstones? This ep.

The Love Affair -- Eddie Albert plays a convincing villain and invokes Napoleon's wrath when it appears he's killed Illya. Also Madame Leota/Maleficent (Eleanor Audley) has a cameo

The Gazebo in the Maze Affair -- Napoleon embarks on a quest save his beloved Illya from a vengeful squire... with mixed results, but that's why we love this show.

Alexander the Greater Affair 1&2 -- there's a lot going on here, but that's what makes it great

The Foxes and Hounds Affair -- Robert Vaughn, David McCallum, AND Vincent Price all in the same room together--need I say more?

The Virtue Affair -- more mutual lifesaving with a ton of drama

The Bat Cave Affair -- ...there's a lot going on here, just watch it 😆

The Pop Art Affair -- modern art and killer foam

The Off-Broadway Affair -- yet another "Hey, it's that guy/gal!" episode, ft Lamb Chop, Scrappy-Doo, and General Burkhalter all in the same room with Napoleon and Illya. Also the closest MFU gets to a musical episode. ALSO more mutual lifesaving and, somehow, Napoleon and Illya still find time to have a date in a Turkish bath.

The Suburbia Affair -- very little I can add to what others have said about this ep, other than this: I am convinced that the overdubbed "Mother" at Illya that Robert Vaughn was forced to do was covering up a "Dear" that the censors refused to let air. In my heart, it was "Dear." Kudos to Robert for making it so obvious it was an overdub; it's like he knew what the fans wanted.

The Matterhorn Affair -- Yes, it's mostly ridiculous, but Napoleon and Illya's ice-cream date at the end makes it worth it

The Hot Number Affair -- we get this, enough said:

The Summit-Five Affair -- ANGST and a beautiful showcasing of Illya's undying loyalty to Napoleon.

The 'J' for Judas Affair -- this is an interesting one, a sort of look into what happens when the duo initially fails a mission and then have to pick up the pieces.

The Prince of Darkness Affair 1 & 2 -- ft. a new evil organization, Napoleon in disguise, and Illya finding Napoleon's disguise more attractive than he expected

The Deadly Quest Affair -- more undying loyalty!

The Gurnius Affair -- there's A LOT going on here

The Maze Affair -- More angst! More devotion!

The Deep Six Affair -- You gotta watch it for the ending. You gotta.

[manuscripts-dontburn]

The Faceless Woman

Author: Emma Hamm

First published: 2018

Rating:  ★★☆☆☆

Two perpetually horny people with the attitude of whiny teenagers endlessly banter annoyingly while hiking the Otherworld (or was it Otherlands?). They are totally into each other just because. Everything they need is immediately gotten. Every question they ask is immediately answered. There is a cat.

Lady Audley's Secret

Author: Mary Elizabeth Braddon

First published: 1862

Rating: ★★★★☆

A good example of a book that seems to be good, but not THAT good, but then it really turns out there is more to it than it first seemed. I enjoyed myself! Also, I would recommend it to anyone who would like to get into classics but is not ready for the likes of Dostoyevsky (Is anyone truly ready for Dostoyevsky?)

My Sister, the Serial Killer

Author: Oyinkan Braithwaite

First published: 2018

Rating: ★★★★☆

A dark, intriguing exploration of how far family loyalties can lie, peppered with uncomfortable truths and secrets. Not really a thriller, if that is what you are looking for. Thanks to very short chapters it read extremely quickly.

Death on the Lusitania

Author: R.L. Graham

First published: 2024

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Like... I wasn´t mad at this, you can certainly tell a huge amount of historical research went into constructing this story, but all in all it read very dry. Furthermore, I chose to read this book because the tragedy of Lusitania is something I have been fascinated with for a long time now yet in the book its tragic demise comes about with little urgency and takes a surprisingly small space in the overall length of the book. The famous ship is a background setting rather than the main event and you never get to explore her.

Peach Blossom Spring

Author: Melissa Fu

First published: 2022

Rating: ★★★★★

Somebody messed up and so in my edition of Peach Blossom Spring every single instance of the word QUIET was replaced by QUIETEN, which jarred the eye and flow of the afflicted sentences. But not even that could take away the sensitive, melancholy beauty of this book. A historical fiction with just the right amount of background information without over-explanation, it follows a family trauma and how characters with that trauma make their decisions and change over time. By the end, I felt very deeply for all the characters and, even though my own culture and heritage are completely unrelated, trace the certain human traits we all seem to share, portrayed with great care.

Weird Medieval Guys: How to Live, Laugh, Love (and Die) in Dark Times

Author: Olivia Swarthout

First published: 2023

Rating: ★★★★☆

Perhaps not laugh-out-loud funny, but amusing and clearly written with much love for history. I only wish the physical book was larger, so the pictures could be viewed in more detail and my weak-ass-eyes not struggle to read the small text.

The Imaginary Lives of James Poneke

Author: Tina Makereti

First published: 2018

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Though quite short, there is a lot going on in this book. The story is that of a native boy from New Zealand who, after losing his family and people, gets an English education and makes his way to London is set in the 19th century and focuses on issues of predatory colonialism, insensitive treatment of people who look different and eventually also sexuality. There is a profound sadness etched into all of it. I was not sure whether the sexual angle was necessary and the one explicit scene felt jarring, as if I suddenly was reading a different book altogether.

Crypt: Life, Death and Disease in the Middle Ages and Beyond

Author: Alice Roberts

First published: 2024

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Unfortunately, this wanted to be a lot and ended up being a not uninteresting but rather confused, unanchored and disjointed collection of papers. Not recommended if you are primarily interested in history and not biology.

I, Coriander

Author: Sally Gardner

First published: 2005

Rating: ★★★★☆

I would have eaten this up as a kid! As an adult, I still enjoyed it a lot, but I must say the historical parts of this story worked much better than the fantasy-infused ones. Could Sally Gardner possibly rewrite this story as an adult horror? Because that would be blood-chilling.

The Beekeeper of Aleppo

Author: Christy Lefteri

First published: 2020

Rating: ★★★★★

This book started as a weary, melancholy journey and ended up being an explosion of pain. The story is told from the point of view of Nuri, a Syrian refugee trying to make his way to the UK while trying to stay strong for his blind wife and hopes for some normalcy in the future. Because you only get his interpretation of events Nuri is sometimes an unreliable narrator, which, I personally think, explains some of the points other readers have criticised. Nuri does not give a comprehensive and complex portrayal of his journey, he is simply engulfed in his own thoughts and existence, noticing select things and reacting to select situations. It is an exploration of trauma anyone can relate to, while at the same time, it absolutely does call one's attention to the very real plight of refugees, happening right now. It is beautifully written too.

Kaikeyi

Author: Vaishnavi Patel

First published: 2022

Rating: ★★★★☆

It is always dangerous to choose an actual religious story rather than a mere myth to retell and spin in a way that would be innovative, respectful and not feel redundant. Vaishnavi Patel has managed to win this uneasy battle by choosing the possibly most interesting character of the mix and creating a complex woman who is fantastically human in her errors and yet you cannot really feel for her, especially in the last part of the book, because she reasons, she fights, she repents, she questions herself. I especially liked the focus on the conflict between the male sense of pride and honour and what was presented as a much more feminine trait of letting things go to avoid war and pain. The middle part of the book did feel rather sluggish and the equality of the sexes, at times, bit too on the modern nose, but the heart of the story prevailed. No doubt there will be Hindus taking offence at liberties and changes made, but since the author herself is a Hindu, I believe it is not my place to argue for or against this case.

A Manual for How to Love Us

Author: Erin Slaughter

First published: 2023

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Let´s just say this was not for me. The stories were certainly weird but with not much impact (bar one). I bought this book because it has a gorgeous cover and somebody said the stories are connected (which is one of my favourite things in books), but if the connection is there, I could not find it. Just because it is all weird, sad and weirdly sad women does not "connected" mean.

A Romanov Fantasy: Life at the Court of Anna Anderson

Author: Frances Welch

First published: 2007

Rating: ★★★☆☆

In comparison to The Resurrection of the Romanovs: Anastasia, Anna Anderson, and the World's Greatest Royal Mystery this book is definitely not offering as much information on the whole question of why so many people believed in Anna Anderson and where the discrepancies were in many of her claims. I was also irritated at mislabeled pictures of the Romanov sisters as Anastasia on more than one count (I suspect the editor´s mistake here). But this is still a readable and fascinating portrait of a very abnormal life and some very unhinged people. Even more than Anna I was taken by Gleb Botkin and his delusions and reasoning. Interesting, though it does not have the latest information due to the year of the publication.

[byneddiedingo]

Elisabeth Moss in Queen of Earth (Alex Ross Perry, 2015)

Cast: Elisabeth Moss, Katherine Waterston, Patrick Fugit, Kentucker Audley, Keith Poulson, Kate Lynn Sheil, Craig Butta. Screenplay: Alex Ross Perry. Cinematography: Sean Price Williams. Production design: Anna Bak-Kvapil. Film editor: Robert Greene. Music: Keegan DeWitt. 

Alex Ross Perry's Queen of Earth is about a breakdown. And just by virtue of being about a breakdown, it's going to be a showcase for an actor, in this case Elisabeth Moss, who has made her career by playing young women on the brink. Moss is Catherine, an artist whom we see at the beginning of the film with her eye makeup smeared, so that it looks like she has two black eyes. She has just learned that her marriage is over, her husband (Kentucker Audley) having confessed to an affair with another woman. This blow is added to another, her father's suicide, so that she retreats to a house in the country with her best friend, Virginia (Katherine Waterston), to recover. But companionship and isolation don't help soothe Catherine's troubled psyche, especially when it's violated (from her point of view) by the presence of Rich (Patrick Fugit), a young man who's staying at a neighboring house and feels happy just wandering into theirs occasionally. It gets worse when Rich and Virginia start seeing more of each other. You can guess the rest. The problem with Queen of Earth is that it's not much more than a showcase for Moss, even though Waterston gets some good scenes too. Perry steadfastly refuses to give us much more about Catherine's background than what we can glean from conversations with Rich and Virginia: There are no revelatory scenes from her married life, and only hints at her relationship with her father, a celebrated artist and her mentor, and what drove him to suicide. The ending of the film, too, hints at more than it tells. So what we are left with is a chronicle of disintegration, some artful use of Keegan DeWitt's eerie minimalist score, and a demonstration that Moss is a fearlessly inventive performer. That may be enough for some viewers, but I wanted more. 

[dnickels]

In a similar vein I'm listening to Lady Audley's Secret, which isn't good necessarily but I am absolutely loving every second of it, which is the next best thing. I do think people dismiss it out of hand for the purple prose and paper-thin "mystery" but the former is just the 1860s, you gotta eat their food the way they make it, and the latter I think is forgivable because it's not a whodunnit or even a whydunnit, its what happens when the Angel in the House commits a crime-- not just any crime, a crime against the home, the family-- so huge that there's not a real mechanism of retribution without bringing the whole structure down. Yes there is a literal mechanism of policing (its the police) and the book would be much shorter if anyone decided to get them involved but Robert's struggle is about how to remove this load-bearing from his Uncle's household without it all coming down around their ears an ruining everything. The ENORMITY of it all. The UNSPEAKABLE nature of transgression when committed by a saintly little wife. It should not be possible within the High Victorian understanding of the world and yet here we are. There's so much commentary on women as adversaries and allies across class lines, about how they can use their class/gender position to evade punishment but also cannot escape the reality of being a permanent dependent. There are also a few banger lines along with truly unhinged digressions. Concentrated ideology powerful enough to kill a small dog. You can really see in the influence of the Road House murder and how deeply that shook people (finished The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher in January and it was such a good read)

[mxcottonsocks]

1983 radio play adaptation of Lady Audley's Secret:

Robert to George: Now that we've found each other again, I've no intention of losing you! Me: 🙃

[slashingdisneypasta]

"Ooh, I shiver with fear!"

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but nothing will ever kill me.”

"He's as clumsy as he is stupid."

"Life's full of tough choices, isnt it?"

"Royalty, nobility, the gentry, and... how quaint. Even the rabble."

"Hiya, Georgie!"

"The only reason you're still alive is that I find your stupidity... mildly amusing."

"Now I call on my Army of the Dead; the Cauldron-born! Arise, my messengers of death! Our time has arrived!"

"For no mere mortal can resist The evil of the thriller~ "

"I'll get you, my pretty. And your little dog, too!"

Pleaseeee, let me know if theirs someone else you would prefer to pick!! ^^There are so many many choices

[masonhawthorne]

What I read in September

A good variety this month, though a lot of sci-fi, which I am enjoying a lot!

Time to Orbit: Unknown, Derin Edala ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️*

The Invincible, Stanislaw Lem ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Prefect, Alastair Reynolds ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Myrtha (ss), Victoria Audley ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Archaeology: An Introduction to the World's Greatest Sites (nf), Eric H Cline ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Catching Teller Crow, Amberlin Kwaymullina & Ezekiel Kwaymullina ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Old Man's War, John Scalzi ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Don't Hang Up, Benjamin Stevenson ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Superluminal, Vonda N McIntyre ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

World War Z, Max Brooks ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Flight of the Fantail, Steph Matuku ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Cyteen, CJ Cherryh ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Regenesis, CJ Cherryh ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Mindfulness for Stress Management (nf), Dr Robert Schacter ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Orange Eats Creeps, Grace Krilanovich ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Kushiel's Dart, Jacqueline Carey ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Aye, and Gomorrah (ss), Samuel R. Delany ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Carnage (nf), Mark Dapin ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Blue Mars, Kim Stanley Robinson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Unknown, Jordan L Hawk ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Chocky, John Wyndham ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sword of Empire: Praetorian, Richard Foreman ❌

Revival, Stephen King ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Apollo Murders, Chris Hadfield ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

ss= short story

nf= non-fiction

*Time to Orbit: Unknown is hosted online [HERE] and is currently still updating twice a week

Lately I've been actively trying to read more older sci-fi, especially written by women. I found CJ Cherryh and Vonda N McIntyre by searching back through Hugo award lists from the 70s and 80s. There's a fantastic vibe to a lot of these books that I don't really find in a lot of more recent sci-fi, though I'd definitely like to find it.

If I ever pin down exactly what it is, I'll probably have more luck.

I finished Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy this month, I had been eking the series out over a few months to savour it. It really is a masterful hard sci-fi series, managing to dig deep into the scientific concepts, but also to carry a huge, gripping, and deeply human story.

The other notable read this month was Carnage, by Mark Dapin, which is a true crime book, doing a deep dive on Jack Karlson (of Succulent Chinese Meal fame). It's a really fascinating take on Australian crime from the 60s-2010s, and is also a really nuanced character portrait of someone who is largely known as a meme.

And that's September!

[ausetkmt]

CHRONOLOGY OF AMERICAN RACE RIOTS AND RACIAL VIOLENCE p-4

1947 Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) join forces in the Journey of Reconciliation, a precursor to the Freedom Rides, which tested a Supreme Court decision declaring segregation on interstate buses to be unconstitutional. 1948 Publication of Walter White’s autobiography A Man Called White. 1949 August– September Peekskill, New York, riots. 1954 May U.S. Supreme Court renders decision in Brown v. Board of Education case, declaring a segregated educational system to be ‘‘inherently unequal.’’ July Robert Patterson founds the White Citizens’ Council in Indianola, Mississippi. 1955 Queen Mother Audley Moore founds the Reparations Committee of Descendants of the United States Slaves. Foundation of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), a southern-based civil rights organization led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and other black ministers. August Fourteen-year-old Emmett Louis Till, an African American boy from Chicago, is murdered for allegedly whistling at a white woman. 1956–1971 The FBI Counter Intelligence Program (COINTELPRO) investigates and disrupts dissident domestic organizations, including civil rights groups. 1957 September President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs the Civil Rights Act of 1957, the first piece of civil rights legislation since Reconstruction. 1959 February Mack Charles Parker is lynched in Mississippi for allegedly raping a white woman. 1960 February Four black college students stage a ‘‘sit-in’’ at Woolworth’s whites-only lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina. Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) is founded. April Biloxi Beach, Mississippi, riot. 1961 May First Freedom Ride. 1962 Harlem Youth Opportunities Unlimited (HARYOU) is founded. Robert F. Williams publishes Negroes with Guns, exploring Williams’ philosophy of black self-defense. October Two die in riots when President John F. Kennedy sends troops to Oxford, Mississippi, to allow James Meredith to become the first African American student to register for classes at the University of Mississippi. 1963 Publication of The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin. Revolutionary Action Movement (RAM) is founded. April Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., writes his ‘‘Letter from Birmingham Jail.’’