by Bryan Talbot

Anyone else read it?

I loved it, because I love history, particularly local history, but I can't quite work out *what* it is. It would be great if there were things like it for other cities and towns, it would also make a fantastic book to interest a child in history, literature and art.

Smaug, as a Mackem, you had better have read it or do so soon as!

I have looked through quite a bit of it at my Uni Archives for my abstracts. I really like how Talbot interwove history and mythology together in a way that would make Herodotus proud (or at least at home with the work).

From my understanding of it, is an attempt to explore the historical and folkloric Sunderlander roots, and influences in Alice in Wonderland -- as well as some of the things it influenced after. I really loved the story of "The White Worm."

And I've been trying to find it in other libraries. I hope someone who has actually been able to read the whole book can add to this, but it was a really fascinating collage -- a story of the land where Wonderland story was made. It looks, and is very cool.

quote:

Originally posted by Psi:
by Bryan Talbot

Anyone else read it?

I loved it, because I love history, particularly local history, but I can't quite work out *what* it is. It would be great if there were things like it for other cities and towns, it would also make a fantastic book to interest a child in history, literature and art.

Smaug, as a Mackem, you had better have read it or do so soon as!

I read it. I've not bought it yet but i got it out of the library and loved it. i will be buying it when i have book money again.

I also thought there should be at least one copy of it in every school in Sunderland as it is an interesting history - even i learnt something (can't remember what now but i do remember thinking...i didn't know that).

He was doing a talk on it at the Uni on the same lunchtime as i had a course on gutted i missed it.

I also loved the lewis carol/alice side to it.

My favourite aspect was that every so often he showed something personal to him, that showed he was part of the history of the place, and, for me, that history is people. It made me think of how a similar book could be written about almost anywhere.

I loved that Scott McCloud turned up in it, and on a cheeky note, that he looked more like he does now than as he still draws himself!)

i enjoyed the riverside walk, because i still haven't done it all.

*looks at weather*

and it won't be today either!

It was weird, and long, and did make me check that Sunderland was actually a real place.
I will always take away one line from Scott

'Don't confuse the genre with the medium!"

quote:

Originally posted by Lord Groan:
It was weird, and long, and did make me check that Sunderland was actually a real place.

see, I told you all I wasn't real

i did the riverside walk - well, most of it, i still need to go down the harbour...we'll see what this weekends weather brings.

quote:

Originally posted by Mythos:

From my understanding of it, is an attempt to explore the historical and folkloric Sunderlander roots, and influences in Alice in Wonderland -- as well as some of the things it influenced after. I really loved the story of "The White Worm."

Sunderlander ? *sniggers*

and i'm assuming The White Worm would be the Lambton Worm? there's even a song about that...


**wish, lads, had your gobs and i'll tell you all an awful storie, wish, lads, had your gobs and i'll tell you about the wurm**

the word wish meaning hush, not make a wish. and had your gobs is close your mouth.


but appart from that your understanding is correct.

quote:

And I've been trying to find it in other libraries. I hope someone who has actually been able to read the whole book can add to this, but it was a really fascinating collage -- a story of the land where Wonderland story was made. It looks, and is very cool.

*agrees*

it is very cool.

Well.

I have been reading Alice in Sunderland. It is a really beautiful book, and the facts in it are utterly intriguing. I know there is an order to it, but so far to me it is a very circular one. I'm quite a bit past the Intermission section. And I will hopefully continue it soon.

From what I can gather it is a history of Sunderland, the Theatre, the ancestors of Alice Liddel and Lewis Carrol, and also Carrol's history too. A very circumlocutive overall narrative pattern, if that makes any sense.

But very fascinating. I guess it also doesn't help that I do not know much about ancient or modern British history. But it's a cool way to learn.

And Sunderland reminds me very much of the Raven King's North Kingdom in Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrel. I'm guessing that is how Clarke modeled her alternate world.

yup, its very jumpy about isn't it.

i think i finally figured out what he does is travel up river from the rivermouth (the town centre is pretty damn close to the rivermouth) to ...somewhere further upstream and mentions the most important points of history/alice/lewis careol story from where he is.

so the geography is the liniar point, the history both of sunderland and lewis carol therefore jumps about.

and yes, sunderland is a northern city (actually, it think it did get a one line mention in JS & Mr N.)

Well, I finished reading it. I really liked it all the way to the end. My favourite story and illustrated bit was the Worm of Lambton.

I really don't know what else to make of it. Smaug, the fact that you mentioned that it has a linear spatial-geographical sense, as opposed to the very scattered temporal sense helps put things a little in perspective (save that I have difficulty with geography and I'm not even familiar with British geography at that).

But it was beautifully done. One great comics collage mosaic. And the little bits of comic lore throughout it were very instructional.

quote:

Originally posted by Mythos:
Well, I finished reading it. I really liked it all the way to the end. My favourite story and illustrated bit was the Worm of Lambton.

I really don't know what else to make of it. Smaug, the fact that you mentioned that it has a linear spatial-geographical sense, as opposed to the very scattered temporal sense helps put things a little in perspective (save that I have difficulty with geography and I'm not even familiar with British geography at that).

But it was beautifully done. One great comics collage mosaic. And the little bits of comic lore throughout it were very instructional.

hehe, all you really needed to know was that he travelled up river.

but yes, i agree it could be confusing.

the first doctor of comics art!

Hurrah for Bryan Talbot!

Even found a picture.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: weeblegeddon,

well, 2 and a half years later I finally bought it, and got it signed to me with a very cute picture of the mad hatter

this was after a very interesting hour or so talk about anthropomorphic animals through history and comics and his latest novels Grandville (and the yet to be released Grandville 2).

yup, well worth a half day holiday from work.

I read through this in two and a half hours, then spent another two hours looking at each page for bits I'd missed. Wonderful, wonderful, weird book deserving of much praise. Not something I'd buy for everyone because, well, it's not for everyone and I'm not sure who it's for, exactly.

*smiles*

It was a beautiful book. I enjoyed all the information in it and the way it linked -- or didn't link -- together. It is definitely a book to enjoy at your leisure.

quote:

Originally posted by Dweller in Darkness:
I read through this in two and a half hours, then spent another two hours looking at each page for bits I'd missed. Wonderful, wonderful, weird book deserving of much praise. Not something I'd buy for everyone because, well, it's not for everyone and I'm not sure who it's for, exactly.

One weekend afternoon we'll have to chat more about this

Eta: we could try a skype voice chat! Then we could be reading the book as we chat and your boys could here the accent of the place!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Smaug,