Comments on Movietone News: IT's Elinor Glyn's birthday!

You win -- I Kant.

2009-11-01T09:53:50.053Z

You win -- I Kant.

But I bet you can't find a rhyme for Kierkegaa...

2009-10-28T13:15:29.612Z

But I bet you can't find a rhyme for Kierkegaard.

Dear Matthew, Why yes! The Gershwins' "...

2009-10-24T21:56:11.852+01:00

Dear Matthew,

Why yes! The Gershwins' "Isn't It A Pity (We've Never Met Before)" from the musical "Pardon My English", there's the couplet "My life was sour / Spent with Schopenhauer" AS WELL AS "I reading Heine / You somewhere in China". And the tune is lovely as well.

It's a shame Elinor Glyn has been neglected because her books were absolute fun!

Miss Matilda - Thanks! She lived in Brighton too -...

2009-10-21T18:27:53.327+01:00

Miss Matilda -
Thanks! She lived in Brighton too -there's a plaque on the wall down there!

Raquelle -
Thanks for dropping by!

Lolita - Glad you enjoyed it: truth is, I would never have known it was her birthday if it wasn't for your site...

Mykal - Continental sophistication is over-rated... give me Hemingway any day.

Thea - Thanks! It makes me swell with pride to think of me being read in Italy, my favourite country in the world.

Gingeyginge -
Thanks to you too! Do come again!

La Faustin -
Thanks so much for your lovely comments. The Parker and Perelman pieces are wonderful, of course. I think Madame Glyn was in on the joke, though.
Flower and Schopenhauer are my favourites. Has any other song ever rhymed anything with Schopenhauer - or felt the desire to???

Like a Margaret Dumont of the literary world, Elin...

2009-10-20T17:49:59.026+01:00

Like a Margaret Dumont of the literary world, Elinor Glyn served as such a wonderful straight woman you’re torn between thinking that she must have been in on the joke and that she couldn’t possibly have been.

Dorothy Parker and S.J. Perelman (yes, of Marx Brothers fame) each wrote a bemused exegesis of a Glyn novel for the New Yorker – Dorothy Parker reviewed IT in her “Constant Reader” column and Perelman included THREE WEEKS in his “Cloudland Revisited” series on the books and movies that thrilled him as an adolescent.

Dorothy Parker, Books, "Madame Glyn Lectures on 'It,' with Illustrations," The New Yorker, November 26, 1927, p. 104 – or try The Portable Dorothy Parker or Constant Reader book collections.

S. J. Perelman, Fiction, “Cloudland Revisited: Tuberoses And Tigers,” The New Yorker, November 13, 1948, p. 27 – or The Most of S.J. Perelman book collection.

The links below work only for subscribers to the New Yorker’s online edition, darn it – but the wonderful “Office Blues” short is available on That Tube Thing. MY favorite rhyme is cynical/rabbinical – what’s yours?

http://www.newyorker.com/archive/1927/11/26/1927_11_26_104_TNY_LIBRY_000033964
http://www.newyorker.com/archive/1948/11/13/1948_11_13_027_TNY_CARDS_000215989

Thank you so much, Matthew, for yet another post full of zing and erudition. As per one of my favorite intertitles, “Old fruit, you’ve got IT!”

I never knew much about her till now...gr8 post

2009-10-19T20:26:58.006+01:00

I never knew much about her till now...gr8 post

Very well-written Matthew! and... Happy Birthday t...

2009-10-18T11:46:45.054+01:00

Very well-written Matthew! and... Happy Birthday to Elinor Glyn: If Hollywood hadn’t existed, Elinor Glyn would have had to invent it.

Matthew: Another education via Matthew! I had seen...

2009-10-18T08:35:39.711+01:00

Matthew: Another education via Matthew! I had seen this name in print, but never had a clear picture of the author - until now. She sounds fascinating! And besides, if she gets the "smoking" rating from Lolita, I'm in!

You know, your posts (and Lolita's, and Sebina's) have forced me to face my lack of continental sophistication! It has been a shock to me to learn just how little I know about the arts outside the grand ol’ USA. Maybe I'll retire to Europe, learn a couple of languages, and become an ex-patriot! -- Mykal

Oh, I adore Elinor Glyn! I have only read one nove...

2009-10-18T00:02:04.036+01:00

Oh, I adore Elinor Glyn! I have only read one novel by her, "Two Weeks", but that was a great one. Female literature, sure, but smoking! In one chapter the woman of the hero's interest (could be called a femme fatale à la the flapper age) lies on a tiger skin in front of a fireplace, rolling around and being generally sexy. I would love to read some contemporary book review on it!

Great post, very informing. That painting of her is beautiful. I f I ever get wealthy I will buy it!

Very well-written and informative. Thank you so mu...

2009-10-17T23:25:00.316+01:00

Very well-written and informative. Thank you so much for this!

I love a bit of Channle Island history! Thanks, th...

2009-10-17T22:10:17.274+01:00

I love a bit of Channle Island history! Thanks, this post educated me.