Random thoughts

Photos taken during recent trip to Ross on Wye and the surrounding area including Symmonds Yat,

‘These tales of the legendary king and his knights of the Round Table form a highly readable abridgment of Thomas Malory's classic Le Morte d'Arthur. Beloved fables of Arthur, Merlin, Guinevere, Galahad, Lancelot, and other denizens of Camelot.’ Taken from the Amazon web page promoting the book. Is the statement describing Knowles’s book available on Amazon. He wrote the book in 1895 as an easier, more updated version of Thomas Malory’s Morte D’Arthur. I chose this book to read first as I had perused Malory’s book and found it to be interesting but potentially challenging as it was written in a hybrid of Middle English and Early modern English. I reasoned that a book written in the late nineteenth century would be a gateway to a possibly harder to decipher older text. Indeed some of the language used is more modern however, the text is littered with lots of examples of archaic language such as Anon. I found it quite interesting discovering older words which are no lo...

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2837761731 A book I read within a day. A good summary of key events in English history and how these events have shaped how the English viewed themselves. At one point I thought it was going to become a congratulatory celebration of Englishness without examining the darker sides of our history. The author does however, explore the issues of colonisation and imperialism and reflects upon their impact on English culture. I felt that the author managed to get the balance right between celebrating the positives of English culture whilst acknowledging the less desirable aspects. An engaging and enjoyable read. #WhodotheEnglishthinktheyare? #Derekjtaylor #Goodreadsreview #Englishhistory #travelogue