The official blog of Denise M. Baran-Unland, author. Discover her books for all ages at bryonyseries.com.
Showing posts with label Victorian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Victorian. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Thursday, October 18, 2018
BryonySeries Throwback Thursday: A Drink of Water, Victorian-style
Thursday, September 23, 2010
A Drink of Water, Victorian-style
What did people do before taps and water bottles?
* They installed cisterns and spouts, since rainwater was considered to be purer than even spring water.
* Location was important. As early as 1860, health officials warned that cisterns and wells should be kept away from sink drains, barnyards, and decayed animals.
* Lead pipes, however, were considered dangerous only if the water was very pure. However, if water contained certain neutral salts, it barred lead's harmful effects. Lead poisoning could be detected by a characteristic blue line on the edge of the front teeth's gums.
* Drinking water with decaying vegetable matter was once assumed to be safe, due to the protective action of gastric juices.
* Many sewers at that time emptied into the local river, also the source for municipal drinking water.
BLEH!
* They installed cisterns and spouts, since rainwater was considered to be purer than even spring water.
* Location was important. As early as 1860, health officials warned that cisterns and wells should be kept away from sink drains, barnyards, and decayed animals.
* Lead pipes, however, were considered dangerous only if the water was very pure. However, if water contained certain neutral salts, it barred lead's harmful effects. Lead poisoning could be detected by a characteristic blue line on the edge of the front teeth's gums.
* Drinking water with decaying vegetable matter was once assumed to be safe, due to the protective action of gastric juices.
* Many sewers at that time emptied into the local river, also the source for municipal drinking water.
BLEH!
at 1:54 AM
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
Monday, March 5, 2018
Surprise Gift
Recently, Diana Estell, one of the members of WriteOn Joliet surprised me with this lovely gift that, I believe, anyone who lives vintage and Victorian will appreciate, including a beautiful bracelet with a blue (my favorite color) stone that's 1873, two years before Bryony was born.
Diana, thank you! I shall treasure these forever. <3 p="">
Here's what I found inside:
Diana, thank you! I shall treasure these forever. <3 p="">
Here's what I found inside:
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
Thursday, April 9, 2015
BryonySeries Throwback Thursday: Strange Foods
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Strange Foods
After Melissa overcomes her initials trepidations about making a pact with a vampire, her biggest fear is not her health or safety, but the unfamiliar foodstuffs she encounters in the Victorian era.
Luckily, selections are lavish, so Melissa can avoid the unusual and stick to items she recognizes. Dealing with vampires is much easier, since she is convinced one has only good intentions at heart, while another is simply annoying, at best. A third leaves her uneasy, but Melissa deals with him as she does the food. She avoids him.
I say, she would have been smarter to sample the beef tongue and taken a deeper look at her fairytale surroundings.
Luckily, selections are lavish, so Melissa can avoid the unusual and stick to items she recognizes. Dealing with vampires is much easier, since she is convinced one has only good intentions at heart, while another is simply annoying, at best. A third leaves her uneasy, but Melissa deals with him as she does the food. She avoids him.
I say, she would have been smarter to sample the beef tongue and taken a deeper look at her fairytale surroundings.
Sunday, April 5, 2015
Thursday, March 19, 2015
BryonySeries Throwback Thursday: "Bryony" Prequel Research List
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
"Bryony" Prequel Research List
The maxim "write what you know" delivers some truth, but since my experiential knowledgeconcerning many of the topics assigned to me or elements I'd like to include in my fictional pieces is sadly limited, I spend a happy chunk of my job in research.
As I sloooooowly work on Before the Blood, Bryony's prequel (Oh, for a nice-sized grant to sit in a wooded cabin for a couple of months), here are some of the items I'm investigating and/or refining in regards to any firsthand knowledge I might have (obviously, I have no firsthand knowledge of Victorian living):
* music schools, consevatories, and halls
* 19th century Massachusetts
* 19th century inns
* 19th century Roman Catholic churches, New York area
* 30 Years War
* herbal lore
* Victorian love letters
* 19th century home environments, all societal classes
* oil painting
* horticulture
* horses and not just Arabians
* 19th century medicine and diseases
* Scandanavian culture
* baby names of the various time periods
This is not to mention the wonderful fun of deepening the personalities of existing characters and expounding on their back stories, as well as introducing an entire new cast of secondary places.
Truly, this is a most delightful way to pass the time. :)
As I sloooooowly work on Before the Blood, Bryony's prequel (Oh, for a nice-sized grant to sit in a wooded cabin for a couple of months), here are some of the items I'm investigating and/or refining in regards to any firsthand knowledge I might have (obviously, I have no firsthand knowledge of Victorian living):
* music schools, consevatories, and halls
* 19th century Massachusetts
* 19th century inns
* 19th century Roman Catholic churches, New York area
* 30 Years War
* herbal lore
* Victorian love letters
* 19th century home environments, all societal classes
* oil painting
* horticulture
* horses and not just Arabians
* 19th century medicine and diseases
* Scandanavian culture
* baby names of the various time periods
This is not to mention the wonderful fun of deepening the personalities of existing characters and expounding on their back stories, as well as introducing an entire new cast of secondary places.
Truly, this is a most delightful way to pass the time. :)
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Leslie Ormandy and "Simply Supernatural," Part 2
Leslie Ormandy teaches two Vampires in Literature courses at an Oregon community college, has re-edited and published Varney the Vampire, and is the originator of the site www.simplysupernatural-vampire.com, a delightful stopping point of all things vampire.
7) What else does the class contain?
"We talk about vintage vampire poetry; we look at some modern stuff; and they all try writing a vampire sonnet and a vampire haiku. We’ve talked about vampires as pedophiles, and, at some point, we talk about religion, because you can’t really talk about vampires without talking about religion. I wrote a short story, The Blood is the Life, about a vampire who could walk into a church because she had once accepted God.”
"It’s a lost story. Very few people read it, although it was once massively popular, like Twilight. Everyone was reading it, and it spawned many look-alike stories, but now, no one reads it. Also, I’m good at Victorian syntax and explaining things. It was a big undertaking, but no one else was doing it. The story is fascinating. It’s love, romance, and vampires feeding.”
9) Where do you draw inspiration for your short stories?
10) What are the criteria for student submissions?
11) Who’s your site’s primary audience?
13) What made the most impact from your trip to London for a vampire conference?
There, Ormandy has links to a wide variety of Victorian literature; a collection of her vampire short stories, as well as the stories and essays her students have written; and links to whimsical items for vampire fans, such as festivals, crossword puzzles, clothing, and movies.
Ormandy has also included essays and links on many vampire characteristics and topics including sex, the victimization of children, children as vampires, porphyria, evil, Dracula, religion, euthanasia, vampire as metaphor, and more.
7) What else does the class contain?
"We talk about vintage vampire poetry; we look at some modern stuff; and they all try writing a vampire sonnet and a vampire haiku. We’ve talked about vampires as pedophiles, and, at some point, we talk about religion, because you can’t really talk about vampires without talking about religion. I wrote a short story, The Blood is the Life, about a vampire who could walk into a church because she had once accepted God.”
8) I understand you provide modern translations for several vintage stories. What led you to re-edit Varney the Vampire?
"It’s a lost story. Very few people read it, although it was once massively popular, like Twilight. Everyone was reading it, and it spawned many look-alike stories, but now, no one reads it. Also, I’m good at Victorian syntax and explaining things. It was a big undertaking, but no one else was doing it. The story is fascinating. It’s love, romance, and vampires feeding.”
"A theme will suggest itself, and the little muse will sit on my shoulder and demand I write the story. I just cannot rest until I do. It’s kind of scary what comes out of my psyche.”
10) What are the criteria for student submissions?
"I am an academic and picky. Submissions have to be well-written and connect with both humans and vampires. It’s hard to define what’s well written. You just know it when you read it.”
"I have a different audience than many other vampire sites. My audience tends to be more academic, but the site is not just for my students. I’m quite well-read in the UK and Europe, and I have a large following in Russia.”
12) I understand you’re currently enjoying steampunk literature. What was your introduction to it?
"My daughter brought a steampunk book home from the library. It had vampires in it and it was set in the Victorian period, thus combining two of my favorites.”
"A lot of manuscripts are buried in libraries, so the stories literally have not been read since that time period. It was incredible to touch books that old. I’d like to explore more pre-Victorian vampire stories and Greek vampire stories.”
Monday, February 27, 2012
Leslie Ormandy and "Simply Supernatural," Part 1
Leslie Ormandy teaches two Vampires in Literature courses at an Oregon community college, has re-edited and published Varney the Vampire, and is the originator of the site www.simplysupernatural-vampire.com, a delightful stopping point of all things vampire.
There, Ormandy has links to a wide variety of Victorian literature; a collection of her vampire short stories, as well as the stories and essays her students have written; and links to whimsical items for vampire fans, such as festivals, crossword puzzles, clothing, and movies.
Ormandy has also included essays and links on many vampire characteristics and topics including sex, the victimization of children, children as vampires, porphyria, evil, Dracula, religion, euthanasia, vampire as metaphor, and more.
1) People of many eras have enjoyed vampire stories. Why do you suppose they do?
“While the eras may change, I think people still have pretty much the same interests and concerns. Vampires are all about magic. People have always been interested in magic, and they have always been worried about death. You have corpses walking around, taking in life. Nothing makes you feel more alive than that edge between death and life.
2) When did your fascination with vampires begin?
" With Dark Shadows, the original series. When I first showed Barnabus to my students they weren’t too impressed, but back then, oh my gosh! We all thought he was so hot. After that, it was Anne Rice, but then my interest went dormant for a while, until I started teaching. I’d be doing research papers and run across an occasional vampire.”
3) How did you devise the vampire lit class?
4) What can people learn from reading Victorian literature?
5) Why do you discuss so many vampire-related topics in your class and on your site?
6) What is the most popular topic with women?
There, Ormandy has links to a wide variety of Victorian literature; a collection of her vampire short stories, as well as the stories and essays her students have written; and links to whimsical items for vampire fans, such as festivals, crossword puzzles, clothing, and movies.
"I was reading Varney the Vampire down at my dad’s farm and thinking about the concepts of life, death, and eternity. I thought it would be fun to be able to discuss those concepts with students. The first time I taught the class, in 2007, Twilight was becoming popular, but it wasn’t huge yet, so the class was predominantly male. I actually started with the literature of the Victorian period since one-third of my MA is in Victorian Lit.”
"The industrial revolution brought huge societal shifts. It’s similar to the changes we see today as we lose the middle class and become once more upper and lower class. It is so reflective of the Victorian time period. We can learn a lot about society from their choices.”
"Because vampires are something that we can connect with, wrestle with, think about, and, if we cannot think, we are easily led and being led is easier than thinking for oneself. Topics that always in the top ten on my site are Dracula, the vampire disease, and the short stories.
"Women like the romantic aspect. When you walk through a bookstore today, the hugest section is the paranormal romance, but in the back, there is usually a tiny section where vampires are still monsters. I like both aspects, but I prefer my vampires as monsters. I find it an odd mix to love something that could kill you, and, when the vampire doesn’t, it’s had to make such a huge choice. Vampires as monsters have no qualms about what they are.”
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Celebrating a Victorian Christmas in an Unusual Irish Setting
The idea set forth in these two links is so ingenious I won't expound much on them. I will say, however, that transforming a location historic for suffering into one that charms and educates the people of Christmas present is an interesting use of the present space.
What's your take?
www.ireland.com/tours-and-attractions/attractions/a-victorian-christmas-in-an-unlikely-setting-at-wicklow-gaol/629522
www.wicklowshistoricgaol.com/christmas/christmas2011.htm
What's your take?
www.ireland.com/tours-and-attractions/attractions/a-victorian-christmas-in-an-unlikely-setting-at-wicklow-gaol/629522
www.wicklowshistoricgaol.com/christmas/christmas2011.htm
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Kline Creek Farm: Experience an 1890's Christmas
I had a blog post ready to go today, a modern rendition of the Good Samaritan parable, but while flipping through the Chicago Tribune this morning and waiting for my coffee to reheat, I stumbled upon this article and found it too good to pass up.
If you're within easy access of West Chicago this Christmas season, check out Kline Creek Farm and step back into Christmas as Bryony herself might have experienced it. From the traditional cookies baked there (you can take the recipe home with you) to the trees' decor (authentic, except for the candles), along with a few surprises (such as table tree fabricated from goose feathers), the tour seems to live up to its promise. I'm seriously considering tightening my already screaming tight wallet and schedule to indulge in nostaligic revelry, if only for an afternoon.
One point the article made I found interesting was the notion that people in the late 1890's were moaning over Christmas' commercialism. I wonder what Victorians would think if they popped into December 2011? Read the full story below.
If you're within easy access of West Chicago this Christmas season, check out Kline Creek Farm and step back into Christmas as Bryony herself might have experienced it. From the traditional cookies baked there (you can take the recipe home with you) to the trees' decor (authentic, except for the candles), along with a few surprises (such as table tree fabricated from goose feathers), the tour seems to live up to its promise. I'm seriously considering tightening my already screaming tight wallet and schedule to indulge in nostaligic revelry, if only for an afternoon.
One point the article made I found interesting was the notion that people in the late 1890's were moaning over Christmas' commercialism. I wonder what Victorians would think if they popped into December 2011? Read the full story below.
Kline Creek Farm: Enjoy Christmases past — without Scrooge's guilt
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-ent-1215-museums-kline-creek-20111215,0,6393796.storyTuesday, December 13, 2011
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Savoy Biscuit
Tomorrow, my book designer Serena Diosa, author of Tinkey's Goldfish, and I are meeting to complete the formatting of the Bryony cookbook, Memories in the Kitchen: Bites and Nibbles from "Bryony." Tonight, a new member of the Bryony team is giving a hard copy of that book a final check for copy and formatting errors.
Today, however, I found an interesting recipe, Savoy Biscuit, in the 1860's cookbook,
If anyone prepares this at home, let me know how it turns out. I don't like eggs, so I won't be trying this one. I'm thinking you certainly bake them with all those eggs, but the recipes doesn't suggest a temperature or time.
6 eggs
Today, however, I found an interesting recipe, Savoy Biscuit, in the 1860's cookbook,
Miss Beecher’s domestic receiptbook: designed as a supplement to her Treatise on domestic economy.
This particular cookbook, reprinted by the University of Michigan University Library, has been a marvelous source of Victorian recipes for the Bryony cookbook, although Savoy Biscuit was not one I included.
If anyone prepares this at home, let me know how it turns out. I don't like eggs, so I won't be trying this one. I'm thinking you certainly bake them with all those eggs, but the recipes doesn't suggest a temperature or time.
Savoy Biscuit
6 eggs
1 pound sugar
1 lemon
3/4 pound flour
Butter
Beat eggs into sugar until white. Grate the outside of the lemon into it, mix in flour, and drop them onto buttered paper, a spoonful at a time.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Happy Thanksgiving and a Recipe for Queen's Cake
Last Thanksgiving, I posted a recipe for a Victorian pumpkin pie:
http://bryonyseries.blogspot.com/2010/11/1850-recipe-for-pumpkin-pie.html
This year, I found something a little different: Queen's Cake. It's far too rich for me to reproduce at home, but perhaps you're a bit more indulgant. At any rate, it's certainly not intended for everyday fare.
So if you're an adult from the United States and are commemorating Thanksgiving today, or if you live in another country and just feeling overall celebratory, and you have some time to spare, perhaps give this recipe a try.
First published in
http://bryonyseries.blogspot.com/2010/11/1850-recipe-for-pumpkin-pie.html
This year, I found something a little different: Queen's Cake. It's far too rich for me to reproduce at home, but perhaps you're a bit more indulgant. At any rate, it's certainly not intended for everyday fare.
So if you're an adult from the United States and are commemorating Thanksgiving today, or if you live in another country and just feeling overall celebratory, and you have some time to spare, perhaps give this recipe a try.
First published in
Miss Beecher’s domestic receiptbook: designed as a supplement to her Treatise on domestic economy.
Queen's Cake:
1 pound dried and sifted flour
1 pound sugar
1/2 pound butter
4 eggs
1 nutmeg
1 gill of wine
1 gill of brandy
1 gill thin cream
1 pound fruit
Rub butter and sugar together. Beat separately the yolks and whites of the eggs. Mix all the ingredients, except the flour and the fruit, which must be added just before putting in the oven. This makes two three-pint pans full. It requires one and a half hours to bake.
Note: 1 gill equals 1/2 cup
Thursday, November 10, 2011
NaNoWriMo Day #10, and a Recipe for the Ailing
Bryony Prequel, Section One, Chapter 9: Check!
Word count: 819
Well, missed another morning today, but I'm feeling confident I can make it back up, now that the story is in my "blood," so to speak.
Had a bit of a mishap last night and moving at a slow pace, but today, I'm very thankful for twenty-first century comfort food. Had I lived in Victorian times, someone might have served me one of these:
Barley Water
2 ounces pearl barley
1/2 pint boiling water
2 quarts boiling water
2 ounces figs
2 ounces raisins, stoned
Put the barley into the half-pint of boiling watere, and let it simmer five minutes; pour off the water, and add the two quarts of boiling water, figs, and raisins, and let it boil till reduced to a quart. Strain it for a drink.
A great Favorite with Invalids:
My note: I already don't like it.
Brisk cider OR acid jellies (when cider is unavailable)
Water
Sugar, to taste
Toasted bread OR toasted crackers
Nutmeg
Take one-third cider or jelly to two-thirds water, sweeten it, crumb in bread or crackers, and grate on nutmeg.
Both recipes adapted from, Miss Beecher’s domestic receiptbook: designed as a supplement to her Treatise on domestic economy.
Word count: 819
Well, missed another morning today, but I'm feeling confident I can make it back up, now that the story is in my "blood," so to speak.
Had a bit of a mishap last night and moving at a slow pace, but today, I'm very thankful for twenty-first century comfort food. Had I lived in Victorian times, someone might have served me one of these:
Barley Water
2 ounces pearl barley
1/2 pint boiling water
2 quarts boiling water
2 ounces figs
2 ounces raisins, stoned
Put the barley into the half-pint of boiling watere, and let it simmer five minutes; pour off the water, and add the two quarts of boiling water, figs, and raisins, and let it boil till reduced to a quart. Strain it for a drink.
A great Favorite with Invalids:
My note: I already don't like it.
Brisk cider OR acid jellies (when cider is unavailable)
Water
Sugar, to taste
Toasted bread OR toasted crackers
Nutmeg
Take one-third cider or jelly to two-thirds water, sweeten it, crumb in bread or crackers, and grate on nutmeg.
Both recipes adapted from, Miss Beecher’s domestic receiptbook: designed as a supplement to her Treatise on domestic economy.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
NaNoWriMo Day #5 and "Bryony" Moment of the Day
Well, it's not even a week into National Novel Writing Month, and I've already slipped away from my best resolve.
Never mind the excuses (and they were good ones, too). I really could have given one hour to the deed had I structured the remaining hours of the day differently. Instead, the proof copy of Bryony beckoned me, which did needed to be scanned for errors since I'm meeting with my book designer on Friday, and, even though I knew I was lying to myself, I decided to quickly read through JUST ONE chapter of the book, then bang out my promised chapter of the prequel.
You can guess what happened.
Even more embarrassing, once I came back to the prequel today (with the equally good intention of writing TWO chapters, along with four writing assignments and the day's assorted fires that needed extinguishing), I spent more time typing in the research that needs to be done if I'm to chronicle the events in that chapter correctly.
In short, I really could've and should've written it yesterday, because it was hardly a brain-taxing task.
So now I'm behind and the only way to catch up tomorrow will be to write those two chapters...and the four writing assignments, sigh!. I did, however, finish the proof copy of Bryony, and that's leaving me feeling pretty darn satisfied.
On another note, did you know I belong to a fan club? It's one dedicated to the 1970's British comedy trio, The Goodies, and, although I haven't visted the site lately, there's an ongoing forum topic called, "Goodie Moment of the Day." That's where fans post random occurances with a Goodie "feel."
Recently, I've had several "Bryony Moments of the Day." Today, I'm posting a link to a story I wrote a few weeks back. It's about a family with a christening gown dating from the 1890's that has been passed down the generations. It's made, of all things, from Irish linen. When I met with two of the family members, they had brought the actual gown for me to see and touch. Wow!
Here's the link. Enjoy!
http://heraldnews.suntimes.com/lifestyles/7674670-423/family-christening-gown-in-use-since-1894.html
Never mind the excuses (and they were good ones, too). I really could have given one hour to the deed had I structured the remaining hours of the day differently. Instead, the proof copy of Bryony beckoned me, which did needed to be scanned for errors since I'm meeting with my book designer on Friday, and, even though I knew I was lying to myself, I decided to quickly read through JUST ONE chapter of the book, then bang out my promised chapter of the prequel.
You can guess what happened.
Even more embarrassing, once I came back to the prequel today (with the equally good intention of writing TWO chapters, along with four writing assignments and the day's assorted fires that needed extinguishing), I spent more time typing in the research that needs to be done if I'm to chronicle the events in that chapter correctly.
In short, I really could've and should've written it yesterday, because it was hardly a brain-taxing task.
So now I'm behind and the only way to catch up tomorrow will be to write those two chapters...and the four writing assignments, sigh!. I did, however, finish the proof copy of Bryony, and that's leaving me feeling pretty darn satisfied.
On another note, did you know I belong to a fan club? It's one dedicated to the 1970's British comedy trio, The Goodies, and, although I haven't visted the site lately, there's an ongoing forum topic called, "Goodie Moment of the Day." That's where fans post random occurances with a Goodie "feel."
Recently, I've had several "Bryony Moments of the Day." Today, I'm posting a link to a story I wrote a few weeks back. It's about a family with a christening gown dating from the 1890's that has been passed down the generations. It's made, of all things, from Irish linen. When I met with two of the family members, they had brought the actual gown for me to see and touch. Wow!
Here's the link. Enjoy!
http://heraldnews.suntimes.com/lifestyles/7674670-423/family-christening-gown-in-use-since-1894.html
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Victorian Cuisine on a Budget
Living during a recession isn't the first time people bemoaned their budget.
Despite the romance surrounding the Victorian era, not every meal served was attached to a lavish ball or formal dinner party. Here is a one-dish, budget-friendly dinner from the 1860,
Stewed Beef:
Early in the morning, take a shank or hock of beef, with all the meat belonging to it, and put it, and a tablespoon of salt, in a pot full of boiling water. Let it simmer very slowly, until the beef is soft, and cleaves from the bone, and the water is reduced to two quarts. Then peel some potatoes, and cut them into quarters, and throw in with two teaspoons of black pepper, two of sweet marjoram, and two of thyme or summer savory. Add some celery flavor or sauce and more salt, if necessary. Stew until the potatoes are cooked enough, but not until they are mashed. Then take dry bread, and throw in, breaking it into small pieces, and when soaked, take up the whole and serve it, and everybody will say it is about the best dish they ever tasted. For those who love onions, slice three or four and put in with the potatoes. Rice can be used instead of bread.
Despite the romance surrounding the Victorian era, not every meal served was attached to a lavish ball or formal dinner party. Here is a one-dish, budget-friendly dinner from the 1860,
Miss Beecher’s domestic receiptbook: designed as a supplement to her Treatise on domestic economy.
Stewed Beef:
Early in the morning, take a shank or hock of beef, with all the meat belonging to it, and put it, and a tablespoon of salt, in a pot full of boiling water. Let it simmer very slowly, until the beef is soft, and cleaves from the bone, and the water is reduced to two quarts. Then peel some potatoes, and cut them into quarters, and throw in with two teaspoons of black pepper, two of sweet marjoram, and two of thyme or summer savory. Add some celery flavor or sauce and more salt, if necessary. Stew until the potatoes are cooked enough, but not until they are mashed. Then take dry bread, and throw in, breaking it into small pieces, and when soaked, take up the whole and serve it, and everybody will say it is about the best dish they ever tasted. For those who love onions, slice three or four and put in with the potatoes. Rice can be used instead of bread.
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