Miss Morrison

[Fjgrogan]

I read Hardy's Return of the Native for A Level English Lit, 22 years after leaving CH, and qute enjoyed it, which I probably wouldn't have done at school. I felt it would make good film - not sure if it ever was turned into a film. However, I have always had a problem with Dickens' writings - I have been aware for some time that they are brilliant at portraying the social conditions of the times, but after watching various TV portrayals I attempted to read several of his novels and found them really heavy going. [This really ought to be transferred to the thread on Current Reading Matter]!

[chaosriddenyears]

I suppose it should, but once people get onto the subject of books there's no stopping them! And I don't suppose that Miss Morrison would have minded............
I like much of Dickens - some of his characters (like Mrs. Gamp) are fabulous, but his heroes and heroines are simply awful. Just too saintly to be bearable, and swooning all over the place as well. I still enjoy Wilkie Collins - the Moonstone and The Woman in White are good old mystery stories and nice to curl up with on a rainy Saturday afternoon (if I ever get one free that is!).

[J.R.]

[quote="chaosriddenyears"]I'm afraid I do ike both Gormenghast And LOTR although I wasn't impressed by the films particularly. I prefer the Hobbit to LOTR I must admit.
I'm really glad that others like GH - it really is comfort reading and I find her books also very funny and witty.

I liked Miss Hann and she made us think about what we were reading - I read voraciously at CH, particularly 19th century literature.

The only thing I couldn't forgive her was "Return of the Native" although I think it was on the syllabus. I really never managed to stomach Thomas Hardy, he is so determined to be as miserable as possible. I can manage to put up with poems in Elvish much more easily!

"One For The Money - Two For The Show - Three To Get Ready, Then Go Man, Go......"

SORRY ! - Couldn't resist it !

[annabelle]

How strange all these memories are in bringing back long forgotten things - Mrs Betterton used to read out Katherine Whitehorns columns from the Observer in class (too radical for the Telegraph taking House reading in 3s). Miss Morrison to my utter surprise used me in a number of school plays before I left at 16 to go into the real world- she always seemed human and real compared to so many others who controlled our lives. As for DR what she lacked and failed to value in others I think was any form of creativity - stultifying as a consequence. I think things are vasly different now and thank God for that but who knows what tales will be written here in another 40 years!

[Fjgrogan]

Miss Morrison's physical presence always made me think of one of two people. The first was Margaret Rutherford's portrayal of either Miss Marple or in Blithe Spirit. The other is the song by Joyce Grenfell that begins' Stately as a galleon she sailed across the floor' and ends with something like 'but the ??? goes out of a beautiful waltz when you dance it bust to bust' - no doubt Alan will be able to produce an example on YouTube!? (and my mirror tells me that I am hardly in a position to comment!)

[englishangel]

Frances I know exactly what you mean, and looking in the mirror I am in the same position. But my most "Stately as a Galleon" moment was at a dinner dance with my husband in 1988 (the Bookies Ball) when I was 32 weeks pregnant with the twins. I rented an elastic waisted black satin skirt and a silver tunic from a maternity evening wear shop and in the picture taken that evening I look like one of those barrage balloons they flew over London (and other places) in the war. I did get up and slow dance towards the end of the evening, never mind 'bust to bust' it was belly to belly.

[midget]

"Instead of dancing cheek to cheek we're dancing bust to bust" ( and don't forget that the "u" in bust is pronounced with a sort of north country accent!)

[englishangel]

http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=90421

Link to the words for "Old Tyme Dancing (Stately as a Galleon)"

[Fjgrogan]

Thank you for that, English Angel. Of course, I am also reminded that many of the dances mentioned by Joyce Grenfell are ones which we learned for the Founder's Day Dance - the Military Two Step, the Valeta, along with the Palais Glide, the St Bernard Waltz and the Gay Gordons. Happy days!!

[fra828]

[quote="Fjgrogan"]Miss Morrison's physical presence always made me think of one of two people. The first was Margaret Rutherford's portrayal of either Miss Marple or in Blithe Spirit. The other is the song by Joyce Grenfell that begins' Stately as a galleon she sailed across the floor' and ends with something like 'but the ??? goes out of a beautiful waltz when you dance it bust to bust' - no doubt Alan will be able to produce an example on YouTube!? (and my mirror tells me that I am hardly in a position to comment!)[/quote

Yes! Miss Morrison was a dead ringer for Margaret Rutherford, and I thought it a coincidence that there was a Miss Rutherford at the school also, French teacher(?) Nellie Norman's housemate, if you want to call it that!

[englishangel]

I think I have done this before, Miss R taught French AND German and when I was in Lower Fourth our form mistress was a lively French Canadian (Miss Brown who became Mrs Williams or vice versa)and Miss Rutherford was the form mistress of one of the other Lower Fourth forms. There was some school celebration and each form had to prepare an entertainment for the rest of the school.

We did "Heroes through the Ages" which had them rolling in the aisles, especially Rev Walker, Miss Rutherford's form sang German folk songs

[Liz Jay]

....French folk songs, as I remember...

We could hear your rehearsals through the classroom walls and it sounded such fun!

Still jealous....!

Liz

[englishangel]

Perhaps it was both, memory not what it was. We felt so sorry for you.

[gma]

Found Fatty M dictatorial and unimaginative but loved MIss Hann, she let me read Giovanni Guareschi for about three terms on the basis that I'd read the year's syllabus and done practically all the work and it was 'the school's responsibilty for putting them in the library'!! (Although in fairness she never did workout that I brought them with me from the library at home......) thought they were funny then, think they're funny now!

[jhopgood]

The wonderful Don Camillo.
I think we had them read in the dorm, before Ian Fleming took over.