The Monthly Rickmanista

"Vere, Dementer, Graviter"

The Insufferably Literary October Issue

Well, incredible as it sounds, it’s been a year since The Opening Night Issue! Rickman fans from all over the world hope to have the opportunity to see him on stage again soon, but as far as I’ve heard there are no plans for the near future. I for one, would not mind to see him in New York, or at McCarter in Princeton . . .

Four of us went to see Fool For Love at McCarter. There was a group from Philadelphia that cancelled at the very last moment (I had to return their checks) due to a family matter, and we missed them. The play was rather interesting and was followed by an even more interesting discussion, and we had a lovely dinner outdoors after.
I’ll be attending The Importance of Being Ernest on Sunday, October 24. Would any of you like to join me? Please let me know!

This Month’s Contents

The Insufferably Literary Quiz
This month's book
Another Rickman fan . . .
This Month's Letter To The Editor
This Month’s Link
Thank you to Nancy E., Georgiana, and Morag

The Insufferably Literary Quiz

Photo courtesy of Nancy E., by way of Georgianna, with my thanks!

The benefits of a a Classical education!, as said by Hans in Die Hard

I’ve been reading a translation of the excellent 18th Century novel, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, on which the play LLD was based, and have been inspired to do a quiz.
Please try to name the author, the name of the work, and the play, film or audio in which Mr. Rickman would have spoken these lines. The first person who answers correctly will get their choice of an audiotape copy of A Little Like Drowning, or Blood Wedding
The answer will be posted on next month’s Monthly Rickmanista. For help with some of these, you might want to review Suzanne’s audio files. In addition to enjoying the audio files, you can justify all the time you waste doing this by telling yourself this is educational!

Medical Warning: Suzanne’s audio clips are guaranteed to drive you to distraction.

And now, without further delay, here's the quiz

"Because thou hast the power and own'st the grace
To look through and behind this mask of me"
"For there is nothing lost, that may be found, if sought"
"All the world is a stage,
And all the men and women merely players"
"Everything seems to increase my raptures; the air I breathe is filled with voluptuousness; the very table upon which I write to you, which for the first time is devoted to that use, becomes for me the sacred altar of love . . ."
". . . mis pies querran marchar hacia donde tu duermes. . . "
"Not Ceasar’s valour hath o’erthrown Antony
But Antony hath triumphed on itself"
"To be loved to madness: such was her great desire"
"Don’t be frightened if you swoon away. Don’t resist it. Let it caress you . . . whisper to you . . . murmur to you, as the force in my comes flowing into your fllessssh . . . your nerves . . .your bones . . .

Note: if you need to ask why the woman in the photo looks so happy, maybe you wondered into this site by accident

This Month’s Book

This is a new feature on The Monthly Rickmanista. Some of the books are related to Mr. Rickman’s work, some are not, but please note I will not feature books that deal with Mr. Rickman’s life outside of his acting/directing work.

The first book is

Les Liaisons Dangereuses

by Pierre Ambroise Francois Choderlos de Laclos (1741-1803)
translated by Douglas Parmee
Oxford Univ. Press, annotated, 402 pp. 1995 ISBN 0-19-283867-9

I readily admit that my initial interest in this book originated from knowing that Mr. Rickman played Valmont, the central character, on stage for almost two years. Since I have read very little French literature of the 18th Century, this book was also a novelty. Les Liaisons Dangereuses (an epistolary novel where 175 letters span a period from to August 3rd to January 14th of the following year) deals with the sexual antics of several characters.
Since we, in our times, are bombarded with sexual imagery and hear constantly about the goings-on of politicians, celebrities and non-celebrities, initially I thought there was "nothing new under the sun" this book could be dealing with that we haven’t possibly tired of hearing in the media. Luckily, I was wrong.
The book, which I must clarify is sexually candid but not sexually explicit, deals with the process and the consequences of the actions of two characters whose intent is not to seduce (even when they work intensely at their seduction techniques) but to corrupt: Valmont and the Marquise – both of which are promiscuous and carefully keep track of the "body count" -- are not out to seduce and have a good time, they are out to control the soul of their prey. In the process, the two of them are mutually engaged not simply in a battle of the sexes, they are in an all-out war – and actually declare it near the book’s conclusion.
Valmont’s tragedy is that he falls in love, possibly for the first time in his life, with the one woman he could seduce but never corrupt; a woman who is destroyed by the first passion she experiences.
All the characters are well developed, and the use of letters for the narration works effectively by giving each character its own voice. The novel can be examined on various levels: as a morality tale, as a story of sexual politics, as a love story. The action develops from August to December, which adds meaning to the events: what first appears to be a Summer romance becomes an entanglement that concludes in Winter. At first it takes a while to get into the text, but it’s worth the effort.
This is a most rewarding novel, and it offers the reader the opportunity to enjoy some of the most seductive prose ever written. The French text (if you are up to it) is even more lovely, but Mr. Parmee's translation was very pleasing, more so than an older translation I started reading but did not enjoy as much.

Another Rickman Fan . . .

. . . reveals her admiration?
Article courtesy of Morag

This Month’s Letter To The Editor

Dear Fausta
If Mr. Rickman might run for office, would you report on his political career? How about if he makes a speech?
Love,
A Fan of Your Page

Dear Fan,
Thank you for being a fan of my page. I am surprised at how early you have poised the question!
My website refers to Mr. Rickman’s work as actor/director. He’s done wonderful work which continues to delight and entertain me, and I will continue to be a fan of his work. As such I will continue the site.
Will I post reviews of speeches made on the campaign trail, or on the floor of the house if elected? No, thank you: With or without Mr. Rickman, my interest in British politics is not that great.
As for reporting on his political career, that’s the job of the news media!

This Month’s Link

Movie Cat’s Film Forum