Two.

Today in class we were asked to pick one character in Forster's "Recollections" and relate his experiences with that person to his life as a Bloomsbury member.  Most people (including myself) chose to talk about his Aunt Monie. When asked to share, the majority of my peers talked about how he was burdened by his aunt.  I feel differently.  Maybe he was slightly annoyed with the task of taking care of her, but I think the more important thing to note is his reaction to her illness.  He states blatantly that he is afraid of it.  He was young when she was involved in his life and it is clear he was never given a full explanation for her situation.  In his eyes, she was not the same person.  There was something inside of her that made her different, delicate, contagious almost.  As if whatever put her in that wheelchair and caused her so much pain, would haunt him if he interfered with her nightly cries for help.  Because her situation was never fully explained to him, he continues to carry these feelings with him through the years.  Feelings of regret and shame.

I can relate to these feelings.  I have seen family members go in and out of hospital rooms.  Each time entering and leaving as a different person.  The body lying in that bed is not possessed by the same spirit you remember.  It is different and you can't explain why.  And when no one bothers to put your mind at ease, the picture in your mind haunts you. 

Forster may have been bothered by his Aunt and her neediness, but maybe for reasons other than what immediately come to mind. 

Oral Presentation

The Cambridge Apostles (aka: The Cambridge Conversazione Society) were/was a discussion group started in 1820 at Cambridge.  Every Saturday evening, a member of this fraternity would present a topic for the group to discuss and debate while eating gourmet snacks of toast topped with sardines, and drinking fine wines and liquors.  They were a very exclusive group, only letting in the most elite.  No women of course, but greats like Aristotle and Plato were considered members because they were considered elite even though they were not born anywhere near their time period, let alone Cambridge.  Many sources say the Apostles helped spawn the Bloomsbury group.  Some former Apostles included G.E. Moore, E.M. Forster, Lytton Strachey, Leonard Woolf, J.M. Keynes, Roger Fry, and Duncan Grant.  During my presentation I specifically spoke about G. E. Moore, J. M. Keynes, and Roger Fry.

George Edward Moore was a philosopher with theories on intrinsic value, ethics, morals, and realism, just to name a few.  Most of these views had a huge impact on, and were studied by, the Bloomsbury group.  They often referred to his theories as "Mooreisms." An example of his impact on the group can be seen in Forster's "A Passage to India."  The character Ms. Moore represents his theory on Imperial rule. 

            John Maynard Keynes was an economist with several theories on macroeconomics.  His ideas have been discussed in politics throughout the years and has been brought up in Obama's campaign and presidency.  The Bell's were especially interested in his ideas.  Clive Bell wrote an essay on him, which we will be reading in the near future. 

            Last but not least we have Roger Fry.  Fry was an artist and an art critic who played a large role in Post Impressionism.  He had an affair  with Vanessa Bell, which is interesting considering Clive once painted a portrait of him.  In the end she left him broken hearted by choosing Duncan Grant over himself.  He died very suddenly which left the Bloomsbury members extremely distraught.  He had a great impact on them and even founded the Omega Workshop. 

Bibliography

"The Cambridge Apostles 1820-1914." Contemporary Review 274.1596 (Jan 1999): 55. General OneFile. Gale. Texas Christian University. 20 Sept. 2009 .

David, Sidorsky. "The Uses of the Philosophy of G. E. Moore in the Works of E. M. Forster." New Literary History 38.2 (2007): 245-271. Web. 21 Sep 2009. .

Dean, Jeffrey T. "Clive Bell and G.E. Moore: the good of art." The British Journal of Aesthetics 36.n2 (April 1996): 135(11). General OneFile. Gale. Texas Christian University. 20 Sept. 2009 .

Fletcher, Guy. "Mill, Moore, and intrinsic value.(John Stuart Mill, George Edward Moore)(Critical essay)." Social Theory and Practice 34.4 (Oct 2008): 517(16). General OneFile. Gale. Texas Christian University. 20 Sept. 2009.

Janice, Dawley. "Time and Tide." Roger Fry. 03/12/2008. Web. 21 Sep 2009.

Sidorsky, David. "The uses of the philosophy of G.E. Moore in the works of E.M. Forster." New Literary History 38.2 (Spring 2007): 245(27). General OneFile. Gale. Texas Christian University. 20 Sept. 2009 .

Sue, Roe, and Sellers Susan. The Cambridge Companion to Virginia Woolf. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 2000. Print.

One.

Strachey is said to be the "annoying" one of the Bloomsbury Group. I can certainly understand why. He whines, gripes, complains, points out the obvious, and follows what others have done before him. However, I kind of like him. I like that he pushed, nay threw, one of the most respected, valued, and appreciated women of the nineteenth century right off her pedestal. I do not consider myself a bitter or violent person by any means, but I would love to knock a few people off of their high horse. In particular, I would like to go after a few literary types. You know who I'm talking about, those people who think they know what every single writer was thinking and feeling when they wrote an essay or story. More than that, they actually think they can relate to every single experience that had a significant impact on that writer. These people drink a lot of black coffee and spend a lot of time reading, and re-reading, the "classics" like Hemmingway.

As much as I dislike these "intellectuals" I have an even bigger problem with Hemmingway. Ernest Hemmingway is the most boring author I have ever had the pleasure of studying. Hearing his name literally makes me feel tense and stressed out. I never understood the outrageous attention he received. I may be ignorant when it comes to this man, but what exactly did he do that revolutionized American Literature?

My point is, Strachey may be the "annoying" one, but I think I understand his motives. I absolutely admire him for bringing light to the flaws of Florence Nightingale. This is a man who revolutionized American Literature, that is, if you consider the National Enquirer literature (which I do).