What a virtual paradise. Here is a little game I would like to get started.

As you might be knowing, the entire world is in a state of debate over whether or not Francis Bacon was the real genius behind the works of Shakespeare. I have many much my doubts and would like to propose that we all indulge in this little homage to Mr Bacon. Some of you may be aware of the popular theory of six degrees of separation. If you are not then maybe you should investigate it. Anyway, I have a theory that so great if Francis Bacon’s hold over English Literature that you can jump to him, or a work by him, in six or less steps. Here is what I mean

Middlemarch, by George Eliot
George takes us to George Orwell and 1984
1984 is one jump away from Animal Farm, which features a pig called Napoleon
PG Wodehouse's Blandings stories also feature a pig The Empress Of Blandings
The Empress contains Ham, as does Hamlet
Which was purportedly written by Bacon

we can only use classics but apart from that we can be as creative as we like in our jumpings. Can anyone do better? Perhaps I will give 11p to anyone who can.

Are you giving us somewhere to start?

The Possessed (or The Devils or Demons) by Doestovsky

edit: added italics

__________________________________
'We're all mad here. I'm mad, you're mad." [said the Cat.]
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "Or you wouldn't have come here."
- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/30/2007 07:48PM by MartinB.

That's a good one to be starting, MartinB

Maybe whoever is first to jump with success should suggest the next?

Who in classics is possessed...?

(Thank you, Niebla, for appearing to try our knowledge of The Stuff That Matters.)

The Possessed by Dostoevsky is as Martin points out called The Devils.
Jump 1
InThe Tragical History of Dr. Faustus by Christopher Marlowe The Devil wants to take possession of the Doctor's soul.
Ignoring the obvious jump to Shakespeare here, Marlowe also wrote Dido, Queen of Carthage
Jump 2
Tertullian was born in Carthage in A.D. 160. He is best known for his essay Apologeticus
Jump 3
He also wrote Liber de Praescriptione Haereticum, which parodies Cicero
Jump 4
Cicero wrote De re Publica in the form of a Socratic Dialogue
Jump 5
Plato also used the Socratic Dialogue form for many of his works, including Laws and The Republic (which would allow you connect to Cicero if you don't like the use of Socratric Dialogue).
Jump 6
Plato first mentions Atlantis in the dialogues Timeaus and Critias, and Francis Bacon wrote The new Atlantis even though he didn't write Hamlet.

Now try to get from Dante Alighieri to Francis Bacon. I would suggest starting with The Divine Comedy but let us not get picky.

<applauds>

__________________________________
'We're all mad here. I'm mad, you're mad." [said the Cat.]
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "Or you wouldn't have come here."
- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland

"1984 is one jump away from Animal Farm, which features a pig called Napoleon
PG Wodehouse's Blandings stories also feature a pig The Empress Of Blandings
The Empress contains Ham, as does Hamlet
Which was purportedly written by Bacon"

Y'know, considering the whole pig theme going on, a jump from "Ham" to "Bacon" on its own is a bit obvious.

Eggsactly

Dante Alighieri's full name was Durante degli Alighieri
Duran Duran sung A View to a Kill
Who's title was taken from the traditional hunting song D'ye ken John Peel
Which is the official marching song of The Lorne Scots (Peel, Dufferin and Halton Regiment)
Who wear the personal crest of the Duke of Argyll
Argyll is in Scotland
Francis Bacon was made a commissioner for the union of Scotland and England.

Oh... classics? Meh. I'll leave that up to someone else.

Rob

------
That statement is either so deep it would take a lifetime to fully comprehend every particle of its meaning, or it is a load of absolute tosh. Which is it, I wonder?
Terry Pratchett, Hogfather

Like it! What is the next starting point?

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

My computer beat me at chess, but I won at kickboxing

Byzantium! by Keith Topping.

Well... BBC calls it a classic.

[www.bbc.co.uk]

Or feel free to return to Dante and the classics theme.

Rob

------
That statement is either so deep it would take a lifetime to fully comprehend every particle of its meaning, or it is a load of absolute tosh. Which is it, I wonder?
Terry Pratchett, Hogfather

ok, this is fun. V good game.


Keith Topping wrote Byzantium, a Dr Who Adventure

Byzantium, as any fule kno, was the Roman name for the Greek city that was invaded by the Roman Emperor Constantine. (Eusebius Life of Constantine) and was later renamed Constantinople (a Very Big Word).

A later Constantine (XI)’s death gave rise to the legend of the Marble King, which holds that he did not actually die, but was turned to marble, put in a cave near the Golden Gate and will return to life when Greek Christian rule comes back to Istanbul. This may take some time. (John Julius Norwich Byzantium)

Marbling is the white fat that runs through animal muscle, which makes meat tender when cooked. It is especially visible in bacon. (Sara Perry Everything tastes better with bacon)

Francis Bacon, the demonically talented 20th century painter, included sides of meat in his Painting, 1946. (David Sylvester Interviews with Francis Bacon)

The final step? You've guessed it: Francis Bacon's namesake Francis Bacon didn't write Shakespeare's plays either (and neither did Dr Who or Einstein). (George Redmonds Names and history)

I rest my case.

Oh yes, next one: Hans Christian Andersen The Nightingale.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 06/01/2007 02:19PM by splat21.

Hans Christian Anderson The Nightingale: HC Anderson wrote fairy stories, one of which was “The Wild Swans”

Joseph Jacobs (29 August 1854 - 30 January 1916) was a literary and Jewish historian, he collected the book 'English Fairy Tales' (1890) 'English Fairy Tales' contains a story about The Twa Sisters which is a murder ballad also called the Bonny Swan

Shakespeare was known as ‘The Bard of Avon”, “The Bard” or “The Swan of Avon” Shakespeare wrote The Merchant Of Venice and also Macbeth, otherwise known as The Scottish Play.

John Allan, Edgar Allen Poe’s foster father was a successful Scottish merchant,
(Poe stayed at the Swan Tavern Hotel in Richmond in 1849) Poe wrote a poem called 'The Raven' It was published for the first time on January 29, 1845, in the New York Evening Mirror.

The Yorkist forces of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick fighting for Richard Duke of York fought a battle during the War of the Roses against Margaret of Anjou, Queen of England (who’s pennant was a crowned swan) at St Albans (Maurer, Helen E. Margaret of Anjou: Queenship and Power in Late Medieval England. Boydell Press, 2003.)

Bacon was knighted in 1603, created Baron Verulam in 1618, and created Viscount St Albans in 1621. Bacon also was born at York House, Strand, London

(note not actually the same St Albans)

Next: Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/03/2007 05:50PM by Lymond.

I suspect that we are going to know more about Bacon than a number of other forums. Unless they are specialising in the man.

__________________________________
'We're all mad here. I'm mad, you're mad." [said the Cat.]
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "Or you wouldn't have come here."
- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland

I know more about swans than Bacon

As no-one seems willing to try this link, I will jump in!

Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte to Sir Francis Bacon

{1}It was first published under the pen name of Ellis Bell.

{2}Edith Pargeter took the pen name Ellis Peters to publish the Cadfael Novels, which are mainly set at and around Shrewsbury Abbey, Shrewsbury.

{3}The play, "The Recruiting Officer" by George Farquahar is also set in Shrewsbury.

{4}He gave up a promising career as actor after accidentally wounding another actor while performing in John Dryden's play, "The Indian Emperor".

{5}John Dryden, was the first official (letters of patent) Poet Laureate, but Ben Jonson was the first man paid to be Poet Laureate.

{6}One of Ben Jonson's essays is "On Lord Francis Bacon" and in 1618 he lived at Sir Francis Bacon's house, described as "Chief Gentleman Usher".

(Neither of them wrote any of the works of Shakespeare, although Jonson collected together the works for the first Folio while staying at Sir Francis Bacon's home.)

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

My computer beat me at chess, but I won at kickboxing

This is impressive stuff, your knowledge is much most wide. I like the biographical and nom de plumical linkages and the suchlikings which you have conjured. Any other ideas?

How about this for a starter one:

Emma by Jane Austen features Mr Knightley
Keira Knightly appeared in Pride and Prejudice

Can anyone take it on from there?

I am most excited about July's forthcoming arrival.

YG

Niebla

If no-one posts soon I will go again.

(The difficulty with this one is stretching it to the full number of jumps - and remember one has been used!)

Yes, do come on dear brains... Skidmarks' genius cup over-frotheth. (Skidmarks, do you prefer an extra s when being apostrophised [Skidmarks's]?