Elizabeth And Her German Garden (Virago Modern Classics)

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Con ironia descrive le giornate accanto alle tre figlie (la bambina di aprile, la bambina di maggio e la bambina di giugno: più insistenti delle zanzare, che imperversano scatenate intorno a me") ed il marito (L’Uomo della Collera), presenze che spesso intralciano: The writing is witty and confidential, drawing the reader in to Elizabeth's views on cooking (why do it yourself when you can hire someone to do it for you?), reading (a pleasure for her, though frowned on by the German upper class), and guests (some are tolerable, others less so, and even the best of them tiresome after a few weeks). She is defiantly independent, but does struggle to come across as pleasant and accommodating.

The reader will need to return to the world of Downton Abbey, except that the point of view is restricted to the upstairs, not the downstairs. There is much talk of problems with cooks, maids, and, of course, gardeners. Von Arnim writes with a light touch and includes many set pieces such as sleighing to church wrapped in furs, and Christmas with the children, especially the staff children. Carey, Gabrielle (2020). Only Happiness Here: In Search of Elizabeth von Arnim. St Lucia, Qld.: University of Queensland Press. Elizabeth married a widower twice her age and referred to her first three children as the April baby, the May baby and the June baby. Her husband was called the Man Of Wrath. Elizabeth was considered by the villagers to be an eccentric because *gasp!* she could spend her day out of doors with a book. Apparently, during this era, reading was an occupation for men; for women it was a reprehensible waste of time. Shhh, don't tell anyone but I have been guilty of this. Other works, such as The Benefactress (1902), The Adventures of Elizabeth on Rügen (1904), Vera (1921), and Love (1925), were also semi-autobiographical. Some titles ensued that deal with protest against domineering Junkertum and witty observations of life in provincial Germany, including The Princess Priscilla's Fortnight (1905) and Fräulein Schmidt and Mr Anstruther (1907). She would sign her twenty or so books, after the first, initially as "by the author of Elizabeth and Her German Garden" and later simply as "By Elizabeth". Conclusion: it's not a relaxing tale about gardening at all. However, I did find it interesting as a historical document. I did like the (sometimes very catty) wit and the prose is quite good. So I don't rate it very low. But be aware that if you are looking for a lovely tale about gardens this might not be it.Kellaway, Deborah. Gardening writers. In: The Cambridge Guide to Women’s Writing in English. Ed. Lorna Sage, advis. eds. Germaine Greer et al. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999. 263f. Although Arnim never wrote a conventional autobiography, All the Dogs of My Life (1936), an account of her love for her pets, contains many glimpses of her glittering social circle. [26] Reception [ edit ] Elizabeth von Arnim Monument in Buk, Poland I love gardens and I love flowers, but I do not enjoy gardening so I was not inspired by all her gardening. She is a lovely writer for sure. I loved her book The Enchanted April and I look forward to reading more of her books. Count von Arnim died in 1910, and in 1916 Elizabeth married John Francis Stanley Russell, 2nd Earl Russell, Bertrand Russell's elder brother. The marriage ended in disaster, with Elizabeth escaping to the United States and the couple finally agreeing, in 1919, to get a divorce. She also had an affair with H. G. Wells.

This is a book to disappear into and I did. Where Virginia Woolf said that women need a room of their own, von Arnim makes a strong case for a garden as that most necessary of settings. As Voltaire before her said that happiness lies in the cultivation of a garden; as Cicero said that if you have a garden and a library you have everything you need; as the garden was where Jane Austen went and refreshed herself and as gardens frequently featured in both her novels and her letters, Elizabeth von Arnim is in good company in that little subculture of writers who seem to enter into magical worlds in both their books and in their gardens. Arnim's 1921 novel Vera, a dark tragi-comedy drawing on her disastrous marriage to Earl Russell, was her most critically acclaimed work, described by John Middleton Murry as " Wuthering Heights by Jane Austen". [27]Elizabeth and her German Garden is a semi-autobiographical book written in 1898 by Elizabeth von Arnim (author of The Enchanted April) about her life and garden in the area of Nassenheide, Pomerania, where the family had their estate (her husband was minor nobility). La gente qui intorno è persuasa che io sia, per metterla nei termini più gentili possibile, oltremodo eccentrica; perché si è sparsa la voce che passo la giornata fuori all’aperto con un libro, e che occhi mortali ancora non mi hanno mai visto cucire o cucinare.” There was a lot of satire here which made it an interesting read. The satire was directed at all quarters - her own self, her husband, her friends, relations, acquaintances and her household. I found it quite amusing that she should refer to her husband as "the man of wrath" and her babies as "April baby", " May baby" and "June baby". These interesting expressions gave a novelty to her writing.