Happy (Actual) Halloween

I'm still engrossed in British history thanks to my Kings and Queens book that I posted about on Monday. If I were much younger, this book would have driven me to sew myself a cape and to insist on wearing jewels to the grocery store by now. I was that kind of child. When my class studied Native American culture in grade school, I built a teepee out of pink bed sheets and a clothesline in the basement and spent several afternoons pounding corn in a bowl I made from salt dough.

Since I'm an adult now, I just blog endlessly about the subjects that interest me. Especially when they make such excellent Halloween reading. I'll even make some connections between literature and British history for you, because I'm feeling librariany today.

Number One
Classic Halloween Literature: The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe

Kings and Queens Connection: Robert the Bruce of Scotland died of leprosy (probably) in 1329, but on his deathbed he arranged to have his heart removed after his death and taken on crusade to the Holy Land by Sir James Douglas. Sir Douglas was killed en route to the Holy Land, so Robert's body was buried at Dunfermline Abbey and his heart was buried at Melrose Abbey.

Recent Literary Selection to Complement Gory British History and Poe: Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Mystery and Madness creepily illustrated by Gris Grimly

Number Two
Classic Halloween Literature: The Gashlycrumb Tinies by Edward Gorey
This is a picture book but it is in NO WAY intended for children.

Quote from Gashlycrumb Tinies: T is for Titus who flew into bits.

Kings and Queens Connection: James II

Quote from Kings and Queens: He was killed at Roxburgh Castle, in 1460, when a cannon exploded next to him and blew him to pieces. (page 71)

Number Three
Classic Halloween Literature: Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Okay, so maybe people don't rush to read this on Halloween, but it's got witches.

Kings and Queens Connection: In the Shakespeare play, Macbeth kills Duncan (his predecessor) in his home. In reality Duncan died in the Battle of Pitgaveny. Macbeth ruled in Scotland from 1040-1057 and never seems to have suffered any twinges of guilt from taking the crown. One of Duncan's predecessors was treacherously murdered in someone's home, though. Kenneth II was murdered by a noblewoman who "prepared a bizarre contraption: a statue bearing a golden apple connected to a number of hidden crossbows, which were set to fire when the apple was lifted" (page 59). Kenneth took the apple.

Recent Literary Selection to Complement Study of Macbeth: Enter Three Witches by Caroline Cooney

There are so many more interviews with dead people I'm going to have to conduct after finishing this book. Was it really necessary for you to kill Edward II in such a brutal way?

Happy Halloween!

The Marmots' Pumpkins
I love the bitty teeth.