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Although not as well known today, Celia Thaxter was on the most popular poets of the late nineteenth century. Her essays entitled Among the Isles of Shoals, were first published in the Atlantic Monthly in 1869 and then as a book four years later. They were declared by fellow Granite Stater Horace Greeley as "The best prose writing I have seen in a long time". Almost 140 years later, Thaxter's "Shoals" have not changed much from the days in which she first wrote about them and lived among them.
Join our discussion about Among the Isles of Shoals, Celia Thaxter and the history and legend of these nine rocky islands on New Hampshire's coast. Log in or register a free account on NHPR.org to share your thoughts, insights and experiences. Note: comments are moderated, so they won't appear right away. |
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Bas Bleu Book Club Discussion Notes:
Among The Isles of Shoals was beautifully written. With vividly descriptive language it enables the reader to visualize the Isles even if you have never visited there. The book offers a broad knowledge of the botany and geography of the area and clearly depicts the landscape. The stories of the natives and shipwrecks are fascinating, haunting and humorous.
Celia Thaxter's essays that make up the book were written in an objective style and left us with many questions about her childhood growing up on the Isles and her personal life as an adult living there:
Where did she obtain her broad knowledge of the natural history of the Isles?
Was she schooled as an artist?
What was day-to-day life like on the Isles?
What was the largest census for the Isles?
Why did people choose to live in such an inhospitable place when the mainland was so close by?
This book, although difficult to commit oneself to read at times, is a precious gem. Somes pages demand to be read aloud to hear the lyric of her words. Celia's prose enchanted our spirits with a desire to visit the Isles of Shoals.
Study Questions Discussion:
Some of us had visited the Isles before but had not found them as delightful as Celia. After readings Celia's portrayal of the landscape we all felt it would be a nice trip to take and perhaps we would see things in a new light.
Celia wrote with deep respect for the Isles themselves and she wrote intimately about the stories of the islanders but her style portrayed herself as an outsider. She seemed to find the good in things and did not go into great detail about the misfortunes or conduct of the islanders.
Celia's illustrations were beautifully done and left us with questions about her artistic talents and whether she was self taught or had instruction.
Her descriptions of the accents and language of the Shoalers was humorous and amusing. Some members felt that accents are important for defining where we come from.