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| So-called “Rondanini Medusa”. Marble, Roman copy after a 5th-century BC Greek original by Phidias, which was set on the shield of Athena Parthenos. |
And so we come to the end of our reading of Angel by Elizabeth Taylor.
Did you, like me and Mr Fennelly, fall under Taylor's spell?
...loving her, almost as if he had invented her - bad fairy, wicked stepmother, peevish goddess, whatever she was.
I believe Taylor had fun creating her monster but the last chapter is testament to her love for her creation. One cannot help but feel that, like the recalcitrant chauffeur Marvell, she misses her already as she kills her off.
No-one, to my mind, captures the real grief of aging quite like Taylor...in the words of Theo:
As we grow older, we are already dying; our hold on life lessens; there are fewer to mourn us or keep us in mind. I am on my way already and taking the last of Hermione with me as I go.
Can we ever really know Taylor and what inspired her?
Luckily for us, Taylor has many more captivating characters in her pantry and we are now moving on to her next novel in chronological order....please join Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings for discussion of In A Summer Season.
My grateful thanks to all those who have commented on this blog this month. Your comments have been most thought-provoking and companionable.
Thanks too to the lovely Laura for offering me this opportunity to host this month and encouraging us all to celebrate Elizabeth Taylor's work and keep the flame alive.
2 comments:
Thank you so much for hosting, Alex! I really enjoyed the discussion. Bring on August!
Lovely post Alex, and very thought provoking. It's interesting that as Taylor as a person ages, her books reflect this in her characters. But she is still is able to capture the character of children and young people brilliantly too. Despite the horrors of her behaviour I did end up liking Angel and the end was very moving - another triumph for ET I think!
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