I've been clearing out my school cupboard over the last couple of weeks, and trying to clear some books. Most of them, I send my sister's way, and let her pick out which ones she wants for her classroom. The others go towards the Bring and Buy Sale one of my colleagues is organising. Some, a select few, I chose to keep. So here's a list of books that I wouldn't be without as a teacher: First Aid for Fairies and Other Fabled Beasts by Lari Don It's one of my favourite class novels, and the kids love it. What's more, there's three more books. I was once a little star struck when I arranged for Lari Don to come and do an author visit with the class. The class were delighted that the author of their class novel was coming to talk to them, and she was great. There was the option for the children to buy signed books, but Lari Don also brought some signed postcards as not every child could afford a book. One pupil, in particular, was thrilled with this gift. Can ...
Last year, the Historical Writers Forum published an anthology of stories which had been inspired by pieces of artwork. I take a particular pride in this anthology - not only because it is a fabulous collection of stories which mine is included in, but also because I helped to come up with the theme.
In amongst the pages of Masterworks, you will find stories inspired by painting and sculptures, and one which was inspired by a carving. I wrote a blog on this little carving when the book came out last November (which you can find here!), but it got me thinking about other examples of artwork as an inspiration...
As historical fiction writers, art is not only an inspiration, it is also a valuable tool. Through art, we can get an idea of what people looked like (very handy if you are writing about a real figure from history) and it can also be very handy for events and settings. One of my favourite continuous portrayals of an event is the example of Frost Fairs. These start from their naming in 1608 and run all the way through to the 19th Century. From them, we can follow the evolution of these spontaneous events, witnessing what people did when the inclement weather offered an exciting and different opportunity to the normality of everyday life.
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| By Attributed to T. Dekker (author) - Houghton Library, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35943569 |
I mean, what's not to love in this picture?! Right down to the chap who has gone flat on his backside in the lower left corner!
We do not only have 2D artworks to help with research and inspiration. Scuptures are also very helpful. Classical artists were far more adept at realistic sculpture than they were paintings, and through this we can stare into the faces of men and women who have been dead for thousands of years. Not a bad legacy to leave behind!
But then there are the pieces of artwork which, though perhaps they are not from the time of the person or event, and therefore cannot be taken as accurate, still manage to trigger something in our brains and spark an inspiration to tell a tale. There are so many pictures like that: pictures which make you question who the subjects were or what is happening just beyond the edges of the painting. In The Children of Green Knowe, a much-loved story in our house, little Tolly first meets his ancestors in a painting over the fireplace. There is a wonderful line when his great-grandmother tells him that their eyes are meeting his because "they must be tired of looking at me." It immediately draws the painting off the canvas, just as a reader finds with words from a book.
I love the idea that artists are handing on a baton. They are inspired by events or people, then they in turn inspire other people with their creations. It is an ever-growing spiral of artistic inspiration! So, if you had to pick a piece of art (or maybe two!) to inspire a story, which would you choose and why?
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