Wednesday 21 September 2011

'Papa! what's money?'















On one of these occasions, when they had both been
perfectly quiet for a long time, and Mr Dombey only
knew that the child was awake by occasionally
glancing at his eye, where the bright fire was
sparkling like a jewel, little Paul broke silence
thus:
'Papa! what's money?'
The abrupt question had such immediate reference to
the subject of Mr Dombey's thoughts, that Mr Dombey
was quite disconcerted.
'What is money, Paul?' he answered. 'Money?'
'Yes,' said the child, laying his hands upon the
elbows of his little chair, and turning the old face
up towards Mr Dombey's;
'what is money?'
Mr Dombey was in a difficulty. He would have liked
to give him some explanation involving the terms
circulating-medium, currency, depreciation of
currency', paper, bullion, rates of exchange, value
of precious metals in the market, and so forth; but
looking down at the little chair, and seeing what a
long way down it was, he answered:
'Gold, and silver, and copper. Guineas, shillings,
half-pence. You know what they are?'


Charles Dickens / Dombey and Son / Chapter 8

the production of absolute surplus value

use value

Wednesday 14 September 2011

Sunday 11 September 2011

dispossession / nemeton











When the early saints intruded on the silent haunts of the earth-spirits in wood or mountain solitude, the earth-spirits arose to resist the invasion. They attacked St. Botulf fiercely when he desired to pitch his cell in their quiet retreats, crying out: a long time have we possessed this spot, and we had hoped to dwell in it forever. Why, cruel Botulf, dost thou forcibly drive us from our haunts?

Eleanor Hull / Folklore of the British Isles / Methuen / 1928 / p87

Saturday 10 September 2011

vulned
























tr.v.
vulned, vuln·ing, vulns
To wound (oneself) by biting at the breast. Used of the pelican, which was once believed to feed its young with its blood, as a heraldic motif.

[From Latin vulnerre, to wound; see vulnerable.]

Friday 9 September 2011

blodeuwedd

Blodeuwedd
formed out of blossoms of the oak, blossoms of the meadowsweet, blossoms of the broom


















The old men said their fathers told them that soon after the fields were left to themselves a change began to be visible. It became green everywhere in the first spring, after London, so that all the country looked alike.

Jeffries / After London / 1885 [BL / Out of this world - closes 25 Sept…]

anti-histamine world

new print