Coming up on Vulpes Libris: Castles, strong, stable castles

Eilean Donan Castle. Definitely stable, certainly strong.

Well, what a week for British politics. But let’s not go down that inviting leafy trail where arguments will soon break out about who gave out the wrong directions and recriminations about picnic rugs and Scotch eggs will echo to the tops of the trees, scaring the kites and crows as they hover above us on sunny June thermals, hoping to scavenge among the abandoned sandwiches and broken meats. No, let us revisit the past, as we see it in our present, in the form of castles. Strong, stable castles that never budge, withstand all attacks,  tower menacingly over the marauding invaders fluttering their banners of red, yellow and green, and shelter a grateful population in a sensible feudal economy of might equalling right. Magical money trees decorate the landscape with regularly spaced showers of gold for the well-fed, well-housed knights and lords of the shires, and are nurtured by harassed peasants anxious about their old mum’s bad leg without a decent healer for miles …. [OK, that’s enough. Ed.]

Ahem. We are delighted to welcome a guest reviewer to contribute to this week’s selection of remarks about castles for your entertainment.

Monday 12 June: Our guest reviewer recalls a visit with a twist to Longleat House, in Wiltshire, a magnificent mansion that in any other country would be called a chateau.

Wednesday 14 June: Moira admits to having developed a bit of a schoolgirl crush on Drumlanrig Castle’s most remarkable occupant.

Friday 16 June: Jackie finds Peter Robert’s Great Castles is more than just a pretty coffee table book.

 

Photo of Eilean Donan Castle used with a Creative Commons licence.

About Kate

Blogger, lecturer, podcaster, writer, critic, reviewer, researcher, and publisher (handheldpress.co.uk), in and on British literary history. Preferred occupation while listening to podcasts: cooking or knitting. Preferred soundtrack while reading: the sound of silence.

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