The Black Moth vs. These Old Shades

These old shades, you may think. What a funny name for a book, you may muse. How did Georgette Heyer come up with that title, you may wonder.

OK, I realise that few people are likely think, muse or wonder thus — even my mother the Heyer fan, when I rang her excitedly to tell her my discovery, didn't remember the books or characters involved.

I've mentioned that Heyer's debut novel, The black moth, features a villain who I thought Heyer renamed and used as the hero in These old shades.

According to Heyer's biography, I was right — and that's why Heyer named the book These old shades (shades = ghosts). She was reusing her characters! Now that I know that, I suddenly recognise the Black moth's very vanilla hero and heroine as Jenny and husband in These old shades; likewise, the villain's best friend is the same character in both.

It makes me glad, because I always wanted to know what happened to the Black moth villain. I wonder why Heyer changed the characters' names — unless she didn't want the new book associated with The black moth.

I don't really have a point here; I just found it interesting that a best-selling author can actually do that and get away with it. I guess others have as well. Austen certainly has reused her plots and characters, if not as obviously (and probably not intentionally); and I'm sure there are many others out there that don't spring to mind immediately.

But I just wanted to comment on that, for any Heyer fans out there. Want to read more about the characters — or the villain — in The black moth? Read These old shades and see what happens to them later.

Internship test

The internship test is tomorrow. Spelling; grammar; general knowledge.

I'm so nervous. My general knowledge is crap.

I hoped I'd at least fly through the spelling and grammar, but not so - I did their spelling and grammar test from a few years ago, and I got lots wrong. (I also corrected something that wasn't in the answers, but I'm pretty sure I was right and they just missed that error.) I didn't correct the spelling of some place names — and I can live with not knowing that Taumaranui was meant to be Taumarunui, but I probably should have picked up Sidney, Australia. I forgot that Chateaux was spelled Chateau, and I missed an instance of American spelling (I'm so used to it! It's permeated the very core of our once-British society!).

Worst of all: I didn't notice an apostrophe in the wrong place.

I am covered with shame.

I hope, though, that having done the old tests will help me in tomorrow's one. I've made notes of what to look for, and hope that'll help me.

I've done all three of the previous general knowledge tests, too, and the results ain't pretty. I know absolutely nothing about sports; my best area is international affairs, followed closely by arts and entertainment. And when I say my "best", I mean I got nearly half the answers right. Go me.

I'm not used to taking tests to study or to get jobs, let alone taking tests to take a job to study. The scenario usually goes more like this:

RUTH: I want to study here.
INSTITUTION OF LEARNING: We love you! Make your cheque out to X.

Alternatively:

RUTH: I want to work here.
POTENTIAL EMPLOYER: *evil interview no-one could hope to pass*

Sadly, not only do I have to sit a test, but if I pass the test I'll then have to undergo an interview as well.

And what's a pass mark, you ask? So far as I know, they just pick the best of the bunch. So the only way to be certain you've passed is to get 100%.

I just hope my spelling and grammar will redeem my (lack of) general knowledge... and that I notice all the wrong apostrophes!

Northern Lights (Philip Pullman)

A young girl, Lyra, sets out on a dangerous quest in a world parallel to our own, to rescue her friend from terrors unknown.

Northern Lights took me a few pages to really get into. I wasn't immediately gripped by the action; Lyra, the heroine, seemed childish and silly; and the opening scene seemed melodramatic and unrealistic.

But after the first few pages, I was hooked. Lyra is cocky, smart and likeable; and I loved the action between her and her "daemon" (an external soul in animal shape).

Although that's one thing that annoys me a little bit. What's wrong with good old-fashioned "demon" spelling? A daemon isn't the same as a demon, you say? True enough. Then later in the series you find out about "vampyres". What's wrong with spelling it the normal way? Geez.

Another thing that annoys me? The British version (which I made sure I got) is called Northern lights; the American version is called the (apparently) much more exciting The golden compass.

OK, I agree that the so-called compass is more prominent in the book than the northern lights, even if the northern lights are really what the book is all about. But. It is not a compass. It looks like a compass. It is not one. It is an alethiometer. And, OK, that may look like a hard word before you try to say it, but seriously — just repeat after me. Ah-lee-thee-oh-meh-ter. It's barely more complex than "thermometer".

Not that I'm suggesting they should have called it "The golden alethiometer" because, well, that'd be silly. But if you're going to change a perfectly good British title, at least change it to something that accurately reflects an aspect of the book. Even "The armoured bear" would have been better than The golden compass.

Moving on. Apart from minor quibbles*, I really enjoyed this book, and looked forward immensely to the second in the trilogy.

*Such as the heroine becoming attached really fast to the armoured bear and the aeronaut, and vice versa — they only hung out for a few days! I've done the same thing myself, in my writing; you spend so much time writing the story that it feels to me, the writer, as if my characters are much closer than they actually are. But to the reader, they've only had a couple of fighting scenes together so why does Mr Aeronaut suddenly feel she's the daughter he never had?

Next week: My review of Book Two in the trilogy.