Quickly

[cleolinda]

Bad tornadoes coming through the South at the moment--my internet connection has not been the most reliable today, so this is just me checking in to say that we're fine, but this might be the only time you hear from me today.

Oh, and since this is a good opportunity to post a couple of things without losing them in the clutter (or creating even more):

The Cassie Edwards reference-book plagiarism exposé hits Publishers Weekly; Signet claims what Edwards did isn't wrong; Cassie Edwards claims she didn't know copying was wrong, then puts husband on phone to say she doesn't "lift passages" at all. All of this is from yesterday, so if there are any updates, I haven't seen them today (again, the internet connectivity problem). By the way, Smart Bitch Candy explains at the second link: "In short: plagiarism is an ethical issue. It’s concerned with what’s right and what’s not. Copyright infringement is a legal action, and is a way for somebody whose works have been infringed to say 'Bitch where my money?' It’s concerned with what’s legal and what’s not." Yes, there will be a quiz tomorrow. ETA: RWA Reponds to Plagiarism Accusations; Smart Bitch Sarah says, "I agree with Jane [from Dear Author] and Nora Roberts that the best option for rage and ire is to write reasoned, precise letters to Penguin, Signet, et al, and explain your reaction to their statement, and why you're so upset. It's one thing to vent on a blog. It is a much bigger thing to contact the people who run the company and let them know how upset you are, and your reaction to their statement regarding Cassie Edwards' novels."

Re: Empress Sissi: nc_bookworm did a catalogue search for me and came up with the following:

Amtmann, Karin. Elisabeth von Österreich: die politischen Geschäfte der Kaiserin. Publisher: Regensburg : F. Pustet, 1998.

Corti, Egon Caesar. Elizabeth, empress of Austria. Publisher: New Haven, Yale University Press, 1936.

Cunliffe-Owen, Marguerite. The martyrdom of an empress. Publisher: New York, Harper, 1899.

Des Cars, Jean. Elisabeth d'Autriche, ou, La fatalité. Publisher: Paris : Perrin, c1983.

Hamann, Brigitte. [Elisabeth, Kaiserin wider Willen. English.] The reluctant empress: Elisabeth of Austria. Publisher: New York, N.Y. : Knopf, 1986.

Hamann, Brigitte. Title: Elisabeth, Kaiserin wider Willen. Publisher: Wien : Amalthea, c1982.

Harding, Bertita. Golden fleece; the story of Franz Joseph & Elisabeth of Austria. Publisher: Indianapolis, New York, The Bobbs-Merrill company [c1937].

Haslip, Joan. Elisabeth d'Autriche, impératrice de la solitude. Publisher: [Paris] Hachette [1965].

Haslip, Joan. The lonely empress: a biography of Elizabeth of Austria. Publisher: London : Phoenix, 2000, c1965.

Sinclair, Andrew. Death by fame: a life of Elisabeth, Empress of Austria. Publisher: London : Constable, 1998.

Tschudi, Clara. Elizabeth, empress of Austria and queen of Hungary. Publisher: London : Swan Sonnenschein ; New York : Dutton, 1906.

Wallersee-Larisch, Marie Louise von. Her Majesty Elizabeth of Austria-Hungary, the beautiful, tragic empress of Europe's most brilliant court. Publisher: Garden City, N.Y., Doubleday, Doran & Company, Inc. 1934.

Zanardi-Landi, Karoline Franzizke M. The secret of an empress. Microform. Publisher: London, New York [etc.] Cassell & co., ltd., 1914.

Of those, ter369 recommends the Hamann, and etoile_du_soir recommends the Hamann and a few others as well. The one I actually read a few years back was the Wallersee-Larisch, written by an actual lady-in-waiting to the Empress, and a hugely biased, sentimental memoir of a beloved friend. I would actually recommend it--not as a primary source of information, but then, I really enjoy reading first-person accounts, because if you've already done your homework and you know better, you can read contemporary sources not for what they say, but how they say them. There's a really beautiful, romantic account of how the Empress met her future husband as a teenage girl and he immediately fell in love that I don't believe a word of, for example. But I love it all the same.

And finally: Erin's dealing with seizures while waiting on her surgery, but she is asking people to continue with the MegaUpload clickage. Given the speed with which they capitulated on the $100 (I don't know if she's gotten it yet) after--I'm assuming--people raised hell (and probably threatened to reveal the owner's shady past) last time, it's probably worth keeping on.

Comments

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

Bookworm is nc_bookworm. And I ate dinner with her last night, finally, after something like three years of talking to her online. Now I just need to meet you and brainchild and cynara, and my life will be complete.

ETA: I can think of at least five more people to add to that list. Don't be offended if I left you off.

[foresthouse.livejournal.com]

I'm totally offended, yo.

*throws down the gauntlet of offendedness*

;)

[wendyzski.livejournal.com]

It actually got a mention on the website of Chicago's local newsradio station - because she's from Illinois.

[winter]

As an Elisabeth (musical) fan, I also recommend the Hamann book - if you read German, she's also done a very good biography of the Crown Prince Rudolf that has many mentions of Sisi herself.

[justforfun1111.livejournal.com]

I third the Hamann recommendation and it reminds me that I haven't watch the awesome kitsch-fest that are the 3 Sissi movies in forever!

Wow, I'm actually commenting on something about Nora Roberts

[chris-walsh.livejournal.com]

I'm impressed: CNN's report on Nora Roberts's reaction to the plagiarism (http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/books/01/10/books.romancewriter.ap/index.html) has made its front page and its Popular News list.

Re: Wow, I'm actually commenting on something about Nora Roberts

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

It's actually the same Associated Press article, not a new one.

Re: Wow, I'm actually commenting on something about Nora Roberts

[chris-walsh.livejournal.com]

Mainly I'm noting the play the story's getting. (Ahhh; further reminder of why it's INCREDIBLY HELLA STUPID TO PLAGIARIZE, ESPECIALLY IN THE GOOGLE AGE. This gladdens me.)

Re: Wow, I'm actually commenting on something about Nora Roberts

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

Sure, I just wanted to keep people from rereading if they've been following the story.

Re: Wow, I'm actually commenting on something about Nora Roberts

[chris-walsh.livejournal.com]

Makes sense. Thanks for clarifying. (Clarifying like butter...mmm, butter...)

Re: Wow, I'm actually commenting on something about Nora Roberts

[emisi.livejournal.com]

That's because The Nora is an institution to reckon with. You don't cross The Nora.

Re: Wow, I'm actually commenting on something about Nora Roberts

[chris-walsh.livejournal.com]

The Mighty Roberts. It should be a title. An honoriffic!

Re: Wow, I'm actually commenting on something about Nora Roberts

[ter369.livejournal.com]

The Mighty Roberts. It should be a title. An honoriffic!

A folk ballad!

[ter369.livejournal.com]

Another route to pursue, for interest in Elisabeth at an almost-primary-source level (unless you can read German), is the correspondence between her and Ludwig II of Bavaria. Like her relationship with her son, her letters with Ludwig are intimate and revealing of at least their Romantic ideals.

[ter369.livejournal.com]

.....written by an actual lady-in-waiting to the Empress, and a hugely biased, sentimental memoir of a beloved friend. I would actually recommend it--not as a primary source of information, but then, I really enjoy reading first-person accounts, because if you've already done your homework and you know better, you can read contemporary sources not for what they say, but how they say them.

The value of memoirs is that they show how contemporaries thought about the times. Historical fiction isn't just a procession of facts; it can also reflect what it was like to live in that time, which includes gossip, assumptions, romanticized views, flattery, lies, and all the conflicting interpretations of events and personalities.

One of my sources for my current manuscript is the memoirs of a French royalist spy, who is the biggest name-dropper and gossip (and other memoirs label him as such). Evey titled lady is so gracious/beautiful/kind to him. Every republican is a one-dimensional villain. But I love it, because a complex tale of the period includes the kiss-ups and survivors, too.

[shezan.livejournal.com]

I'll join everyone else to say the Hamann book is excellent. If you can rent a copy of Luchino Visconti's Ludwig, there are a couple of scenes when Elisabeth played by Romy Schneider (which is a casting masterstroke, because she's vividly present in people's memories as the young Sissi in the kitsch Ernst Marischka movies) visits King Ludwig II, and she's absolutely stunning in it. Recall that Visconti himself was very old Piedmont aristocracy, son of the Duke of Modrone, born in 1906, and that he directed Schneider on how to walk, wear her clothes, hold her sunshade, stand, move, etc. as the Empress of Austria would, nd this must be very close to the real thing.

[erinya.livejournal.com]

I keep seeing "Cassie Edwards" and thinking "Oh yay, the media's onto Cassandra Claire." What is it with these Cassies?

[kiandra-fire.livejournal.com]

That's exactly what I keep thinking! Not necessarily about Cassies in general, but is there truly nothing in her published novels? I can't read them to find out— there are too many other things to read, that get better reviews, whose authors don't have such shady pasts.

[ciara-belle.livejournal.com]

Although it may be common in academic circles to meticulously footnote every source and provide citations or bibliographies, even though not required by copyright law, such a practice is virtually unheard of for a popular novel aimed at the consumer market.

Philippa Gregory usually has a decent list of reference works in the back of her novels, but doesn't footnote. But then again, I don't think that she copies passages verbatim, either.

And I agree with erinya, what is it with Cassies and plagiarism accusations?

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

The Austrian musical Elisabeth is my current obsession and I really know nothing else about the empress save what's in those synopses, so, I probably should check out some of thse sources!

[jenni-talula.livejournal.com]

this isn't very important, but it is film news related. Mostly I just think you'll love the news heading:

http://stuff.co.nz/4350471a1870.html

yep, this is news in New Zealand :)