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W. Collins - The Moonstone - Background Info and Resources
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Deborah
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Dec 17, 2015 03:50PM
Please use this thread for background info and resources.
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The diamond of our story is based on the Koh-i-Noor diamond which was taken from the eye of an Indian idol and placed atop of the Russian imperial scepter. It was said if anyone removed the diamond from the idol they would be cursed with misfortune.For more information:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koh-i-N...
The Prologue mentions the Siege of Seringpatam which took place between April and May of 1799. It was the fourth Anglo-Mysore War between the British East India Company and the Kingdom of Mysore. The British won after breaching the fortress walls and storming the citadel.For more information:
https:/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/siege_of_Sering...
I've been to Srirangapatna (modern day Seringapatam). What's left of it is well worth a visit if you're ever in the Mysore / Karnataka area as it's truly atmospheric. The siege was the scene of the final defeat of Tipu Sultan - the "Tiger of Mysore" and is a today a fitting memorial to one of the great leaders against British rule in India. The walls of the fort remain, and you can visit Tipu's beautiful Mausoleum.
If "the Tiger of Mysore" sounds familiar, it might be because you've seen or heard of the famous automaton, commissioned by Tipu, of a tiger mauling a European man. You can find more information about "Tipu's Tiger" at the Victorian and Albert Museum website:
http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles...
It was one of the many treasures stolen by the British soldiers after the siege.
Another factoid about the Siege of Seringapatam: the person who felt for Tipu's pulse and pronounced him dead was none other than Arthur Wellesley, the future Duke of Wellington.
There is a reference to a game of ducks and drakes. Here's a link with a definition of the term.www.worldwidewords.org/ga/ga-duc3.htm
How weird. I copied it as I was on the page
Oh! I regret so much I didn't visit the V&A Museum when I was in London! :/
Rose wrote: "Oh! I regret so much I didn't visit the V&A Museum when I was in London! :/"It's one of my absolute favourites! Their website is excellent as well, so if you missed it in real life, there's always the virtual version ;-)
Yes! I saw the Tipu's Tiger on their website! Really cool!When I go back to London, V&A will be one of my priorities! :)
Now that we're into the second week of our read, and we've met Sergeant Cuff, it might be worth noting that the Sergeant was inspired by the real-life Jack Whicher, one of the original eight members of the newly formed Detective Branch which was established at Scotland Yard in 1842. Inspector Bucket from Dickens' Bleak House is also said to be based on Whicher.He was most well-known for the murder inquiry at Road Hill House, and some of the elements of the case bear striking similarities with what happens in The Moonstone - so best not to look into Whicher too closely before you've finished the book in case of spoilers!
If you're not worried about spoilers, there's a brief bio of the man here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Wh...
Kate Summerscale's recounting of the Road Hill case The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective is very readable and at times you forget you're reading non-fiction.
Mod
Sergeant Cuff is often heard whistling "The Last Rose of Summer" to himself. From Wikipedia:
"The Last Rose of Summer is a poem by Irish poet Thomas Moore. Moore wrote it in 1805 while at Jenkinstown Park in County Kilkenny, Ireland, where he was said to have been inspired by a specimen of Rosa 'Old Blush'. It is set to a traditional tune called "Aislean an Oigfear" or "The Young Man's Dream", which had been transcribed by Edward Bunting in 1792".
Full article here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Las...
It has been set to music innumerable times by everyone from Beethoven to Kanye West. You can find all sorts of versions on YouTube, but just as a sample, here's Joan Sutherland singing it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP2Oq...
