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i've been working to break down (chronologically) the trial transcript for the last two days. two days and at least ten hours of my weekend. i'm on page 123 of 400 (in a tiny-font, two column format that is making my eyes bleed at this point).
needless to say, this isn't going as well as hoped.
it's suddenly (and painfully) clear to me why no one has ever tried to do this before. how do you cram nearly 50 days of testimony (well over 300 hours of endless questions and answers) into something like a coherent, manageable plot?
i confess i am feeling daunted and frustrated (and i haven't even started on the newspaper accounts yet!)
how did i manage to complicate this so much?
farg.
the first time i read this transcript (more years ago than i would like to recall), it was while sitting on the floor in the university library (i never checked books out ~ i just read them there). i don't remember how many hours i spent pouring through it and i know there were whole sections i skipped or skimmed over. but i remember how car-wreck-compelling it was to me even then: the absurdity of some of the witnesses, the absurdity of some of the arguments. at the time i thought Mr. Poppet was out of his mind. his line of defense influenced my whole way of thinking about 19th century law, medicine, war, and justice. and even though i thought he was a perfect boob at the time, his closing argument impelled me to write From Slaughter's Mountain.
ahhhh....it's good to revisit your roots.
now i think i need a break from this stuff because i'm pretty sure it's eating a hole in my brain and i'm not sure my brain can withstand anymore ventilation.
: o p
p.s. to Mr. Poppet: i no longer think you are a boob (in case that's not obvious).
this is my favorite picture of Mr. Poppet
(taken when he was at harvard, i think ~ or yale)
he's probably about 17-18 years old here
p.p.s. another title possibility: The King Villain of Them All
needless to say, this isn't going as well as hoped.
it's suddenly (and painfully) clear to me why no one has ever tried to do this before. how do you cram nearly 50 days of testimony (well over 300 hours of endless questions and answers) into something like a coherent, manageable plot?
i confess i am feeling daunted and frustrated (and i haven't even started on the newspaper accounts yet!)
how did i manage to complicate this so much?
farg.
the first time i read this transcript (more years ago than i would like to recall), it was while sitting on the floor in the university library (i never checked books out ~ i just read them there). i don't remember how many hours i spent pouring through it and i know there were whole sections i skipped or skimmed over. but i remember how car-wreck-compelling it was to me even then: the absurdity of some of the witnesses, the absurdity of some of the arguments. at the time i thought Mr. Poppet was out of his mind. his line of defense influenced my whole way of thinking about 19th century law, medicine, war, and justice. and even though i thought he was a perfect boob at the time, his closing argument impelled me to write From Slaughter's Mountain.
ahhhh....it's good to revisit your roots.
now i think i need a break from this stuff because i'm pretty sure it's eating a hole in my brain and i'm not sure my brain can withstand anymore ventilation.
: o p
p.s. to Mr. Poppet: i no longer think you are a boob (in case that's not obvious).
this is my favorite picture of Mr. Poppet
(taken when he was at harvard, i think ~ or yale)
he's probably about 17-18 years old here
p.p.s. another title possibility: The King Villain of Them All
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From: (Anonymous)
I feel yer pain~
We, who obsess often have this problem. Have I read every published account of every prositute in the late 19th century? Maybe not but I'm workin' on it hahahahha
A suggestion: maybe tell it aloud--as if you were summarizing it for an interested (but not obsessed) listener with limited time to hear it. I think it might help with what/who to leave out--
or not. ha.
mooey
From:
Re: I feel yer pain~
and you're exactly right about summarizing for an innocent, unsuspecting bystander. knowing the limited attention/investment, what would i say to capture their imagination and get them on board.
that very succintly helps hack the path clear again through all the research overgrowth that's gone on in the last few weeks. i'm am happily back to focusing on the three main characters i started with (Poppet, Hanty, and Chammy), and letting the rest of it be window dressings and backfill.
moomsy saves the day!
and thank you again for your genealogical work. it's a huge help!