Dwight Enys and Caroline Penvenen marry; shot on location
at St Winnow Church, the River Fowey, Cornwall 1977-78 BBC Poldark
Dear friends and readers,
This is to announce a new Winston Graham and Poldark website. I’ve wanted to do this for a couple of years since my blog postings, first the Poldark novels, then on Winston Graham and Cornwell, then on historical fiction, especially 18th century and Cornish, and then on Winston Graham’s other novels — began to mount up.
I had first to ascertain that I was not duplicating what someone else had done. I explored the two online Winston Graham websites and discovered they are commercial, set up by Pan Macmillan; the purpose is to sell books and there is no information on Graham’s life, very little about the individual books, or historical or Cornish fiction. There are 3 factual wikipedia articles (on Graham, more briefly on the Poldark novels and on the mini-series) and I found one excellent account of the first series of Poldark films (1975-6), but these leave much room for discussing this worthy body of work (but see comment on an online literary society).
Graham reminds me of Trollope: both have legions of readers; Graham’s Poldark novels have never fallen out of print, yet they are neglected by academics & magazine people alike. I am doing what I can (adding my mite) on the Net to end that. I’ve written one paper, intend to write more, perhaps papers, or an article intended for serious readers who are yet not academics, and maybe even a fiction of my own. I just love many of his characters and his English style progressive stance, his descriptive abilties, his accurate portrayal of Cornwall circa later 18th into early 19th century.
So I’ve put together what I have made so as to share.
The Poldark series and other fiction and non-fiction by Winston Graham
accompanied by a working bibliography.
I know I’ve put most of my blogs on Graham on my Ellen and Jim have a blog, two blog. All the more reason to alert those interested in the 18th century, in feminist writing (even by men) and historical fiction. Graham imitates Austen scenes: in Ross Poldark, the rivalry for musicianship beween Demelza and Elizabeth at the close of the book recalls the rivalry of Jane and Emma in Emma; in Demelza the way the doctor-surgeon, Dwight Enys is confronted by Caroline Penvenen’s wealthy uncle and holds his own is a counterpart of Elizabeth versus Lady Caroline de Bourgh.
I hope eventually to extend this site to include more historical novels set in the 18th century which have a strongly progressive point of view, more Cornish fiction and to write more on the film adaptations of these and Graham’s Poldark novels. There is more but these must suffice for a short blog.
Jill Townsend as Elizabeth Chynoweth Polkark Warleggan, quietly desolate, bearing up, awakening to a full realization of what a cruel ruthless man she has married (1977-78 Poldark)
Ellen
Reveries Under the Sign of Austen, Two 
Great idea ! Not sure if you know but there’s also a long established UK based Winston Graham website called “The Winston Graham & Poldark Literary Society” which has two forums one academic and one general, as well as a comprehensive website which you might find of help as well. Click on links below for both forums and then on the bar at the top for the Society’s website.
Best of luck for the future !
I didn’t know. I will check them out. Thank you. Would you like to be friends on Facebook. I could reach your page but saw no place for a “friend request form.” Ellen
Forgot to add
http://poldark.activeboard.com/
http://wgpls.activeboard.com
Lovely idea!
Bron
Ellen – I hope you join the Literary Society forum – we have some terrific discussions there….
I did join but got a message telling me the site was under construction and so no messages could be sent. Ellen
Hi Ellen strange. Apparently a test application to join the forum worked fine this morning so could you try again using a different name and email address ? If there’s still a problem they’ll contact the host forum providers to resolve the problem asap.
I don’t know how I could use a different name. Do you mean invent a new alias? But the one I invented is fine and I like to use my gmail address. I have only one other and it’s part obsolete.
Actually I did not get a message saying the site was under construction but could not find where to post a message and found only a message on one of the two sites telling me it was not available for posting just now.
Here is the page which says this:
http://web.archive.org/web/20071014182019/http://www.poldark.org.uk/forums.html
Until further notice both Forums are now closed in order to carry out updating, general maintenance and overhauling.
Perhaps this is an old message.
I would therefore really be grateful if you could give me instructions on how to post a message. Where do I go? What link do I hit? And what do I do to reach a box where I can post a first hello and tell people about my blogs and website.
I am in the midst of re-reading the Poldark novels and also have found two new (to me) mystery type books by Graham and hope to read them soon too.
Ellen
An email is on it’s way to you now….
Best wishes
Marcus
[…] & Cornish fiction materials gathered thus far, plus a working bibliography and announced it on Austen Reveries as I’ve written so little over there about 18th century historical fiction of which […]
I’d like to thank Marcus and all the people who helped me get onto the Winston Graham Literary Society board. I did manage it! I wrote a little introduction on the new member area, read some of the other areas (learned for example that _Making Poldark_ came out in a edition with the pictures colorized). I hope to read and to contribute more in future.
For now I did an obituary-remembering blog on the death of Angharad Rees:
http://ellenandjim.wordpress.com/2012/07/22/angharad-rees-has-died-of-cancer-she-was-63/
Ellen
It`s great what you are doing. Perhaps you would like to know that there is a `Poldark Appreciation Society` that has been and still is run by Val Adams. I also have a group on face book called `A passion for Poldark and Cornwall` which is supported by Val.
If you would be kind enough to give me instructions on how to join, I’d love to do that. You have to give me explicit instructions as I’m not good at the nuts and bolts of the Net. Or you could just add me or send me a “friend request.’ I’m on face-book here:
http://www.facebook.com/ellen.moody.58
Ellen
I have subscribed to your page on face book but can`t see how I can send you a friend request. Perhaps it`s easier the other way round! You can find me under the name Rosalynde Lemarchand. I can then add you to my group when we are friends.
I just sent a friend’s request. Your photo of yourself is lovely: I can see you are midlands, Northamptonshire. I also glimpsed the photo of Angharad Rees. I attended Leeds University for a year, and lived in Leeds for another year. I married an English man who came back to the US (NYC) with me. We have visited many times since.
Ok that`s sorted! I was born in Kettering Northamptonshire but have lived in various places. I`ve always loved history and especially local history. I met a French man and have moved to France with him. I have visited Cornwall many times and been a long standing member of the PAS. I have read all the books many times and seen the videos countless times. I was so lucky to have met Winston Graham in 2002 at the Poldark Mine where he signed a copy of `Bella Poldark` for me and many others. You can see the photos on my group.
Well I’ve never been to Cornwall and my new dream is to go there next summer. I will join the Society in order to learn about possible itineraries to follow. I’ve not read all the books many times but I have been reading the first 7 for about the third time just now and will proceed on to 8 through 12 for a second. I’ve taught Ross Poldark twice so have read that at least 5 times and Demelza perhaps 4. As to the mini-series, from the 1st season, I showed the 2nd and 3rd part, with the climactic scene on the moor where Ross declares he will marry her from the 4th twice and that takes doing – meaning I had to watch the pieces over and over to decide on just those segments and then do it right (with good remarks for the students). But I’ve been watching this summer again.
I’ve read Graham’s Memoirs of a Private Man which I did like, and also Poldark’s Cornwall. He makes an intelligent contribution to the book The Making of Marnie; I’ve read a few of his mystery-supense books & two more historical novels, Cornelia (set in 19th Manchester, the city where he grew up in) and The Forgotten Story (1898 Cornwall).
I do find great comfort in reading the Poldark books and have not tired at all.
I can read French and at one time could speak and understand it haltingly. No more.
Ellen
Did you know that the engine houses at Botallack in Cornwall are now considered one of the top 20 places you should see in the world? The site is truly breathtaking and gives you a true feeling of what it must have been like for men to have worked the mines in those days.
As for Winston Graham I have also read most of his other works, albeit a while ago. Must go back to them.
If you want to join the PAS you must contact Val by letter or e-mail. Her contact details are on the face book group. She has also written a book called `The Passion for Poldark`. Its out of print for now but you may be able to get a second hand copy to read.
My french is not perfect but I can manage well enough to talk and be understood. I have tried to read some french books but I still need to improve my level of understanding. It`s not easy!
[…] Graham’s Poldark and other writing (Angharad Rees has died) and set up my Poldark region on my website, I’ve joined a Poldark society in Cornwall; a face-group called “A Passion for Poldark […]
I hate to say this, but I find myself wondering if Ellen Moody truly understands the relationship between Elizabeth and George Warleggan. I also wonder if her dislike of George Warleggan has tainted her feelings about it.
Well if you would specify wherein you feel I don’t understand, I could reply concretely. In brief, I understand that she accepted his George’s proposal freely, that she values him for his money, position (she hopes to be taken to London to be a salon hostress or just revel in the life of a MP’s wife eventually); she values what she sees as his conventionalism. Over the years, she is disabused of some of these beliefs: he lies and will not take her to London and does not keep his promises; he is ruthless with her cousin, sees women as objects to sell; he is corrupt, has no sense honor, no social conscience, and he is a bully to her. She begins to see this before the marriage, but by then she knows she is pregnant. By the time of The Angry Tide, in the book she knows she has made a bad choice for a husband twice. In the two series, and especially the 2015-8 by Horsfield, she is presented as herself equally capable of deeply amoral behavior and reveling in some cruelties. In the book she is always just, she holds to the truth and rational behavior. George does not because he is driven by hatred of Ross and deep resentment of how he has been despised for his originally low rank background.