[Vwoolf] "Jacob's Room": Crux #3

[Libertin, Mary]

Dear Stuart,

I believe Woolf is referring to the famous image of Oscar Wilde walking his lobster down the street.

Mary Libertin

Dr. Mary Libertin
Professor of English
Shippensburg University of PA
1871 Old Main Drive
Shippensburg PA 17257


From: Jeremy Hawthorn <jeremy.hawthorn at ntnu.no<mailto:jeremy.hawthorn at ntnu.no>>
Date: Tuesday, May 12, 2015 at 7:56 AM
To: "vwoolf at lists.osu.edu<mailto:vwoolf at lists.osu.edu>" <vwoolf at lists.osu.edu<mailto:vwoolf at lists.osu.edu>>
Subject: Re: [Vwoolf] "Jacob's Room": Crux #3

I remember street sellers in London with mechanical spiders. They had a cable with a hand grip, and when you squeezed the grip the legs moved and propelled them along.

Jeremy H



Den 12/05/2015 13:16, skrev Stuart N. Clarke:

Near the beginning of ch. V:

“you will see that three elderly men at a little distance from each other run spiders along the pavement as if the street were their parlour”

This *very* mysterious.

Vara Neverow suggests that the ‘men, who are spaced so that they will not compete with one another, are selling mechanical toys to passersby, probably windup penny toys manufactured in Germany.’ (JR 2008: 229)

Ado suggests “peut-être” (JR 2012: 329):
(1) Live spiders attached by threads
(2) penny toys
(3) bicycles

I think Ado’s #3 is unlikely: bikes on the pavement – disgraceful!  I think those types of bikes called spiders predate 1910 by some considerable time (altho’ I’d never heard of them before).

Ado’s #1 seems possible.  After all, in the Victorian period you could buy sparrows from street vendors, with strings attached to their legs, and you could fly them around.  Ugh!

I really like Vara’s and Ado’s #2.  Not something I would have thought of, but look here:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ANTIQUE-WIND-UP-CLOCKWORK-TOY-SCHUCO-STYLE-SPRING-DEVIL-SPIDER-C1920S-30S-/391084080032
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/OLD-GERMAN-WIND-UP-TOY-SPIDER-/251940077598?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3aa8cc801e

On the other hand, would a 1922 reader know what VW was referring to?  Would it be obvious to him/her that she was referring to toys?

Any answers gratefully received.

Stuart



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