J. C. Powys' Autobiography: A Reader's Companion - Site POWYS

24 Autobiography
The Pleasures of Literature (572) and in JCP’s
introduction to Llewelyn’s A Baker’s Dozen (16).
first of us ... footprints of Jesus (147) — JCP is
referring to Llewelyn’s travels that later resulted
in A Pagan’s Pilgrimage (1931).
five children (4) — John Cowper (b.1872), Littleton
(b.1874), Theodore (b.1875), Gertrude (b.1877),
and Eleanor (1879, who died young).
“floated the measureless float” (511) — From Walt
Whitman’s “As I Ebb’d with the Ocean of Life”
(l.42) in Leaves of Grass. Also quoted in The
Pleasures of Literature (658).
Fluellen (211) — A Welsh officer in Henry’s army
in Shakespeare’s Henry V. His references to
“Monmouth” are found in IV vii 21–54.
“Flying Dutchman” (415) — In sailors’ legend, a
spectral ship is said to sail the seas captained by
an accursed Dutchman. Wagner’s Das Fliegende
Höllander is based on the story.
Fontenelle (230; cf. 441) — Bernard le Bovier,
Sieur de Fontenelle (1657–1757), French prosewriter.
Author of Entretiens sur la pluralité des
mondes. One of the first serious writers to
popularize science.
“for more exciting bread than is made from
wheat” (103) — ”...for better bread than...”, says
Sancho to Don Quixote. From Cervantes’ Don
Quixote (Part II, ch.67).
“for the sake of the blameless Ethiopians”
(650) — “The blameless Ethiopians” is a recurrent
phrase in Homer’s Iliad (Book 1).
“For there is none ... save only” (154) — From the
Anglican prayer-book.
Ford, Ford Madox (390, 547) — English writer,
originally Ford Madox Hueffer (1873–1939),
English novelist, editor, and writer of non-fiction.
Fordington (59) — An ancient community, now a
suburb to the east of Dorchester. Fordington
Great Field, a survival of the medieval fieldsystem,
not far from Max Gate, is also mentioned
in Maiden Castle (32).
Fort, Charles (523, 552) — Occultist (1874–1932),
also an acquaintance of Malcolm Lowry.
Fortitude (511) — A novel by Hugh Walpole
published in 1913.
Fosse Way (346, 572; cf. 628) — A trackway,
probably pre-Roman, upgraded by the Romans to
a road stretching from Lincoln to Exeter. It runs
southwest of Ilchester passing close to Stokesub-Hamdon
and only a mile from Montacute.
This is the Roman road of Wood and Stone (633,
634). JCP follows the usual spelling of his time;
the final ‘e’ is generally dropped nowadays.
Föster-Nietzsche, Frau — See “Nietzsche, Frau
Föster.”
Fou[c]qué — See “La Motte Fou[c]qué.”
Fragonard (301) — Jean Honoré Fragonard
(1732–1806), French painter at Louis XV’s court.
France, Anatole (562) — French author
(1844–1924), who won the Nobel Prize for
Literature in 1921. JCP wrote an essay on him in
Suspended Judgments.
fresh fields (504) — JCP seems to be taking over
the widespread misquotation of “fresh woods” in
the last line of Milton’s “Lycidas.”
Freud (275) — Sigmund Freud (1856–1939),
Austrian psychiatrist who transformed
psychology. Jung had begun as one of his
followers.
Freya (329) — Goddess of love and beauty in
Norse mythology.
friend who will be the hero of my next chapter
(437) — G. Arnold Shaw (q.v.).
“from the house-top” (177) — Presumably an
allusion to Luke 12:3, though the King James
Version reads “upon the house-tops.” No other
use of “house-top” fits the meaning.
Frome (132) — The river that flows through
Dorchester.
Front-de-Boeuf (76) — Sir Reginald Front-de-
Boeuf in Scott’s Ivanhoe. He met his death when
the Castle of Torquilstone was set on fire (ch.30).
Fuller (254) — Thomas Fuller (1608–1681), Royalist
clergyman and chaplain to Charles II. JCP is
referring to his The Holy State and the Profane
State (1642). Llewelyn has an essay on Fuller, “The
Parson of Broadwindsor,” in Wessex Memories.
furious fancies (120) — From an anonymous
Renaissance lyric “Tom o’ Bedlam’s Song,” also
quoted in A Glastonbury Romance (314), The
Inmates (33), and The Pleasures of Literature (315,
498).
G
Gainsborough (301, 412) — English landscape and
portrait painter Thomas Gainsborough (1727-
1788),.
Galsworthy, Mr. (305) — John Galsworthy (1867-
1933), English novelist and playwright, best
known for The Forsyte Saga, the first volume of
which was The Man of Property (511), which
appeared in 1906. He won the Nobel Prize for
Literature in 1932.
Gandhi (455) — Mahatma Gandhi (1869–1948),
Indian national leader, who resisted the British
occupation of India and was at the same time an
advocate of world peace. Assassinated by a
fanatical Hindu who wrongly thought him
responsible for the partition into India and
Pakistan.
Gargamelle (488) — A giant who became the