E. F. Benson - Epi 09 Part 4 - Mapp and Lucia (1931) - Worship - Nigel Hawthorne

Epi 09 Part 4 - Worship Playlist: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6D11B334BF224037

Epi 09: Mapp and Lucia is a collective name for a series of novels by E. F. Benson, and is also the name of a television series based on those novels.

The novels feature humorous incidents in the lives of (mainly) upper-middle-class British people in the 1920s and 1930s, vying for social prestige and "one-upmanship" in an atmosphere of extreme cultural snobbery. The books provide deep insights into how key members of a small, close-knit community interact with each other. Although this may not sound very promising material for modern-day readers, the books are very funny and engage one's keen interest to see how the two main protagonists—the elegant and sophisticated Lucia and the malicious and frumpy Miss Mapp—score off each other and extricate themselves from social disasters.

Edward Frederic Benson (1867-1940) was an English novelist, biographer, memoirist and short story writer, known professionally as E.F. Benson. His friends called him Fred.


This production: Mapp and Lucia - Worship (1986)
Geraldine McEwan -Emmeline 'Lucia' Lucas, Prunella Scales - Miss Elizabeth Mapp, Nigel Hawthorne - Georgie Pillson, Denis Lill - Major Benjamin 'Benjy' Flint, Mary MacLeod - Godiva 'Diva' Plaistow

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• E.
• F.
• Benson
• Mapp
• and
• Lucia
• (1931)
• Worship
• novels
• Television
• Prunella
• Scales
• Elizabeth
• Geraldine
• McEwan
• Emmeline
• Lucas
• English
• Novelist
• Comedy
• British
• Class
• System
• 1920s
• 1930s
• Between
• Wars

[sesanner]

Georgie all arrayed in his bath was a bit of an experience for me. There is a point at which a laugh becomes an howl regardless of the company one keeps.

Yes, reading E. F. Benson aloud, MrTonyInchpractice, would certainly warm me on a cold, dark winter's evening.

Thank you, BaroqueJazzPlays, for Lucia and Georgie et al. Much, much pleasure.

[BaroqueJazzPlays]

@sesanner "There is a point at which a laugh becomes an howl regardless of the company one keeps."

LOL... well, you may get a 'raised eye-brow' but I’m sure forgiveness will be forthwith once the reason for the jolly outburst was known...

[johneunson]

this was a great series. geraldine mcewan at her very best. the episode when lucia and mapp get swept out to sea was one of the funniest things i have seen. thank you so much for posting this.

[BaroqueJazzPlays]

@johneunson I do love them all, even “Lucia in Wartime” by Tom Holt. I will post more up, starting with the first episode - but also clips from the radio recordings read by Geraldine McEwan, Nadia May and Prunella Scales. It's a shame they didn't carry on the 'Lucia Progress' is even 'Miss Mapp'.

[johneunson]

@BaroqueJazzPlays you know holt did 2 lucia books? i cannot recall the title, but 'lucia triumphant stays in me brain.

[BaroqueJazzPlays]

@johneunson - Yes, he did Lucia in War Time and Lucia Triumphant. General census is that the latter is the better of the two books, but personally I like ‘Lucia in War Time’.

[MrTonyInchpractice]

her bridge- the game, that is.

haven't read the stories yet. when i finally do i shall read them aloud :)

[johneunson]

@BaroqueJazzPlays it was lucia and her ration book that made me laugh.