Saturday, July 23, 2005

Robin Goodfellow

Robin Goodfellow

Original caption in Flickr.com ran as follows:

PUCK, generally called Hobgoblin. Same as Robin Goodfellow. Shakespeare, in 'Midsummer Night's Dream' represents him as " a very Shetlander among the gossamer-winged, dainty limbed fairies, strong enough to knock all their heads together, a rough, knurly-limbed, fawn-faced, shock-pated, mischievous little urchin."

from E Cobholm Brewer - The Reader's Handbook. (1887)

And yes I 'cleaned' the little wart's teeth in PSP

.....................................

Another photographic failure.

The 'story' of this photograph is as follows. The boy had just finished his last day at his first school. His uniform shirt was stained beyond further use and we said when he got home he could rip it to shreds. He is a little upset at leaving his school and his friends (he is going to another out of our present catchement area) and a nervous at the prospect of going to the next one. This was one way of him dealing with the issue.

When I saw him with the shirt half torn I suggested that he put it on and so I could photograph him. We would try and transform the picture into the 'incredible hulk'. This was irristable to him as he spends his whole life (when he is not creating mayhem) writing, designing and drawing comics with his friend H.

Unfortunately the result was not successful. We got the 'Comic Book' effect but however hard you try he is only ever going to look like a mischievous eight year old. He may not be a beast but he has enough of the thug in him to remind me of Shakespeare's Puck though.

And the shirt? With the help of his mother it was burnt with great ceremony and ritual. A viking funeral for his first school days.


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