COMPLETE Letters of Travel by Rudyard Kipling - kd

[tim bulkeley]

Letters of Travel by Rudyard Kipling (1865 - 1936) .

This project is now complete! All audio files can be found on our catalog page: http://librivox.org/letters-of-travel-by-rudyard-kipling/

Three books of travel writing (between them covering the USA, Canada, Japan and Egypt) by the Nobel Prize winning author of the Just So Stories and the Jungle Book. Rudyard Kipling (an Englishman born and raised in India) offers an interesting outsider's view of the places he visits, candid and sharp witted, yet with a deep humanity.

Letters of Travel comprises three books: From Tideway to Tideway 1892-95 contains pieces first published in the Times covering voyages across north America (USA and Canada) and in Japan; his Letters to the Family first appeared in the Morning Post, while Nash's Magazine was the first publisher of the articles (on Egypt and Sudan) in Egypt of the Magicians.

Kipling's observations are cast in a wry style that permits, as his work often does, different readings. The unsympathetic reader can hear a banal repetition of the patriarchal, racist and imperialist ideas of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century trotted out. (Or even in his characterisation of the Jewish power behind the pedlar in "The Face of the Desert" a suggestion of something worse.) A more nuanced reading will perceive an amused or wry smile in Kipling's remembering and the human sympathy that infuses all his writing. (US listeners should be warned that in Kipling's day "the N word" was in common use, and he therefore uses it naturally to describe people of Sub-Saharan African ancestry.)

A paragraph in the "letter" written on Kipling's arrival in Japan might serve as example. It closes: "The father-fisher has it by the pink hind leg, and this time it is tucked away, all but the top-knot, out of sight among umber nets and sepia cordage. Being an Oriental it makes no protest, and the boat scuds out to join the little fleet in the offing." With its flippant tone ("all but the top-knot"), impersonal reference ("it" rather than he or she) and use of racial terms ("Oriental") and stereotypes ("makes no protest") this can be presented as an example of the worst of Victorian Imperialist prejudice.

And yet... as the fisher family are introduced, not only was "the perfect order and propriety of the housekeeping" noted but mention was made of "a largish Japanese doll, price two shillings and threepence in Bayswater", which turns out to be a baby. At first glance this is merely another example of Western bigotry. Note however the words Kipling uses to show us that this is not in fact a doll: "The doll wakes, turns into a Japanese baby something more valuable than money could buy". The "Japanese doll" is a priceless human child and not a commodity to be bought in Bayswater.

Perhaps the prejudice is not so much on the surface of Kipling's writing as under the surface of the reader's presuppositions? Time and again wry observation turns the familiar world into something fresh, and reminds the reader of shared humanity with the strange and foreign people being observed. Kipling as a tourist is no mere gawker whether in strange yet familiar Yokohama or in foreign Vermont.

(Summary by Tim Bulkeley)

• Target completion date: 2012-Aug-01
• Text source (only read from this text!): http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/12089
• Type of proof-listening required (Note: please read the PL FAQ): standard (I don't think it needs "word perfect" but I hope you'll err on the fussy side please
  
  IMPORTANT - soloist, please note: in order to limit the amount of languishing projects (and hence the amount of files on our hard-pressed server), we ask that you post an update at least once a month in your project thread, even if you haven't managed to record anything. If we don't hear from you for three months, your project may be opened up to a group project if a Book Coordinator is found. Files you have completed will be used in this project. If you haven't recorded anything yet, your project will be removed from the forum (contact any admin to see if it can be re-instated).
  

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  Genres for the project:
  humor, literature, travel
  
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  To be completed later (after reading the book
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[tim bulkeley]

PS the book seems to be composed of three shorter works see: http://www.kipling.org.uk/bookmart_collects.htm#letters How should we distinguish these in the system, or should I do this as three works?

[KiltedDragon]

Hi Tim,

Since the edition you are reading from is actually one book, that is how we will treat it. You might want to make note of the 3 sections in your summary though.

I would suggest the following format for the introduction of the first section:
"Part 1, Letter 1 of Letters of Travel. This is a Librivox...etc, etc. Letters of Travel by Rudyard Kipling. From Tideway to Tideway. In Sight of Monadnock."

Then for subsequent sections:
"Part 1, Letter 2 of Letters of Travel by Rudyard Kipling. This Librivox recording is in the public domain." If you wish, say:
"Recording by [your name]". "From Tideway to Tideway. Across a Continent."

And so forth for the remaining letters with the next Part starting out as "Part 2, Letter 1...", etc.

At the end of each letter, "End of Part 1, Letter 1" or "End of In Sight of Monadnock", etc. I think either is acceptable; just pick one style or the other and use it for all of them.

[tim bulkeley]

Hi

Since the edition you are reading from is actually one book, that is how we will treat it. You might want to make note of the 3 sections in your summary though.

Will do

I would suggest the following format for the introduction of the first section:
"Part 1, Letter 1 of Letters of Travel. This is a Librivox...etc, etc. Letters of Travel by Rudyard Kipling. From Tideway to Tideway. In Sight of Monadnock."

Hmm... They are not presented as "parts 1-3" so how about:

"Book 1, Chapter 1 of Letters of Travel. This is a Librivox...etc, etc. Letters of Travel by Rudyard Kipling. From Tideway to Tideway. In Sight of Monadnock."

[KiltedDragon]

Book 1, Chapter 1 works just fine.

[tim bulkeley]

Chapter one is here: http://upload.librivox.org/share/uploads/kd/lettersoftravel_01_kipling.mp3

[midgecoates]

Tim,

If you're looking for a fussy DPL, I think I can handle the job!

Seriously, I'm in.

Midge

[tim bulkeley]

Thanks Midge. Yes, I'd prefer fussy, though not naturally accurate (quick and approximate is more my style) I would like the recordings to be accurate and as good as I can get them. A fussy PL helps with that, I had one who let mistakes through that I even spotted myself later I realise, from writing and editing work that no text is ever perfect, but glaring errors are annoying when the work is on Archive.org and so not open to correction - otherwise one of the great advantages of digital over print

Thanks again,

Tim

[tim bulkeley]

I'm uploading the second chapter, http://upload.librivox.org/share/uploads/kd/lettersoftravel_02_kipling.mp3 don't worry they won't usually come this fast, I'm enjoying a few days of half work, half holiday. I am too tired with all the fencing Richard and I did recently to get on with much heavy work, so LV rather than a new pig enclosure is getting the benefit

[midgecoates]

Tim,

Can you give me some parameters to work with? Obviously, repetitions, omissions, false starts, blatantly mis-read words need to be pointed out.

But what about more subtle things? I've done a preliminary listen to Ch. 1 and I notice that you sometimes omit or insert a word here or there. I usually ignore these types of things as long as they don't change the meaning of the text. An extra or missing "the", "and" or "very" doesn't matter to me. Does it to you?

Also, I notice that you modulate your voice to make the reading more interesting. Sometimes, though, the softer parts are hard to make out. I'm following along with the Project Gutenberg text, so I know what's being read, but someone listening might have a bit of trouble. On the other hand, though, usually the brain fills in the gaps with what it expects to go there. So how "strict" do you want me to be on the audibility issue?

Midge

[tim bulkeley]

But what about more subtle things? I've done a preliminary listen to Ch. 1 and I notice that you sometimes omit or insert a word here or there. I usually ignore these types of things as long as they don't change the meaning of the text. An extra or missing "the", "and" or "very" doesn't matter to me. Does it to you?

If you can note these things when you spot them I will try to correct them. Sometimes, though in my experience so far rarely, the correction will be so intrusive that it is better to leave the mistake, but usually a simple cut and paste will fix the issue. Usually I reread a phrase and paste it over...

Such mistakes are not "important" but I'd still rather get it right if I can

Also, I notice that you modulate your voice to make the reading more interesting. Sometimes, though, the softer parts are hard to make out. I'm following along with the Project Gutenberg text, so I know what's being read, but someone listening might have a bit of trouble. On the other hand, though, usually the brain fills in the gaps with what it expects to go there. So how "strict" do you want me to be on the audibility issue?

I think this is more important, if people may not be able to hear then there's no point in recording! So yes please point out such things. Whether it's lowered volume or that I've slurred some sounds, or whatever.

If it is more a matter of taste than audibility, e.g. you don't think the voice of a character is "right" or I have put stress in the wrong place, then I'd still be glad to hear and think about it, but it may be I'll disagree, or it may be too difficult to change...

So as much as you can manage to note I will try to correct or think about.

Basically I want to make recordings as good as we can, I don't think that because LV is volunteers we should be happy with second rate (though I accept we don't have professional studios to work in

Thanks

Tim

[midgecoates]

PL Notes on Ch. 1.

0:07 First word ("Book") is clipped off at beginning

3:18.5 "four engines together" is read as "four engineers together"

9:32.5 "now the wisdom of Vermont, *not being* at all times equal" is read as "now the wisdom of Vermont, *being* at all times equal";

14:42.75 "a quiet slow-spoken man", "slow" is read twice, presumably the first is a false start

**** 15:29.8: largish missing section: "ten-foot deep drift <pause /> and <missing section> taking short cuts by buried fences is worth the ankle-ache. The man from the West interpreted to me" </missing section> the signs on the snow"

17:45.8 "and my wings extended Touch the East and West" is read as "and my wings extended *Torch* the East and West" or possibly "and my wings extended *Towards* the East and West"

Midge

[tim bulkeley]

Thanks I'll get onto those. We have a weekend with family from both Auckland and also from Ireland here so it will probably be a few days.

[tim bulkeley]

Corrections done, thanks

Today is holiday and I have instructions not to do too much fencing, so I might get ch.3 read as well...

[tim bulkeley]

Chapter three recorded. I think I removed the sound of our cockrel who kept offering a background track