Monday, May 2, 2011

Mary, marriage, monarchy, liberty, and the Undead

A couple of days ago much of central London was closed off for public celebrations of private vows. Mary Wollstonecraft had plenty to say on matrimony and republicanism, only touched on by her audacious comaparison: "The divine right of husbands, like the divine right of kings, may, it is hoped, in this enlightened age, be contested without danger." She didn't have that much to say about zombies, though: perhaps it was her personal trauma, dealt with earlier, that left her mute on the subject.

A tweet-up of zombies was due to meet on Friday morning, in bridal regalia, for some street theatre, or thereagain perhaps just a picnic; nobody really seemed to know. Some got arrested while drinking tea in Starbuck's. There's an overview here, for those interested.

Would Mary have disapproved of these young Londoners' attention to hair, dress, and make-up, or would she have delighted in the playfulness of remaking one's identity? Certainly she would not have approved of the state's humourless heavy-handedness.

1 comment:

  1. Well, you know what I think about Mary's attitude to zombies... But she would have had a field day with the royal wedding I think!

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