Referring to Written Impositions, a Link

Anonymous has left a new comment on the post "Keeping Grown Women in School Uniform..." (see last entry) but as much as anything referring to the delicious subject of written impositions (see for example the entry I posted on this subject back in September - Click HERE to read). He writes: "I hope in INSTITUTIONALISED volume 3 we will see the women kept terribly busy on mind-numbing tedious tasks such as copying out the entire Bible in their finest handwriting, or spending time doing lines and dictionary copying. The corner is god for a woman but she also needs to write for many hours a day. "

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Well, I can assure 'anonymous' that I have very many such tasks and impositions lined up for them. I have already said that I believe that in the context of the sort of institutionalised environment outlined in volumes 1 and 2 that such tasks as copying out a meaningful text such as the Bible would be deemed to embody too great an element of genuine educational value - ie they could well find interest and distraction in such a task. In such an environment some sort of dictation - to be taken down in their finest copperplate hand and the content of which they are obliged to learn verbatim despite it being nonsensical - is the order of the day. Although the term 'learning' is used here, the institution will of course have gone out of its way to ensure that there is no avenue through which anything might be gained of genuine educational benefit to the young ladies, or that might provide any relief from the tedium of the unit's strict disciplinary regime. It is for that reason that I endorse in the new book (the one that will fit between volumes two and three) the idea of their learning sets of deliberately incorrect and fabricated multiplication tables - they must concentrate fully on their task if they are to escape corporal punishment, thus they are denied the escape of daydream or fantasy in freeing them from the psychological impoverished environment of the 'schoolroom', yet benefit not one iota from the task. In the domestic setting to be outlined in volume 3, however, there is much scope for copying out suitably complex yet tedious texts, as suggested.

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All this has just reminded me; if such as above is your bag then you really must visit the 'Winterbrook Hall blog, that I have mentioned previously. There is the most fabulous piece of writing there - easily the best example of the use of written impositions, corporal punishment and schoolroom discipline I think I have ever read to date. Click HERE to visit / read. By the way; the image above right I have just been anonymously sent via email - origin unknown but it looks like another one of Thorn's to me, judging by the style.