Volume 2 Cover, The Saga Continues: Any Comments?

Just thought I'd keep you updated as to the INSTITUTIONALISED volume 2 cover progress. I have now made some changes to the front cover and have started work on the back cover. I'm going to take a break now to write up / transcribe some of the stuff I wrote in the pub on Monday.

A Provisional Cover for INSTITUTIONALISED Volume 2

Looking absolutely nothing like my hand-drawn layout guide (and barely related to it - click to view) here is what I would describe as a first-draft-provisional-cover for INSTITUTIONALISED volume 2. Basically what happened was, I had had such a 'skin-full' last night that I couldn't face writing anything. So I started messing around with The Gimp (a Linux-based PhotoShop clone) and this is the result - it needs further attention but I thought I'd run it up the flagpole and see who salutes. Translation from the 'management-speak: Comments please...

A Blog and a Film to Check Out

If you enjoy institutional discipline/punishment (and who doesn't) you might like to check out http://rohrstockpalast.blogspot.com/ (See the sidebar blog list or click on pic or blog name to visit). Meanwhile, I'm back from the coast and getting on with volume 2 - just to give you an update...I was in Hampstead last night (The Flask) and I just might be found in either the The Turnpike, Sprouter's Corner or Alfred Herring later today - all North London Weatherspoon pubs (might even make it to the Southgate Weatherspoons - who knows?).

.....

The pic on the right I found on the same blog (I think) and just couldn't resist. It's the the knickers-on-hooks thing - look to the right of the drawing. What a wonderfully humiliating little piece of discipline that is...for a girl to have to leave her knickers hanging in full view on entering the classroom (of course I would have them left carefully folded on their desks in front of them, gusset outermost).

A new Post

Hi!
I have just made a new post but because part of it was drafted last week (the silly drawing) it has come up as if posted last Wednesday and so it has been positioned as the posting before last. Take a look coz it includes a contribution posted in.

The Gymslip: The Governess's Choice Every time

After reading the comment / contribution I featured in my last posting I came upon an anonymous comment posted on my entry entitled "The Perfect Gymslip?" (click to view post if you haven't already) simply stating :"Love the work. Long live the gymslip!"

In the context of the last posting and taking inspiration from some of that anonymous benefactor's ideas as regards rear buttoning garments in particular, and the question of discipline in general, I started asking my self the question: just what would constitute the perfect gymslip in the eyes of our governess or institutional mistress?

The first question I suppose has to be; why the gymslip? I think the answer there lies in the distance between it and most everyday garb a young adult might chose to wear - always assuming that she has any choice in the matter of course. After all general speaking; a skirt is a skirt is a skirt - but a gymslip instantly shouts; juvenile. It is an anachronistic thing to boot and being a full-length garment has a far greater scope for imaginative stylistic refinements - the open-sided bodice style, that I personally would favour, in particular as there is much scope there to work there with different yoke shapes as well as shoulder-strap widths, lengths and buttoning arrangements. Talking about the latter leads to the first refinement I could imagine our governess incorporating.

.....

The traditional fastening would be by two or three in-row buttons along the top of each shoulder strap but I have seen the buttons running across at a point around a quarter of the way down the front of each shoulder strap - which of course eases the chore of fastening and unfastening in the case of the young child. But our governess is, of course, in charge of recalcitrant young adult women - a pair of young ladies, say, in dire need of strict discipline and unlikely to take kindly to the imposition of uniform as it is, let alone to be enamoured with their new gymslips. The imaginative governess surely would have created for her charges a pretty little confection with a row of three buttons to fasten each shoulder strap, but sited running across each at around a quarter of the way down the rear of the strap. Very, very fiddly and extremely difficult to fasten and unfasten unaided - how galling!

.....

The second thought that comes to mind is one of practicality. In an institution practicality and functionality may well be considered to be paramount, with the fabric choice being influenced accordingly: easy care, easy to clean, perhaps by simply sponging down , hard wearing fabric etc. But I would think that any governess worth her salt and deeply steeped in the subject of discipline, would actually be more likely to go for the diametrically opposite qualities, if giving careful though to a suitable uniform - or uniforms - for the young women under her supervision. Consider; a fussy design, as difficult and troublesome in dressing as in wearing. A myriad sharp knife-pleats decorate a skirt of a fabric guaranteed to require ironing on a daily basis. The fabric chosen particularly because it is known to crease extremely easily - perhaps it scuffs and marks easily as well. If stockings are worn then surely they would be of extremely fine denier, anything but run-resistant and of course seamed. It goes without saying that dress inspections would be frequent, long and tedious and the slightest crease, stain, button misplaced or left unfastened, would result in sever hard strokes of the cane. Likewise crooked seams or (horror of horrors) a ladder in that expensive but delicate hosiery. Needless to say that a creased skirt would be near impossible to avoid with the utmost care in sitting - and of most relevance to the anonymous contributor mentioned in the last posting - necessitating the absolute minimum of fidgeting throughout the seemingly endless schoolroom day. Then we come to thoughts of suitable underwear, of which more another time...but just imagine semi-transparent knickers, in a suitable colour to match the uniform, as an interesting diversion from the obvious...just look at the pic, above left, and imagine this under a suitably abbreviated pleated skirt. Then there is the possibility of combining this feature with traditional school knickers style, full, high-waisted, nice broad leg elastics - all very traditional...until we get to the gusset.

.....

Well, that's it for now, Tomorrow I'm off to Broadstairs (a little town on the Kent coast in south-east England) where I shall be until Monday. I'll be taking my trusty pad and pen so I can put together those last little niggling details of volume 2 (I need to come up with a suitably vivid description of a British woman police officer's uniform - don't ask why...I wont tell you - coz it would give too much away...and then you might jump to conclusions). I also hope to come up with some ideas / make some decisions for the blog and/or the upcoming discussion board/website I have planned. Talking of blog posts: I am going to begin a small series through which those that are interested can watch the evolution of the INSTITUTIONALISED volume 2 book cover - starting with the hand drawn layout guide I have come up with (created in the pub, of course - a real mess). I have to apologise if today's effort seems a little error prone, perhaps a bit of a mess, disjointed or just plain rambling nonsense. I have been writing all day and it is now the early hours of the morning - and I have to get up early too! PS: Just to keep you all up to date: volume 2 is currently standing at 221 pages completed.

Can You Guess What it is Yet: Prelim Cover Layout Part 1 & A Blog Comment / Contribution

Hi folks. I am still at the seaside (Broadstairs, Kent) and will remain so until Tuesday most probably, so I did not plan to make a posting. However, as I have been talked into helping setup a home computer network; here I am. As it turns out an anonymous contributor has left a comment on the post "A Well Deserved Regime?" (Click to read the original posting) so as is my custom I have re-posted it below. Other than a bit of spell checking it is as sent to me. I also though you could do with a laugh, and so I thought I’d provide you with a little bit of insight as to how I go about things. In this case, I am talking about the cover design for volume 2. Call it ‘An anatomy of a cover’ if you will, but as I said in my last posting I am going to put up the development of the cover design step by step as it evolves. Up on the left is the very first biro scribble to that end. Not much to look at and looking like a pissed spider has staggered through a pool of red ink; but this is the prelim layout guide and amazing as it may seem, tells me the relative position of the various picture elements that will go to make up the final design. I know; it looks like a kid drew it - but I was somewhat inebriated...and in any case, it will all come out ok in the wash, so to speak (Remember; it is only a layout guide)

Now back to anonymous posting. Remember none of the following is my work and it has little to do with the INSTITUTIONALISED storyline – but it does have a lot to do with discipline, so read on…

“ I think that the discipline which you have imposed on Judith is very appropriate given her poor behavior and there would be fewer problems generally if others followed your example. In the US individuals like this used to be dealt with by their parents or if not by a stay on the County Farm. Many errant young girls benefited from being back in a uniform being educated in a disciplined environment and made to perform arduous labor with frequent application of the switch to guide them. Although Judith’s regime is less severe, it is certainly of the right nature and I think there are several ways in which the punishment could be increased in severity - and imposition of these changes for no particular reason will I am sure help to further underline to Judith the deservedly isolated and powerless position she has earned herself. I would suggest firstly that, assuming the wearing of these woolen items is both humiliating, because they are like a school uniform (color, etc.) and physically uncomfortable to wear, that she should wear her cardigan, jacket (including mitts) at all times in addition to her existing uniform. Next toilet visits should be limited to one per day, at a time of your choice. If she wets her knickers then the punishment should be very severe including time using a bucket and no toilet in addition to the other punishments, which you quite rightly impose for even much more minor misdemeanors. Eating meat is a privilege and I would limit this to no more than 2 or 3 times per week. For someone who has continued to lie like your niece mouth washing should be at least daily if not twice daily. In addition, you might like to consider the regular dispensing of castor oil to her. I quite agree with your incorporation of corporal punishment into her regime, but would suggest she is given a spanking every Sunday in front of your guests. This should be long and hard, given her age, so that she feels not only the humiliation but also severe pain. To accentuate the pain her two hours of vigorous exercise should follow immediately afterwards. I would also like to suggest that, now she has completed 2 months of this regime, you tell her of the severity and longevity of the next stages so as to remove any hope she may have of much improved conditions in the future. I would assume she would be kept at least 2 more years in some form of uniform.”

As you probably realize this contribution is addressed to Judith’s aunt (Judith being another past contributor).

Meanwhile while I’m here I am making the most of the lack of distractions to continue refining the last few parts of INSTITUTIONALISED volume 2 and I have to report it is well on track for publication mid-March

See Y’all

Gath

Restrictive Clothing and Cramped School Desks

A while ago I received an emailed comment from an anonymous reader, to whom I must apologise for not getting to it sooner, regarding restrictive discipline clothing. As usual I have run it through the good old spell checker, but unusually I have also carried out a little bit of editing - not because there was anything wrong with it as it stood, but rather because I enjoyed the ideas presented and couldn't resist embellishing it a bit. Also it led me to think more about a prospective governess's thought processes if presenting her take on a school uniform suitable for a young lady continuing her education in somewhat private circumstances (see next post)...now read on...

"Dear Garth, I read your blog of February 16th with great pleasure. Restrictive clothing has always been a favorite of mine, underwear especially. What can be more restrictive than a tight corset? I am all for the inclusion of a long chapter with a number of girls in a classroom where the (stated) goal of the experiment is to study the influence of “proper dress” on learning. Of course the girls as they sit in the classroom cannot forget for a minute their appearance. Be it the tight constricting, lace-up oxford shoes; sized far too small and that hobble them, imprisoning their feet so tightly that nothing can move inside. Walking in these shoes is painful; sitting in the classroom is the only way to alleviate the pain. But then the corset takes over, as it has been equally carefully designed to dig into the pubic bone and under the arm when sitting. The back garters are positioned so that it is impossible not to sit on them and not leave their imprint on their skin - with time, angry red marks develop.

The stockings are support stockings or wool or maybe both just to keep warm in the winter or summer! The backboard, integral to their corsetry ensures that there can be no stooping in the classroom - or anywhere else for that matter. I like the idea of a smock or tunic, back buttoned and with a starched cotton blouse underneath and a high tight collar, also buttoned in the back; the girls can help each other dress up in the morning… I could go on and on, suffice it to say that the idea gets my vote."

Yes and yours would get mine too... Especially if they are crammed into the typical Victorian schoolroom desk-and-seat combo or some modern variant. The most interesting point about that type of design is that...in actuality it is so poor when it comes adaptability. Even in its original for it was designed to accommodate comfortably only a narrow size range - and of course the pupil has no control over the relative positions of the desk and chair, there can be no slovenly swing back on the chair or twisting nonchalantly to one side or the other and facing outwards with legs crossed...or even crossing the legs under the desk if the design has been engineered correctly. In short it is that very lack of flexibility that makes the Victorian schoolroom desk so amenable to enforcing the standards required for the imposition of strict discipline - it represents a little more of the aspect of personal choice rested away from the governess's charge.

.....

In the context of the above writer's ideas; the incorporation of such furnishings into the schoolroom when dealing with girls in their late teens or even early twenties, especially if scant regard has been paid to their physical maturity, would be the icing on the cake, so to speak. I have rustled up a couple of suitable pics (above) to illustrate what we are talking about here : if you imagine such a design having been realised in a tough white molded plastic, all smoothly-curving lines but otherwise just as restrictive (perhaps more so, having been especially put together for that very purpose) then you have something of the atmosphere of the schoolroom depicted in INSTITUTIONALISED volume 1.

.....

There is scope here for further refinement of course: for example the chair back (straight-backed of course) could be increased in height as far as the back of the girl's head to enforce a correctly alert and disciplined posture and restrain her from stretching and throwing back the head in an unladylike manner.

.....

On the other hand the chair could be reduced to the dimensions of a narrow bench seat and her posture be maintained by discipline (and the fear of the cane) alone. But then, of course, one looses that cramped feeling of restraint - and I do think that the desk edge should fit snugly against the midriff at all times, with the girl's hands kept where the governess or schoolmistress can see them; above the desk and demurely clasped or kept flat with palms uppermost (my choice!) when not writing. I think that I would recommend a combination of aspects of the two approaches: a high straight back to the chair but the seat itself reduced to a narrow bench, little more than a perch, and a gap between the two sufficient for the swell of her bottom cheeks to protrude. Very uncomfortable, very humiliating.