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9. Storm

The storms of King Lear and Turner and others. Alexandra Harris tells the story of the weather鈥檚 role in our cultural life.

Alexandra Harris tells the story of how the weather has written and painted itself into the cultural life of Britain. An island at sea - the storms of King Lear and Turner and others.

Any storm has its drama.

The poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, like his contemporary Turner, knew the particular exhilaration of them. Blowing in from the Bristol Channel, the gales are funnelled into the bowl of heathland known as the Valley of the Rocks, where they beat around furiously, trying to get free.

Coleridge wanted to be in the midst of this great weather theatre, opening himself to its energy, feeling its effects on his skin, his nerves, his imagination.

Music by Jon Nicholls.

Producer: Tim Dee

First broadcast on 成人快手 Radio 4 in May 2016.

Available now

15 minutes

Last on

Thu 6 Jun 2024 09:30

Clip

Broadcasts

  • Thu 19 May 2016 13:45
  • Thu 6 Jun 2024 09:30

Weather animations

Watch a series of charming films about our historical relationship with the weather.