Turtle Diary - Revision history

Eb: /* Great Water-Beetle, Dysticus marginalis */

2026-11-09T00:06:45Z

Great Water-Beetle, Dysticus marginalis

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:06, 8 November 2026
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	=== Great Water-Beetle, ''Dysticus marginalis'' ===		=== Great Water-Beetle, ''Dysticus marginalis'' ===

	Also known as the great diving beetle. ([https://www.~~smithsonianchannel~~.com/~~video/series/macro-worlds/67226~~ A Smithsonian video with footage of it swimming])		Also known as the great diving beetle. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hwqja6FWUzA A Smithsonian video with footage of it swimming])

	=== Laura Ashley dresses ===		=== Laura Ashley dresses ===

Eb: /* her Postal Savings book */

2026-10-15T19:14:20Z

her Postal Savings book

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:14, 15 October 2026
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	=== her Postal Savings book ===		=== her Postal Savings book ===

	Like many countries (including the US until 1966), the UK ~~offers~~ personal savings accounts through the Post Office.		Like many countries (including the US until 1966), the UK offered personal savings accounts through the Post Office. In 1969, this system was moved to the Treasury Department, but was still referred to informally as "postal savings" and continued to use a similar style of account book until the 2000s.<ref>{{cite article\|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/3451555.stm\|title=R.I.P. Post Office Savings Account\|publication=BBC News\|pub-date=February 2004}}</ref> The current system is {{wp\|National Savings and Investments}}.

	== Chapter 51 ==		== Chapter 51 ==

Eb: /* something called Original Therapy */

2026-10-07T17:23:56Z

something called Original Therapy

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:23, 7 October 2026
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	=== something called Original Therapy ===		=== something called Original Therapy ===

	This isn't as far as I know a direct depiction of any actual New Age practice at the time, but the idea of changing your ~~breathing~~ to induce an altered state, and thereby making contact with some kind of preconscious experience, may have been inspired by Leonard Orr's version of {{wp\|Breathwork (New Age)\|"breathwork"}}. Orr's idea of "rebirthing" is more specifically referenced later when a character is shown "doing a natal".		This isn't as far as I know a direct depiction of any actual New Age practice at the time, but the idea of changing your breath (or in this case having it squeezed out of you) to induce an altered state, and thereby making contact with some kind of preconscious experience, may have been inspired by Leonard Orr's version of {{wp\|Breathwork (New Age)\|"breathwork"}}. Orr's idea of "rebirthing" is more specifically referenced later when a character is shown "doing a natal".

	The Original Therapy scene was sadly—but not surprisingly, since it's a much broader comic setpiece than anything else in the book—omitted in both adaptations of ''Turtle Diary''.		The Original Therapy scene was sadly—but not surprisingly, since it's a much broader comic setpiece than anything else in the book—omitted in both adaptations of ''Turtle Diary''.

Eb: /* God's going to step in and put things to right in a couple of years .... We've been interested in the year 1975 for some time */

2026-10-07T17:21:58Z

God's going to step in and put things to right in a couple of years .... We've been interested in the year 1975 for some time

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:21, 7 October 2026
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	=== God's going to step in and put things to right in a couple of years .... We've been interested in the year 1975 for some time ===		=== God's going to step in and put things to right in a couple of years .... We've been interested in the year 1975 for some time ===

	Assuming the novel takes place [[#An_important_witness_in_the_current_American_government_scandal\|in an earlier year]], this is ~~a true~~ description of {{wp\|Unfulfilled Watch Tower Society predictions#1975:_The_worldwide_jubilee\|multiple statements in Jehovah's Witness publications}} beginning in the late '60s. As with many religious groups whose apocalyptic predictions did not come true, membership in the Jehovah's Witnesses dropped after 1975 but did not disappear, and the predictions were moved forward.		Assuming the novel takes place [[#An_important_witness_in_the_current_American_government_scandal\|in an earlier year]], this is an accurate description of {{wp\|Unfulfilled Watch Tower Society predictions#1975:_The_worldwide_jubilee\|multiple statements in Jehovah's Witness publications}} beginning in the late '60s. As with many religious groups whose apocalyptic predictions did not come true, membership in the Jehovah's Witnesses dropped after 1975 but did not disappear, and the predictions were moved forward.

	== Chapter 23 ==		== Chapter 23 ==

Eb: /* the astronauts on Skylab-2 have got two spiders with them */

2026-10-07T17:21:23Z

the astronauts on Skylab-2 have got two spiders with them

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:21, 7 October 2026
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	=== the astronauts on Skylab-2 have got two spiders with them ===		=== the astronauts on Skylab-2 have got two spiders with them ===

	It was Skylab-3<ref>{{cite article\|author=Helmenstein, Anne Marie\|date=July 3, 2019\|title=Spiders in Space on Skylab 3\|url=https://www.thoughtco.com/spiders-in-space-on-skylab-3-606024\|publication=ThoughtCo\|accessed=January 31, 2021}}</ref> (although the numbers don't refer to different space stations, just a series of missions on the same station)~~, and~~ this is ~~more evidence (like the Watergate~~ reference~~) that either a good deal of~~ the ~~novel was written~~ in 1973 ~~or it takes place then~~.		It was Skylab-3<ref>{{cite article\|author=Helmenstein, Anne Marie\|date=July 3, 2019\|title=Spiders in Space on Skylab 3\|url=https://www.thoughtco.com/spiders-in-space-on-skylab-3-606024\|publication=ThoughtCo\|accessed=January 31, 2021}}</ref> (although the numbers don't refer to different space stations, just a series of missions on the same station); this is another reference placing the book [[#An_important_witness_in_the_current_American_government_scandal\|in 1973]].

	== Chapter 25 ==		== Chapter 25 ==

Eb: /* God's going to step in and put things to right in a couple of years .... We've been interested in the year 1975 for some time */

2026-10-07T17:19:25Z

God's going to step in and put things to right in a couple of years .... We've been interested in the year 1975 for some time

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:19, 7 October 2026
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	=== God's going to step in and put things to right in a couple of years .... We've been interested in the year 1975 for some time ===		=== God's going to step in and put things to right in a couple of years .... We've been interested in the year 1975 for some time ===

	~~Besides being more evidence that~~ the novel takes place ~~a couple of years before it was released~~, this is a true description of {{wp\|Unfulfilled Watch Tower Society predictions#1975:_The_worldwide_jubilee\|multiple statements in Jehovah's Witness publications}} beginning in the late '60s. As with many religious groups whose apocalyptic predictions did not come true, membership in the Jehovah's Witnesses dropped after 1975 but did not disappear, and the predictions were moved forward.		Assuming the novel takes place [[#An_important_witness_in_the_current_American_government_scandal\|in an earlier year]], this is a true description of {{wp\|Unfulfilled Watch Tower Society predictions#1975:_The_worldwide_jubilee\|multiple statements in Jehovah's Witness publications}} beginning in the late '60s. As with many religious groups whose apocalyptic predictions did not come true, membership in the Jehovah's Witnesses dropped after 1975 but did not disappear, and the predictions were moved forward.

	== Chapter 23 ==		== Chapter 23 ==

Eb: /* An important witness in the current American government scandal */

2026-10-07T17:17:46Z

An important witness in the current American government scandal

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:17, 7 October 2026
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	=== An important witness in the current American government scandal ===		=== An important witness in the current American government scandal ===

	Although ''Turtle Diary'' was published in 1975, ~~it's likely~~ that Hoban ~~was either writing this earlier and referring to~~ the ~~Watergate affair~~, or ~~just assuming~~ that ~~Watergate-type events~~ would be a ~~permanent fixture of US politics from then on~~. I'm not sure the specific quote William describes is real, but I'm guessing it's meant to be G. Gordon Liddy; it would be in character with Liddy's grandiosity and homophobia.		Although ''Turtle Diary'' was published in 1975, there are multiple remarks ([[#God.27s_going_to_step_in_and_put_things_to_right_in_a_couple_of_years_...._We.27ve_been_interested_in_the_year_1975_for_some_time\|Chapter 20]], [[#the_astronauts_on_Skylab-2_have_got_two_spiders_with_them\|Chapter 24]]) suggesting that Hoban wrote much of the novel in 1973, or at least that it takes place then.

			That would make this a {{wp\|Watergate scandal\|Watergate}} reference. I'm not sure the specific quote William describes is real, but I'm guessing it's meant to be G. Gordon Liddy; it would be in character with Liddy's grandiosity and homophobia.

	== Chapter 16 ==		== Chapter 16 ==

Eb: /* We've been interested in the year 1975 for some time */

2026-10-07T17:12:18Z

We've been interested in the year 1975 for some time

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:12, 7 October 2026
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	This bilingual pun probably isn't etymologically accurate. Shark in French is "requin", which sounds a little like "requiem", and "requiem" comes from "to rest" in Latin. But it's not clear that the words really are related; "requin" is thought to be from a different word that means showing your teeth.		This bilingual pun probably isn't etymologically accurate. Shark in French is "requin", which sounds a little like "requiem", and "requiem" comes from "to rest" in Latin. But it's not clear that the words really are related; "requin" is thought to be from a different word that means showing your teeth.

	=== We've been interested in the year 1975 for some time ===		=== God's going to step in and put things to right in a couple of years .... We've been interested in the year 1975 for some time ===

	Besides being more evidence that the novel takes place a couple of years before it was released, this is a true description of {{wp\|Unfulfilled Watch Tower Society predictions#1975:_The_worldwide_jubilee\|multiple statements in Jehovah's Witness publications}} beginning in the late '60s. As with many religious groups whose apocalyptic predictions did not come true, membership in the Jehovah's Witnesses dropped after 1975 but did not disappear, and the predictions were moved forward.		Besides being more evidence that the novel takes place a couple of years before it was released, this is a true description of {{wp\|Unfulfilled Watch Tower Society predictions#1975:_The_worldwide_jubilee\|multiple statements in Jehovah's Witness publications}} beginning in the late '60s. As with many religious groups whose apocalyptic predictions did not come true, membership in the Jehovah's Witnesses dropped after 1975 but did not disappear, and the predictions were moved forward.

Eb: /* Chapter 20 */

2026-10-07T17:10:32Z

Chapter 20

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:10, 7 October 2026
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	This bilingual pun probably isn't etymologically accurate. Shark in French is "requin", which sounds a little like "requiem", and "requiem" comes from "to rest" in Latin. But it's not clear that the words really are related; "requin" is thought to be from a different word that means showing your teeth.		This bilingual pun probably isn't etymologically accurate. Shark in French is "requin", which sounds a little like "requiem", and "requiem" comes from "to rest" in Latin. But it's not clear that the words really are related; "requin" is thought to be from a different word that means showing your teeth.

			=== We've been interested in the year 1975 for some time ===

			Besides being more evidence that the novel takes place a couple of years before it was released, this is a true description of {{wp\|Unfulfilled Watch Tower Society predictions#1975:_The_worldwide_jubilee\|multiple statements in Jehovah's Witness publications}} beginning in the late '60s. As with many religious groups whose apocalyptic predictions did not come true, membership in the Jehovah's Witnesses dropped after 1975 but did not disappear, and the predictions were moved forward.

	== Chapter 23 ==		== Chapter 23 ==

Eb: /* The Man in the Zoo */

2026-10-06T04:06:28Z

The Man in the Zoo

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:06, 5 October 2026
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	=== ''The Man in the Zoo'' ===		=== ''The Man in the Zoo'' ===

	The 1924 ''New York Times'' review of this novella called it "delightful" and described its theme like so: "a man lives side by side with lower animals, and appears not wholly to advantage."<ref>{{cite article\|date=June 15, 1924\|title=David Garnett Displays Modern Man in a London Zoo\|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1924/06/15/101602000.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0\|publication=New York Times}}</ref>		The 1924 ''New York Times'' review of this novella called it "delightful" and described its theme like so: "a man lives side by side with lower animals, and appears not wholly to advantage."<ref>{{cite article\|date=June 15, 1924\|title=David Garnett Displays Modern Man in a London Zoo\|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1924/06/15/101602000.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0\|publication=New York Times Book Review}}</ref>

	=== The turtle in Lear's ''Yonghy-Bonghy-Bò'' looks like a hawksbill in the drawing ===		=== The turtle in Lear's ''Yonghy-Bonghy-Bò'' looks like a hawksbill in the drawing ===