#ae housman

The final series of Lewis will be airing in the US on PBS starting on August 7!  Here is my humble attempt to generate some enthusiasm for my favorite franchise of the Morseverse:  26 days, 26 brief but alphabetical reasons that this show deserves the praise of the interwebs!  Without further ado…

A is for A. E. Housman (1859-1936)!    

Housman was a favourite poet of Colin Dexter’s when it came to finding quotes for his novels, and the references continued into the televised Morse and Lewis.  The literary references are one of the things that make this show great, and Housman seems to annoy Robbie a lot less than bloody Shakespeare.  Who can forget Hathaway reciting part of A Shropshire Lad to Scarlet Mortmaigne?  (Of course she bedded him after that.  Who wouldn’t?)  Sure enough, when I didn’t understand a reference to something in Lewis, it usually came from Housman.  Down Among the Fearful, anyone?  There’s a title that had nothing to do with the episode, but you can’t go wrong with Housman.