The Queens Gambit - Tumblr Posts
The class politics, founded on an idealization of making it from rags to riches, also sit rather oddly with some of the Cold War tropes at work here. Beth is constantly spending time trying to find funds to attend tournaments, especially the one in Moscow. Only an anti-communist church organization is willing to send her there in exchange for publicly announcing her Christian beliefs and anti-communism, whereas the State Department won’t fund her but wants to surveil her.
In contrast, the Soviet chess players didn’t have to fundraise. They are portrayed as a society of suit-wearing poshos honing their craft in gorgeous buildings — we are also told that these players had been learning since they were four, thus framing chess as an elite pastime. This is counterposed to an American queer orphan who had been fighting her whole life to get to that table. The show thus weaponizes disenfranchised identities in the United States to cast the Soviet players as having had it easy.
In a way, they did, but only insofar as the awesome surroundings put on display here reflect the original experiment in “luxury communism.” Far from Soviet players being aristocratic, here the very things that the bourgeoisie enjoyed in imperial Russia were given to the proletariat to be enjoyed as well. For the USSR also insisted on the importance of bringing high culture to the masses — including opera, ballet, literature, sports, health resorts, chess, and so on.
One of the American chess players comments to Beth, “You should see where the Russians play, while we have to play in this small college.” Well, there was a reason for that. Those beautiful buildings used for chess were either palaces expropriated from the nobility or newly built halls.
In the final scene, the show tells us the real workers are outside playing chess in the streets — and the final episode even ends with Beth escaping her State Department chaperone to play with them. So, it seems that she is quitting the Cold War, and joining chess players outside who seem a lot like her janitor friend, Shaibel.
Yet, if Beth is unwilling to be part of the Cold War, in many ways the entire show perpetuates it. All these details set up the moral authority of the American girl over the Soviets. Though the barbs against the Soviet Union are usually more or less subtle, the swipe at Nona Gaprindashvili as being a woman chess player who never faced men was not. Once again, the real progress for women in the Soviet Union is simply ignored or derided in favor of “girlboss” feminism from the United States.
qrow branwen, patrick melrose, beth harmon, sherlock holmes, klaus hargreeves, jameson hawthorne... my god something is so inherently wrong with me.
does anybody know of any more? pretty please, i need a new obsession :>
the girlies reading
Finished watching The Queen’s Gambit. All the environment there is so pretty. <3
Right so this is my face/voice claim for Ms Terry
(Beth Harmon from the Queens Gambit on Netflix)
I made a silly little edit of her.
The Queen's Gambit
By: Walter Tevis
Pages: 243
Official synopsis:
The Queen's Gambit is a 1983 American novel by Walter Tevis, exploring the life of fictional female chess prodigy Beth Harmon. A bildungsroman, or coming-of-age story, it covers themes of adoption, feminism, chess, drug addiction and alcoholism. The book was adapted for the 2020 Netflix miniseries of the same name.
Book warnings:
Drug abuse, alcohol abuse, smoking, child abuse/neglect, self-harm, suicide, sexism (tell me if I missed anything)
My review:
9.9/10. Wonderful book, amazing story, amazing characters, just straight amazing!
No typos (again, that I found)!
@mylordcheezer has technically given me permission to rant, so here it is.
1. James and Sirius would so watch h2o because it’s almost like their animagus, as in they turn into mermaids and they have to hide it. Also, the fact that’s they would be outcast by society if they revealed their secret would remind them of Remus (also Emma Cleo and Ricky go a bit loopy on full moons and they have to hide from the moon and other people, almost like the shrieking shack). Mostly they would watch it just for funsies tho
2. (Kinda spoilers for s1 young royals) Regulus would relate to Wilhelm, they both grew up as the “spare” but then when their older brothers left/died, they suddenly became the important one. They also both had to hide their queerness. Also, regulus would totally learn Swedish and become fluent in it. (Also, he always has captions on because he can’t hear it if the captions aren’t on. I’m totally not saying that because it’s how I watch stuff)
3. I fully believe that James would have read the heartstopper comics before the show came out, and Sirius would be a “heartstopper is cringe” girlie, until James forced him to watch it. Then he would be OBSESSED. I’m talking, reading all the comics, buying them, watching the show on repeat, starting a whole fan account, the whole lot. Also, he’d tease James about the fact that hes nick and regulus is Charlie.
4. Evan and barty would binge heartbreak high in one night, idk why they would like it so much, it just gives off their vibes. Bartys favourite character would be Harper and evans would be ca$h
5. Dorcas would LOVE the chilling adventures of Sabrina because like, it’s witchy and stuff, idk it just gives off her vibes, she would laugh about how wrong they were about witchcraft though. And gossip girl, I actually haven’t watched it so I don’t really know, but my friend said it kinda gave of dorcas vibes and I can see it so yah
6. Omg lily and Mary just give off Gilmore girl vibes. Mary would love Lorelei and lily would love sookie, like so much. They would both be like, edward Cullen level obsessed. And gossip girl, they’d watch that because dorcas put them onto it and they’d have weekly picnics to discuss it.
7. I feel like lily would just relate to Anne, like, I don’t really have a reason behind this one, lily just gives cottagecore girlie vibes
8. Pandora would watch the good place because it’s kinda like upbeat but also really dark and twisted, which is kinda like her. Like I see pandora as being really light and kinda loopy and stuff but she has really dark interests.
9. Pandora and regulus would so watch umbrella academy together, again, it’s kinda dark and a bit out there so obviously they’d both love it. Regulus would relate to viktor, because they both feel out of place in their families. Pandora would try to guess what’s gonna happen next and she’d be eerily right every time.
10. Peter and Sirius’s friendship is silly and I see it as childish in the best way possible, so they’d watch teen titans religiously. Sirius would LOVE starfire (idk why but I just think he would) and Peter would be obsessed with beast boy or robin.
11. Remus would watch shadow and bone for the six of crows parts. He wouldn’t be obsessed with the shadow and bone parts, but with six of crows? YES. He obviously would have read the books (the shadow and bone trilogy and the six of crows duology). He would relate so much to kaz, because they both feel like they aren’t deserving of love and that they shouldn’t love someone because it makes them vulnerable. Also, they both grew up kinda having to fend for themselves. Ok so derry girls, I think he’d just watch it for fun, it would be something he can watch to take his mind off things. I also think that Erin, Orla, Michelle and Clare would remind him of the marauders
12. Marlene would watch atypical for Casey, like Casey would be the reason she watched the show. And I also think she’d just watch kinda shitty shows just because she can. Like Kath and Kim (which is the best show ever made). She would love Kath and Sharon, just because they’re icons. That’s it really
13. James and regulus would watch the end of the f***ing world and I am not okay with this because James would want to watch something with his boyfriend, and even though he’s not as interested in the supernatural/dark sides of the shows, he sees how happy it makes regulus, and that makes it all worth it. Honestly, he’d spend the whole time looking at regulus
14. Regulus and Remus’ friendship gives me life, so naturally I have to have a show that they watch together, which is the queens gambit. Tbh I haven’t watched it, but I just feel like they would both like it.
15. I KNOW THIS IS A NEW ONE BUT I HAD TO ADD IT. Sirius would watch young royals so he could have something to talk about with regulus.
Ok that’s the end of my rambles, that was really great because none of my friends care about the marauders, so dumping my thoughts on random internet people is my next best option. Enjoy 😉.
Tv shows I think people from the marauders era would watch:
James and Sirius: H2o (and they’d fucking love very minute of it)
Regulus: Young Royals
Sirius and James (yes again, because I can): heartstopper
Evan and Barty: Heartbreak high (the new one)
Dorcas: the chilling adventures of Sabrina/gossip girl
Lily and Mary: Gilmore girls/ gossip girl (they’d talk about it with dorcas)
Lily: Anne with an E
Pandora: the good place
Pandora and regulus: umbrella academy
Peter and Sirius: teen titans go
Remus: shadow and bone (he’s obviously read the books first tho)/ derry girls
Marlene: atypical/sex education/ Kath and Kim
James and regulus: the end of the f***ing world/I am not ok with this
Regulus and Remus: the queens gambit
I HAVE REALLY DETAILED EXPLANATIONS TO ALL OF THESE BUT THEYRE REALLY LONG AND RAMBLY SO IM LEAVING THEM OUT
An Introduction
Hello, this is sort of a basic introduction of me, and what this blog will upload. Obviously I will branch out further with time, as I change as a person, yet currently I would like to grab the right blogger's attention -
I am pearl, I am a very curious academic person and always open to learning new things. I want to start uploading on Tumblr to discuss my Interests with like minded people - I don't have many friends in my day to day life, and even fewer that I share my academic Interests with, so I'd be thrilled for people to interact with my blog.
She / Her | Queer | Marxist | Academic
Interests;
Literature; More specifically, Classics and Gothic. I find stories that examine the human condition to be very interesting! If you have suggestions for novels, I encourage you to leave me some.
Art; I sketch almost daily. I love the romantic period and Oil paintings in general..
Tv; I like philosophical movies and ones about girlhood. Also dark academia.
Favorites;
Artist; Lana del Rey
Novel; The Secret History
Movie; Heathers (1989)
I intend to upload my daily observations, opinions of Novels and other media, Communist content, and thoughts about my Academic interests - Classical literature and the Torah. This'll be my corner and if you'd like, you're welcome to stay.
Stay yourself, stay curious
I have been learning Russian for two and a half months ("I wanna read Dostoyevsky in the original" - the queen's gambit) and it's such a simple language, apart from the pronouns.
Pronouns are horrible in Russian :(
Stay yourself, stay curious
the feminine urge to become Beth Harmon
icons makeup, hair ect.
• like or reblog if you save
• like or reblog if you save
• like or reblog if you save
Tear-filled Thursdays || The Queen's Gambit (2020) Review
Tear-filled Thursdays || The Queen’s Gambit (2020) Review
I know this came late but I have been meaning to publish this review alongside with others since last year. I have a list, albeit it’s a small one, of both miniseries and films from Netflix that caught my heart and mind to a certain point that I wanted to write a review about them in my blog. I added a category called Books to Screen which is about shows, tv series, tv episodes, and films that…
View On WordPress
i felt this in my soul
Good morning to those who binge watched The Queen’s Gambit in one sitting, those who can’t stop thinking about Anya Joy-Taylor’s Cupid’s bow, those who ship Bethny, those who wish Jolene had more screentime, those who wish Alma was their mother, those who watched the show because of a once crippling obsession with Newt and missed simping over Thomas Brodie-Sangster, those who wished they lived in the 60s because of the costumes in the show, those who would kill for Jolene’s happiness, those who (if they had the chance) would down those attractive little green and blue pills, those who believe Jolene and Beth are girlfriends, those who need a season two ASAP, and good morning to those who would bone Benny Watts in a heartbeat.