Expert: J Heuman - 10/24/2004

Question
Thank you for your answer to my PRB question. Here's another, not really in your line, but I asked a lady in the Latin section, and I'm not sold on her answer.

John Ruskin published "Fors Clavigera," a collection of papers addressed--apostrophically, I'm morally certain--to the working men of England. He also titled his autobiography "Praeterita."

I've forgotten whatever I learned in high school Latin, and I can't find translations for the two titles. The reason I doubt the lady from the Latin stable of Allexperts is that she said that she thought the workingmen of England would have understood the Latin title. She has an even more romantic idea of the 19th Century working class than Ruskin & Morris put together.

Can you help me with translations of the two titles?

Thanks for your attention.

nbk

Answer
Greetings nbknnt:

These questions are FABULOUS!  *grin*

So, let's get started.  Both words in the first title, Fors Clavigeras, are Latin.

Fors means "chance," "luck," "fortune."

Clavigeras means "bearing a club," and is applied in varied biological (especially botanical and zooilogical) contexts.

So, I think it safe to assume Ruskin wishes working men and women good fortune in bearing their club . . . meaning a call to make good the promise of wealth for all implied during the wind up of the Industrial Revolution.

Common working-class men and women, to whom the 'letters' were supposedly intended, would unlikely have understood the Latin.  However, many educated folk of Ruskin's day were liberalis (Whigs), were enlightened, and fought on behalf of the working-class despite their personal wealth.

The second title, Praeterita, comes from the Latin for "past" . . . meaning "things gone past" (or more simply put "overlooked").  It is reflective, thoughtful, a literary memento mori . . . seemingly a fitting title for an autobiography.

Similarly, I hope this has been a fitting response.

Sincerely,
J Heuman


[P.S.  Please, keep these great questions coming!]