Napoleon

• My research into 18th century preservation practices led me to a favourite book that details these heart histories of the famous and infamous: historian Charles Bradford’s quirky tome, Heart Burial (1933).
• Amazingly sweeping and entertaining, the book narrates the heart journeys of many – primarily western – military, religious and political figures.
• One such figure, the diplomat Sir William Temple (1628-1699), is buried next to his wife in Westminster Abbey.

• The practice of preserving the heart – the ancient symbol of the soul and emotion – was not uncommon.
• But for people in the 18th century, as this case and others show, it also symbolised lovers being united in death.

Literary hearts

• Perhaps the most storied literary heart is that of poet, Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822).
• Italian law required the cremation of a drowning victim’s body, so Shelley’s corpse was laid upon a funeral pyre on the shores of the sea, with literary luminaries such as Lord Byron and Leigh Hunt in attendance.

• The Shelleys’ son, Sir Percy Florence, had his father’s heart encased in silver and placed on display at Boscombe Manor.
• Upon his death in 1889, the heart was laid to rest in the family vault at St Peter’s Church, Bournemouth.

Hungry hearts

• In May 1821, Napoleon Bonaparte’s corpse was autopsied over two days before it was to be transported from St Helena to France.
• Napoleon had requested his intestines be preserved and given to his son, and his heart be sent to his wife Empress Marie-Louise.
• When rumours circulated in January 1928 regarding the heart of renowned English novelist Thomas Hardy, many were in disbelief.

• Placing the dead cat with the remainder of the heart in a box, he left the Hardy residence, surrounded by mourners, and proceeded to St Michael’s where the contents were buried.
• Though Napoleon’s and Hardy’s storied hearts also serve as reminders, perhaps, that we shouldn’t take romantic traditions too seriously.

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Jolene Zigarovich does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

• Han Solo's blaster was previously considered missing and presumed lost forever, requiring new prop blasters to be built for "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi."
• Star Wars fans refer to Han Solo's blaster, one of the most recognizable weapons in movie history, as the "Hero" prop from "Star Wars: A New Hope."
• "Knowing how coveted Star Wars collectibles are, we anticipated great interest in the Han Solo blaster, but we couldn't have imagined we would set a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title with its sale.
• As the industry leader in collectible fine arms, RIAC has reached several other record sales figures, including selling Napoleon's Garniture for $2.8 million and Ulysses S. Grant's Revolvers for $5.17 million.

• This article contains spoilers Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” (1839) is one of the most famous short stories in American literature.
• A tale of illness, psychosis and premature burial, the downfall of Roderick and Madeline Usher has horrified readers for generations.
• However, The Fall of the House of Usher incessantly remixes, grafts and merges references to Poe’s work to confusing effect.

Drowning in pointless references

• The references to Poe, which are initially fun and engaging to identify, quickly become exasperating and exhausting to endure.
• For example, the names of each of the Usher children – Frederick, Tamerlane, Victorine, Camille, Napoleon and Prospero – are taken from several tales and poems.
• These include “Metzingerstein,” “The Premature Burial,” “Tamerlane,” “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” “The Spectacles,” and “The Masque of the Red Death.” Beyond featuring in these stories, these references largely lack real sense of purpose.

Two saving graces

• These episodes are similar in that they centre around the psychological disintegration and violent deaths of Napoleon and Victorine Usher.
• Like in Poe’s original tales, Napoleon and Victorine are plagued by their wrongdoings.
• Napoleon is tormented by a cat he gets to replace an identical-looking one he had accidentally killed.
• Driven to madness by the feline he goes on a destructive rampage and manages to kill himself.

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Dr Ahmed Honeini had received funding from the Society of Authors. He works for Royal Holloway, University of London and the Journal of American Studies. He is affiliated with the British Association for American Studies.

• ALLEGANY, N.Y., June 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In its 38th year of honoring the nation's most elite high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Angelina Napoleon of Allegany-Limestone Central School in Allegany, N.Y. is the 2022-23 Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Player of the Year.
• Napoleon won the prestigious award for her accomplishments on and off the field, joining an impressive group of former Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Players of the Year who have combined for more than 71 gold medals and 34 National Championships.
• The Gatorade Player of the Year award recognizes athletes not just for their excellence on the playing surface, but for their commitment in the classroom and impact in their community.
• From the pool of state winners, one national winner is selected in each of the 12 sports.