Decapodian and Frances Parkinson Keyes: Difference between pages

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'''Frances Parkinson Keyes''' ([[July 21]], [[1885]] – [[July 3]], [[1970]]) was an [[United States|American]] author, and a convert to Roman Catholicism, whose works frequently featured [[Catholic]] themes and beliefs.

[[Image:Doctor Zoidberg.png|right|thumb|200px|[[Doctor John Zoidberg]], a Decapodian.]]

Born in [[Charlottesville, Virginia]], she married Henry Keyes in 1903. They lived in Washington and Virginia for a quarter of a century while her husband was in the [[United States Senate]]. He had earlier served as [[Governor of New Hampshire]]. The story of their courtship is told in Mrs. Keyes' first autobiography, ''Roses in December''. The story of their marriage is recounted in her second autobiography, ''All Flags Flying''. Henry Keyes was much older than his bride and, having never married before, was quite set in his ways. Early on he was dismissive of his wife's writing talent and the acceptance of her first manuscript by a reputable publisher was a triumph personally as well as professionally. She wrote a series of articles for ''Good Housekeeping'' magazine beginnng in the 1920's entitled, "Letters fom a Senator's Wife"

The '''Decapodians''' are a fictional race of humanoid, [[lobster]]-like aliens who speak with a [[Yiddish]] accent from the animated television show ''[[Futurama]]''. The Decapodians are natives of the planet Decapod 10 (meaning 10 legged), and made contact with Earth in the 2200s. Shortly afterwards, the Decapodians found the Earth [[anchovy]] so delicious, they promptly ate it into [[extinction]] (as explained in "[[A Fishful of Dollars]]").

Generally self-educated, Mrs Keyes first book, ''The Old Gray Homestead,'' was published in 1919. Upon her spouse's death in 1938, she wrote books and magazine articles prolifically. Her novels are set in New England, Virginia, Louisiana, Normandy and South America, reflecting her upbringing and extensive travel.

Although there have been several minor Decapodian characters, the only main Decapodian is [[Doctor Zoidberg]], the [[Planet Express]] doctor, who is good natured, but has a poor understanding of human anatomy. (And even less knowledge of human social behavior, which doesn't seem to be as prone in other Decapodians)

In the 1950s, she purchased the historic Beauregard House in [[New Orleans]]’ French Quarter and became a fixture of New Orleans' life. The house was the childhood home of chess master [[Paul Morphy]], whose life is the subject of Keyes' book ''The Chess Players''. The circumstances of the house's construction and early habitation are told in that book. Today the house is a museum. Many of Keyes' books are set in southern [[Louisiana]] and she eloquently described societal life and conventions in her historical novels. Keyes' novel ''Blue Camellia'' tells about the development of south Louisiana from swampland to productive rice farms. ''The River Road'' deals with the sugar plantations of the Mississippi River Delta and ''Crescent Carnival'' (her first Louisiana novel) tells the history of Carnival since the 1890's (with a good deal about Creole culture and its decline during that period). ''Once On Esplanade: A Cycle Between Two Creole Weddings'' is a fictionalized biography, originally written for teenage girls, of the Creole woman who provided Keyes with much of her understanding of Creole life between the Civil War and the First World War. Given the details with which Keyes writes about her subject matter, it is easy to forget her books are novels. She went to great lengths to research her subject matter and ensure the historical, geographical, linguistic and even scientific accuracy of her writings. Many of her books include a dozen or more real people among the characters, many famous, some obscure and some even still living at the time she wrote them into her books (with their permission, of course).

She traveled on ___location to learn about her topic and enlisted local historians and residents to assist her. The meticulousness of her detailed accounts make her novels valuable tools for learning about a time long past and customs that have died away.

==Biology and anatomy==

Although little is known of Decapodian biology, it is known that the Decapodians have many redundant [[internal organ]]s and are able to survive both on dry land and deep underwater. They have a love for seafood, and retain many features from their (likely) aquatic origin, including an [[ink sac]], a [[gas bladder]] and the ability to cough up colorful blue [[pearls]] following excessive consumption of dirt. Though the fully grown Decapodian has two legs like a human, it is sometimes seen walking sideways like a [[crab]]. Decapodians are [[cold-blooded]], as is their technology.

''Steamboat Gothic'' is a true gothic novel set on the famed River Road. The plantation home where this novel was based is still in existence and open for daily tours. Set in 1869, ''Steamboat Gothic'' discusses the change in transportation methods from steamboat to railroad and the effect the change had upon plantations along Louisiana's River Road.

Decapodians are known to suffer from "fin rot" and internal [[parasites]].

Also very popular was her murder mystery ''Dinner at Antoine's'', which became her biggest seller (and was also her only mystery). The plot is an interesting twist on the "Least Likely Person" concept of the murder mystery and is notable for "playing fair" with the reader -- all the clues you need to solve the mystery are embedded in the novel. A subplot involving diplomatic and political manipulation made use of Keyes' experiences in Washington DC as a Senator's wife.

==Reproduction and life cycle==

Reproduction is seasonal. When males produce an excess of "male jelly" they become aggressive and violent. A hitherto hidden fin on their heads unfolds (similar to [[swordfish]]). The male engages in courtship displays on the beach to attract females. Love is unknown; the female chooses a male mate based on the strength of his displays. The actual reproductive act is a large, public group affair that is known as the "mating frenzy." After pairing, couples enter the water where the male releases his jelly into the cloacal vents of the female. It is portrayed in the "[[Why Must I Be a Crustacean in Love?]]" episode that both male and female Decapodians die almost immediately after reproducing, hence the lack of emphasis of love or even socio-economic status in their mating choices. As Dr. Zoidberg mentions his upbringing at some points, children apparently are raised by a third party, but the series gives no information on who the third party is, how they might be related to the offspring, or how they are selected; since Zoidberg is described as having had three parents, Norm, Sam and Sadie, presumably one of these parents raised him while the other two are his biological parents.

Modern readers will find her depictions of African-American characters generally regressive and simplistic, and there are occasional patches of the pre-World War II fashionable anti-Semetisim in her Jewish characters. Some of her Irish and Italian characters are cliched, or even burlesques of sterotypes. While Keyes was a popular author of the 1940s and 50s, existing editions of her books are becoming rare, and many libraries have unfortunately purged her books from their shelves. However, a lively trade in Keyes books exists on Amazon.com, Ebay and other aucion sites, escpecially those devoted to books. There are a number of fan discussion sites devoted to her work, especially her Catholicism, which appeals o her many Catholic fans.

Despite its fatal nature, the reproductive act is viewed by Decapodians as "the greatest experience in life." As many elder Decapodians are shown throughout the series, it must be common for some Decapodians to remain celibate well past their prime mating age (the Monarch of Decapod 10 remains celibate to enforce his people's laws, though he himself later broke that rule and mated).

Keyes strongly believed in the virtue of chastity and furthermore believed that it was extremely important for a woman to be a virgin on her wedding night. Her morality of courtship and marriage will seem strange and impractical to many contemporary readers, especially young ones. However, Keyes wrote with great sensitivity about the lives of people trapped in the conventional morality she advocated: women (and men!) trapped in loveless marriages, people unfairly stigmatized by their peers, young men and women suffocated by the Victorian-era rules of courthship, and, above all, those whose lives were complicated by the fact that they had been born out of wedlock.

After fertilization, Decapodians have a complex life cycle, going through more than a half dozen distinct forms (possibly [[recapitulation theory|ontogeny recapitulating phylogeny]]) before maturing into a bipedal humanoid form (as shown in the "[[Teenage Mutant Leela's Hurdles]]" episode):

# A [[coral]]-like mass from which multiple Decapodians bud off

# A [[Hydra (genus)|Hydra]]-like form

# A [[starfish]]-like form

# A spiny [[sea urchin]]-like form

# A deep sea [[anglerfish]]-like form

# A [[lamprey]]-like form

# A large [[clam]]-like form

# A [[trilobite]]-like form

# A [[cuttlefish]]-like form

# A hard-shelled bipedal humanoid form

Her Lousiana novels are loosly tied together by bits of common background that pop up in various books. Antoine's Restaurant appears at least briefly in all of them. General Beauegard also appears in each of the books set before 1900, and is mentioned in some way in all the others. Paul Morphy is the lead character in ''The Chess Players'' and is discussed in several other books. A slightly ribald anecdote about a panicked Creole bride on her wedding night is told in ''The River Road'' and is mentioned in ''Once on Esplanade'', ''Madame Castel's Lodger'', ''The Chess Players'' and others. The Villere family are at center stage in ''Once on Esplanade'' and reappear (especially Madame Villere, Keye's friend) in most of the other Louisiana books. The reader has the sense of a single, unified narritive world underlying the entire Louisiana set of novels, although none of them is a sequel to any of the earlier books.

In the episode "[[A Taste of Freedom]]", a young Zoidberg is shown as a small version of the adult form rather than any of the stages shown in "[[Teenage Mutant Leela's Hurdles]]." Since the episode "[[Amazon Women in the Mood]]" showed Zoidberg moulting, just like any other crustacean, presumably his species reaches the adult stage while still small and grow to full size after a series of moults.

Her Louisiana novels contained lengthy forwards or postscripts detailing her background research (including bibliographies) and listing the many people who provided her with information and/or inspiration.

In 3004, The Decapodians invaded Earth and enslaved humanity for a brief period of time, in order to teach the people of Earth what it meant to be free after Dr. Zoidberg was arrested and sentenced to death for eating Earth's flag. See the "[[A Taste of Freedom]]" episode.

Her home in New Orleans, the Beauregard-Keyes House in the Vieux Carré, is now a museum. It is located at 1113 Chartres Street, New Orleans, LA 70116, USA. Telephone: [phone]. Formerly lived in, but not owned by, Confederate General [[P. G. T. Beauregard]], Keyes restored the mansion to its Victorian glory, and her studio remains on display, complete with manuscripts. Now known as the Beauregard-Keyes House and Garden, the museum contains extensive Keyes correspondences, as well as her collections of dolls and rare [[porcelain veilleuses,]] a kind of teapot in which the contents --anything from tea to milk-- are kept warm by a small votive light. The veilleuse has the added bonus of serving as a nightlight and it was most commonly utilized at bedtime. Mrs. Keyes' mentioned the use of a veilleuse in several of her novels. Her veilleuse collection was and is one of the most extensive in the world, second only to one in [[Trenton, Tennessee]].

==Claw plagh==

The Decapodians have instituted the relatively new (18 years old) tradition of claw plagh. This is a fight to the death in a public arena to settle matters of honor, and also whether [[abbreviations]] count in [[Scrabble]] (Zoidberg maintains that they don't). Weapons are allowed, but some Decapodians prefer to use their own claws, so that they can have the pleasure of cutting their enemies themselves. The combatant who guesses the animal the Monarch of Decapod 10 is thinking of has first choice of weapons. [[Dr. Zoidberg]] invoked claw plagh to challenge [[Philip J. Fry|Fry]] for the hand of the beautiful Edna in the "[[Why Must I Be a Crustacean in Love?|Why Must I be a Crustacean in Love]]" episode.

The Beauregard-Keyes house appears none the worse for wear after [[Hurricane Katrina]] but the structure suffered roof damage.

Claw plagh is a parody of [[Kunat kalifee|kalifee]], a similar [[Vulcan (Star Trek)|Vulcan]] [[Vulcan (Star Trek)#Family and rituals|tradition]] from ''[[Star Trek]]'', and the fight scene in "Why Must I be a Crustacean in Love" is a parody of Kirk and [[Spock]] fighting in the "[[Amok Time]]" episode. Before the claw plagh, the famous musical underscore composed by [[Gerald Fried]] for the "Amok Time" fight scene is briefly heard as the Decapodian "national anthem." The name, however, is derived from the traditional [[Klingon language|Klingon]] phrase "Qapla'!" Literally translated, "Qapla'!" means "success."

{{Futurama}}

Known Works, wih orignal US publication dates:

''The Old Gray Homestead'' (1919, novel)

[[Category:Fictional extraterrestrial species]]

[[Category:Futurama]]

''Seven Seas and Golden Cities'' (1931, travelogue)

''Lady Blanche Farm: A Romance of the Commonplace'' (1931, novel)

''Senator Marlowe's Daughter'' (1933, novel)

''The Safe Bridge'' (1934, novel)

''Honor Bright'' (1936, novel)

''Written in Heaven: The Life on Earth of the Little Flower of Lisieux'' (1937, novel)

''Capital Kaleidoscope: The Story of a Washington Hostess' (1937, memoir)

''Parts Unknown'' (1938, novel)

''The Sublime Sheperdess: St. Bernadette Soubirous'' (1940, biography)

''All That Glitters'' (1941, novel)

''Crescent Carnival'' (1942, novel - the first of the Louisiana books)

''The River Road'' (1945, novel)

''Came a Cavalier'' (1947, novel)

''Once on Esplanade: A Cycle Between Two Creole Weddings ''(1947, juvenile biography somewhat fictionalized)

''Dinner at Antoine's'' (1948, novel -- her only mystery)

''Joy Street'' (1950, novel)

''Steamboat Gothic'' (1952, novel)

''The Royal Box'' (1954, novel)

''The Frances Parkinson Keyes Cookbook'' (1955, cookbook)

''Blue Camellia'' (1957, novel)

''Victorine'' (1958, novel)

''Station Wagon In Spain'' (1959, novel)

''The Chess Players: A Novel of New Orleans and Paris'' (1960, novel)

''The Heritage'' (1960, novel)

''Madame Castel's Lodger'' (1962, novel)

''The Rose and the Lily'' (1962, novel)

''The Restless Lady and Other Stories' (1963, short stories)

''I, the King'' (1966, novel)

''All Flags Flying: Reminiscenses Of Frances Parkinson Keyes'' (1972, memoir)

In 1934 Keyes received a Litt.D. from [[Bates College]].

== See also ==

* [[1790 House (Woburn, Massachusetts)]]

==External links==

* {{gutenberg author| id=Frances+Parkinson+Keyes | name=Frances Parkinson Keyes}}

* Keyes offers insight into her own life as a writer and the wife of a political leader, in an essay for "Catholic Authors": [http://www.catholicauthors.com/keyes.html]

*Very brief biography, a portrait of the author, and some images:[http://nutrias.org/~nopl/monthly/july97/july97b.htm ]

*About Beauregard House in New Orleans: [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/victorygarden/victorygardens/othergardens/beauregard_keyes/]

*List of Keye's books, from Louisiana's Literary Heritage: [http://media.louisianatravel.com/literary/]

[[Category:1885 births|Keyes, Frances Parkinson]]

[[Category:1970 deaths|Keyes, Frances Parkinson]]

[[Category:American novelists|Keyes, Frances Parkinson]]

[[Category:Louisiana writers|Keyes, Frances Parkinson]]