Inkling Explorations And A Lady's Dress

It's time for the monthly Inkling Explorations!

This month's theme is: a description of a lady's dress in literature.

Luckily for me, Heidi allowed entries written in September, so without further ado here is a lovely little scene from Anne Of Green Gables:  

"Anne took the dress and looked at it in reverent silence. Oh, how pretty it was—a lovely soft brown gloria with all the gloss of silk; a skirt with dainty frills and shirrings; a waist elaborately pintucked in the most fashionable way, with a little ruffle of filmy lace at the neck. But the sleeves—they were the crowning glory! Long elbow cuffs, and above them two beautiful puffs divided by rows of shirring and bows of brown-silk ribbon."

For more descriptions of frills, ruffles and finery, don't forget to visit the link-up on Heidi's blog.

Literary quote of week 11

"The bar is in full swing and floating rounds of cocktails permeate the garden outside until the air is alive with chatter and laughter and casual innuendo and introductions forgotten on the spot and enthusiastic meetings between women who never knew each other's names."

F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby

When I read this sentence in the book, I just had t stop and reread it a few times, for I think it perfectly captures the spirit of the whole book (and the whole time period) in just a few words.

 

Literary quote of week 10

"No one who had ever seen Catherine Morland in her infancy would have supposed her born to be an heroine. Her situation in life, the character of her father and mother, her own person and disposition, were all equally against her. Her father was a clergyman, without being neglected, or poor, and a very respectable man, though his name was Richard — and he had never been handsome. He had a considerable independence besides two good livings — and he was not in the least addicted to locking up his daughters."

Jane Austen - Northanger Abbey

Last week was the ending - this week it's the beginning. Just because I like to do things backwards.

  

Literary quote of the week

"I leave it to be settled, by whomsoever it may concern, whether the tendency of this work be altogether to recommend parental tyranny, or reward filial disobedience."

- Jane Austen - Northanger Abbey

I just watched Northanger Abbey the other day, and was reminded of this great quote. It is by far my favourite ending sentence ever.

Literary quote of the week

Three posts in one week..I am on FIRE!!! (insert awkward pause where no one gets my Sherlock reference)

Well, this week's quote is a bit deeper than they use to, but I think it contains an important piece of insight:

 "As she realized what might have been, she grew to be thankful for what was."

- Elizabeth Gaskell - North & South

 

Literary quote of the week

"She's got brains enough for two, which is the exact quantity the girl who marries you will need."

The adventures of Sally - P.G. Wodehouse

I've actually never read this particular story, but I feel this quote completely captures the Wodehouse spirit - and at the same time it pretty much sums up the intellectual powers of most of his heroes. 

Quote of the week

In lack of inspirational quotes from the book I am currently reading, I give you instead my favourite Shakespeare sonnet (anyone care to guess where I know it from?)

"Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O, no! it is an ever-fixed mark,
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
     If this be error and upon me proved,
     I never writ, nor no man ever loved."

  Sonnet 116 - William Shakespeare

Quote of the week

"He felt her there, he saw her without opening his eyes, her hair burnt by chemicals to a brittle straw, her eyes with a kind of cataract unseen but suspect far behind the pupils, the reddened pouting lips, the body as thin as a praying mantis from dieting, and her flesh like white bacon."

                                  Fahrenheit 451  - Ray Bradbury

This week's quote definitely covers the category - weird.
I think it is a study in disturbing metaphors.
I mean which author would ever think:  
I need to convey to the reader that she is pale, but how? Oh, I know, I'll compare her to bacon. Everybody loves bacon.
If his intent was to have me rereading the paragraph several times just to be sure I had got it right - then I guess he succeeded.  


On a completely different subject:

Coming up on this blog:

Period dramas and music

Literary quote of the week

I'm proud to announce that I am starting a new weekly series at my blog.

It's called Literary quote of the week" (if the picture and title didn't give it away), and it's will basically be a list of sweet, funny, ironical or just plain classic quotes taken from the books I am reading at the moment. (And if anything else fails, I can always borrow some Austen quotes)

This week I've been reading "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe", so logically this week's quote must be from there.

"Peter held the door closed but did not shut it; for, of course, he remembered, as every sensible person does, that you should never, never shut yourself up in a wardrobe." 

                                     The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe  - C.S. Lewis