you guys. i’m doing a blogging challenge (duh duh duh)! jenni from story of my life has a fun ‘blog every day in may’ challenge (which is wayyy more than i usually choose to blog) but i thought it’d be fun to link up with it as often as i can, and there are some fun prompts, too!
since i’m a day or so behind on this bandwagon, i’m starting with day two 🙂 day 2, thursday educate us on something you know a lot about or are good at. take any approach you’d like (serious and educational or funny and sarcastic).
i was a lit major. is this a confession or a shout of celebration? i’m never sure.. but i loved what i studied, getting to read and write, and let’s be real, what we really do which is analyzing and theorizing and discussing people and authors and characters all day. dreamy!
i thought i’d share just a few (really, a short list!) reads from the best of the literary eras, the 19 century! because der, it’s really just the best of the best.
1. lady audley’s secret by mary elizabeth braddon (novel). i always push this one you guys so if i’ve pushed it on you before, sorry but not sorry! it’s such a winner—all sorts of victorian with a murder mystery, lots of sensation and madness, too. need i say more!?
2. trilby by george du maurier (novel). this thing was one of the most faaamous novels (think twilight, hunger games but in the 1890’s) of it’s era and people were buying dolls, shoes and a bunch of other crapola because they loved it so much.. but it was all crazy for a reason! trilby is set in paris in the height of la boheme, surrounded by a myriad of artists and a woman who men can’t help but fall hopelessly for. speaks about the fascination with this idyllic period in paris and the treatment of beauty. fabulous.
3. the invisible man by h.g. wells (novel). i love all these ‘serialized’ novels (which means they were published in a weekly/monthly publication and everyone had to hang on for dear life to know what happens next! hello modern television!). a tragic but incredibly interesting science-fiction-y look at what we do with the strange and an interesting discussion on identity and ideology.
4. a tale of two cities by charles dickens (novel). this one took me awhile to get into but oh boy did i end up loving it! novels set in and around the french revolution are typically captivating to me. this novel has a lot to do with justice, the law, revolution and good/evil. dickens also has a knack for beautifully depiction the ugly truth about things like poverty, injustice and lost love. there’s also a lovely thread of hope throughout.
5. a defence of cosmetics by max beerbohm (essay). beerbohm is the perfect marriage of sarcasm and delight in this piece about makeup and cosmetics in the victorian era. it’s all about decadence and beauty. some of the stereotypes he pokes fun at are absolutely relevant to our culture today. fun!
hope that wasn’t too much of a bore for you and if it was, don’t worry, one time thing probably! if you’re participating, i’d love to read your posts too so be sure to tell me about it! xoxo!
painting by Jacques-Émile Blanche (França 1861-1942)
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