Eggplant.place

Breaking barriers within literature and the arts. The stories of Selma Lagerlöf, Lorraine Hansberry and Paula Gunn Allen highlight these struggles and achievements within the context of their time and communities.

By Marijke Everts

https://www.europeana.eu/en/stories/three-queer-women-writers

#books #womeninliterature

Portrait of Lagerlöf in 1909.

Lagerlöf is depicted in a formal, seated pose, her posture upright and dignified. Her face is calm and composed, with a slight, knowing smile or a serene, introspective expression.

She wears early 20th-century formal clothing, likely a high-necked, dark dress with lace or embroidery, and her silver hair is styled in an elegant updo.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selma_Lagerl%C3%B6f#/media/File:Selma_Lagerl%C3%B6f.jpg

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Portrait of Lorraine Hansberry.

Hansberry is shown in a candid pose. Her gaze is steady, sometimes directed at the viewer, capturing her introspective nature.

She wears simple, elegant clothing befitting her intellectual and activist persona.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorraine_Hansberry#/media/File:Lorraine_Hansberry.jpg

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Paula Gunn Allen (2007).

Allen is shown in a calm, direct pose. Her gaze is thoughtful and steady, meeting the camera or slightly averted, conveying introspection, resilience, and authority.

She wears traditional Native American jewelry—often turquoise or silver—and a shawl or garment that blends contemporary and Indigenous style. Her gray or silver hair is typically worn long or pulled back, framing her face with a sense of grace and rootedness.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paula_Gunn_Allen#/media/File:Paula_Gunn_Allen.jpg

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50d

What does Balrog taste like? Inquiring minds need to know... 😁
Also, are the Elves an allegory for the diffrent ages of Brittish royalty? 🤔

@bookstodon @fantasybookstodon @speculativefictioncomedy @bookbubble @humour

#FantasyMemes #Fantasy #Memes #Humor #Humour
#Low #High #Epic #Science #Comedic #Whatever #GiveMeAllYouveGot
#Book #Books #Novel #Novels
#Mastobooks #BooksofMastodon #Bookstodon #Bookworm #Bookwyrm #Bookstodon #BookLove #BoostingIsSharing

Elves in Tolkien's legendarium
From THE HOBBIT:
-Wine from warm lands
-Fire-roasted meat
-Likes dancing in the meadows and making flower wreaths
-Spends time singing and feasting
THE LORD OF THE RINGS:
-Minwvor, Lembas (mysterious and magical elven food)
-Ages-old wisdom in the eyes
-Totally mysterious
THE SILMARILLION:
-Blood of the slain kin
-Flesh of a Balrog killed with bare hands
-Starts each day with new war
-Covered in scars from fighting and being tortured by Orcs
-Killed at least 10 family members

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108d

"Die betroffenen Arten spüren den Wetterumschwung immer ein bisschen früher. Sie sind wie Vögel“, schreibt Mely Kiyak. Seit 15 Jahren warnt sie vor dem Aufstieg des Faschismus. Sie schreibt mal wütend, mal witzig, mal polemisch, mal zynisch (ein Lachen am Abgrund), aber immer seismographisch genau in der Beobachtung und geschliffen im Wort.
Diese Beiträge von Kiyak tun weh zu lesen. Und das ist gut so. #Bücherwabe #bucher #books #livre #politics #politik #chemnitz #antifa #Faschismus #melykiyak

Zu sehen ist das Coverbild des Buches "Werden sie uns mit FlixBus deportieren?" von Mely Kiyak. In weißer Schrift stehen auf einem orangefarbenen Leineneinband der Name der Autorin und der Titel des Buches. In dem Band sind ausgewählte Kolumnen aus den Jahren 2013 bis 2020 versammelt. Das Buch ist im Hanser Verlag erschienen.

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106d

Rare Watercolor by ‘Wuthering Heights’ Author Emily Brontë Will Go on Public Display for the First Time

“The North Wind,” painted while Emily and her sister Charlotte were studying in Belgium, is now heading to the Brontë family home in Yorkshire

By Eli Wizevich

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rare-watercolor-by-wuthering-heights-author-emily-bronte-will-go-on-public-display-for-the-first-time-180986423/?utm_source=smithsoniandaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=editorial&lctg=93133550

#books #art #literature

Portrait of Lady Charlotte Harley (1801-1880) as Ianthe (Lord Byron, "To Ianthe," Childe Harold's Pilgrimage).

Drawn by R. Westall. Engraved by W. Finden. - W. Brockedon (annotator). Finden's Illustrations of Life and Works of Lord Byron. Vol. II. London: John Murray, Albemarle Street, 1833.

Lady Charlotte is depicted in a graceful, seated pose, with her head slightly tilted and gaze turned gently outward or downward. Her expression is soft, serene, and composed, exuding an air of idealized purity and introspection.

She wears classical-style clothing, often a flowing gown reminiscent of Greco-Roman dress, a hallmark of Romantic portraiture. Her hair is arranged in soft curls, enhancing the youthful innocence Byron emphasized in his poem.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Charlotte_Bacon#/media/File:Richard_Westall_&_W._Finden,_%22Ianthe%22.jpg

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106d

Manuscript sold for €300 is now attributed to Cyrano de Bergerac – but questions remain about the play’s authorship

French researchers recently published an edition of a previously unknown 17th-century French play that they argue could be attributed to the French satirist and dramatist Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac.

By Alisa van de Haar

https://theconversation.com/manuscript-sold-for-300-is-now-attributed-to-cyrano-de-bergerac-but-questions-remain-about-the-plays-authorship-254315?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=The%20Conversation%20Europe%2017042024&utm_content=The%20Conversation%20Europe%2017042024+CID_44962a014cf87e1b37aaa38359ff7238&utm_source=campaign_monitor_europe&utm_term=Manuscript%20sold%20for%20300%20is%20now%20attributed%20to%20Cyrano%20de%20Bergerac%20%20but%20questions%20remain%20about%20the%20plays%20authorship

At PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/43842

#books #literature #manuscripts

Cyrano de Bergerac (1619 – 1655) French dramatist and soldier, author of The Comical History of the States and Empires of the Moon and The Comical History of the States and the Empires of the Sun. Portrait drawn and engraved by an artist who signed with a monogram, after a painting by Zacharie Heince.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrano_de_Bergerac#/media/File:Savinien_de_Cyrano_de_Bergerac.JPG

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106d

The Only Illustrated Manuscript of Homer’s Iliad from Antiquity

https://www.openculture.com/2025/04/the-only-illustrated-manuscript-of-homers-iliad-from-antiquity.html

The Iliad at PG

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=iliad&submit_search=Search

#books #literature

Scene from the Iliad by Michael Martin Drölling

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86d

finished reading My Father and Other Animals: How I Took on the Family Farm 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑
by Sam Vincent.

After an unsettled life of freelance writing, the author takes on the family farm. A memoir of his father and the land, an ode to regenerative agriculture, and an example of how to connect with Traditional Owners. The author is only two degrees of separation from me, so I found it easy to imagine myself in his shoes, going down a route that appeals but was not available.

#BookReview #Books #Bookstodon #Autobiography #Farming #RegenAg

@WildWoila @wildwoila@wyrms.de

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105d

“A Mystery Novel Like No Other Before.” On Josephine Tey’s The Daughter of Time

Sarah Weinman in Praise of an Innovative and Timeless Work of Detective Fiction

https://lithub.com/a-mystery-novel-like-no-other-before-on-josephine-teys-the-daughter-of-time/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Lit%20Hub%20Daily:%20April%2016%2C%202025&utm_term=lithub_master_list

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Daughter_of_Time

#books #literature

The Daughter of Time - Josephine Tey.

This image is the cover of The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey. The design features a medieval-style banner in blue and gold, unfurled across the center, bearing the book’s title in bold, uppercase serif letters: THE DAUGHTER OF TIME. Below the title, the author’s name is written in a flowing script on a golden ribbon.

The background includes heraldic elements, such as a crown, laurel wreath, and checkered floor, evoking the themes of history, monarchy, and mystery central to the novel. The style is detailed and slightly abstract, with strong black outlines and contrasting colors, giving it a dramatic, vintage feel.

This historical detective novel questions the legacy of King Richard III and the nature of historical truth—reflected visually through the use of regal and timeworn imagery.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Daughter_of_Time#/media/File:The_Daughter_of_Time_-_Josephine_Tey.JPG

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105d

And so the publishing world began.

#fakefact #MaundyThursday #easter #humor #humour #books #book #writing #writingcommunity

davinci's last supper with the following labels:
one of you will betray me
four will get book deals

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86d

What Was Saint Augustine’s Narrative of the Two Cities?

What was Saint Augustine’s narrative of the two cities, the City of God and the City of the World, all about?

by Marnie Binder

https://www.thecollector.com/saint-augustine-narrative-two-cities/

Saint Augustine at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1156

#books #literature

St. Augustine in His Study by Vittore Carpaccio, 1502

The saint is portrayed seated at a writing desk, surrounded by an elaborately furnished interior brimming with Renaissance luxuries and scholarly tools: globes, books, instruments, and exotic artifacts. The architecture of the room features vaulted ceilings, ornate wooden shelves, and tiled floors, reflecting a harmonious blend of Gothic and early Renaissance design.

St. Augustine is robed in ecclesiastical garments, captured mid-movement as he turns in awe, reacting to a divine vision or spiritual presence — traditionally interpreted as a supernatural communication from St. Jerome, informing Augustine of his death. His expression is thoughtful and moved, enhancing the spiritual atmosphere of the scene.

Carpaccio meticulously includes animals (like a dog at Augustine’s feet), detailed maps, astrolabes, and manuscripts, demonstrating the saint’s intellectual breadth and curiosity, and symbolizing the humanist fusion of faith and reason.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustine_of_Hippo#/media/File:Vittore_carpaccio,_visione_di_sant'agostino_01.jpg

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83d

I found this cool #Fediverse software called #NeoDB via @dansup 's awesome FediDB website.

https://fedidb.com/software/neodb?version=latest&registration=open

It's a tracking / shelf platform for #TV / #drama, #movies / #films, #books, and #games

Automated import from #Goodreads work well. Just provide the required URL and voila. If it doesn't appear immediately, it is probably waiting for server workers or waiting for the server load to lower or Goodreads request limit, just be patient, only submit the same URL once! If in doubt, contact the admins instead of resubmitting.

Unfortunately, the software doesn't support import (automated, API, or manual) from Trakt, SIMKL, MyAnimeList, and other popular tracking/shelf services for TV/drama and movies/films. There is one, Douban or something, which I think is popular in the Chinese and Japanese speaking markets.

Anyway, what if the item you want to add doesn't exist in the database yet?

Worry not! There are three ways NeoDB software populates its database.

* Method 1: You can add the details yourself

* Method 2: Search the other NeoDB instances for existing similar items

* Method 3: Search for the item from TMDB, IMDB, IGDB, Steam, Goodreads, and other supported sites (no TVDB), and paste the URL to NeoDB's search box and it will import it to your instance

Method 2 is already sweet. That is the entire idea of the #SocialWeb. But Method 3 is even sweeter!

Methods 2 and 3 are the best because it's a win-win for everyone. Regular users can forget about manually re-entering new data. Seriously, who wants to manually duplicate data from one DB to another? I certainly don't! I contribute to #TMDB but I'm definitely not repeating the same effort in #TVDB.

Secondly, there's no need for instances to duplicate large databases just to ensure their site is useful for any user. Items are added as local users interact with the items. It keeps the db small instead of having thousands of items no one has interacted to yet (or probably not).

Check my accounts:

* Flagship server: @youronlyone
* Instance: @youronlyone@eggplant.place

~~Hmm… I haven't checked but I think music is not supported (yet?). NeoDB can use the largest #OpenDB for music: #Musicbrainz ~~

UPDATE: Music is supported, as well as, #podcasts .

🖖🏽🙇🏽

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105d

Rare letter offers glimpse into Bram Stoker’s early thoughts on Dracula

‘Lord forgive me. I am quite shameless’, author playfully wrote in note weeks after horror novel published in 1897.

By Steven Morris

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/apr/16/rare-letter-bram-stoker-early-thoughts-dracula

Dracula at PG:
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/345

#books #literature

Dracula, by Bram Stoker - First Edition cloth cover, 1897

British Library Board - https://www.apollo-magazine.com/content/uploads/2014/10/Dracula-%E2%80%93-First-Edition-1897.-Photography-c-British-Library-Board.jpg

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Dracula#/media/File:Dracula-First-Edition-1897.jpg/2

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104d

Born into a family of merchants, in 1271 a teenage Marco Polo set out for the court of the Mongol emperor – and he would not return to Italy for nearly a quarter of a century. This episode of You're Dead to Me traces Polo's extraordinary life and adventures.

Written by: Hannah Cusworth, Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Emma Nagouse, and Greg Jenner

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002913n

The Travels of Marco Polo at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/6046

#books #travel #history

Marco Polo recounts his voyages while imprisoned in Genoa.

Original from Storia veneta espressa in centocinquanta tavole inventate e disegnate da Giuseppe Gatteri sulla scorta delle cronache e delle storie e secondo i vari costumi del tempo, incise da Antonio Viviani e dai migliori artisti veneziani ed illustrate da Francesco Zanotto. Venice, Giuseppe Grimaldo , 1863.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Marco_Polo#/media/File:42._Marco_Polo_nelle_prigioni_di_Genova_racconta_i_suoi_viaggi_e_le_sue_avventure,_anno_1298.jpg

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77d

Newly published stories show a different side of Ian Fleming and Graham Greene

By Milton Guevara, Majd Al-Waheidi

https://www.npr.org/2025/05/15/nx-s1-5397182/strand-magazine-ian-fleming-graham-greene-short-stories

#books #literature #literarycriticism

Portrait of Ian Fleming.

This portrait of Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond, captures the author in a relaxed yet sophisticated pose.

Fleming is dressed in a suit and a polka-dot bow tie, reinforcing his refined and classic style.

He holds a cigarette holder to his mouth with a slight, knowing smile, suggesting confidence and wit—qualities often attributed to his famous fictional spy.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Fleming#/media/File:Ian_Fleming.jpg

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104d

finished reading The Tainted Cup 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑
by Robert Jackson Bennett.

A murder mystery fantasy novel - why is this a first for me?! Fairly standard whodunnit which escalates to political intrigue, made distinctive by very cool world-building: an empire built to defend against leviathans attacking from the sea, whose bodily fluids enable a raft of fantastical bio-enhancements. Interesting characters and the potential for more fleshing out give the series much promise.

#BookReview #Books #Bookstodon #MurderMystery #CrimeFiction #Fantasy #SFF

@WildWoila @wildwoila@wyrms.de

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83d

Warburg’s Werewolf: An Anamnesis

Aby Warburg spent his life finding forms that could hold their own against the flow of time. All the while, as Kevin Dann explores, he was churning on the brink of madness with the sense that he himself was changing — into a terrifying animal. What kind of history would a werewolf write?

By Kevin Dann

https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/warburgs-werewolf-an-anamnesis/?utm_source=newsletter

#books #literature

“Les Révélations Brutales”, illustration by Bertall (Charles Albert d’Arnoux) from Balzac’s Petites misères de la vie conjugale (1846)

The illustration “Les Révélations Brutales” by Bertall (Charles Albert d’Arnoux), from Honoré de Balzac’s Petites misères de la vie conjugale (1846), is a satirical and dramatic depiction of a domestic confrontation. In the scene, a husband and wife are caught in a moment of intense emotional tension—likely following a blunt or painful revelation, as the title suggests ("Brutal Revelations").

The artwork captures the stiff posture and stunned expressions typical of 19th-century caricature, emphasizing the discomfort, irony, and dark humor Balzac often used to expose the complexities and hypocrisies of married life.

https://archive.org/details/petitesmisres00balz/page/272/mode/2up

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85d

Poet of the Queer Brotherhood: How William Blake Influenced Oscar Wilde’s Circle

Philip Hoare on Paul Nash, W. Graham Robertson, “De Profundis,” and More

https://lithub.com/poet-of-the-queer-brotherhood-how-william-blake-influenced-oscar-wildes-circle/

Oscar Wilde at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/111

#books #literature

Oscar Wilde by Napoleon Sarony, albumen print on card mount, sheet 30.6 x 18.4 cm, on mount 33 x 19 cm. Notes 1045 U.S. Copyright Office. Title from item. No. 22. Copyright by N. Sarony. Exhibited: "Oscar Wilde : the Apostle of Beauty" at the Haggerty Museum of Art, Marquette University, 1999. Exhibited: "Revising Himself : Walt Whitman" at the Library of Congress, 2005. Exhibited: "Oscar Wilde : L'Impertinent Absolu" at the Petite Palais, City of Paris Fine Arts Museum, Paris, France, September 2016 - January 2017.

Wilde is depicted in a stylish, theatrical pose, wearing a fur-trimmed coat and holding a cane.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Wilde#/media/File:Oscar_Wilde_by_Napoleon_Sarony._Three-quarter-length_photograph,_seated.jpg

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104d

Time Travel

What do we hold fast, what do we let go? The question, like a living being, hovers onstage in The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov.

By Cynthia Zarin

https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2025/04/18/time-travel/

The Cherry Orchard at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/7986

#books #literature #theatre

Scene from The Cherry Orchard, Moscow Art Theater, 2001. The MAT setting demonstrates a conscious attempt to avoid the stiffness and artificiality of the perfectly symmetrical box set. Variation of planes and glimpses into other rooms in the house continue the environment beyond the stage room and help to combat unintentional rigidity.

Alexander Bakshy - The Path of the Modern Russian Stage

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cherry_Orchard#/media/File:The_Cherry_Orchard_MAT.jpg

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73d

finished reading Nervous Conditions 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑
by Tsitsi Dangarembga.

Becoming a familiar refrain in African literature: girl fights for education & freedom against patriarchy & colonialism. This one, set in pre-independence Zimbabwe, might be the original (?) and the best, with carefully crafted & evolving characters. Ends very suddenly, though.

#BookReview #Books #Bookstodon #Zimbabwe #AfricanLiterature

@WildWoila @wildwoila@wyrms.de

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103d

Maria Edgeworth’s Educational Philosophy in 5 Core Concepts

Maria Edgeworth's timeless educational philosophy focuses on practical skills, parental involvement, critical thinking, ethics, and individualized learning.

By Viktoriya Sus

https://www.thecollector.com/maria-edgeworth-educational-philosophy-core-concepts/

Maria Edgeworth at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/630

#books #literature #education

The Young Schoolmistress, Jean Siméon Chardin, c. 1736.

The painting shows a young woman, likely a governess or older sister, teaching a little girl how to read. They are seated at a simple wooden table, absorbed in a shared lesson. The girl’s eyes follow the text or image before her, while the young woman leans forward attentively, guiding her.

Both figures are rendered with serene concentration.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jean_Sim%C3%A9on_Chardin_-_The_Young_Schoolmistress_-_WGA04750.jpg

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104d

New #intro!

I’m a hyperjack musician, writer & video artist. My latest album, ‘Status’, is mainly about escaping Big Tech dystopia.

My website https://meljoann.com includes nerdy blog posts on Faircamp, Owncast & leaving mainstream social media.

Some stuff I love:

#musicProduction #videoProduction #books #experimentalMusic #electronicMusic #RandB #earlyMusic #improvisedMusic #science #knitting #history #scienceFiction #horror #alternativeComedy #anarchism #foss #linux #introduction

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103d

Fantastic Novels was an American science fiction and fantasy pulp magazine published by the Munsey Company of New York from 1940 to 1941, and again by Popular Publications, also of New York, from 1948 to 1951. It was a companion to Famous Fantastic Mysteries.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantastic_Novels

#books #pulpfiction #sciencefiction

Cover of Fantastic Novels, March 1948.

Dominating the composition is a heroic man and a mystical woman standing amid churning green sea waves. The man, with a stern and focused expression, clasps the woman's waist as she swoons backward, her golden hair and flowing white gown adding to her ethereal presence. Behind them, a glowing golden ship sails across the water, symbolizing the fantastical journey within.

The background features a vivid swirl of deep blues and greens, evoking both the sea and a cosmic or magical atmosphere. Above the artwork, bold yellow and red typography shouts the title: “Fantastic Novels Magazine”, priced at 25¢, with a banner highlighting A. Merritt’s sensational fantasy classic, The Ship of Ishtar.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Fantastic_Novels_covers#/media/File:Fantastic_novels_194803.jpg

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103d

#OTD in 1841.

Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" appears in Graham's Magazine (Philadelphia), where he has become editor in February. It will be recognized as the first significant work of detective fiction.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Murders_in_the_Rue_Morgue

The Murders in the Rue Morgue at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2147

#books #literature

Facsimile of Edgar Allan Poe's original manuscript for "The Murders in the Rue Morgue", from the Susan Jaffe Tane collection, Cornell University.

Facsimile of Poe - http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/poe/exhibition/horrorsuspense/index.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Murders_in_the_Rue_Morgue#/media/File:RueMorgueManuscript.jpg

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Illustration by Daniel Vierge of "The Murders in the Rue Morgue", 1870

In a dark and chaotic bedroom, a terrifying ape-like creature attacks a woman, gripping her by the hair and lifting her violently off the bed. Her face is frozen in shock and horror. Another woman lies lifeless on the floor, her body twisted unnaturally. Coins spill from an overturned box beside her. In the background, a man peers in through an open window with wide, fearful eyes—suggesting a witness to the shocking scene.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Murders_in_the_Rue_Morgue#/media/File:Daniel_Urrabieta_y_Vierge_-_The_Murders_in_the_Rue_Morgue.jpg

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