literature

Portrait of Dostoevsky by Vasily Perov, c. 1872.

Seated with his hands clasped and gaze cast downward, Dostoevsky appears weary yet contemplative, reflecting the emotional intensity and philosophical depth of his writing.

Dressed in a simple brown coat against a dark, muted background, his gaunt face, high forehead, and unkempt beard emphasize a life marked by suffering, imprisonment, and spiritual searching.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fyodor_Dostoevsky#/media/File:Vasily_Perov_-_%D0%9F%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B5%D1%82_%D0%A4.%D0%9C.%D0%94%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%B5%D0%B2%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%BE_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg

https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/kathleen-jamie/the-bonniest-companie/9781509801718

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196d

Thon tree,
earthfast at the foot
of your Alpine meadow,

dark, with mossy branches,
– apple perhaps –

can you give it a message?
Can you please say spring
will be there soon?

—Kathleen Jamie, “Old Women”
published in THE BONNIEST COMPANIE (Picador, 2015)

#Scottish #literature #poem #poetry #spring

Kathleen Jamie
Old Women

Thon tree,
earthfast at the foot
of your Alpine meadow,

dark, with mossy branches,
– apple perhaps –

can you give it a message?
Can you please say spring
will be there soon?

It’s creeping up the mountain
as though carried on an old woman’s back.

When we’re old women
we will fetch spring too.

You know the tree I mean.

https://www.thecollector.com/don-quixote-first-modern-novel-born-captivity/

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1y

Don Quixote: Was the First Modern Novel Born in Captivity?

The whimsical and idealistic nature of Don Quixote makes it easy to forget that much of the novel was inspired by Cervantes’ incarceration and enslavement.

By Lily Hunger

Don Quixote at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/996

The Story of Don Quixote by Paulson, Cervantes Saavedra, and Edwards:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/29468

An incident in the story of Don Quixote (1870), by Robert Hillingford.

This is an oil painting by Robert Hillingford, an English artist who specialized in historical scenes.

The scene depicts one of Don Quixote's many misadventures, featuring the eccentric knight-errant and his loyal squire, Sancho Panza.

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1y

#OTD (to March 17) in 1877

Robert Louis Stevenson's first published work of fiction, the novella "An Old Song", appears anonymously in four episodes in the magazine London. It is first attributed to Stevenson in 1980.

Books by Robert Louis Stevenson at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/35

Photograph of Robert Louis Stevenson at 35 in 1885.

Stevenson is shown seated at a desk, writing with a pen in his right hand. He has a thin face with prominent cheekbones, a mustache, and wavy, somewhat unkempt hair.

His expression is intense and focused, with deep-set eyes gazing directly at the camera.

He is dressed in a formal suit with a tie and vest, and his left hand rests on the desk near an inkwell.

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

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1y

"Hvad skal manden være? Sig selv, det er mit korte svar."
"What ought a man to be? Well, my short answer is ‘himself’."
Act IV

#OTD in 1876.

The stage première of the verse-play Peer Gynt by Henrik Ibsen (published 1867) with incidental music by Edvard Grieg, takes place in Christiania, Norway.

Peer Gynt at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/66239

In Norwegian at @runeberg-org.bsky.social
https://runeberg.org/peergynt/

Illustration for the folktale Per Gynt in the book Norske Folke og Huldre-Eventyr i udvalg ved P. Chr. Asbjørnsen. Andet oplag. 1896.

The artwork is a finely detailed black-and-white ink drawing that portrays a rugged outdoorsman standing on rocky terrain with two strong, wolf-like dogs.

He is dressed in traditional Norwegian peasant or hunter attire, wearing a hat, thick trousers, and boots.

A long rifle is slung over his shoulder, reinforcing his role as a hunter or traveler.

The background features a sparse, mountainous landscape with minimal vegetation, emphasizing the harsh and untamed environment that Per Gynt traverses.

https://daily.jstor.org/bloomsbury-group-reading-list/

Edited 1y ago

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1y

The Bloomsbury Group: A Reading List

In 1905, a group of writers and painters gathered in a London home and began a conversation on politics, love, sex, and art that lasted decades.

By: Jenny Noyce

Bloomsbury Group at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/89
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/975
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/54154
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/4565

Left to right: Lady Ottoline Morrell, Maria Nys, Lytton Strachey, Duncan Grant, and Vanessa Bell, July 1915 via Wikimedia Commons

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hernani_(drama)

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1y

#OTD in 1830.

The première of Victor Hugo's play Hernani in Paris elicits protests from an audience seeing it as an attack on Classicism.

Hugo had enlisted the support of fellow Romanticists such as Hector Berlioz and Théophile Gautier to combat the opposition of Classicists who recognised the play as a direct attack on their values.

Hernani at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/9976

#books #literature #drama

The "battle of Hernani"

Commissioned by Paul Meurice for the opening of the museum in 1903

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victor_Hugo-Hernani(2).jpg

The painting depicts the famous theatrical and literary conflict surrounding the premiere of Victor Hugo’s play Hernani in 1830 at the Comédie-Française.

This event, known as the "Battle of Hernani," was a clash between supporters of Romanticism, led by Hugo, and defenders of classical French theater.

In the painting, the scene is likely set inside the theater, showing a chaotic and passionate audience. Young Romantics, including artists, poets, and writers, are depicted clashing with conservative critics and traditionalists.

https://www.asymptotejournal.com/blog/2026/01/21/niels-fredrik-dahl-and-reality-literature-writing-to-become-visible-to-yourself/?utm_source=Klaviyo&utm_medium=campaign&utm_id=01KFJX49SHZWE60334HQRV1RSS&_kx=3MZUehzXM-41qlWAMPUiuNZadX2p0SByuNf_t0eMLB0.U5D8ER

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231d

Niels Fredrik Dahl and “Reality Literature”: Writing to Become Visible to Yourself

What does it mean to write truth into literature? In recent decades, books that are largely autobiographical but also explicitly include fictional elements have become a very popular genre in Scandinavia.

by Linnea Gradin

Realism at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subjects/search/?query=realism

#books #literature #literarycriticism

Ornament from a 1923 magazine.

A pen-and-ink illustration depicting various objects associated with reading and writing:

An open book prominently displayed on what appears to be a book rest or stand
A rolled scroll or manuscript
Other books stacked or arranged around the central open volume

https://archive.org/details/storyworldphotod51phot

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

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1y

#OTD in 1922.

In a "savage creative storm" of less than three weeks beginning today at Château de Muzot in Switzerland, Rainer Maria Rilke writes his Sonnets to Orpheus (Die Sonette an Orpheus) and completes his Duino Elegies (Duineser Elegien).

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

Books by Rainer Maria Rilke at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/846

#books #literature #poetry

First edition book cover of Sonette an Orpheus (Sonnets to Orpheus) (1923) by Rainer Maria Rilke.

Cover of Rainer Maria Rilke's Duineser Elegien (1923)

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1y

"There is not past, no future; everything flows in an eternal present."

James Joyce was born #OTD in 1882.

Together with Virginia Woolf and Dorothy Richardson, he is credited with the development of the stream of consciousness technique in which the same weight is given to both the internal world of the mind and the external world of events and circumstances as factors shaping the actions and views of fictional characters.

James Joyce at PG:
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1039

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyond_the_Horizon_(play)

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1y

#OTD in 1920.

Beyond the Horizon, Eugene O'Neill's second full-length play, opens with a Morosco Theatre matinée in New York City, partly as a producer's experiment and partly to quiet the actor Richard Bennett, who sought to play the lead. Reviewers hail the play and O'Neill gains fame. It won the 1920 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Beyond the Horizon at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/58569

First edition cover of Beyond The Horizon.

The book has a simple yet classic design, with an orange dust jacket and black text. The title, Beyond The Horizon, is prominently displayed at the top in bold font.

Below the title, there is a quote that reads, "Can You Recall More Enthusiastic Comment Than This?" followed by a passage praising the significance and dramatic power of the play.

The book cover contains additional text describing the play as an "absorbing, significant, and memorable tragedy" and highlights Eugene O'Neill’s dramatic skill.

Towards the bottom, the author’s name, Eugene O'Neill, is displayed along with a mention of his previous work, The Moon of the Caribbees.

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

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1y

#OTD in 1852.

Alexandre Dumas, fils's stage adaptation of his 1848 novel La Dame aux caméllias is premièred at the Théâtre du Vaudeville in Paris.

Shortly thereafter, Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi set about putting the story to music in the 1853 opera La traviata, with female protagonist Marguerite Gautier renamed Violetta Valéry.

La dame aux camélias at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2419
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1608

Alphonse Mucha's poster for a performance of the theatrical version, with Sarah Bernhardt (1896).

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

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1y

#OTD in 1886.

The first performance of William Gillette's American Civil War drama Held by the Enemy is held at the Criterion Theater, Brooklyn, New York.

The play was a major step toward modern theater, in that it abandoned many of the crude devices of 19th-century melodrama and introduced realism into the sets, costumes, props, and sound effects.

William Gillette at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/38243

Portrait of William Gillette, stage actor

Warner, Hartford - Storms, A. D. , ed. (1901) The Players Blue Book, Worcester, Mass: Sutherland & Storms

He is dressed in formal 19th-century theatrical or gentleman’s attire, possibly including a high-collared coat, waistcoat, and cravat.

Given the style of actor portraits of that era, he have a composed, dignified expression, gazing slightly away from the camera to convey a sense of character and gravitas.

#books #literature #philosophy

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1y

"There are very few who can think, but every man wants to have an opinion; and what remains but to take it ready-made from others, instead of forming opinions for himself?"

The Art of Controversy, and Other Posthumous Papers (ed. 1896)

~Arthur Schopenhauer (22 February 1788 – 21 September 1860)

Books by Arthur Schopenhauer at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/3648

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1y

"I know that Beauty must ail and die,
And will be born again, — but ah, to see
Beauty stiffened, staring up at the sky!
Oh, Autumn! Autumn! — What is the Spring to me?"

Second April (1921)

~Edna St. Vincent Millay (February 22, 1892 – October 19, 1950)

Books by Edna St. Vincent Millay at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/70

#books #literature #poetry

Millay, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1933.

She is captured in a three-quarter view, looking slightly to the side with an introspective expression.

Dramatic high-contrast lighting, with strong shadows cast across her face, emphasizing depth and mood.

Millay wears a dark jacket over a patterned blouse, with a deep neckline revealing her collarbone.

https://www.thecollector.com/selene-greek-goddess-moon/

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231d

The Untold Story of Selene, Greek Goddess of the Moon

A daughter of the Titans, Selene was the Greek goddess of the moon. She appears throughout Greek mythology in divine wars and torrid love affairs.

by Kieren Johns

Greek Mythology in literature at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subject/17235

#books #literature #mythology

Selene, engraving by François Chauveau.

The goddess is shown in flowing drapery, seated or reclining on a large crescent moon, which was her traditional attribute
Her pose is dynamic and graceful, with arms raised in a classical manner
A sleeping figure, likely Endymion, the handsome shepherd or astronomer with whom Selene fell in love according to Greek mythology

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selene#/media/File:S%C3%A9l%C3%A9n%C3%A9.jpg

https://theconversation.com/grains-of-sand-prove-people-not-glaciers-transported-stonehenge-rocks-271310

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232d

Grains of sand prove people – not glaciers – transported Stonehenge rocks

Ask people how Stonehenge was built and you’ll hear stories of sledges, ropes, boats and sheer human determination to haul stones from across Britain to Salisbury Plain, in south-west England.

by Anthony Clarke and Chris Kirkland

Stonehenge at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subject/12218

#books #literature #geology

Stonehenge. As painted by John Constable, 1835.

The most striking feature is the turbulent, stormy sky with sweeping dark clouds, rays of light breaking through, and possibly a rainbow.

The ancient sarsen stones and trilithons are shown in their weathered, partially ruined state.

A large fallen lintel stone lies in the foreground, emphasizing the monument's age and decay.

Tiny figures near the stones provide scale and emphasize the monument's monumentality.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonehenge#/media/File:Constable_-_Stonehenge,_1629-1888,_2006AK8142.jpg

#FolkloreSunday #BookChatWeekly #31DaysofHaunting #Folklore #MesopotamianFolklore #BabylonianFolklore #Mythology #MesopotamianMythology #BabylonianMythology #Literature #Mesopotamia #Babylon #Gilgamesh

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1y

In Mesopotamian mythology, the demigod King Gilgamesh was a tyrant, so the gods sent the wild man Enkidu to defeat him. Though Gilgamesh won, he was impressed by Enkidu's strength and tenacity. Because of his love for the wild man, Gilgamesh became a good king.
🎨 Ludmila Zeman

Enkidu and Gilgamesh embrace. A picture by Ludmila Zeman.

#Scottish #literature #poem #poetry #Byron #LordByron #romantic #romanticism #18thcentury #19thcentury

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232d

But I am half a Scot by birth, and bred
A whole one, and my heart flies to my head,—

—from “Don Juan”, Canto X, by George Gordon, Lord Byron

The great Romantic poet George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron – Lord Byron – was born #OTD, 22 Jan, 1788

A 🎂 🧵

1/5

from “Don Juan”, Canto X
George Gordon Byron

And all our little feuds, at least all mine,
Dear Jefferson, once my most redoubted foe
(As far as rhyme and criticism combine
To make such puppets of us things below),
Are over: Here's a health to 'Auld Lang Syne!'
I do not know you, and may never know
Your face—but you have acted on the whole
Most nobly, and I own it from my soul.

And when I use the phrase of 'Auld Lang Syne!'
'Tis not address'd to you—the more's the pity
For me, for I would rather take my wine
With you, than aught (save Scott) in your proud city.
But somehow,—it may seem a schoolboy's whine,
And yet I seek not to be grand nor witty,
But I am half a Scot by birth, and bred
A whole one, and my heart flies to my head,—

As 'Auld Lang Syne' brings Scotland, one and all,
Scotch plaids, Scotch snoods, the blue hills, and clear streams,
The Dee, the Don, Balgounie's brig's black wall,
All my boy feelings, all my gentler dreams
Of what I then dreamt, clothed in their own pall,
Like Banquo's offspring;—floating past me seems
My childhood in this childishness of mine:
I care not—'t is a glimpse of 'Auld Lang Syne.'

And though, as you remember, in a fit
Of wrath and rhyme, when juvenile and curly,
I rail'd at Scots to show my wrath and wit,
Which must be own'd was sensitive and surly,
Yet 'tis in vain such sallies to permit,
They cannot quench young feelings fresh and early:
I 'scotch'd not kill'd' the Scotchman in my blood,
And love the land of 'mountain and of flood.'

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

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1y

#OTD in 1869.

Booth's Theatre opens on Manhattan with the owner, Edwin Booth, playing the male lead in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

Some reports said it was one of the most elaborate productions of Romeo and Juliet ever seen in America; it was certainly the most popular, running for over six weeks and earning over $60,000 (equivalent to $1,000,000 in 2023).

Romeo and Juliet at PG:
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/1513

An 1870 oil painting of Romeo and Juliet by Ford Madox Brown depicting the play's balcony scene.

In the painting, Juliet leans over a stone balcony, dressed in a flowing, golden-yellow gown, her expression a mix of longing and affection.

Romeo, clad in a deep red tunic, clings to the balcony’s edge, gazing up at her with passionate devotion.

https://www.thecollector.com/most-influential-english-ghost-stories/

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1y

What Are the 5 Most Influential English Ghost Stories?

Ghost stories are an ancient tradition, often carrying moral or religious messages. Over time, writers realized the power of crafting uniquely unsettling tales, and this list examines 5 of the most influential.

By Lauren Jones

All these ghost stories are available at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/768
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1289
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/14522
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/8486
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/209

https://www.thecollector.com/impressionism-sculpture-literature-film-photography/

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232d

Impressionism Beyond Painting: Sculpture, Literature, Film and More

Impressionists like Edgar Degas experimented with photography and inspired a photographic movement that aimed to convey the same effects as their groundbreaking paintings.

by Anastasiia Kirpalov

Impressionism at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subject/3050

#books #art #literature

Impression, Sunrise by Claude Monet, 1872.

The painting shows the port of Le Havre in northern France at sunrise. Others elements:

The orange sun: Rising through morning mist, with its reflection shimmering on the water
Boats and industrial elements: Barely defined shapes emerging from the fog
Color palette: Predominantly blues, grays, and greens with the vivid orange sun as the focal point
Atmospheric effect: The hazy, dreamlike quality of early morning light filtering through fog

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Monet_-_Impression,_Sunrise.jpg

https://canongate.co.uk/books/3267-the-golden-treasury-of-scottish-verse/

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231d

Gin I was God, sittin’ up there abeen,
Weariet nae doot noo a’ my darg was deen,
Deaved wi’ the harps an’ hymns oonendin’ ringin’,
Tired o’ the flockin’ angels hairse wi’ singin’,
To some clood-edge I’d daunder furth an’, feth,
Look ower an’ watch hoo things were gyaun aneth…

—Charles Murray (1864–1941), “Gin I Was God”
published in THE GOLDEN TREASURY OF SCOTTISH VERSE, @canongatebooks 2021

#Scottish #literature #poem #poetry #20thcentury #Scots #Scotslanguage #god

Gin I Was God
Charles Murray

Gin I was God, sittin’ up there abeen,
Weariet nae doot noo a’ my darg was deen,
Deaved wi’ the harps an’ hymns oonendin’ ringin’,
Tired o’ the flockin’ angels hairse wi’ singin’,
To some clood-edge I’d daunder furth an’, feth,
Look ower an’ watch hoo things were gyaun aneth.
Syne, gin I saw hoo men I’d made mysel’
Had startit in to pooshan, sheet an’ fell,
To reive an’ rape, an’ fairly mak’ a hell
O’ my braw birlin’ Earth, – a hale week’s wark –
I’d cast my coat again, rowe up my sark,
An’, or they’d time to lench a second ark,
Tak’ bak my word an’ sen’ anither spate,
Droon oot the hale hypothec, dicht the sklate,
Own my mistak’, an’, aince I’d cleared the brod,
Start a’thing ower again, gin I was God.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Butterfly%27s_Evil_Spell

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1y

#OTD in 1920.

Federico García Lorca's first play, The Butterfly's Evil Spell (El maleficio de la mariposa) is poorly received at its première in Madrid.

With only four performances, very poorly received by the public, including booing, it was a total failure for its author. The text, written in verse, is a parable about frustration, love and death; recurring themes in Lorca's work.

Garcia Lorca at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/56772