Bacchante (1866) by Prosper d'Epinay (French painter & sculptor, lived 1836-1914). A priestess of Bacchus, the god of wine and festivity, here expressing some uninhibited joy and energy.
“What sprang forth from Carlyle’s pen was not a dry account of the French Revolution, but a book brimming with passion and philosophy, one that offered a new style of storytelling that influenced a generation of Victorian writers.”
Thomas Carlyle (1795–1881) was born #OTD, 4 Dec. His THE FRENCH REVOLUTION established him as one of the most important social & cultural commentators of his day
VIY, Nikolai Gogol (1835)
"something in these features…appalled him; a terrible depression seized his heart, as when in the midst of dance and song someone begins to chant a dirge. He felt as though those ruby lips were coloured with his own heart's blood." #GothicAdvent
THE EBONY FRAME, Edith Nesbit (1891)
"I hope I shall never again know a moment of terror as blank & absolute…Either all the known laws of nature were nothing, or I was mad. I stood trembling…while the black velvet gown swept across the hearthrug towards me." #GothicAdvent
#WyrdWednesday In 'Ken's Mystery' (Julian Hawthorne, 1888), an American visiting Ireland meets a vampire who seems to bend the laws of time. The only evidence of his encounter is his new banjo, which suddenly looks ancient after their strange affair
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Fancy reading this chilling story about the vampiric fae of Ireland hunting on Halloween? You can find a copy of 'Ken's Mystery' (1888) in the Victorian Gothic Library here:
#FairyTaleTuesday In Mary E. Braddon's 'My Wife's Promise' (1868), an explorer on a rescue mission in the arctic sees the ghost of his wife. Before leaving home, she made a promise to him which he thought was impossible to keep, and is heartbroken to find she kept her word.
You can find a link to an original, illustrated copy of this story (and many more) in the Victorian Gothic Library: https://victorian-gothic.co.uk/all-texts What better time of the year to indulge in some chilling ghost stories?
Gothic Warnings: Jekyll and Hyde, Dorian Gray, Dracula, & the Anthropocene
29 Nov, University of Aberdeen, & online. Free
Dr Emily Alder reconsiders these famous #Gothic works in light of the #Anthropocene, a concept used to describe the impact of human activities on Earth systems & in which the #Victorian period is deeply implicated
(To make, just add a #Horse's severed head, a pole and some #Runes. Not to be confused with the #Vindgapi, which uses a #Ling#Fish head instead, and which is used to summon storms.)
Next, a real-life 'poison candy' case, all thanks to adulteration and human stupidity.
"...A handful of sweets is as synonymous with #Halloween as a spooky costume or a ghoulish #pumpkin. But on 31 October 1858, this normally harmless treat killed several children, causing panic across #Bradford and a rapidly rising death toll. This is how a mix-up at a pharmacy, rooted in trying to save a few pennies on sugar, rocked #Victorian#Britain and changed #UK laws..."