"You made your own snares. I never made them."

"I crossed the staircase landing and entered the room she indicated. From that room too the daylight was completely excluded and it had an airless smell that was oppressive. A fire had been lately kindled in the damp, old fashioned grate and it was more disposed to go out than to burn up, and the reluctant smoke which hung in the room seemed colder than the clearer air like our own marsh mist. Certain wintry branches of candles on the high chimneypiece faintly lighted the ch€amber or, it would be more expressive to say, faintly troubled its darkness. It was spacious and, I daresay, had once been handsome, but every discernible thing in it was covered with dust and mould and dropping to pieces. The most prominent object was a long table with a tablecloth spread on it, as if a feast had been in preparation when the house and the clocks all stopped together. An epergne or centre piece of some kind was in the middle of this cloth; it was so heavily overhung with cobwebs that its form was quite undistinguishable; and as I looked along the yellow expanse out of which I remember its seeming to grow, like a black fungus, I saw speckled legged spiders with blotchy bodies running home to it, and running out from it, as if some circumstance of the greatest public importance had just transpired in the spider community.
....
"What do you think that is?" she asked me again with her stick. "That where those cobwebs are?"
"I can't guess what it is, ma'am."
"It's a great cake. A bride cake. Mine!"


******


"So unchanging was the dull old house, the yellow light ... in the darkened room, the faded spectre in the chair by the dressing-table glass, that I felt as if the stopping of the clocks had stopped Time in that mysterious place, and, while I and everything else outside it grew older, it stood still. Daylight never entered the house as to my thoughts and remembrances of it, any more than as to the actual fact.
....
"On this day of the year, long before you were born, this heap of decay," stabbing with her crutched stick at the pile of cobwebs on the table but not touching it, "was brought here. It and I have worn away together. The mice have gnawed at it, and sharper teeth than teeth of mice have gnawed at me."

*******

I don't know why...attribute it to fall and Halloween and whatnot, but I'm feeling SUPER inspired by Miss Havisham. Miss Havisham is, of course, the old lady in Charles Dickens' Great Expectations. On the day of her wedding, she received news that her fiancee had abandoned her. She stopped all the clocks in her home, Satis House, and from that day on blocked out all sunshine. Every day she wore her wedding dress and veil, and one shoe (as she had not finished putting on the other shoe when she received the news), determined to halt time in that one moment and never move on from her heartbreak. She plays an integral part in the story and in ruining Pip's life, but I just like the cobwebby, ancient feel she seems to give off.



I love the feel of these images. I think it encapsulates the decaying, old-timey feel of the Havisham thing. (Credit.)

Havisham Chic by insidemypumpkin featuring a silk satin dress

This is my take. I just imagine "Havisham Chic," if you will, to include lots of whites, grays and dusty rose hues--lots of drapey, loose, fabrics and shirred hems. Ruffles, lace, cameos and little gothic details complete the look.

Is anything inspiring you right now, Dear Readers?


I also wanted to do a product review.

Kindle for PC


The product in question is Kindle for PC.

Here's the deal.

When E-readers first came out, I was appalled. I found them to be abhorrent, hideous devices meant to further destroy the printed word in our culture. I loathed the idea with every fiber in my being. How on EARTH can holding a cold piece of metal and plastic in between your hands EVER replace the incredible feeling of turning pages, of smelling must in old books, and wondering who turned the pages before you, devouring the ink like sustenance?

Well, you can't.

But the Kindle for PC is a really super cool invention if you like to read a lot, carry a laptop to boring classes, and don't want to lug around novels in addition to textbooks. Aka: me.

It's absolutely FREE to download, which is pretty darn sweet. You wanna know what else is cool? There are hundreds, possibly even thousands, of titles that are FREE too! A lot of the classics are free. SHERLOCK EFFING HOLMES IS FREE. You should get it for that reason alone. But really. If you want to read classics off your laptop or computer, this is an incredible way to do it.

The interface is pretty user-friendly. Those of you who know me know that I am just barely a functioning member of 21st century society when it comes to technology. Even I figured this out. So I'm sure you can, too. I really like how you can bookmark your page, and when you shut down the application or your computer and restart it, it opens right back up to the page you were. You can also highlight text, and there's even a capability to take notes in the "margins," which is pretty cool. You just download the book and it uses this thing called "Whispersync" and delivers it right into your Kindle on your computer. It is easy-peasy. I've finished two novels on it so far and haven't spend a PENNY.

Now THAT is cool.

I highly suggest you give it a try. If you do, let me know how you like it! I'm curious! Do you use any other device to read books other than, y'know, books? How do you like them?


Have a lovely week, Readers. :)