Presently the door opened, and in came a superannuated mastiff, followed by an old gentleman very like Miss Bronte, who shook hands with us, and then went to call his daughter. A long interval, during which we coaxed the old dog, and looked at a picture of Miss Bronte, by Richmond, the solitary ornament of the room, looking strangely out of place on the bare walls, and at the books on the little shelves, most of them evidently the gift of the authors since Miss Bronte's celebrity. Presently she came in, and welcomed us very kindly, and took me upstairs to take off my bonnet, and herself brought me water and towels. The uncarpeted stone stairs and floors, the old drawers propped on wood, were all scrupulously clean and neat. When we went into the parlour again, we began talking very comfortably, when the door opened and Mr. Bronte looked in; seeing his daughter there, I suppose he thought it was all right, and he retreated to his study on the opposite side of the passage; presently emerging again to bring W---- a country newspaper. This was his last appearance till we went. Miss Bronte spoke with the greatest warmth of Miss Martineau, and of the good she had gained from her. Well! we talked about various things; the character of the people, - about her solitude, etc., till she left the room to help about dinner, I suppose, for she did not return for an age. The old dog had vanished; a fat curly-haired dog honoured us with his company for some time, but finally manifested a wish to get out, so we were left alone. At last she returned, followed by the maid and dinner, which made us all more comfortable; and we had some very pleasant conversation, in the midst of which time passed quicker than we supposed, for at last W---- found that it was half-past three, and we had fourteen or fifteen miles before us. So we hurried off, having obtained from her a promise to pay us a visit in the spring... ------------------- "She cannot see well, and does little beside knitting. The way she weakened her eyesight was this: When she was sixteen or seventeen, she wanted much to draw; and she copied nimini-pimini copper-plate engravings out of annuals, ('stippling,' don't the artists call it?) every little point put in, till at the end of six months she had produced an exquisitely faithful copy of the engraving. She wanted to learn to express her ideas by drawing. After she had tried to draw stories, and not succeeded, she took the better mode of writing; but in so small a hand, that it is almost impossible to decipher what she wrote at this time.
I asked her whether she had ever taken opium, as the description given of its effects in Villette was so exactly like what I had experienced, - vivid and exaggerated presence of objects, of which the outlines were indistinct, or lost in golden mist, etc. She replied, that she had never, to her knowledge, taken a grain of it in any shape, but that she had followed the process she always adopted when she had to describe anything which had not fallen within her own experience; she had thought intently on it for many and many a night before falling to sleep, - wondering what it was like, or how it would be, - till at length, sometimes after the progress of her story had been arrested at this one point for weeks, she wakened up in the morning with all clear before her, as if she had in reality gone through the experience, and then could describe it, word for word, as it had happened. I cannot account for this psychologically; I only am sure that it was so, because she said it. ----------------------She thought much of her duty, and had loftier and clearer notions of it than most people, and held fast to them with more success. It was done, it seems to me, with much more difficulty than people have of stronger nerves, and better fortunes. All her life was but labour and pain; and she never threw down the burden for the sake of present pleasure. I don't know what use you can make of all I have said. I have written it with the strong desire to obtain appreciation for her. Yet, what does it matter? She herself appealed to the world's judgement for her use of some of the faculties she had, - not the best, - but still the only ones she could turn to strangers' benefit. They heartily, greedily enjoyed the fruits of her labours, and then found out she was much to be blamed for possessing such faculties. Why ask for a judgement on her from such a world?"
elizabeth gaskell/charlotte bronte
From the Treasure Trove: Charlotte’s honeymoon dress. This dress was worn by Charlotte when she set out on her honeymoon in 1854. The dress is made from silk and is actually a separate skirt and top. Originally it was patterned with stripes of lavender and silver, which have gradually faded to a uniform silvery brown colour.
Yes the dress has changed so much from its description in 1854,some think there are two dresses. One of with stripes of lavender and silver, and this brown one...but its the same one
BeantwoordenVerwijderenStripes of lavender and silver, seems very lively for a dress of Charlotte's , an indication of something special was afoot .
She was torn between a natural love of beautiful clothes( this is evident in the early writings ) and feeling ill as ease when it comes to herself and finery. Not only because she was not her own physical ideal, but because of Evangelical religious training and simply being poor most of her life.
This woman was the young girl who had to present herself to new school fellows old, old fashion dresses...very likely a cut down dress of Aunt's was in her trunk . She was keenly aware of the incongruity between herself and the dress of wealthy girls like Mary and Ellen....and of her inner world's notions of dress as well.
But a wedding provides an opportunity for indulgence and a reprieve from such concerns even for a clergyman's daughter
Charlotte was amazed she bought white material for her wedding dress and talked about not being made a fool of .....but don't let us be fooled. She loved all the trimmings, her wedding out fit and this dress are of striking loveliness
Interestingly every element of design in this dress would make the figure wearing it more substantial looking. The balloon sleeves, the front piece on the bodice, the horizontal strips ....CB often lamented her thinness.
It's also interesting it is of two separate pieces... I believe Charlotte designed the dress herself . Two pieces would make it easier to put on and take off I'd think. A consideration in a honeymoon going away dress when you are by yourself with a new husband! However events unfolded, such ease would be appreciated lol .