Saturday, April 9, 2016

Inkling Explorations Link-Up // April 2016


(Note: if you're interested in participating and new to the blog, you can find our link-up explanation/guidelines + more buttons here. :))

This month's selection is: A description of a lady in literature


My choice comes from G.K. Chesterton's The Ball and the Cross (which, by the way, I still haven't completely made sense of), but -- all that notwithstanding -- the words are enough to take your breath at times and the following description's fascinating.

~     ~     ~

"Madeleine Durand was physically a sleepy young woman, and might easily have been supposed to be morally a lazy one. It is, however, certain that the work of her house was done somehow, and it is even more rapidly ascertainable that nobody else did it. The logician is, therefore, driven back upon the assumption that she did it; and that lends a sort of mysterious interest to her personality at the beginning. She had very broad, low, and level brows, which seemed even lower because her warm yellow hair clustered down to her eyebrows; and she had a face just plump enough not to look as powerful as it was. Anything that was heavy in all this was abruptly lightened by two large, light china-blue eyes, lightened all of a sudden as if it had been lifted into the air by two big blue butterflies. The rest of her was less than middle-sized, and was of a casual and comfortable sort...

"Both the father and the daughter (i.e. Madeleine) were of the sort that would normally have avoided all observation; that is, all observation in that extraordinary modern world which calls out everything except strength. Both of them had strength below the surface; they were like quiet peasants owning enormous and unquarried mines. The father with his square face and grey side whiskers, the daughter with her square face and golden fringe of hair, were both stronger than they knew; stronger than anyone knew. The father... believed in Man. The daughter believed in God; and was even stronger. They neither of them believed in themselves; for that is a decadent weakness.

"The daughter was called a devotee. She left upon ordinary people the impression -- the somewhat irritating impression -- produced by such a person; it can only be described as the sense of strong water being perpetually poured into some abyss. She did her housework easily; she achieved her social relations sweetly; she was never neglectful and never unkind. This accounted for all that was soft in her, but not for all that was hard. She trod firmly as if going somewhere; she flung her face back as if defying something; she hardly spoke a cross word, yet there was often battle in her eyes. The modern man asked doubtfully where all this silent energy went to. He would have stared still more doubtfully if he had been told that it all went into her prayers."  

Tell me! Have you read and enjoyed any Chesterton?


~     ~     ~

Just leave your own link here in a comment and I'll add it to the post. As always, entries are open through the end of the month and I can't wait to see your selections!

Entrants:



*How to do it*


1. Post the Inklings button on your sidebar.
2. Do a post on your own blog relating to the month's selection/subject (a literary excerpt as short or as long as you like AND/OR—if specified that month—a screencap from a film with an explanation of how the scene builds/develops the story). Link back here somewhere in your post.
3. Come back here and paste your link in the comments box and I'll add it to the post. Then enjoy visiting and reading everyone else's contributions!

That's all there is to it!

Up next month: A scene making beautiful use of special effects/CGI in film


20 comments:

  1. Good morning. I haven't read Chesterton but The Ball and the Cross sounds fascinating.
    www.katiescottagebooks.wordpress.com

    I love this feature/activity each month. Enjoy.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh . . . my favorite author! I LOVE Chesterton, and I love "The Ball and the Cross." (It did take me several readings to grasp everything, though.) Madeline Durand is such a beautiful character, both outside and inside--I love her! Chesterton's description of Beatrice is awesome, too--I've always remembered it.

    I'm awfully fond of MacIan and Turnbull, too--they're both so dead-set on what they believe and yet they manage to form such a strong relationship despite their differences. It's neat :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've never read Chesterton, but this book really sounds interesting! Going to have to see if my library carries it :D

    And I think I might just have to try the Inkling Explorations some time; it sounds like so much fun! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Here's my link: http://countingyourblessingsonebyone.blogspot.ca/2016/04/inkling-explorations-miss-lavender.html

      It was super fun doing! :) Thanks for such a lovely idea, Heidi!

      And I LOVE your new background. The lavender is beautiful :)

      Delete
  4. Heidi,

    Those excerpts are amazing! I have only read one Chesterton myself and I too, haha, am still figuring out all the meanings of it. Unfortunately, (that word isn't even strong enough,) my library doesn't have a copy!! :'( But I may just have to buy this book! I am rapidly coming to trust your choice in books! :D

    So I've never done this link-up before so you will have to correct me if I am somehow wrong but, here is my link:
    http://writeoncordy.blogspot.com/2016/04/inkling-explorations-jo-march.html
    I chose Jo March! Her description has been a favorite for many years!

    Thanks for the idea! I think these are going to be fun to participate in!!

    ~Cordy

    P.S. I really like your background! It's so very elegantly pretty!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I've never read any Chesterton, but this was a very intriguing sample. This part in particular stuck out to me: "It is, however, certain that the work of her house was done somehow, and it is even more rapidly ascertainable that nobody else did it. The logician is, therefore, driven back upon the assumption that she did it; and that lends a sort of mysterious interest to her personality at the beginning." Haha. Very clever. :)

    I just finished my contribution, so here's the link: http://marchramblings.blogspot.com/2016/04/inkling-explorations-fishermans-lady.html

    Thank you for the fun selection! :D

    ~Miss March

    ReplyDelete
  6. I thiiiiiiiiink I've read something by Chesterson, but I can't recall for sure right now. Probably during college.

    I got my post finished! Here it is. It's actually a collection of five short descriptions of women by Raymond Chandler.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I have not read any Chesterson, although I enjoyed the examples of his writing style above.

    I've joined in this month with an example from Edith Wharton - http://bronasbooks.blogspot.com.au/2016/04/inklings-lady-in-literature.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. PS I've noticed that people can leave live links in your comments and you have a blogspot blog (like me). How did you do that?

      Delete
  8. Here is mine.

    http://thefloweringvales.blogspot.com/2016/04/joining-up-with-heidis-inkling.html

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hey, Heidi! Wow, it feels like I haven't been over here in FOREVER! I need to fix that :D

    Anyway, I hope you're doing well! That book sounds really intriguing; some of that passage almost sent goosebumps down my spine ;)

    Here's my contribution:

    http://meanwhileinrivendell.blogspot.com/2016/04/inkling-explorations-april-2016.html

    ReplyDelete
  10. Visiting here for the first time. What a wonderfully fun thing to do. Chesterton is grand! And I haven't read this work, but the description gives me a very clear picture of her.
    Here is my link. I hope it works. I am hopelessly Medieval when it comes to buttons and links.
    http://newsfromhobbiton.blogspot.com/2016/04/misunderstood-hepzibah.html

    ReplyDelete
  11. "Neither believed in themselves, for that is a decadent weakness." Lovely passage, Heidi! Thank you for sharing.

    I had to participate in this inklings! I love reading the first description of the "lady" in a book. :) I hope you're well!

    https://readingamericanleaves.wordpress.com/2016/04/10/inkling-explorations-a-description-of-a-lady-in-literature/

    ReplyDelete
  12. I haven't read this particular book, but I'm actually in the middle of a collection of Father Brown stories. Chesterton really has a way with words!

    Here's mine- http://onstoriesandwords.blogspot.com/2016/04/inkling-explorationsapril-2016.html

    ReplyDelete
  13. At long last, Eowyn once more makes an appearance - http://headinthecloudsandpeninhand.blogspot.com/2016/04/inkling-exploration-april-2016-majesty.html

    ReplyDelete
  14. I haven't read any Chesterton before, but the writing style in your excerpt was very lovely.
    Here is my link:http://best-of-classics.blogspot.com/2016/04/a-description-of-lady.html

    ReplyDelete
  15. Thank you so much for linking my post above, m'dear. Pardon me for being everlastingly undecided, but I believe I prefer Blogger to Wordpress, so my post is actually over here now:

    http://historyisnotwas.blogspot.com/2016/04/inkling-explorations-lady-in-literature.html

    No worries at all if you are too busy to update the link. I'm just telling you in case you want to for your own purposes. :-)

    Also, HUGE CONGRATS on your news. xoxo <3

    ReplyDelete
  16. I haven't read much of Chesterton, but I hope to at some point in the future! Here's my link: http://creativexplorations.com/inkling-explorations-marguerite-blakeney/

    ReplyDelete
  17. What a lovely description!! I so wanted to do this, but one thing and another happened, and...oh well. :/ Hopefully next month! :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hello Heidi! I hope I made it just in time! This is my first time commenting on your blog. I haven't read any Chesterton, yet. . .

    Here is my link: http://wanderingthroughvalinor.blogspot.com/2016/04/inkling-explorations-april-2016.html

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...