Then there was George Chuzzlewit, a gay bachelor cousin, who claimed to be young but had been younger, and was inclined to corpulency, and rather over-fed himself: to that extent, indeed, that his eyes were strained in their sockets, as if with constant surprise; and he had such an obvious disposition to pimples, that the bright spots on his cravat, the rich pattern on his waistcoat, and even his glittering trinkets, seemed to have broken out upon him, and not to have come into existence comfortably.I’ve been listening to a free Librivox audiobook of Charles Dickens’ Martin Chuzzlewit at work. The quality of the narration and recording is better than I expected. Apparently, Martin Chuzzlewit isn’t one of Dickens’ most popular works, but even so I’ve really enjoyed the rich, wordy greatness of passages like the one above. Worth a listen!
Tag quotations
We’ve been thoroughly conditioned to aspire in all things stylistic to the young, sexy, reckless, and raw. But these are virtues that most of us don’t actually embody—at least for very long. At a certain age it behooves most of us to take the long view and dial in a look that gets better with time.Good words from Will Boehlke on high-waisted trousers, sex appeal, and enduring elegance.
Apart from the desire to produce beautiful things, the leading passion of my life has been and is hatred of modern civilization.William Morris
Originally reposted from
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Break forth, O beauteous heavenly light,Johann von Rist, Break forth, O beauteous heavenly light, 1641
and usher in the morning.
O shepherds, shudder not with fright,
but hear the angel’s warning:
this child, now weak in infancy,
our confidence and joy shall be,
the power of Satan breaking,
our peace eternal making.