The Book Tower

Another Literary Meme

Monday October 30, 2006 in |

I found this interesting meme on a blog called Cam’s Commentary and then traced it back to Of Books and Bicycles. After that, it was too confusing and I became lost trying to find the meme source.

There’s five rules, and I quote:

Grab the nearest book.
Open the book to page 123.
Find the fifth sentence.
Post the text of the next 4 sentences on your blog along with these instructions.
Don’t you dare dig for that “cool” or “intellectual” book in your closet! I know you were thinking about it! Just pick up whatever is closest.

Well, I’ve bent the rules already. The first few books I picked at random were embarrassing, but I’ve come up with this semi-random choice:

One evening, having excused herself from accompanying her aunt abroad, she thus withdrew to the pavilion, with books and her lute. It was the mild and beautiful evening of a sultry day, and the windows, which fronted the west, opened upon all the glory of a setting sun. Its rays illuminated, with strong splendour, the cliffs of the Pyrenees, and touched their snowy tops with a roseate hue, that remained, long after the sun had sunk below the horizon, and the shades of twilight had stolen over the landscape. Emily touched her lute with that fine melancholy expression, which came from her heart.

Phew, that’ll teach me.

Clues:
Atmospheric castles.
Writer born in 18th Century London.
An appropriate book for Hallowe’en…

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I can’t remember who it’s by, but I’m fairly certain it’s a Gothic horror tale – I was thinking Frankenstein, but I don’t think it’s that. I’m certain I’ve read it – or at least that excerpt before – but I can’t remember it. It strikes me as a “little known classic” type of novel. Hmm… I could google it, but I guess that’s cheating.

Hmm... googled it. Won't name it (obviously) but I don't think I'd have got it in a million years....

JackP    Tuesday October 31, 2006   

Oh I forgot about Google! Yes I suppose it’s a hard one but it’s the only Halloweeny book I had to hand…but you were right about the gothic.
Although the excerpt was chosen as per meme rules above, it is a very apt one to use.
Oh, and I think the meme rule was that you had to give the answer on Friday…

Stephen    Tuesday October 31, 2006   

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