Imagining books and music in quirky and creative ways
Rubblebucket is an alternative rock group who recently came out with a song with major Catherine Earnshaw vibes. “If U C My Enemies” has a lot in common with her frenzied, mentally unstable state just before her death in Emily Brontë’s classic novel, Wuthering Heights.
Continue reading “Songs for Every Book: Rubblebucket and Catherine Earnshaw from Wuthering Heights”
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that whiskey makes for an excellent character arc. –Jane Austen, probably
Have you ever thought about how different drinks have different personalities? If chocolate milk were a person it would surely have different hobbies, character traits, and life goals from Wine or Orange Juice, for example. So naturally, this question simply begs to be asked: if certain characters from literature were beverages, what type of beverage would they be?? Continue reading “Mr. Darcy and Whiskey: If Literary Characters Were Beverages”
This week I started rereading one of my all-time favorite books, Wuthering Heights. It seemed only natural then to share another classical music story inspired by this novel, paired with an equally mystical (and equally loved) piano piece!
Classical Music Stories is a series that connects music to your favorite books and characters. Since listening to classical music can be like hearing a story (albeit an abstract one), imagining specific stories that match the music can make it that much more fun and accessible!
Liszt-Paganini Etude in G#-minor (La Campanella)
Composed by Franz Liszt Continue reading “Classical Music Stories: Wuthering Heights”
E.T. by Katy Perry = Heathcliff and Catherine’s relationship
Both are filled with a lot of passion and otherworldliness. Heathcliff is also someone to be afraid of, like the song suggests.
Heathcliff’s desire to be haunted also has parallels with Perry’s language:
Heathcliff: “Be with me always—take any form—drive me mad! only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you!”
Perry: “Infect me with your love and fill me with your poison”…
“Wanna be a victim, ready for abduction”
Divertimento for Strings No. 4 by Antonio Salieri
Quartetto Amati
Young Catherine Linton is wandering out on the moors, basking in the beauty of nature and birdsong. The music becomes mixed with some darkness as she catches sight of Heathcliff, though…but she doesn’t know the danger she’s in and keeps rejoicing and just being her bubbly self. Besides, Heathcliff is acting the perfect gentleman! Nelly, who is with her, tries to interject a few timid worries and warnings, but she is basically unaffected. After all, what’s the worst that could happen??
Read the story first or listen to the music first–the choice is yours!
SPOILERS
The Firebird: Lullaby by Igor Stravinsky
Near the end of his life, Heathcliff wanders at night in search of Catherine—it is like she has put him under a spell. Night after night he keeps plodding along without sleep.
At one point he thinks he glimpses her and is filled with a soaring hope! …But then he realizes his mistake and returns to endless searching.
Can you hear it? Do you hear something different?
Check out similar musical adventures with Hamlet and Jane Eyre. Visit the “Classical Music Stories” category on the home page to find even more!
1) Being able to hire a hero (J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit)
2) Perpetual tea time (Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland)
3) Amateur sleuths choosing you as their companion (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes)
4) Mysterious strangers who have only one name (Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights) Continue reading “Top 8 Things From Books That I Wish Were Real”
Thanks to sfarnell for tagging me in the Pastry Book Tag! As usual, I can’t do anything quite like the rest of the world, so I turned this into a list of some of my favorite classics!
P.S. What in the world is a croquembouche??? Continue reading “The Best Classic Books as Inspired by Pastries”
If Mermaids Wore Suspenders 