Sunday, November 15, 2009

Through A Glass Brightly

"A very very very fine house . . .


Such a cozy room,


the windows are illuminated


by the evening sunshine through them,


fiery gems for you . . ."



~ Graham Nash

In a section sadly omitted from the final version of his novel, Gustave Flaubert pictures Madame Bovary standing before the colored windows at Vaubyessard. She looks out at the countryside through variously colored window panes in a passage strangely reminiscent of Emerson's colored beads and lenses. Moving as from dream to dream, Emma Bovary looks at the illusion offered by each pane.

Through the blue pane, all seems sad; through the yellow pane everything grows smaller, lighter, and warmer; through the green pane everything she sees appears leaden and frozen. She remains longest in front of the red glass, looking at a landscape that frightens her, until she averts her eyes to the ordinary daylight of a transparent pane.

FOR MORE ABOUT
MADAME BOVARY AND RALPH WALDO EMERSON

READ TODAY'S NEW POST
ON
THE FORTNIGHTLY KITTI CARRIKER: A LITERARY BLOG
OF CONNECTION & COINCIDENCE; CUSTOM & CEREMONY

www.kitticarriker.blogspot.com

Stained Glass Design in Fireman's Hall Museum, Philadelphia

[Above: Custom - made front door, Society Hill, Philadelpha]

1 comment:

  1. I confess to never having read Madame Bovary. This information makes me interested. Tell me, Kitti, should I put it on my list?

    ReplyDelete