I've been hiding in a surprising little book my sister brought home called The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova. It is a vampire tale, which is a fandom I only dabble in mildly, when the story and writing are fresh. I have to say this book is impressively so! 20-odd chapters in, no sexy Rice-ian vamps, no hideous Nosferatu (Nosferati?), nothing extraordinarily fantastical at all. As the name implies, it's a book of history, and talks more about digging through tomes on the old Wallachian militarist and Sheik Mehmed II in foreign libraries, and their very real, brutality, than that of fighting ancient evil undead.
For this, I love this book, not half-way in, it is already a favorite in this genre.
It has also set off my taste for the fustian aspects that we Americans live largely without. Our own contenient had its own ancient ruins long before the first Virginia colonies, of course; but those across the pond, from our own ancestry, combine something eternally familiar and alien in a completely unique way.
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How does this translate into Etsy? Not very well I'm afraid. BUT I have found some sellers who do deal well in the darker side of Etsy.
Though a bit more "modern goth," than fusty, the delicate and structural aspect of Obscurna's lace necklaces make them much more elegant and less campy than so many entries in this genre. They vary in intricacy, and some contain ornate jewels.
Of course, there is always a place for whimsy in areas that tend to automatically make part of our brain a little uncomfortable. Making what was originally a scary concept one of humor is a natural coping device.
Probably my favorite is a new etsy seller in this vein (ha ha) is Beyond the Poison Apple. This seller specializes in recreating prop bottles from Jekkyl and Hyde to Nightmare Before Christmas. My only sadness comes from the fact that all her bottles are clearly noted to NOT DRINK FROM. Awwww. How much fun at a party would a set of these be?
*isn't fusty a great word?
2 comments:
I enjoyed "The Historian" too, although it was very shiver on the back of the neck in parts! And thanks for the intro to Beyond the Poison Apple, I LOVE her stuff!
i love your blog and the items you choose to feature :)
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