Recently, I got my fourth tattoo. I happen to be someone who believes that getting permanently inked is an awesome form of self-expression. It had been three years since I had gotten my last one and I cannot wait to go back and get more. Sure they are a little painful, but a tattoo is a permanent piece of art on your body to represent your feelings, your passions, your beliefs, etc.
So in my quest to determine what my fifth tattoo will be, I started to think about my love of everything books. Thinking back to all of the wonderful books I have read over the years and which meant the most to be. Great Expectations, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, On The Road, Atlas Shrugged, and Alice in Wonderland are just a few books that I have read throughout my life that have had a profound effect on me. Each of these books has touched me for a different reason. I read Great Expectations with my dad every year growing up, The Perks of Being a Wallflower got me through all things horrible in high school, and the others have personal stories attached to them as well.
As I began thinking about these books I began thinking, “How awesome would it be to get my favorite line or image from one of these books tattooed on me?!” So I started looking into literary tattoos and I found something I was not expecting. There are thousands, if not millions, of people out there with some really, really awesome literary tattoos. From one line of a poem to images of favorite characters to the rules of Fight Club, people are getting literary inspired tattoos quite often.
While I still have not decided on which literary inspired tattoo I will be getting (although my favorite line from The Perks of Being a Wallflower is winning…), I have rounded up some of my favorite ones I have found from around the web.
So I pose this question to you, do you have any literary tattoos? Would you be willing to get one? Let me know in the comments section below!
Reading along with the #BiggerBookClub? Re-invent the classic novel and great literary characters of Great Expectations by using these ideas to throw a fun, creative themed party.
First things first: Decorations
So you could go a number of directions with this- you could print out pictures of Miss Havisham and hang them up (might be kind of creepy) or you could get a map of England and isolate the places Pip travels and put them up. But, I think your best bet and the most creative is to get a bunch of clocks and stop them all at twenty to nine. Also, create a decaying feast somewhere and add some spider webs to really make your guests feel like they are in Satis House.
Don’t forget to dress the part
Dress up as a Victorian lady or gentleman. And if you really want to get into the spirit, dress up in a creepy wedding dress (this would be my choice- go big or go home right?).
You’ll need food of course!
When Pip steals from his sister to bring food to Magwitch, it is described as “beautiful round compact pork pie”. So what’s more perfect to make than pork pie? That’s right, nothing. I know it sounds gross but before you dismiss it, try it. Here’s the recipe.
What’s a party without music?
In the novel, Herbert gives pip the nickname of Handel who composed the piece “The Harmonious Blacksmith”. This song is obviously the best choice to have playing during the party. You can easily download the song or find it on YouTube.
Put all of these together and you’ll have the best Great Expectations party ever! Have fun!
Reading along with the #BiggerBookClub? Check out these little known facts about the Great Expectations author!
- Dickens was known to be obsessive compulsive always looking in the mirror and then combing his hair as an obsession.
- He believed in mesmerism, which was healing through hypnotism. He practiced this on his wife and children in order to cure ailments.
- Charles suffered from epilepsy and even made some of his characters epileptics.
- Dickens always slept facing north as he felt it improved his writing, he even carried a compass with him while traveling in order to be sure.
- He loved nicknames. Besides giving nicknames to his book characters, he also nickname his children with names such as “chickenstalker” and “skittles”.
- The name Dickens is a curse word invented by Shakespeare.
- He helped create a house for “fallen women” to teach them to read and write.
- Dickens was interested in the paranormal and has been linked to the paranormal investigation group “The Ghost Club” of London.
- Dickens always touched things 3 times for luck.
- There was a secret door in his study disguised as a bookcase and filled with fake books.
- All of his books have characters from people in his life and stories that reflect his past.
- Dickens had a big ego and referred to himself as ‘The Sparkler of Albion’ (Albion is an archaic name for England).
- He suffered from insomnia.
- His favorite letter opener was made of the claw of his favorite cat, Bob.
- Dickens was an enthusiastic amateur magician.
