BELL
He went and came, he beat his hands together, he ran from rope to rope, he animated the six singers with voice and gesture, like the leader of an orchestra who is urging on intelligent musicians.
...
He was wholly absorbed in spurring on his bells, all six of which vied with each other in leaping and shaking their shining haunches, like a noisy team of Spanish mules, pricked on here and there by the apostrophes of the muleteer.
All at once, on letting his glance fall between the large slate scales which cover the perpendicular wall of the bell tower at a certain height, he beheld on the square a young girl, fantastically dressed, stop, spread out on the ground a carpet, on which a small goat took up its post, and a group of spectators collect around her. This sight suddenly changed the course of his ideas, and congealed his enthusiasm as a breath of air congeals melted rosin. He halted, turned his back to the bells, and crouched down behind the projecting roof of slate, fixing upon the dancer that dreamy, sweet, and tender look which had already astonished the archdeacon on one occasion. Meanwhile, the forgotten bells died away abruptly and all together, to the great disappointment of the lovers of bell ringing, who were listening in good faith to the peal from above the Pont du Change, and who went away dumbfounded, like a dog who has been offered a bone and given a stone.
-The Hunchback of Notre Dame -Victor Hugo
Jayne, I am constantly in awe of your art and your writing. This was a very enjoyable post. Please be sure to let me know when your book is published xJ
ReplyDeleteLoved thje sketch. I feel like I'm going away with a bone.
ReplyDeletenice. love the radical simplicity of the pic! nice excerpt as well....
ReplyDeleteLovely image, and the excerpt was perfect. But I think that was by design, eh? ;)
ReplyDeleteYou did the sketch.
ReplyDeleteWOW.
hugs
shakira
http://justmeshakirack.blogspot.com/2010/02/theme-thursday-bell.html
Most excellent selection! And I've attempted to draw something similar but I always end up wandering it into something else, heh...
ReplyDeleteNo hunchback's here.
ReplyDeleteWe Must Remain, & Keep Good Faith, The Bells Will Resume.......
ReplyDeleteSuch an inventive image. Creativity defined.
ReplyDeleteThe Hunchback! Now that's some bells I hadn't thought of. Love the auras around the heads of your figures.
ReplyDeleteNice pick...and really neat sketch!
ReplyDeleteRinging for Barry!
Your sketch? I love it.
ReplyDeleteVictor Hugo...of course! Very clever.
great sketch... love the halos
ReplyDeleteenjoyed the sketch, always find something wonderful here... And thanks for the excerpt!
ReplyDeleteVery nice sketch and creative take on the bell.
ReplyDeleteThis is my first time here and I love what I see. I'm going to browse some more : )
Artistic in large measures indeed.
ReplyDeleteI've never read the book but i've seen the movie from long ago.
Please show us more writings, more drawings, more paintings please.
ReplyDeleteLoved this! Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI really must read that book one of these days. Just as well they stopped 'it was the bells making me deaf'
ReplyDeleteYeah!!!...foryou...
ReplyDelete"volverán las oscuras golondrinas..."...
Salud!
What a compelling sketch. I was so happy to be able to enlarge it.
ReplyDeletelove the energy in this sketch
ReplyDelete