7.10.13

This haunted house

"I dwell with a strangely aching heart 
In that vanished abode there far apart..."
--Robert Frost, "Ghost House"


[Self-portrait in the ruins of my family home, September 2013.]
“No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream. Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood so for eighty years and might stand for eighty more. Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone.” 

--Shirley Jackson, the Haunting of Hill House 



[Andrew Wyeth, Hussey’s House, 1942, Watercolor on Paper.]

"We learned, from listening, that all the strangers could see from outside, when they looked at all, was a great ruined structure overgrown with vines, barely recognizable as a house. It was the point halfway between the village and the  highway, the middle spot on the path, and no one ever saw our eyes looking out through the vines."

--Shirley Jackson, We Have Always Lived in the Castle

 [Clarence John Laughlin, House of the Past, 1947.]


"One need not be a Chamber -- to be Haunted --
One need not be a House --
The Brain has Corridors -- surpassing
Material Place -- "
 
--Emily Dickinson 

[Will Barnet, the Dream, 1990, oil on canvas.]


8 comments:

  1. Yay nice to hear from you, such haunting words xx

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  2. You always share such wonderful things!
    Living in a rural area for most of my life (my mom is actually from Vermont) I've always loved all the long forgotten houses and buildings, and thinking of the stories that the walls hold. I always love seeing when another rural blogger shares things like this.
    thegirlwhosays.blogspot.com

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    1. Aww, thanks Lexi!! I truly love hearing from another girl who shares my rural perspective!

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  3. Such a perfect collection of words and images. I particularly love the painting by Wyeth. So nice to see a post from you, x
    (p.s.: Been meaning to ask, did you get my letter from around about a month ago?)

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  4. Love the spooky, atmospheric images! Very appropriate for October. I am seeing Loretta Lynn on the 26th at a casino - pretty excited!

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  5. Oh so very eerie! Getting me nicely in the mood for Halloween Dakota thank you!

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  6. Evocative, spot on perfect words for this month of eerie beauty, silent shadows, and things that go bump in the dimply lit night.

    ♥ Jessica

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