During elementary school, I remember fondly that all of my classrooms had a reading corner–a little nook with comfy cushions and a bookshelf that was always full of a rotating selection of age-appropriate titles. I have always loved books, so I thought it was heavenly whenever there was a moment that I could tuck myself away and drift off into another world. I was so taken with this kind of thing that I moved all of my furniture around (despite being even tinier as a child) to make my own bedroom book-nook.
My interest in lolita fashion reawakened my love of Victorian literature, which in turn spurred me on to seek out books that I could somewhat identify with the fashion I adore. Due to my association of the style (particularly because I am a sweet lolita) with old-fashioned-ness and the dreams of young girls, certain books make me reminscent in that respect. I don’t limit my “lolita-ish” reading to only Victorian literature, because the fashion does not take its inspirations solely from that era.
The most obvious choice for “lolita reading” is Kamikaze Girls (originally Shimotsuma Monogatari, which translates as Shimotsuma Story), which I suppose I will reflect on some other time. (I had lent it to my best friend, and I cannot recall if she ever returned it to me. Whether she did or not, I certainly can’t find it!) After that, however, there aren’t any novels in English written about the style, and my Japanese ability is far too poor to read any other works from Novala Takemoto.
The other day I decided to reread Jean Webster’s Daddy Long-Legs. Oddly enough, this is a book I have never read in paper form–the first time I ever read it was a endlessly long text file downloaded years ago, and I reread it thanks to the wonder of Google Books.
Although there isn’t the slightest hint of lolita fashion in Daddy Long-Legs, I feel that it is worthwhile reading for any dreamy-hearted lolita. After all, it is the tale of an orphan girl who is sent to college by a mysterious benefactor and suddenly finds herself enjoying life as a young lady, all neatly wrapped into a sweet love story. ♥ When the spirited Judy (neé Jerusha) talks of drinking tea while studying, running off on little adventures with her friends, or buying clothing and trinkets, I can’t help but think similar times with my own dearest friends. Sometimes I image that the gowns she orders for each school term are fanciful creations such as BABY, the Stars Shine Bright might design!
I nearly flew through the pages once I started on it, and I enjoyed reading her letters so very much that now I’m wishing I had a pen-pal again!