Chestnuts Quote by Charles Dickens
““The poulterers' shops were still half open, and the fruiterers' were radiant in their glory. There were great, round, pot-bellied baskets of chestnuts, shaped like the waistcoats of jolly old gentleman, lolling at the doors, and tumbling out into the street in their apoplectic opulence. There were ruddy, brown-faced broad-girthed Spanish onions, shining in the fatness of their growth like Spanish friars, and winking from their shelves in wanton slyness at the girls as they went by, and glanced demurely at the hung-up mistletoe. There were pears and apples, clustered high in blooming pyramids; there were bunches of grapes, made, in the shopkeepers' benevolence, to dangle from conspicuous hooks, that people's mouths might water gratis as they passed; there were piles of filberts, mossy and brown, recalling, in their fragrance, ancient walks among the woods, and pleasant shufflings ankle deep through withered lanes; there were Norfolk Biffins, squab and swarthy, setting off the yellow of the oranges and lemons, and, in the great compactness of their juicy persons, urgently entreating and beseeching to be carried home in paper bags and eaten after dinner.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Old Curiosity Shop, Charles Dickens, 1841
The passage paints a vivid, bustling market scene, using rich sensory details to evoke the abundance and character of street vendors.
In simple terms: A lively market full of colorful foods and characters.
Appreciate everyday abundance.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- market visits
- food festivals
- urban tours
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How does market diversity reflect society?
- What emotions do vivid food descriptions evoke?
May romanticize poverty.