This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
As intimately as we think we know a book, it’s amazing what the power of scent brings to the reading experience.
With a mere strike of a match, we can be transported to Jane Austen’s Pemberley Gardens, for example, with its roses, lilacs and hyacinth. Or to the Mad Hatter’s cluttered table, where the aroma of Earl Grey tea and sugar-coated biscuits fill the air. Perhaps even to an ancient library – warm, inviting and overflowing with antique leather-bound volumes. Yes, literary candles can add a whole new dimension to the stories you know and love. Here are a few of our favourites.
Light this Wuthering Heights candle by an open window and enjoy the heather-scented air of the Yorkshire Moors whispering through the rooms of your home. You’ll be immediately transported to the windswept site of Cathy’s passionate meetings with Heathcliff. £28 from The Candle Kitchen.
Always longed for a library of your very own? Mysterious and earthy, the True Grace Manor Candle will transform any ordinary abode into a wood-panelled library tucked away within a moss-covered country manor house. £28.00 from True Grace.
Clean cup, clean cup. Move down, move down, move down. Take a seat at the table under the tree outside the Mad Hatter’s house with the aromatic Alice in Wonderland soy wax tarts; sing a nursery rhyme with the sleepy dormouse, slather some butter on the Hatter’s watch and take a sugar biscuit for the road. £4 from Frostbeard on Etsy.
If a visit to Wonderland doesn't quench your thirst for literary adventure, how about a trip to Narnia? The Through the Wardrobe candle allows you to do just that. Within seconds of lighting, you’ll make your way through the moth-eaten coats and cobwebs to a wintery realm of spruce trees and enchanted apples. Watch out for the scent of Turkish Delight, however, as we all know that’ll only lead to trouble. £10.50 from Etsy.
Finally, imagine yourself as wife of Mr. Darcy and mistress of Pemberley with a morning stroll through the estate’s gardens. We wouldn’t blame you at all if you wanted to don period dress for the full Jane Austen experience. Maybe pull the blinds first though! £4 from Frostbeard on Etsy.
What book would you love to visit via the power of scent?