Write Like a Victorian: A Literary Romp (A “Gilded: The Art of Heritage House” Exhibition Program)

How bad can a novel’s opening line be? Victorian novelists are renowned for flowery, ornate, and confusing sentences that became the very definition of “bad writing” for later generations. But is this prose as purple as some suggest? Find out during our “Write Like a Victorian: A Literary Romp” program, held Sunday, November 15, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Writers — non-, would-be, and actual — are invited to pull up and pit their prose against one another to prove who has penned the cringiest Victorian-style opening line. Bring your groaner to this event or write it on the spot and stand prepared to read it aloud. Prizes, including tickets to a live show at the Fox Performing Arts Center, will be awarded to the best of the worst. If you run out of breath before you finish your sentences, this program is for you. Cellar Door Bookstore will join us and share a range of Victorian literature to enrich your bookshelves. “Write Like a Victorian: A Literary Romp” will be held on Sunday, November 15, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at Heritage House, 8193 Magnolia Avenue, Riverside, CA 92504. This program is part of “Gilded: The Art of Heritage House,” an exhibition on view at Heritage House through November 29.