Literary Halloween Costumes

October 25, 2011 | Miscellania

Since we all can’t be promiscuous bumblebees for Halloween, I thought I’d compile a list of literary costumes. Hopefully they will give you some ideas for a costume; be it for Halloween, a random costume party, or a simple desire to be fancy. Here are ten costumes that are perfect for bibliophiles:

——————–

Buckbeak, from the Harry Potter series 

 

I want this costume to display in my house.

———-

Droogs, from The Clockwork Orange

 

This is a popular literary costume, but I think these ladies got it right. (It’s all about the codpiece.)

———-

Mr. Darcy, from Pride and Prejudice

This costume can be pieced together on your own, or you can have the exact costume in the picture hand-tailored to your specifications. You won’t have to worry about finding a woman to be your Elizabeth Bennet, because they will be throwing themselves at you all night.

———-

Dorian Gray and his portrait, from The Picture of Dorian Gray

 

This is a very creative doubles costume idea, perfect if you happen to be identical twins.

———-

Rand al’Thor, from the Wheel of Time series

 

You might not be able to afford the official heron-mark sword; but with the right coat, access to red hair dye, and the all-important dragon arm-tattoos, you will be well on your way to becoming the Dragon Reborn.

———-

Mark Twain

A fun and easy author costume. Bonus: you can easily transform your costume into Colonel Sanders if you get bored of Twain.

———-

The Scarlet Letter from (of course) The Scarlet Letter

I was originally looking for a Hester Prynne costume, but this interpretation of a Scarlet Letter costume is far too clever to go ignored.

———-

Edgar Allan Poe

 

Poe is another popular literary costume, but this guy really payed attention to detail. I love the raven.

———-

Max and the Wild Things, from Where the Wild Things Are

 

This is a great group costume. (Though I don’t know if your Max can be as cute as the one in this picture.)

———-

Virginia Woolf and Sylvia Plath  (postmortem)

These costumes are so very wrong, but very creative at the same time. (Virginia Woolf even has rocks in the pockets of her sweater!)