Ummm ... Sorry

Well, I decided I should post one final time ... to say that I'm not posting anymore. I still love Jane Austen, but this blog is getting boring. The End.

Twilight: Bella Swan, Edward Cullen, Jane Austen and Mr. Darcy

Given the current obsession with Stephanie Meyer's Twilight, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), and Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), I thought it would be appropriate to write a post about them all ... especially since there are a few connections (real and imagined), to Jane Austen.

First of all, I have read multiple bloggers' ravings over Twilight, whose fascinations with Edward Cullen were taken to such an extreme as to compare him to Mr. Darcy. May I kindly point out the faulty logic with this position? Let us begin with the fact that, despite his valiant efforts to live down his nature, Edward is, in fact, a bloodthirsty animal. Don't misunderstand - I like Edward, too, and the poor guy deserves some happiness. I have nothing against his relationship with Bella. However, personally, I would rather have a hero whose foundational nature doesn't thirst for my blood. But that's just me.

Additionally, Mr. Darcy may have had a little trouble expressing his love for Elizabeth in a "gentlemanlike manner," but at least he didn't flip-flop about whether or not it was in either of their best interests to be together. Once he decided what to do, he did it. In contrast, Edward did not seem to have come to much of a decision about Bella, and what to do about his attraction to her. First he's mean to her, than he's nice, then he follows her around, then he pushes her away. Good grief, boy! Make up your mind!

Let me end on a positive note by saying that Bella (despite her apparent inferiority complex), won my strong regard when she declared that two of her favorite books were Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility.

Happy Thanksgiving! (and a quote from Jane Austen)

Just a brief post to say Happy Thanksgiving to anyone keeping up with this blog. I am granting myself a hiatus from blogging, and will resume next week with many brilliant, hysterical, or informative things to say. :)

In the meantime, here's a quote from Jane Austen to keep in mind while preparing for Thanksgiving: "Why not seize the pleasure at once, how often is happiness destroyed by preparation, foolish preparations.”

One should note that I do not think our beloved authoress expected the turkey to cook itself. :)

Sense & Sensibility: Why So Short? (etc.)

I'm really sorry. It's not like I go through life looking for errors to report in Jane Austen movie adaptions. (OK - maybe I do ... except for in the A&E version of Pride & Prejudice.) Anyway, that's not the point. The point is that as much as I like the 1995 Sense & Sensibility with Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet, it's ... well ... really, really short. (Comparitively speaking.)

First of all, in the book, Elinor is 19, and Marianne is 16. OK? 19 & 16, not ... twenty-something! Both of the actresses who play these ladies are beautiful, but they don't look 19 & 16. Sorry!

Secondly, there are so many amazing story lines and plot twists that simply aren't in the movie. For example, the man Eliza got involved with instead of waiting for Col. Brandon? Col. Brandon's brother! Does that make anyone else feel really, really sorry for the poor Colonel?! The poor guy really needed to fall in love again! Hoorary for Marianne! Oh, um, by the way ... contrary to the rushed movie, Marianne didn't exactly ... love ... her husband when they were married. After her crushing experience with Willoughby, Marianned married Col. Brandon based on their friendship and her deep respect for him. However, not to worry - Marianne's nature was such that she quickly fell in love with her husband as deeply as we could desire for the poor man.

Well, I won't bash the poor movie. I'll just reccomend that you all read the book, and then enjoy the movie for what it is: a nice, short, (slightly dumbed down), adaptation.

Jane Austen Free Trivia Quizzes

Hey, everybody! Here's a really cool website with over 30 Jane Austen Trivia quizzes.

http://www.funtrivia.com/quizzes/literature/authors_a-c/jane_austen.html

If you take some, please comment and let us know how you did!

So far, I've only taken Quiz #3 - Twisted Sisters in Jane Austen Novels, and I answered 15 out of 15 correctly. Hooray!

What Happened Next? Story Continuations According to Jane Austen

Many Jane Austen fans have endeavored to write continuations of Jane Austen's novels. Some of them have had some success. We should also point out that some who are not fans of Jane Austen have endeavored to write continuations of her novels. This fan confesses herself to be skeptical about the quality of those books and their true-ness to the originals.

Anyhow, many people do not know that Jane Austen told us what happened to many of her characters. Jane Austen's nieces and nephews sometimes asked her "what happened next," and their doting aunt would tell them. So, (with thanks to 101 Things You Didn't Know About Jane Austen), here is what the authoress said.

Miss. Steele (from Sense & Sensibility) - The poor, benighted lady never caught the doctor.

Kitty Bennet (from Pride & Prejudice) - Kitty must have calmed and matured considerably, since she married a clergyman living near Pemberley.

Mary Bennet (from Pride & Prejudice) - Mrs. Bennet must have been pleased to have married off her last daughter when Mary entered conjugal bliss with a clerk in Meryton.

Mrs. Norris (from Mansfield Park) - In keeping with her character, she only sent poor William Price one solitary pound.

Mr. Woodhouse (from Emma) - The poor old man was apparently sick after all. He died two years after the marriage of his daughter and Mr. Knightley.

Frank Churchill (from Emma) - Many have wondered what word it was that he placed before Jane Fairfax, only to have her sweep it off the table. The word was "pardon."

Budding authors, if you have a continuation, Jane Austen story, essay, poem or anything else Jane Austen-y that you would like to publish on this blog, please let me know. I'd love to see it!

Jane Austen Society of North American (JASNA) 2009 Essay Contest

My wonderful friend (who is not besotted with Jane Austen like I am), happened to find out about this and kindly told me. Despite her opinion that I'm obsessed (which I admit), she still told me about something that she new would encourage my writing and talking about Jane Austen. ... and I've never once caught her rolling her eyes when I talk (or write), about Jane Austen. What a testament to a true and loving (and very patient), friend! :)

Anyway, moving on to what it was she told me about. The Jane Austen Society of North America is accepting submissions for their 2009 JASNA Essay Contest: http://www.jasna.org/essaycontest/index.html

This year's theme (from the website): Siblings abound in Jane Austen’s novels. Some siblings act as foils to each other; others are in competition; still others are mutually supportive and encouraging. Examine the importance of siblings in one or two Austen novels. Discuss how they function in the novel and how they embody larger themes. You may focus on one sibling relationship or you may compare relationships, either within a novel or between two novels.

Submissions must be postmarked by May 1, 2009, so don't forget! ... and go to the website to check out the awesome prizes!