I don't see how he will pull this one off. Duke Orsino...yes; Mr. Rochester...no. Rochester has to be gruff and sharp, but not mean, and he can't be handsome! So far, I think Timothy Dalton had the best one, but the rest of that Jane Eyre was awful. Ciaran Hinds did a decent job too, but came across a little scary. But his counterpart was perfect: Samantha Morton is Jane Eyre in the flesh.
for all of tomorrow, because we are going to watch the new Pride and Prejudice at a friends house!!! I have high hopes for the extras, and maybe deleted scenes?
I thought I had seen all the Pride and Prejudice adaptations. I hadn't. Hiding in our library's database was a Mormon-produced modernized version that looked—well, it was Pride and Prejudice!!! How else could it look but interesting?
It was cute, fun, almost clean, and low budget. It also held pretty closely to the storyline, and was quite reverent towards Miss Austen. What do I mean by reverent? All the names are the same as the book, even Fitzwilliam and Kitty, even though the movie is modernized. (Georgiana is changed to Euphemia-Anna, and known as Anna, while Fitzwilliam is known as Will, but it was nice to see the original names at least mentioned) Lizzy attends a class on Jane Austen, visits Chatsworth (Pemberley in the new P&P), and looks at a portrait of Austen; Lydia has a pet Pug (a nod to Mansfield Park) named Austen; an important restaurant is named Rosings, and almost every scene starts with a quote from the original novel (to hilarious effect; "Those who never complain are never pitied" is used right before Lizzy rants about Darcy).
The story is simplified, of course, and it is a lot more of a girl's movie than other adaptations. Mostly because the five main girls are no longer all sisters, but renting a house together voluntarily. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are nowhere to be seen, and neither are Lady Catherine de Bourgh and most of the other minor characters. But you don't miss them. This movie works quite well without them.
In this version, life is a little simpler for women. They are no longer out hunting for husbands—that is, other than Kitty and Lydia. But Jane and Lizzy are quite content in their lives...until Charles Bingley and Will Darcy show up. It's interesting that the very arrogant Will Darcy in Bride and Prejudice (which I greatly enjoyed) was an American in India, but this Will Darcy is a snobby Englishman in America. Bingley is adorably dumb but nice, Jane is Argentinian and a little too sweet, Lydia is bossily annoying (but reforms at the end), Anna (Georgiana) is wonderfully nice and sweet (though not shy), and Lizzy is—well, not especially Lizzy-ish. She's outspoken and a little hasty, but not very witty. I did enjoy her daydreams about throwing books at Mr. Collins, and splashing Darcy with her cup of water after he "insults" her.
Because it's produced by Mormons, there is a nice religious feel. Mary tells Lydia that her outfit is "not appropriate for church", says that "Everything I need to know is in the Scriptures!", and Lizzy chides Kitty and Lydia for listening to rap music "on the Sabbath". When categorizing Bingley's virtues, Jane says: "He is the kindest, gentlest, most spiritual man I have ever met!" (he owns an orphanage in Brazil); and when Wickham asks Lizzy if she intends on marrying, she responds: "Marriage is very sacred, important, and very final. I don't think I'm ready for it." How often do we hear that in a contemporary movie?
Like most P&P adaptations, it tells the story from Lizzy's point of view, and therefore leaves Darcy mostly out of the picture. This makes the usual problem. Because of his limited screen time, every screenplay writer feels that they have to make Darcy "nicer", otherwise the audiences won't fall for him. Grrrrrrrr. These writers have obviously never heard of the multiple book-Darcy fanclubs. I do not like these nicened Darcys. This modern version is snobby, but hardly proud, and introverted, but not reserved. I did like the "Netherfield Ball" scene where he hides off in the garage to read rather than socialize, but other than that, he's not that proud. Like all but one of the other adaptations, the "Pemberley" scene (which was great in this version, btw) is all about Lizzy getting over her prejudice, not about Darcy being hospitable and kind.
Where is the real Darcy?
Let's run over the past ones, shall we?
First there was Laurence Olivier in 1940. This Darcy was snobby, which is much different than proud. Book-Darcy may have known he was rich, and he may have been perfectionistic about character, but he was not snobby. He was also not flirty. LO is. Yuck.
Next was David Rintoul in 1980. Here was a Darcy that wasn't nicened, at least! He also had no emotion (other than a brief smile at Pemberley) and walked like a robot. Nope. The book-Darcy smiled no less than 10 times and was very full of emotion.
Then there is the much-hailed Colin Firth in 1995. He had the arrogance, but a little over the top, and a bitterness and anger to many of his speeches that just didn't fit. I suppose he wasn't nicened up, but 1 smile and a angry look all the time is just not Darcyish.
After him would come the 2003 version that is the subject of this post, where Darcy was played by Orlando Seale. Too charming. He gets two "first proposals". One is where he asks Lizzy out to dinner, and says that her "friends are an embarrassment" and that she's "disorganized". But when she simply refuses, he walks off with a shyness attack and a quiet "Ok". The real showdown is when he is revealed as the head of the publishing company that Lizzy hopes will publish her book. He criticizes the book, she gets very mad, he doesn't say anything, and writes a very conciliatory email. Nope, not book-Darcy.
Then is Martin Henderson of Bride and Prejudice (2004). He's arrogant all right, but never very dislikable, and far too charming before his first proposal. Not reserved, either.
My favorite Darcy is the most recent, Matthew Macfadyen. Unfortunately, he too is nicened, and is given insecurity along with his pride (although some of his scenes work very well).
I've also read A. A. Milne's play version of P&P. This Darcy is the worst. He is given many extra lines that are way too cutting or witty or charming (more Henry Tilney than Darcy).
*long sigh* I want to see the real Darcy. I want the pride, the reserve, the lack of charm, the intelligence, the kindness, the smiles and the seriousness, the inner goodness, and the change of manner when he realizes his mistakes. Will he ever be realized? Will a screen writer ever have the guts to give us a person who is only charming after he changes? Will it ever be really Pride and Prejudice instead of just Prejudice?
Or, will I just have to write a movie of P&P from Darcy's point of view. Hmm...now that would be interesting. Instead of Pride and Prejudice being about Lizzy's prejudice (with Darcy's pride as a side plot), Darcy's Pride would be mostly pride with Lizzy's prejudice as a subplot. We could see Darcy's childhood with Wickham and Georgiana, and how he was "almost taught" to be contemptuous of people beneath him, and the way he handled taking charge of Pemberley at a young age. Also his relations with Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Colonel Fitzwilliam, Charles Bingley, and the further encounters with Wickham. Some movies are about a nice guy who doesn't gets what he deserves (It's a Wonderful Life). Some are about unpleasant people who end up learning a lesson (Gone With the Wind). Darcy's Pride would be sort of both. After all, Darcy is a really good man, but he does have many things to learn. And that would be the focus. Instead of feeling sorry for Lizzy when he first proposes, we would be wincing at our hero exposing his faults so completely, and watching anxiously to see if he learns anything. Watching a man overcome his faults and become worthy of the woman he loves might end up being more interesting than seeing another form of Lizzy's prejudice. I'd go to see it.
I'm not sure what was the original subject of the conversation, but it prompted Adaon to put in:
"Davy Jones locker is the ocean floor. The carpet doesn't count."
The Olympics are over. No more hearing that once-loved theme used at every commercial break (which makes me want to cry). No more giving up night-school to watch commentators put feet in their mouths.
I am quite sure that the people who design closing ceremonies and opening ceremonies lived their childhood without TV, therefore they cannot remember how awful other people's designs were. Pinwheels of fire? Floating men? Brides with lilies? Clowns? The only good thing was Andrea Boccelli and his voice like warm homemade cookies.
Well, time to go save up money to attend Vancouver...
You are interchangeable.
Fun, free, and into everything, you've got every
eventuality covered and every opportunity
just has to be taken. Every fiber is
wonderful, and every day is a new beginning.
You are good at so many things, it's amazing,
but you can easily lose your place and forget
to show up. They have row counters for
people like you!
What kind of knitting needles are you?
brought to you by Quizilla
than watching a pair of two year olds dance around your livingroom to the inimitable Sandra Boynton? Especially when one of them is a boy, and the other is a girl. While getting along quite well for non-siblings, one was mostly focused on the wooden guns, while the other was more interested in dancing. Can you figure out which by yourself? And people say that men and women are the same! Humph. Emma Darcy has grown up in a house full of boys and their guns, camoflauge, swords, and war movies; but without any prompting, she has adopted a stuffed animal that she calls Baby Luke, and loves to change his diaper. Surely that cannot be training!
Another fun thing to do is let your guinea pigs run around in a large pen, and then watch them try to escape. In our house, we have four guinea pigs. Guenivere Olivia, Daisy Marianne, Dana Beatrice, and Georgiana Marie (known as Gwen, Daisy, Dana, and Georgi). Gwen is the oldest, the biggest, the bossiest, and the smartest. She is also the designated escape artist. Daisy is quiet and motherly, and the littlest two pigs always run to her in trouble. But those wee ones, Dana and Georgi, are usually too much interested in waiting for Gwen to lift the wall so they can escape. If you didn't know, guinea pigs are not very smart. Some of them can be downright dumb. But they are plump, fuzzy, lovable, and loving. That is why we have them, but when you have pets who are not very high in intelligence, watching them try to do intelligent things is very entertaining.
Merry K is going to pull an Equuschick and talk all in third person.
Merry K is incensed by the results of the Women's Figure Skating in the Olympics. She very strongly thinks that the judges should have given silver to Slutskaya, whose program had passion and spice and sparkle and dance that was totally lacking in Cohen's. She also liked Kimmie Meissner and Emily Hughes better than Cohen, and admits to hoping that Slutskaya had skated better, because it would have been nice if the Russian's had swept figure skating. She also admits that she does not know anything about the point values of the programs of Slutskaya, Cohen, and Meissner, and only judged them artistically. But she is still incensed.
She was also touched by the Italians singing to their national anthem at the medals ceremony, and wishes more people would do that. It is so lovely and patriotic.
She is also very thankful that NBC did not show all of speed skating's 10,000 metres.
But also, she loves the Olympics and can't wait for Vancouver's, which is much closer to her house than Italy, which means she might go see it.
And she must stop posting so that he can watch the Figure Skating's Gala. (Update: total letdown. Only Plushenko did any decent amount of jumps!)
Folding laundry. These two words strike fear into the hearts of children. Not for being unpleasant, but for being *low chord invoking terror* — monotonous. There is nothing quite so mind-numbing as hanging clothes, folding clothes, sorting clothes, matching socks, and all those nasty little necessary things. But (and you knew that was coming, you smart readers, you!)...there *are* a couple ways to help.
1. Make it a race
Or
2. Imagine yourself the long-lost heir of a king, forced to do chores by an evil jailor/stepmother/overlord/whatever, and therefore you must show your royal heritage by never complaining. (This doesn't much help unless you also imagine all the wonderful adventures you are going to have after you escape. And no, the evil jailor is not your mother.) A way to enhance this is to play heroic music like Chariots of Fire, Braveheart, Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, Jupiter by Holst, The Last Samurai, or Hallelujah by Handel or Michael Card.
Or
3. Pretend you are not doing laundry. I like to sing along loudly to some favorite music.
You may have heard me mention Austenblog, but how about its sister, Brontëblog? If either of these authors are favorites, these blogs are a great way to learn more. A lot of the posts are links to articles about the author, their works, adaptations of those works, new editions of books, reviews, etc.
The Victorian Web is not only good for history but their Authors section is quite helpful. They even have Jane Austen in the Pre-Victorians!
This site has all the Jeeves and Wooster stories, and what TV episode they correspond with.
This is a good Georgette Heyer site (it has excerpts from all the books), and so is this one (plot summaries of many of the books).
Ok, so enough of the historicals. Here's a couple links for two well-liked authors at our house:
Lemony Snicket and Brian Jacques (Though his new book left me quite cold. I just couldn't finish it.)
And some general literary links:
This site will tell you how likely a title is to become a bestseller. (For aspiring authors, but it's also fun to put in titles of classic books.)
Book-a-Minute gives you incredibly condensed summaries of books...with a heavy dash of sarcasm.
And...I couldn't pass up mentioning one of my favorite sites again. Of course about Jane Austen. ;) Lots of links and information, and the forums are family-friendly and fun. This is The Republic of Pemberley. (Warning: these people are all addicted to Jane Austen. Not for the faint of heart.)
For my other favorite author, J. R. R. Tolkien, The Encyclopedia of Arda is exhaustive, this is great for costume-makers, and this is just plain fun!
The Headmistress at The Common Room tagged me to participate in this
wonderful little "get to know you" activity. I doubt too many folks will
read this but here goes!
1. How many meals does most of your family eat at home each week? How many
are in your family?
21 meals; nine people. Clankeeper eats our leftovers for lunch the next day
at work.
2. How many cookbooks do you own?
About 20, but I currently have a dozen checked out from the library.
3. How often do you refer to a cookbook each week?
Recently I have been coming up with new recipes due to new dietary
restrictions in our house, but normally we only do something new once a week
or so.
4. Do you collect recipes from other sources? If so, what are some of your
favorite sources (relatives, friends, magazines, advertisements, packages,
the internet, etc)
Blogs (one of my favorite as these are real recipes made and enjoyed by real
people!), library books, the internet and Cooks Illustrated magazine.
5. How do you store those recipes?
Whenever possible I put them on the computer and sort them into files by
type: main dishes, breakfasts, etc. I do have a pile of manila envelopes
sorted in the same categories with recipes I cut out of magazines and
newspapers in the past. If we try those and enjoy them, we type them into
the computer. Hopefully, someday all our recipes will be on the computer
and our children will be able to leave home with all of our family recipes
in a cookbook of their own.
6. When you cook, do you follow the recipe pretty closely, or do you use
recipes primarily to give you ideas?
We usually start out following the recipe (except for leaving out yucky
ingredients like green peppers!) but will adjust and tweak it after we make
it. Merry K is more a free spirit, though, and much more creative than I!
7. Is there a particular ethnic style or flavor that predominates in your
cooking? If so, what is it?
No, we mix lots of styles. I think more Mexican than anything else, though.
8. What's your favorite kitchen task related to meal planning and
preparation? (eating the finished product does not count)
I love the food processor...it's so cool!
9. What's your least favorite part?
Stirring...boring.
10. Do you plan menus before you shop?
Yes, most of the time.
11. What are your three favorite kitchen tools or appliances?
Food processor, stand mixer, tongs.
12. If you could buy one new thing for your kitchen, money was no object,
and space not an issue, what would you most like to have?
A food mill that was quiet and would make large chunks instead of just
flour.
13. Since money and space probably are objects, what are you most likely to
buy next?
A Micro grater
14. Do you have a separate freezer for storage?
Yes. And an extra refrigerator in the carport.
15. Grocery shop alone or with others?
Sometimes alone, but usually I take one child (or recently the Clankeeper)
as a way to spend one on one time with them.
16. How many meatless main dish meals do you fix in a week?
One or two.
17. If you have a decorating theme in your kitchen, what is it? Favorite
kitchen colors?
Blue.
18. What's the first thing you ever learned to cook, and how old were you?
I remember making a cake when I was young...perhaps 12 or so.
19. How did you learn to cook?
I watched my mom cook and learned quite a lot by osmosis. I really learned
how to cook once I got married and had to actually cook!
20. Tag two other people to play.
Well, gee, I think the Headmistress tagged just about everyone I know except
Mostly Olympic randomosity.
I love watching the Olympics. I hate the USA coverage. Mainly because we have to see all the pathetic US performers, and therefore miss the Japanese ice dancers skating to "My Fair Lady"; but also because the commentators are oh so pretentious.
Since snowboard cross is over, my favorite sport is figure skating, which for the past three days has been ice dancing (I much prefer the Men's figure skating). Which therefore brings to mind the costumes, or lack there-of. Is there some rule that all the female skaters must show as much skin as possible? It's just plain gross, and the costumes aren't even pretty. More puzzling is the fad for ugly colors. Neon orange with a lime green choker? Neon pink that almost glowed? Disgusting! All three of the Italian pair's costumes were way too bright, and the colors didn't go with each other. I loved the French pair's costume (and their music), though, which was a representation of French revolutionaries of the late 1700s (complete with dirt and blood stains...but not too much), and also the pair who dressed as Romeo and Juliet. The Seattle Times, allowed to be more sarcastic than the commentators, had a great section about the costumes which I quote here:
Much already has been made about the eccentric attire of ice dancers, so we're not going there, except to point out that the new costume hue of choice—particularly among the American cha-cha artistes—is traffic-cone orange.
Ice-dancing insiders say this is to attract the attention of the judges. Which is understandable, because clearly, without those flaming, Coast-Guard-orange bodices, most of these toned, half-naked, gyrating female skaters probably would be completely overlooked by the male judges fascinated by the symmetry of the Olympic rings painted on the wall across the way.
Since I do do quite a bit of cooking at our house, I thought that I'd answer this...
1. How many meals does most of your family eat at home each week? HOw many are in your family?
All meals; nine people.
2. How many cookbooks do you own?
Many. I personally own only three.
3. How often do you refer to a cookbook each week?
I don't schedule to cook new things, which is the only time I refer to cookbooks. I like winging it. ;)
4. Do you collect recipes from other sources? If so, what are some of your favorite sources (relaties, friends, magazines, advertisements, packages, the internet, etc)
The only recipes I collect are ones I find in books like "The Little Women Cookbook" or "Tea With Jane Austen" or "The Tolkien Scrapbook" or "The Redwall Cookbook". See a pattern?
5. How do you store those recipes?
In files. On the computer.
6. When you cook, do you follow the recipe pretty closely, or do you use recipes primarily to give you ideas?
I have never yet followed a recipe exactly. Pretty closely? Well, yes, but 99% of recipes need something added. (Usually thyme. My favorite herb, and there is never enough in most recipes.)
7. Is there a particular ethnic style or flavor that predominates in your cooking? If so, what is it?
I prefer European, but Mexican and Asian is good.
8. What's your favorite kitchen task related to meal planning and preparation? (eating the finished product does not count)
Kneading dough, or hand mixing things like meatballs. Basically anything where I get to use my hands, not a spoon, to cook. Or the book on CD that I am listening to while I cook...but that doesn't really count.
9. What's your least favorite part?
Having to stay in the kitchen while things are cooking, because I'd forget about them otherwise.
10. Do you plan menus before you shop?
I don't do the shopping, but I do make menus for fun.
11. What are your three favorite kitchen tools or appliances?
Whisk, large soup pot, and Cuisenart
12. If you could buy one new thing for your kitchen, money was no object, and space not an issue, what would you most like to have?
An island. So I wouldn't have to use the dining room table as a counter.
13. Since money and space probably are objects, what are you most likely to buy next?
I have no idea.
14. Do you have a separate freezer for storage?
Oh yeah! We have a very large extra freezer and an extra refrigerator. And both are stuffed.
15. Grocery shop alone or with others?
I don't have a choice, because right now I have to go with Purring Piggy because I can't drive. If I ever get a driver's license...but I don't want to...I will shop alone.
16. How many meatless main dish meals do you fix in a week?
1 or maybe 2. We like our meat.
17. If you have a decorating theme in your kitchen, what is it? Favorite kitchen colors?
I don't have one...but I would like a pale grey green and slate blue theme. And real white. Not bisque.
18. What's the first thing you ever learned to cook, and how old were you?
*thinks for a very long time* I've helped Purring Piggy cook ever since I can remember, becoming slowly more helpful as I got older. I really don't know what my first meal cooked all-by-me-onesy was.
19. How did you learn to cook?
Purring Piggy taught me.
20. Tag two other people to play.
Can't think of anyone.
This is from a fantasy story I am writing
Cloud brushed skies sprinkled mist on the wetland below, so the dancing faeries shone only faintly in the wet. A lone rider, all else that could be seen on that blustery day, made his way slowly down a muddy road, battered by weather and also weariness. His cloak was old and nearly in rags, and whatever face was beneath the hood, it would surely be drenched, no matter how low his head was bent.
Evill Road was full of trenches and potholes, and the rider’s horse was walking slowly and deliberately, eyes looking down to watch where he set his hooves. The wind blew the mist softly but irritatingly into his large brown eyes, though his thick, long lashes kept most of it out, and he whinnied at his rider, who grunted back something Epon.
The only light the two could see, though it was midday, was a twinkling dot about a quarter mile away, if the mist did not obscure their sense of distance. The rider made a sort of purring sound that only Epon speakers could pronounce, and the horse moved a little quicker, after rumbling a little and sniffing loudly.
The two travelers found that the light was from a small inn by the road, around which the fractiously impatient faeries danced, trying to stay warm, for they were not welcome within. The light that shone from them was not very bright, but enough to be seen for some distance, drawing travelers to the place (though that was clearly not the faeries purpose; they grumbled and ground their teeth and stamped the air with their feet in protest of the weather).
The rider dismounted and, followed by the horse, walked with a slight limp towards a covered area, which seemed to serve as a place for the horses to stay. The inn and stable were not an old buildings, but whoever had built them obviously had done so only from necessity. The buildings were roughly built, and the several horses that were tied in the “stable” grumbled loudly in Epon, about both the condition of their dwelling, and of the manner in which their masters treated them.
The man did not tie his horse, but merely rumbled something to him. The horse rolled his great eyes visibly, and muttered something, and the rider limped off towards the entrance of the inn. The roof was badly designed, and the water that came from the skies dripped right on the threshold of the small building.
The man swung the door opened, and walked into the front room. It was small and smoky, but reasonably warm and filled with bare comforts. It was light at least, and the other travelers spoke animatedly with each other, some in tongues usually quite rare in that part of the world. None of them looked up as he entered, and none noticed as he took a seat far from the fire after removing the water from his cloak with a quick dog-like shake of his shoulders. For a moment he just sat, at ease, but not taking off his hood, and then he limped up to the counter, and ordered some food, with a gold piece that the innkeeper looked carefully and incredulously at, with many a glance between the man’s shabby cloak and shadowed face, and the shining piece of money. But he was at length satisfied, and the man went back to his seat, and threw back his hood.
He had a square, blocky face, with a prominent chin and thick eyebrows that made his eyes seem placed in hollows in his face. He was clean-shaven, and the hair on his head was of a reddish-black hue. His eyes were a cross between green and brown, and were intelligently calm and watchful. His large hands were folded gracefully on his lap, and he looked around the inn with vague curiosity. Still no one had seen him, and it was not until one of the innkeeper’s servants (a lad with a wide smile full of gaps) brought his meal that the travelers stopped their conversation and stared at him.
He smiled at them, and ate, but they continued to stare at him.
“Gare,” one muttered, and the word was repeated around the room. The man did not seem to hear, and occasionally looked up to smile at the watchers, outwardly not in the least perturbed.
I have never understood people who did not like reading, who thought it was boring, who had a hard time with it. I pity them, but I cannot understand them. My earliest memory is of my mother reading books to me, for hours each day (and she assures me that no housework got done). Once I could read for myself, I didn't know anything else that I'd rather do. I've always been an introverted person, and while I am not shy (i.e. timid around people), being around people is usually a stressful time (just recently, though, I've found that debating does not make me stressed), and I rejoice when we are able to stay home, so I can be in quiet (that is, if I stay home alone ;)
My life revolved around reading, and so many of the high points and low points in my life deal with reading. My only juvenile “crush” was on a character from a book, at age twelve, a fact that embarrasses me to this day. Most of my other embarrassing experiences have to do with librarians, or putting the wrong book on hold, and realizing when it comes in it is just about the opposite of the book I wanted. So much for low points. For high points, I have to admit that The Lord of the Rings was partly responsible for my becoming a Christian, and was one of the greatest experiences of my life. Some of my best friends are from books, many of my role models are also characters, and almost all of my favorite movies and much of my favorite music is based off of books. I have said before that I have always been fascinated by film, and would love to make movies someday, but that desire came solely from the desire to make good versions of all my favorite books (or any film version at all for some books).
My style of reading is a gobbling style. Like many of my friends, I read quickly, and try to read quickly, which happens to make school difficult, because we are using the Ambleside curriculum. Charlotte Mason’s view is that if you read small pieces at a time, and spread books out over a long period, you are more likely to remember. I can vouch that this is not true for all people. Some of my best comprehension has come from books that I zipped through, and my worst narrations (due to lack of memory) are from The Vicar of Wakefield, which is scheduled to be read for ten weeks. As soon as I am done with TVOW, I want to go back and gobble it, and if then I remember it better, I shall have final proof.
Another facet of my style is rereading. Because I read fast, I have time for reading much more, which includes reading books over again. I have read The Lord of the Rings probably 15 times, Pride and Prejudice at least 6, and almost all the books I like at least twice. My favorite way of rereading is to finish a book and then immediately start it up again. When you have just had to say farewell to some of the most real people in literature, the best way to ease the pain is to start over again.
I have a list of “books to read” that has over 800 entries. When I first started compiling it, my plan was to read whatever was checked in at our library when we went each week. But placing holds was so much more interesting, and I soon realized that it fit with my natural style. I read by author. After finishing a book I like, I will then read any other books our library has by that author. Therefore, one year I only read Tolkien...which made my booklist look very lopsided. In one month I had completed all Austen’s works, another was Brian Jacques turn, and another was devoted to C. S. Lewis. I was going to start on Dickens back in December, but was feeling just a little too low (it being a normal Pacific NW wet winter) for that. I decided on some Austen related books. I had no idea how many sequels there are to Pride and Prejudice! An Austen email group pointed me to the two or three good ones, and I supplemented that by some bios of Jane, criticism of her works, and history books about her time period. It’s a fun way to read, by author or topic. Unfortunately, there are authors with tons of books. I once checked out 50 gardening books from the library, right after I had checked out all 18 or so of the Tim Severin books. It was spring though, so gardening won, and I still haven’t read all of Severin’s. Right now I am making my way through Fanny Burney, Ann Radcliffe, Samuel Richardson, Anthony Trollope, and Georgette Heyer. The last two have more than twenty books each to their name, so I’ll expect my reading lists to be full of them for a while.
The only bad part of this plan is that there is sometimes no roundness to my reading lists from month to month. So sometimes, I force myself to put down The Mysteries of Udolpho, and will pick up a good old history book or biography (but ah! I cheated, for the history book is about the late 1700s which is topical), or a classic book that I have so long meant to read. It's hard, but it's probably beneficial.
My last remark is on the least of my favorite things about reading (but it's still a favorite): challenge. I love challenging myself with books that are just a little beyond what I can read, and I don't gobble those books. I have actually gotten some pretty quick results in the last couple years, and this school year I no longer have a problem reading any of my school books. I am greatly relieved, for Churchill was so irritating before. I suppose my next challenge is reading all of the greats: Plato, Aristotle, Plutarch, etc. I'm hoping they'll be challenging, but my weaker side is hoping they won't, and is begging for the Book the Twelfth of the Series of Unfortunate Events. My stronger side will hold out though...I hope.
“A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.” Dwight D. Eisenhower
“Karate is a form of marital arts in which people who have had years and years of training can, using only their hands and feet, make some of the worst movies in the history of the world.” Dave Barry
“When we were at peace, Democrats wanted to raise taxes. Now there's a war, so Democrats want to raise taxes. When there was a surplus, Democrats wanted to raise taxes. Now that there is a mild recession, Democrats want to raise taxes.” Ann Coulter
“When they call the roll in the Senate, the Senators do not know whether to answer "Present" or "Not guilty."” Theodore Roosevelt
“There is nothing new in the realization that the Constitution sometimes insulates the
“Status quo, you know, is Latin for 'the mess we're in'.” Ronald Reagan
“Don't join the book burners. Do not think you are going to conceal thoughts by concealing evidence that they ever existed.” Dwight D. Eisenhower
criminality of a few in order to protect the privacy of us all.” Antonin Scalia
“Before I refuse to take your questions, I have an opening statement.” Ronald Reagan
“The Constitution shall never be construed... to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms.” Samuel Adams
“America does not go abroad in search of monsters to destroy.” John Quincy Adams
“An intellectual is a man who takes more words than necessary to tell more than he knows.” Dwight D. Eisenhower
“Bill Gates is a very rich man today... and do you want to know why? The answer is one word: versions.” Dave Barry
“Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us.” Bill Watterson
“Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn’t.” Pudd’nhead Wilson’s New Calendar
“Buying the right computer and getting it to work properly is no more complicated than building a nuclear reactor from wristwatch parts in a darkened room using only your teeth.” Dave Barry
“In the first place God made idiots. This was for practice. Then He made School Boards.” Pudd’nhead Wilson’s New Calendar
“In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” Dwight D. Eisenhower
“The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education.” Albert Einstein
“The most terrifying words in the English langauge are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help.” Ronald Reagan
“Grammatically, should of is a predatory admonition; as such, it is always used as part of a herpetological phrase.” Dave Barry
“Everything human is pathetic. The secret source of Humor itself is not joy but sorrow. There is no humor in heaven.” Pudd’nhead Wilson’s New Calendar
“If you want total security, go to prison. There you're fed, clothed, given medical care and so on. The only thing lacking... is freedom.” Dwight D. Eisenhower
“I have wondered at times what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the US Congress.” Ronald Reagan
“The most successful politician is he who says what everybody is thinking most often and in the loudest voice.” Theodore Roosevelt
“The difference between men and women is that, if given the choice between saving the life of an infant or catching a fly ball, a woman will automatically choose to save the infant, without even considering if there's a man on base.” Dave Barry
“It's no exaggeration to say that the undecideds could go one way or another.” George H. W. Bush
“Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love.” Albert Einstein
“The reason it's called "Grape Nuts" is that it contains "dextrose," which is also sometimes called "grape sugar," and also because "Grape Nuts" is catchier, in terms of marketing, than "A Cross Between Gerbil Food and Gravel," which is what it tastes like.” Dave Barry
“The most terrifying words in the English langauge are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help.” Ronald Reagan
“Courtesy is as much a mark of a gentleman as courage.” Theodore Roosevelt
“If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?” Albert Einstein
“How do you tell a communist? Well, it's someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It's someone who understands Marx and Lenin.” Ronald Reagan
“Do not needlessly endanger your lives until I give you the signal.” Dwight D. Eisenhower
“Magnetism, as you recall from physics class, is a powerful force that causes certain items to be attracted to refrigerators.” Dave Barry
THE GENTLE GARDENER
I’d like to leave but daffodils to mark my little way
To leave but tulips red and white behind me as I stray
I’d like to pass away from earth and feel I’d left behind
But roses and forget-me-nots for all who come to find
I’d like to sow the barren spots with all the flowers of earth
To leave a path where those who come should find but gentle mirth
And when at last I’m called upon to join the heavenly throng
I’d like to feel along my way I’d left no sign of wrong
And yet the cares are many and the hours of toil are few
There is not time enough on earth for all I’d like to do
But, having lived and having toiled, I’d like the world to find
Some little touch of beauty that my soul had left behind
This is a scene from a historical novel I am writing, set in the Regency time period. I always wanted to have a character that was very impudent.
Miss Anna Elfwood sat alone on a cold bench. Having misplaced her party, she was vainly hoping that they might remember her existence. But the Elfwoods were a distracted race in general, and Lady Georgine Elfwood especially. The only one of her children that she noticed was Olivia, whose voice was naturally too loud. Sir Marcus Elfwood was senile, and was probably asleep, and as for her siblings—Anna did not count on them at all.
Well, now she was alone and without money at Berkland Park, and she felt too shy to go look for the housekeeper, who could be anywhere in the large house by then. But a half hour changed her mind, and she had just stood up when a young man rode up to the house in a curricle. She recognized him as her eldest brother’s oldest friend: Sir Anthony Darbury.
“My goodness!” he said, quite shocked to see her. “Has not your party left? I saw the carriage. Without you?”
Despite the slight impropriety of his surprised speech, he seemed kind enough to be concerned.
“I am afraid I am left behind. But what are you doing here, sir?”
“I was going to tour the house, but now I shall escort you home. That is," after a pause "if it pleases you?"
Anna did not at all mind Sir Anthony, for he was a cheerful intelligent man, even if his speech seemed rude sometimes. His smile was quite kind, too, and she warmed under bright presences like his, but for a moment she was shy, and only said:
“Only if it is not very inconvenient.”
He leapt down and offered his arm to her with an innocent smile that contradicted his next words:
“Nonsense! Everything you ask is inconvenient.”
She smothered the impulse to laugh at his quizzing, and responded almost gravely:
“Your impudence has probably denied you many advantages.”
He looked serious as he responded:
“Has it? I have never thought of that. Which advantages?”
Wondering if she had hurt him, she was emboldened by his former manner to her, all teasing, and responded frankly:
“You are disliked by women, ignored by men, and will never be promoted.”
“But I am confused. Those are advantages?”
Now she laughed. “Then you must be the only man I know who does not desire to be liked by women!”
“I must confess that I dislike women.”
“In general?”
“No, the entire race! Save my mother.”
“Rogue!”
“And any other woman I confess this to,” he said with a self-deprecating sigh.
She glared at him, “Mm? And why?”
“They are ignoble.”
“Nonsense! Explain yourself!”
She couldn’t see his eyes, for he was watching his horses, but his voice had that quiver that always accompanied his brotherly teasing of all young women:
“At first I thought it was nonsense, too, for it confused me. You see, women are always talking about others: men, unmarried daughters, rivals, suitors—"
“Suitors are the same as men!”
“But two different subjects, my dear Miss Elfwood!”
“But how does this make women ignoble to talk of others?”
“Well, I have known for an interminable while that it is truly noble always to talk of oneself.”
Deciding that it was more entertaining to encourage him, she responded with a little sigh:
“I wonder that I tolerate you!”
“I do not wonder that.”
“Even when you knowingly say such shocking things?”
“Even so.”
“How can you not wonder then?”
“Because I have a handsome countenance and vast resources of charm, my dear Miss Elfwood.” And with this remark, he flashed her a charming smile.
“As well as incorrigible conceit.”
“Unfortunately.”
“Unfortunately indeed! You do not mean that!”
“How well you see through me! Oh, but I should not compliment you. Your head might grow too big.”
“I pity your mother.”
“So do I.”
“Can you be good enough to do so?”
“Yes, for to be burdened with a genius for a son is—most unfortunate.”
“I shan’t speak to you again," she said, but not seriously, and turned her head away from him.
“Women always say that. You shall, of course.”
“No, I shan’t.”
“My dear Miss Elfwood, you just did.”
Anna humphed but didn’t say anything, and watched as the incorrigibly confident Sir Anthony was suddenly having to watch his horses. There was a smile in her eyes as she watched his normally bright countenance tighten with concentration. There was no real unkindness or coarseness in him, she knew, but his teasing was so completely masking that most people wouldn’t stay with him for more than a few minutes to notice anything else.
The horses were quickly settled, but he did not put his old manner back on.
“Do you dislike me, Miss Elfwood?”
“Almost. If I did not know that you were only quizzing with every word, I would dislike you greatly. But you are not as conceited as you appear. It is only a mask to keep the world at bay.”
“Possibly,” he said with a mischevious smile.
“Do you have family, sir?” she asked.
“Ahem,” he coughed, and she sighed frustratedly. “Sir” sounded so chilly, it was no wonder he thought she disliked him. But she wasn’t feeling shy anymore, and asked:
“Well, what shall I call you! Sir Andrew?”
“’My lord’ would suit me,” he said in an unusually haughty and almost silly tone.
She laughed. “No, indeed, I shall not call you that!”
“'Your majesty'?”
“Fool!” she chided almost gravely.
“Well, then, 'Darbury' is what I am normally called. Not 'Mr. Darbury', but just 'Darbury'.”
“’Tis improper,” she said.
“And so is 'Andrew', which is the only other name I will tolerate.”
Anna sighed at his impudence.
“Very well, then, Darbury.”
“How sardonically you say it. Should I call you Miss Elfwood?” he asked with a drawl.
“If you do, I shall slap you,” she said warningly.
“Would you?” he said, and smiled mischeviously again.
”You dare not try!”
“Well, I should hate to look ill when you are returned your family, so I shall refrain. For now.”
Anna said “Thank you,” quite neatly, and then they were silent until they drove up at her house.
“Well, Miss Anna, I hope I did not bore you,” he said as he helped her down.
“No, but you were very shocking.”
“Would you like me otherwise?”
“Yes, for you are quite rude, but you would not be so—entertaining when you were serious.”
“Ah, then, I shall save my ‘otherwise’ manner for when you wish to be bored.” He tipped his hat, and mounted and was gone before Robert had come.
“There you are, Anna. Was that Darbury? Were you left behind? I was sure I saw you get in behind Sarah! Well, I suppose he talked your ear off, so I won’t.”
“In the final choice a soldier's pack is not so heavy as a prisoner's chains.” Dwight D. Eisenhower
“I argue very well. Ask any of my remaining friends. I can win an argument on any topic, against any opponent. People know this, and steer clear of me at parties. Often, as a sign of their great respect, they don't even invite me.” Dave Barry
“She was not quite what you would call refined. She was not quite what you would call unrefined. She was the kind of person that keeps a parrot.” Pudd’nhead Wilson’s New Calendar
“If you asked me to name the three scariest threats facing the human race, I would give the same answer that most people would: nuclear war, global warming and Windows.” Dave Barry
“I'll be glad to reply to or dodge your questions, depending on what I think will help our election most.” George H. W. Bush
“A question that sometimes drives me hazy: am I or are the others crazy?” Albert Einstein
“I like whiskey. I always did, and that is why I never drink it.” Robert E. Lee
“If Thomas Jefferson thought taxation without representation was bad, he should see how it is with representation.” Rush Limbaugh
“The New York Times editorial page is like a Ouija board that has only three answers, no matter what the question. The answers are: higher taxes, more restrictions on political speech and stricter gun control.” Ann Coulter
“I am not only a pacifist but a militant pacifist. I am willing to fight for peace. Nothing will end war unless the people themselves refuse to go to war.” Albert Einstein
“No matter what time it is, wake me, even if it's in the middle of a Cabinet meeting.” Ronald Reagan
“Any man who wants to be president is either an egomaniac or crazy.” Dwight D. Eisenhower
“Abortion is advocated only by persons who have themselves been born.” Ronald Reagan
“In 1765, Parliament passed the Stamp Act, which, as any American high school student can tell you, was an act that apparently had something to do with stamps.” Dave Barry
“Do not needlessly endanger your lives until I give you the signal.” Dwight D. Eisenhower
“Liberal Democrats are inexorably opposed to tax cuts, because tax cuts give people more power, and take away from the role of government.” Rush Limbaugh
“Reason first: you are a Virginian and a Virginian ought to appear at the head of this business. Reason second: I am obnoxious, suspected and unpopular. You are very much otherwise. Reason third: You can write ten times better than I can.” John Adams giving his reasons why Jefferson and not he should write the Declaration of Independence
“You could afford your house without the government if it weren't for the government.” Rush Limbaugh
“Puns are little plays on words that a certain breed of person loves to spring on you and then look at you in a certain self-satisfied way to indicate that he thinks that you must think that he is by far the cleverest person on Earth now that Benjamin Franklin is dead.” Dave Barry
“Of the four wars in my lifetime, none came about because the U.S. was too strong.” Ronald Reagan
“You know why there's a Second Amendment? In case the government fails to follow the first one.” Rush Limbaugh
“I've always felt that a person's intelligence is directly reflected by the number of conflicting points of view he can entertain simultaneously on the same topic.” Abigail Adams
“Peace is not absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.” Ronald Reagan
“I think that people want peace so much that one of these days government had better get out of their way and let them have it.” Dwight D. Eisenhower
“There are persons whom in my heart I despise, others I abhor. Yet I am not obliged to inform the one of my contempt, nor the other of my detestation. This kind of dissimulation...is a necessary branch of wisdom, and so far from being immoral...that it is a duty and a virtue.” John Adams
“Gravity is a contributing factor in nearly 73 percent of all accidents involving falling objects.” Dave Barry
“When they call the roll in the Senate, the Senators do not know whether to answer "Present" or "Not guilty."” Theodore Roosevelt
“I think that people want peace so much that one of these days government had better get out of their way and let them have it.” Dwight D. Eisenhower
“If we're so cruel to minorities, why do they keep coming here? Why aren't they sneaking across the Mexican border to make their way to the Taliban?” Ann Coulter
“It is by the goodness of God that in our country we have those three unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the prudence never to practice either of them.” Pudd’nhead Wilson’s New Calendar
“Posterity: you will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it.” John Quincy Adams
I am so glad that figure skating is everyone's favorite sport! I never really appreciated it until I went out on the ice, but now I am in perfect awe at the beauty of it. Last night the Russian pair won gold, but the commentators showed a video of a terrible accident that they had had, so it was a real relief every time they completed a lift safely. :) I was also proud of the Chinese team, who tried a quadruple throw loop, but she landed wrong and twisted her knee. They completed the run after a little while, but it was quite scary. Another pair had Phantom of the Opera music, which was a lot of fun for us. :)
Speaking of figure skating...
Aragorn: Hey, ice skating is on!
The Queen: Is that where the boys hold girls with one hand?
Martin the Warrior: No, it's where they decide who is the best ballerina.
This is from a light children's story I am writing, written mainly because I wanted to have Emma Darcy in a story.
The ORPERS’s headquarters was on top of the most inaccessible mountain in Wrangia. It also happened to be the tallest, but, as mountains do not get very high in Wrangia, this was not a frequently mentioned distinction. In fact, the Grenvilites, who are, of course, people from Grenveil, thought Antarask was a mere hill. But Grenvilites are known to be arrogant and say things that are quite wrong, from time to time. Judging from events, this was one of those times. For no mere hill can get as famous as Antarask, the headquarters of the famed Official Royal Princess Emergency Rescue Service, is.
It’s founder, Sant Jorja, once said that it was the most famous emergency service in the world. But Sant Jorja never left Ingilant, so his opinion is quite bogus. Besides, the fair-haired people of Rihen have never heard of ORPERS. That is true, my dear cohort. Not that they need to, though, for they are a despotic democracy. But ORPERS was quite renowned, and very important, too.
It is a globally known fact that princesses get captured. Globally, except for Rihen. That is true, my dear cohort, but you just said that. So globally known is this fact, that every year there is a seminar for princesses on The Art of Getting Captured Regally and Gracefully, at the most accessible point in the world: Antekarkta. Unfortunately, these princesses’ dear fathers are notably remiss in teaching their daughters how to escape. And since the universal reason for capturing a princess is to force her to marry your horrid son (if you have one) or your most evil baron, and therefore come into control of the royal crown, it is necessary that the princesses must escape. Another reason is to force a large ransom from the dear princesses’ fathers. Yes, my dear cohort, but I have already said there is only one reason, so you should be quiet and not bother my logic.
The escaping part is where ORPERS comes in. The average rate of carrier pigeons arriving at ORPERS HQ is about two a week, and no one has been inside but these pigeons. And they are quite tight-lipped about it. A matter of honor, they say. Yes, my dear cohort, but I wasn’t going to bring that up. The only evidence of ORPERS’ existence is the princesses’ carriages arriving back at their home castle within a month. Usually, though, they are recaptured in a few months, so apparently the ORPERS don’t try to lessen their business by a few lessons.
Exactly how the rescues work is an excellently kept secret. But one we are about to reveal! My dear cohort, yes, but you must stop stealing my thunder!
“A woman, especially, if she have the misfortune of knowing anything, should conceal it as well as she can.” Jane Austen
“A disposition to preserve, and an ability to improve, taken together, would be my standard of a statesman.” Edmund Burke
“I am an optimist. It does not seem too much use being anything else.” Winston Churchill
“The people never give up their liberties but under some delusion.” Edmund Burke
“I am easily satisfied with the very best.” Winston Churchill
“Madam your wife and I didn't hit it off the only time I ever saw her. I won't say she was silly, but I think one of us was silly, and it wasn't me.” Elizabeth Gaskell
“Any man may be in good spirits and good temper when he's well dressed. There ain't much credit in that.” Charles Dickens
“I do not want people to be very agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them a great deal.” Jane Austen
“Ambition - it is the last infirmity of noble minds.” James M. Barrie
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man is in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” Jane Austen
“I'm just preparing my impromptu remarks.” Winston Churchill
“A lady of what is commonly called an uncertain temper - a phrase which being interpreted signifies a temper tolerably certain to make everybody more or less uncomfortable.” Charles Dickens
“I have never yet seen any plan which has not been mended by the observations of those who were much inferior in understanding to the person who took the lead in the business.” Edmund Burke
“I am prepared to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter.” Winston Churchill
“Nobody minds having what is too good for them.” Jane Austen
“If the Almighty were to rebuild the world and asked me for advice, I would have English Channels round every country. And the atmosphere would be such that anything which attempted to fly would be set on fire.” Winston Churchill
“There are certainly are not so many men of large fortune in the world as there are of pretty woman to deserve them.” Jane Austen
“Every man who is high up likes to think that he has done it all himself, and the wife smiles and lets it go at that.” James M. Barrie
“One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries.” A. A. Milne
“We met Dr. Hall in such deep mourning that either his mother, his wife, or himself must be dead.” Jane Austen
“I know not, sir, whether Bacon wrote the works of Shakespeare, but if he did not, it seems to me that he missed the opportunity of his life.” James M. Barrie
“Gentlemen, when the enemy is committed to a mistake we must not interrupt him too soon.” Horatio Nelson
“Minerva House... was "a finishing establishment for young ladies," where some twenty girls of the ages from thirteen to nineteen inclusive, acquired a smattering of everything and a knowledge of nothing.” Charles Dickens
“Manners are of more importance than laws... Manners are what vex or soothe, corrupt or purify, exalt or debase, barbarize or refine us, by a constant, steady, uniform, insensible operation, like that of the air we breathe in.” Edmund Burke
“The people never give up their liberties but under some delusion.” Edmund Burke
For three years now, I've been growing a vegetable garden for the family. It's one of my passions, but while I easily get obsessed with things I love, occasionally I lose interest. For gardening, I lose interest between October and somewhere mid-January (whenever the seed catalogs arrive in the mail). But now the bug is back with full power, and I've been spending a lot of time digging up every free bit of space in our small yard, writing long lists of seed packets to buy, and making diagrams of where I shall plant them.
I try something new each year, and this year I'm growing some flowers and herbs as well as vegetables. Last year I had some extra space, and filled it with one variety of flowers, and the effect was a lovely carpet of purple and yellow. After that, I decided that growing vegetables gave you more, but flowers were fun.
Another new thing I'm growing is ground cherries. I've never eaten them before, but the description sounded intriguing. A tomato plant that grows cherry flavored fruit? Why not? My tomato plants overran my garden last year, so I'm assuming they'll grow, especially since I'm providing cages this year.
As we were sitting on the sofa to pray before bed, Adaon was having a hard time finding a seat. In his characteristic calm voice, Martin the Warrior said: "Sit between me and The Queen, so we won't argue with each other."
And then there's Emma Darcy, whose new fad is saying: "I woke up yesterday; you woke up today."
(I posted some of the Winston Churchill ones a long while back, but they are such good quotes...)
“Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become.” C. S. Lewis
“When a man laughs at his troubles he loses a great many friends. They never forgive the loss of their prerogative.” Francis Bacon
“There is only one difference between a madman and me. I am not mad.” Charlotte Bronte
“Let's pray that the human race never escapes from Earth to spread its iniquity elsewhere.” C. S. Lewis
“A politician needs the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year. And to have the ability afterwards to explain why it didn't happen.” Winston Churchill
“I had rather believe all the Fables in the Legend, and the Talmud, and the Alcoran, than that this universal frame is without a Mind.” Francis Bacon
“You don't have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body.” C. S. Lewis
“I am told that I talk in shorthand and then smudge it.” J. R. R. Tolkien
“A joke is a very serious thing.” Winston Churchill
“Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become.” C. S. Lewis
“A traitor is everyone who does not agree with me.” George III
“Lord Chancellor, did I deliver the speech well? I am glad of that, for there was nothing in it.” George III
“Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive.” C. S. Lewis
“Although personally I am quite content with existing explosives, I feel we must not stand in the path of improvement.” Winston Churchill
“Although prepared for martyrdom, I preferred that it be postponed.” Winston Churchill
“From now on, ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I will not put.” Winston Churchill
“I always avoid prophesying beforehand, because it is a much better policy to prophesy after the event has already taken place.” Winston Churchill
“I am prepared to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter.” Winston Churchill
“Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive.” C. S. Lewis
“I'm just preparing my impromptu remarks.” Winston Churchill
“I will never be an old man. To me, old age is always 15 years older than I am.” Francis Bacon
“The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.” Winston Churchill
“A young man who wishes to remain a sound atheist cannot be too careful of his reading.” C. S. Lewis
“What great cause would have been fought and won under the banner
‘I stand for consensus’?” Margaret Thatcher
“Let's pray that the human race never escapes from Earth to spread its iniquity elsewhere.” C. S. Lewis
“We have always found the Irish a bit odd. They refuse to be English.” Winston Churchill
“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, "What! You too? I thought I was the only one!"” C. S. Lewis
“The length of this document defends it well against the risk of its being read.” Winston Churchill
The French Revolution failed miserably. First of all, anarchy never works. But secondly, and most importantly, if you are trying to make aristocrats look bad, screaming gleefully when their heads get chopped off is not the way to go. The French had a good idea, but a bad plan; what they acheived was not democracy, but generations of people who look at aristocrats and say "Look how genteel and wonderful aristocrats were!" and who look at the masses and say "How crude!"
Now why did the Americans get freedom so neatly, and why did the French mess it up? True, the French were revolting against feudalism and excesses, but the main key in both revolutions was lack of representation. My theory for why the Americans won was this: they were British. I am the first to say that they were a different race by the time of the Revolution, but they were formerly British. And British, for some reason, are usually careful and diplomatic. They hate messes. That is, as stereotypes go. And the French, are not. They are passionate and emotional. I am not trying to be racist, but face it: the English in history did tend to be more calm about things. And in revolutions, pure emotion will not last long. The French had zeal, they had passion; what they needed was a cool head. Unfortunately, that cool head came in the form of Napoleon Bonaparte. But the lesson is:
So if you want to start a revolution, don't lose your head.
There are some people, I know, to whom the main appeal of the movie Pride and Prejudice is Mr. Darcy's handsome face. Personally, I watch it for his handsome house. What would P&P be without Pemberley? ;) (Well, to be absolutely serious, Pemberley *is* important, b-b-but that's not the point...)
So, if the plot of some historical movies leaves you cold, but you can't get enough of those old fashioned estates, The Dicamillo Companion is for you.
And no, I don't just watch P&P for Pemberley. But don't tell anyone!!!
RESULTS AND ROSES
The man who wants a garden fair
Or small or very big
With flowers growing here and there
Must bend his back and dig
The things are mighty few on earth
That wishes can attain
Whate’er we want of any worth
We’ve got to work to gain
It matters not what goal you seek
Its secret here reposes:
You’ve got to dig from week to week
To get Results or Roses
(You can listen to bits of the songs at all the links)
For Thy Pleasure — This is a delightful Baroque CD, but the artist is a classical guitar quartet. It's old but new, and the last song (a pan-genre Pachelbel's canon) is somewhat irreverent but too much fun.
Bride and Prejudice Soundtrack — This was an excellent movie, a modern India adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, that was different, but held close to the book in more places than I expected. (It needs a little editing, mostly one scene and a little language.) It's bright, colorful, and Indian; and so is the soundtrack. Caveat: tracks 7 and 10 are disgusting songs, but the rest are fine.
Last Samurai Soundtrack — Great movie, lovely soundtrack. Sometimes peaceful and sweet, othertimes strong and powerful, it often reminded me of the Braveheart soundtrack, another great one from a great movie.
Enchantment — The best Charlotte Church CD. She's got an opera voice, but sings folk songs, songs from musicals, etc., and they are all wonderful.
The Scarlet Pimpernel Musical — (I mentioned this before) This is a very catchy musical, and also has some very pretty and witty songs, especially "The Creation of Man" (for witty) and "When I Look at You" (for pretty)
Winter's Crossing — This is done by Sir James Galway, a flutist whose music I greatly admire. This CD is themed around the Irish imigration, and is very Celtic and beautiful.
Poodle Hat — Totally different, but just as good in it's way. Weird Al Yankovic often has a little language, or crudity, and you should skip track 6 totally. Definitely needing a preview. But his parodies and humor are the work of a genius. A mad genius, but a genius still. 'Ebay' is especially ingenious.
(Part 1 is here)
Introduction: The book is Pride and Prejudice, the characters are Caroline Bingley, Elizabeth Bennet, Charles Bingley, and Fitzwilliam Darcy. The scene starts as Darcy is writing a letter to his sister, and Caroline is pestering him. I don't know why all the movie adaptations do not have the ensuing scene; it is one of my favorites.
"Tell your sister I am delighted to hear of her improvement on the harp; and pray let her know that I am quite in raptures with her beautiful little design for a table, and I think it infinitely superior to Miss Grantley's."
"Will you give me leave to defer your raptures till I write again? At present I have not room to do them justice."
"Oh! it is of no consequence. I shall see her in January. But do you always write such charming long letters to her, Mr. Darcy?"
"They are generally long; but whether always charming it is not for me to determine."
"It is a rule with me, that a person who can write a long letter with ease, cannot write ill."
"That will not do for a compliment to Darcy, Caroline," cried her brother, "because he does not write with ease. He studies too much for words of four syllables. Do not you, Darcy?"
"My style of writing is very different from yours."
"Oh!" cried Miss Bingley, "Charles writes in the most careless way imaginable. He leaves out half his words, and blots the rest."
"My ideas flow so rapidly that I have not time to express them--by which means my letters sometimes convey no ideas at all to my correspondents."
"Your humility, Mr. Bingley," said Elizabeth, "must disarm reproof."
"Nothing is more deceitful," said Darcy, "than the appearance of humility. It is often only carelessness of opinion, and sometimes an indirect boast."
"And which of the two do you call my little recent piece of modesty?"
"The indirect boast; for you are really proud of your defects in writing, because you consider them as proceeding from a rapidity of thought and carelessness of execution, which, if not estimable, you think at least highly interesting. The power of doing anything with quickness is always prized much by the possessor, and often without any attention to the imperfection of the performance. When you told Mrs. Bennet this morning that if you ever resolved upon quitting Netherfield you should be gone in five minutes, you meant it to be a sort of panegyric, of compliment to yourself--and yet what is there so very laudable in a precipitance which must leave very necessary business undone, and can be of no real advantage to yourself or anyone else?"
"Nay," cried Bingley, "this is too much, to remember at night all the foolish things that were said in the morning. And yet, upon my honour, I believe what I said of myself to be true, and I believe it at this moment. At least, therefore, I did not assume the character of needless precipitance merely to show off before the ladies."
"I dare say you believed it; but I am by no means convinced that you would be gone with such celerity. Your conduct would be quite as dependent on chance as that of any man I know; and if, as you were mounting your horse, a friend were to say, 'Bingley, you had better stay till next week,' you would probably do it, you would probably not go--and at another word, might stay a month."
"You have only proved by this," cried Elizabeth, "that Mr. Bingley did not do justice to his own disposition. You have shown him off now much more than he did himself."
"I am exceedingly gratified," said Bingley, "by your converting what my friend says into a compliment on the sweetness of my temper. But I am afraid you are giving it a turn which that gentleman did by no means intend; for he would certainly think better of me, if under such a circumstance I were to give a flat denial, and ride off as fast as I could."
"Would Mr. Darcy then consider the rashness of your original intentions as atoned for by your obstinacy in adhering to it?"
"Upon my word, I cannot exactly explain the matter; Darcy must speak for himself."
"You expect me to account for opinions which you choose to call mine, but which I have never acknowledged. Allowing the case, however, to stand according to your representation, you must remember, Miss Bennet, that the friend who is supposed to desire his return to the house, and the delay of his plan, has merely desired it, asked it without offering one argument in favour of its propriety."
"To yield readily--easily--to the persuasion of a friend is no merit with you."
"To yield without conviction is no compliment to the understanding of either."
"You appear to me, Mr. Darcy, to allow nothing for the influence of friendship and affection. A regard for the requester would often make one readily yield to a request, without waiting for arguments to reason one into it. I am not particularly speaking of such a case as you have supposed about Mr. Bingley. We may as well wait, perhaps, till the circumstance occurs before we discuss the discretion of his behaviour thereupon. But in general and ordinary cases between friend and friend, where one of them is desired by the other to change a resolution of no very great moment, should you think ill of that person for complying with the desire, without waiting to be argued into it?"
"Will it not be advisable, before we proceed on this subject, to arrange with rather more precision the degree of importance which is to appertain to this request, as well as the degree of intimacy subsisting between the parties?"
"By all means," cried Bingley; "let us hear all the particulars, not forgetting their comparative height and size; for that will have more weight in the argument, Miss Bennet, than you may be aware of. I assure you, that if Darcy were not such a great tall fellow, in comparison with myself, I should not pay him half so much deference. I declare I do not know a more awful object than Darcy, on particular occasions, and in particular places; at his own house especially, and of a Sunday evening, when he has nothing to do."
Mr. Darcy smiled; but Elizabeth thought she could perceive that he was rather offended, and therefore checked her laugh. Miss Bingley warmly resented the indignity he had received, in an expostulation with her brother for talking such nonsense.
"I see your design, Bingley," said his friend. "You dislike an argument, and want to silence this."
"Perhaps I do. Arguments are too much like disputes. If you and Miss Bennet will defer yours till I am out of the room, I shall be very thankful; and then you may say whatever you like of me."
"What you ask," said Elizabeth, "is no sacrifice on my side; and Mr. Darcy had much better finish his letter."
Mr. Darcy took her advice, and did finish his letter.
I posted, a while back, the top 10 ways that we use literature quotes in everyday life. Films, though, having the benefit of accents, tone, emphasis, facial expressions, etc., have much better quotes. Here are the ones we use most often (I thought about explaining the context, but that never really works. So...if you recognize it, you do—if you don’t, oh well):
“Here is living proof that dinosaurs once roamed the earth.” ("The Emperor's New Groove")
“Pluck his feathers? Clip his wings? Hurt his feelings!” (two Nazi pigeons discussing torture methods, "Valiant")
“Ha ha ha ha!” (Lydia's taunt when she gets invited to Brighton, "A&E Pride and Prejudice")
“Viper in my bosom!” (Fanny Dashwood's shriek in "Sense and Sensibility")
“Wakey wakey, mista Alex.” ("Madagascar")
“Mista H.” (the Duchess's nickname for Horatio Hornblower, "The Duchess and the Devil")
“I have a plan.” “Oh, you have a plan?” (Percy and Armand, “The Scarlet Pimpernel”)
“Wait for the opportune moment.” (“Pirates of the Caribbean”)
“Sit down, John!” (everyone’s response to John Adam’s patriotism, “1776”)
“Sink me!” (Sir Percy’s favorite interjection, “The Scarlet Pimpernel”)
“A big, damp, foggy island, nor-noreast of Ushant.” (Admiral Pellew describing England, one of the Hornblower movies)
“Try not to kill my dogs.” (Mr. Knightley, after Emma (very upset) misses the archery target, “Emma”)
“No capes!” and “Edna Mode...and guest” (“The Incredibles”)
“I have short term memory loss. It’s true! I forget things almost instantly!” (“Finding Nemo”)
“You have engaged my valuable services.” (“Shrek 2”)
“But why is the rum gone?” (“Pirates of the Caribbean”)
“I’ll be back.” (“The Terminator”)
“Den mother [insert any occupation/name you choose], you scare me.” “Good.” (“The Pacifier”)
“You’ve been very very naughty!” (the TV show “Supernanny”)
“Parley?” (“Pirates of the Caribbean”)
“You don’t want to be doing that, mate!” “Yes, I really think I do.” “Your funeral.” (“Pirates of the Caribbean”)
“Yes, I do.” (“Phantom of the Opera”)
“Unfeeling, selfish girl! I’m ashamed of you!” ("A&E Pride and Prejudice")
“Tonight...we die.” (Emma Darcy’s favorite quote from “Madagascar”)
“Roast beef. It’s the Swedish term for beef that is roasted!” (“Series of Unfortunate Events”)
“’Tis a silly place.” (describing Camelot, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”)
“Answer me these questions three, ere the other side ye see.” (“Monty Python and the Holy Grail”)
“Swish swish, clang clang, lunge.” (sarcastically describing swordfighting, “A Bug’s Life”)
“You’re mocking me, aren’t you.” (a complete understatement, “Toy Story”)
“Barbara Manatee, you are the one for me!” (sung, “Veggie Tales”)
“O where is my hairbrush?” (sung, “Veggie Tales”)
“His royal highness our illustrious King Julien the sixteenth, self proclaimed lord of the lemurs blah blah blah hooray everyone!” (a sarcastic introduction, “Madagascar”)
“And how do you feel about that?” (a psychologists packaged response, “Freaky Friday”)
“And he selfishly devoured every last muffin.” (the last of a long list of “heinous” crimes, “The Importance of Being Earnest”)
“And you—stop being such a coconut.” (“Bride and Prejudice”)
“Might I trouble you for the salt?” (“Master and Commander”)
http://hem.passagen.se/anna6810/austen/austen.html Too weird...I like Darcy as a Jedi Knight though. :)
Color Words
celadon — Adjective, meaning "a pale green color tinged with grey"
variegated — Adjective, meaning "having marks or patches of different colors"
subfusc — Adjective, meaning "dark or dull in color"
sanguine — Adjective, meaning "having the color of blood"
roseate — Adjective, meaning "rose-colored"
rubicund — Adjective, meaning "inclining to redness; ruddy"
piebald — Adjective, meaning "mottled"
varicolored — Adjective, meaning "having many colors"
paly — Adjective, meaning "lacking color or brilliancy"
florid — Adjective, meaning "of a lively reddish color"
etiolate — Verb, meaning "to blanch or bleach"
daltonism — Noun, meaning "color blindness"
fuliginous — Adjective, meaning "having the color of soot or smoke"
cerise — Adjective, meaning "a deep vivid red color with a tinge of pink"
bice — Adjective, meaning "a dull blue or color pigment"
argentine — Adjective, meaning " silvery in color"
After reading Villette, I am profoundly thankful of books (written for English speaking peoples) where foreign conversations are translated (if important to the plot). Jane Eyre had a little French girl, but she spoke rarely, and knew some English, so I did not realize how maddening Miss Brontë could be. In Villette, however, the main character moves to France, and thereafter, every third word/phrase/sentence/conversation (I'm not kidding about any of this!) is in French. And is not translated. One is, I guess, expected to speak fluent French. I was able to get the gist of the story, though, so I finished the book (and it was very good).
Now, though, my task is to translate all those phrases, using the ever-wonderful Alta Vista Babel Fish. Is taking forever... Also, certain idioms aren't coming out right. Altogether very instructive, though. I like this quote:
French: Vous n'êtes donc que des poupées? Vous n'avez pas de passions - vous autres? Vous ne sentez donc rien? Votre chair est de neige, votre sang de glace? Moi, je veux que tout cela s'allume, qu'il ait une vie, une âme!
English: You are thus only headstocks? You do not have passions - you others? You thus do not smell anything? Is your flesh of snow, your blood of ice? Me, I want that all that ignites, that it has a life, a heart!
Here are the books I read in January, including the date finished. The Common Room had a post about reading good books, and not reading twaddle, which prompted me to write a little intro.
However much I might agree with the principle in general, I have a hard time not reading twaddle, because some of it is so good. ;) I suppose the definition of twaddle would be any books that do not have a powerful message well written. That is hard, though, because there are so many good books whose message is good but not powerful. Well, I try to read extensively, therefore "improving my mind", and this is only the books I finished, not all the ones I'm reading (some classics take a lot of time), so I guess I can't feel too guilty. No, wait, I can. :)
Count of Monte Cristo (reread) by Alexandre Dumas (Jan 2)
Arabella (reread) by Georgette Heyer (Jan 3)
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (Jan 4)
Mr. Darcy’s Daughters by Elizabeth Aston (Jan 5)
Not very good at all
Anne of Green Gables (reread) by L. M. Montgomery (Jan 9)
League of the Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy (Jan 10)
A collection of short stories, quite good.
Pride and Prejudice (reread) by Jane Austen (Jan 11)
Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin (Jan 11)
Despite the fact the I normally dislike autobiographies (so arrogant that they write about themselves?), I do not see how this book ever became a "classic"
Postmodern Times by Gene Edward Veith (Jan 11)
Excellent book, one of my favorites.
Reading Between the Lines by Gene Edward Veith (Jan 11)
Very Good Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse (Jan 12)
Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams (Jan 13)
Not nearly as good as the first book.
Nonesuch by Georgette Heyer (Jan 14)
Life, the Universe and Everything by Douglas Adams (Jan 15)
What Jane Austen Ate and What Charles Dickens Knew (reread) by Daniel Pool (Jan 16)
Jane and the Unpleasantness of Scargrave Manor by Stephanie Barron (Jan 21)
A mystery with Jane Austen as detective. Some of the people she meets are the "inspirations" for some of her characters.
Soul of The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe by Gene Edward Veith (Jan 22)
These Three Remain by Pamela Aidan (Jan 24)
Powder and Patch by Georgette Heyer (Jan 25)
Jane and the Man of the Cloth by Stephanie Barron (Jan 27)
Not nearly as good as the first one.
The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole
This is the first "Gothic" novel, and only worthy of being remembered for that fact. How did this genre become popular?
Villette by Charlotte Brontë (Jan 29)
Would I be offending Bronteites if I said that I thought Monsieur Paul Emmanuel cute? He's cute; that is, he is someone "not quite laughable" but "small, helpless, futilely supporting something, or oblivious, therefore making you want to hug them, say 'Aww', giggle, or all of the above" Short volatile people tend to do that to me. ;) I like him best of all Brontë's heroes so far, though.
