Jane Austen Quote of the Week- Week Nineteen

I must apologise for this late posting- I have actually been in Ireland for the week visiting family. I am in love with the country. Since my visit last year on my Jane/Tom quest, I see it in a whole new way. Its a very special place with so much to offer. We went from Dublin to Galway and took in some of the ring of Kerry before returning from Cork. Absolutely beautiful. It is no wonder that Tom Lefroy chose to stay there to bring up his family. We drove through Limerick, Tom's birthplace, but unfortunately I did not have time to explore. I know that I will be returning very soon for I cannot keep away so I will be sure to continue the quest to find out more about our Tom and Jane.

Anyway at hand through my whole trip was my copy of Emma. I have therefore chosen to take quotes from Emma for this weeks selection. As I am late in posting and also because I simply cannot make a decision between so many fantastic quotes, I have chosen two for this week (sorry ladies for being cheeky!)

The relationship between the personalities of Emma and Mr Knightley is electric. My two quotes reflect this and they are both taken from the first section of the novel. The first is during their memorable altercation; Emma has interfered with Harriet's rejection of marriage from Mr Martin and Mr Knightley tells her straight how he disapproves:

"Upon my word, Emma, to hear you abusing the reason you have, is almost enough to make me think so too. Better be without sense than misapply it as you do."

Later, Emma (whilst now trying to match Harriet with Mr Elton) asks Mr Elton to help them write a riddle. Emma and Mr Knightley have still not fully made up and Mr Knightley, upon hearing this, states:

"Emma, you didn't ask me to contribute a riddle."

She retorts:

"Your entire personality is a riddle, Mr. Knightley. I thought you overqualified."

I love these two quotes and I dont think that the chemical relationship between Emma and Mr Knightley has been surpassed in any of Jane's other novels. This is of course my opinion and I am welcoming any discussion..........

Pic 1: A MySpace page for Emma

Pic 2: Risky Regencies page

Jane Austen Quote - Week 18 by Linda

From Persuasion, Chapter 10:

"Anne was still in the lane and though instinctively beginning to decline, she was not allowed to proceed. The Admiral's kind urgency came in support of his wife's, they would not be refused; they compressed themselves into the smallest possible space to leave her a corner, and Captain Wentworth, without saying a word, turned to her, and quietly obliged her to be assisted into the carriage.

Yes, he had done it. She was in the carriage, and felt that he had placed her there, that his will and his hands had done it, that she owed it to his perception of her fatigue, and his resolution to give her rest. She was very much affected by the view of his disposition towards her, which all these things made apparent. This little circumstance seemed the completion of all that had gone before. She understood him. He could not forgive her, but he could not be unfeeling. Though condemning her for the past, and considering it with high and unjust resentment, though perfectly careless of her, and though becoming attached to another, still he could not see her suffer, without the desire of giving her relief. It was a remainder of former sentiment, it was an impulse of pure, though unacknowledged friendship; it was a proof of his own warm and amiable heart, which she could not contemplate without emotions so compounded of pleasure and pain, that she knew not which prevailed."

Please excuse the length of the quote, but it is so wonderful that it begs to be put in context. Some (and I won’t mention Charlotte Bronte’s name) have said that Jane lacked passion. See my Passionate Passages page HERE where the aforementioned nameless person said: “the Passions are perfectly unknown to her.” After reading the Quote of this Week, I beg to differ, passionately!

I beg pardon, but to me the passage is simply dripping with passion! And that is only one example. What really boggles my mind is that it is so hard to find just a ‘few’ memorable quotes, because one wishes to quote the entire book! So There, Miss Nameless Person! (Sorry, I get carried away, but ‘they’ keep bringing me back.)

Linda the Librarian

Pic 1: Amanda Root and Ciarain Hind in Persuasion, from: Quizilla

Pic 2: Sally Hawkins and Rupert Penry-Jones in Persuasion 2007, from: Austenblog

JA Quote of the Week - Week 17

This week my quote is from Northanger Abbey. Catherine and Henry are discussing Henry's brother's flirtations with Catherine's brother's fiancee. (yikes!) Henry says:

'No man is offended by another man's admiration of the woman he loves; it is the woman only who can make it a torment.'

Northanger Abbey, Chapter 19

This was one of those statements that made me stop reading, and reread it. It just demands a second reading! Everytime I read NA I stop at this quote, so I thought it belonged here on the blog. I don't have a massive opinion about it, I just wonder at it!

There is something lovely, I think, about hearing a masculine voice in this way. It speaks of such pride and love and tenderness, and I can fully believe Henry Tilney feeling this way about Catherine. Such a beautiful quote. It always makes me smile.

Pic: Felicity Jones as Catherine Morland from: The Lit Connection

Old video of James McAvoy and Parkinson

This is non-BJ related (actually, Atonement-related. Good movie. Michelle, where’s that Atonement assignment?!), but since I missed James McAvoy so much (and his Scottish accent!), these are three parts of an interview of James with Michael Parkinson. Oh, Billie Piper was there too, she’s pretty cute.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gzxfk-GHYTE&feature=related – part one Parkinson

Part 2

Part 3

Enjoy!

JA Quote of the Week – Week Sixteen

Ah… sweet sixteen… before Michelle’s turn next week (nudge!) for the sweet seventeen. Anyway, for it’s sweet 16, I should come up with something sweet and romantic. Here it goes, Emma Volume III, Chapter 13 (page 339, Oxford edition 2003). This is after George Knightley’s confession of his love for Emma Woodhouse, a quote I had used a few months ago (click here, also click Linda’s Passionate Passages of Emma):

Seldom, very seldom, does complete truth belong to any human disclosure; seldom can it happen that something is not a little disguised, or a little mistaken; but where, as in this case, though the conduct is mistaken, the feelings are not, it may not be very material. – Mr. Knightley could not impute to Emma a more relenting heart than she possessed, or a heart more disposed to accept of his.

Aaah… Knightley! I really think it was so sweet of him to admit his love to Emma in such a way, without too flowery a language and by accepting that neither he nor Emma was perfect (but their very imperfections actually add the chemistry between them). Such sweet tender truth, spoken by an old friend like Mr. Knightley. Emma would be a fool indeed not to love him!

Sorry Linda and Michelle dear, Mark Strong is compelling, but I just have to go with my Jeremy Northam this time… swoon…

Pic: George Knightley (Jeremy Northam) and Emma Woodhouse (Gwyneth Palthrow) from the Riskyregency.blogspot.com

Maria's gorgeous fanvid for Pat!

I'm so happy to have so many passionate readers and talented friends to contribute to this website. Take a look at this gorgeous fanvid of Maria from Sweden (and Peanut!), dedicated to Pat Lovell. Pat chose the song, i.e. You're the One by Karen Carpenter. Brilliant! Thank you, Maria and Pat!

Mariana's sweet thanks and collections

Dearest Mariana sent us a pack of lovely pictures of her renditions of Jane Austen (Anne Hathaway) and Tom Lefroy (James McAvoy), one of them is this one above.

She also sent us the lovely photo of her Jane Austen/Becoming Jane collections. It's very cute, and makes me thinking about this... that fans and readers of this site can email me or Rachel (rachkingston@aol.com) for any great pictures of Jane Austen/Becoming Jane collections.

Pics: Mariana's private collections

WINNER: Trivia Quiz

I am delighted to announce that the winner of our quiz which we launched in commemoration of the anniversary of Jane Austen's death is...........

**********Lis Craig from Texas in the US.**********

CONGRATULATIONS LIS!!!!

We will be in contact about how we will get the prize to you.

The questions with answers were as follows:

1. In addition to writing about love stories (and their predicaments), Jane Austen was also an avid supporter of the abolitionist movement. In what novel did she include slavery as one of her main themes?

Mansfield Park

2. Who accompanied Jane Austen to Winchester on 24 May 1817?

Jane's sister, Cassandra Austen

3. Years after Jane Austen’s death, Thomas Langlois Lefroy admitted to one of his relatives that he used to have a ‘boyish love’ with the famous authoress. What was the name of his relative, and what was he to Tom Lefroy?

Thomas Edward Preston Lefroy who is Thomas Langlois Lefroy's nephew

Thank you to everyone who participated!

Pic: Jane and Cassandra- from Anne Hathaway fansite

PS 3 August 2008:

Sorry Rachel for using your post, but I just want to inform you all that Lis will be getting Laurie V. Rigler's "Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict" for free, shipped to her address. Thanks a lot, Laurie, and congratulations, Lis!

Jane Austen Quote of the Week- Week Fifteen

I have been thinking about this one as a quote of the week for a while but I wasnt sure. On reflection, however, I think it is highly significant.

In Persuasion, Anne Elliot is contemplating her trip to Lyme which although enjoyed, caused her much 'anxiety and distress'; she says:

"One does not love a place the less for having suffered in it, unless it has been all suffering, nothing but suffering."

- Anne Elliot, Persuasion, Chapter 20

Although in this context it is perhaps not particularly significant but if you think about Janes life journey, it is. Jane moved with her parents and her sister, Cassandra, to Bath in 1801 and all reports suggest that she disliked it here intensely. Her beloved father died in 1805 and this was a very tough time for her.

I think that this is represented throughout her novels; note that her heroines are all very fond of the country life, e.g. Elinor Dashwood, Anne Elliot.

Characters that are intended to be particularly unwise show a fondness of Bath; Mrs Allen in Northanger Abbey proclaims "Bath is a charming place, sir." when discussing muslins with Mr Tilney.

Persuasion was the last completed novel written by Jane Austen so I sincerely believe that with this life experience, this quote is significant for how she felt about the city she had to live in for four years of her life. Note that there are no surviving letters written by Jane from 27 May 1801 and 14 September 1804. In 1799 Tom Lefroy married Mary Paul and in late 1800 he visited Ashe with his father. With this so close to the move to Bath in 1801, was there any wonder that Jane disliked the city so much...........?

Pic 1: BBC Persuasion

Pic 2: Jane and Tom in Becoming Jane