Jane Austen Quote of the Week 234

It is indeed a fine wall of books, is it not?

 

Because I have a granddaughter who loves to read as I did when I was her age, it brings to mind the Jane Austen saying about being a "great reader".  So I went looking in The Loiterer for a quote and found this in the No. 9 issue, supposedly written by Jane herself.

 

I write this to inform you that you are very much out of my good graces, and that, if you do not mend your manners, I shall soon drop your acquaintance.  You must know, Sir, I am a great reader, and not to mention some hundred volumes of Novels and Plays, have, in the last two summers, actually got through all the entertaining papers of our most celebrated periodical writers, from the Tatler and Spectator to the Microcosm and the Olla Podrida.  Indeed I love a periodical work beyond any thing, especially those in which one meets with a great many stories, and where the papers are not too long.  I assure you my heart beat with joy when I first heard of your publication, which I immediately sent for, and have taken in ever since.

 

I love the part where she lists the other Periodicals of the time which I have in recent years been collecting.  I am amazed at the amount of knowledge that was displayed in them that is so pertinent today.  What a challenge she has given us to at least try to keep up with her reading abilities.

 

You may read the entire Issue No. 9 HERE.  Enjoy.

 

Yrs aff'ly,

Linda the Librarian

Jane Austen Quote of the Week 233

My apologies for the late instalment this week (well, last weekend for most of the world now). I have internet problem at home, and I have to do the quote now at the office (shuuussshhh...).

Emma (Romola Garai) and Knightley (Jonny L. Miller) 2009

Anyway, I love the relationship between Mr Knightley and Emma in ‘Emma’. To me, Mr Knightley is the most realistic gentleman you can have for our current era. He does apply to the Regency era as well, of course. His chemistry with Emma is apparent through their banters.

However, I do have a dose of complain to Mr Knightley, and very critical gentlemen like him. They don’t know how to do romance at all! I mean, take a look at this passage from Chapter 1:

Mr. Knightley, in fact, was one of the few people who could see faults in Emma Woodhouse, and the only one who ever told her of them: and though this was not particularly agreeable to Emma herself, she knew it would be so much less so to her father, that she would not have him really suspect such a circumstance as her not being thought perfect by every body.

"Emma knows I never flatter her," said Mr. Knightley, "but I meant no reflection on any body. Miss Taylor has been used to have two persons to please; she will now have but one. The chances are that she must be a gainer."

Point taken, Knightley. And it’s actually admirable that you can say those things unrestrained to Emma; God knows the girl needs it. But now and then, Knightley, it’s okay to say something romantic to Emma. And of course when he does, Emma melts right away.

But I take it, a Knightley-type of person will only reserve his romantic comments or gestures just for very special occasions. And for girls, those occasions can be too far in between. People like Knightley need to balance their objective remarks with romantic gestures every now and then. And I don’t mean once in a blue moon or once in a year. It should be more often than that.

Jane Austen Quote of the Week 232

I apologise for being far less organised recently and thank Linda for coming up with a great quote to use today. I believe that it is Mothers Day in the US today so Happy Mother's Day to all mothers from us here at the Becoming Jane blog.

Since this Sunday, May 12, is Mother's Day over here in the U.S., I thought it would be appropriate to see what Jane had to say about Mothers. I found this thoughtful mention in Persuasion, Chapter 17:

While Sir Walter and Elizabeth were assiduously pushing their good fortune in Laura Place, Anne was renewing an acquaintance of a very different description.

She had called on her former governess, and had heard from her of there being an old school-fellow in Bath, who had the two strong claims on her attention of past kindness and present suffering. Miss Hamilton, now Mrs. Smith, had shewn her kindness in one of those periods of her life when it had been most valuable. Anne had gone unhappy to school, grieving for the loss of a mother whom she had dearly loved, feeling her separation from home, and suffering as a girl of fourteen, of strong sensibility and not high spirits, must suffer at such a time; and Miss Hamilton, three years older than herself, but still, from the want of near relations and a settled home, remaining another year at school, had been useful and good to her in a way which had considerably lessened her misery, and could never be remembered with indifference.

As you can see it is very nice to 'remember' our Mothers whilst we have them. I do wish everyone reading this a very Happy Mother's Day.

Yrs aff'ly,

Linda the Librarian

 

Pic: Jane Austen and Mrs Austen

Jane Austen Quote of the Week 231

Surprise!  You get two quotes this week.  I stumbled across the following quote by Edward Thompson (1810-1870) an American Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church.  It meant something to me because my daughter and I had just been discussing "trials".

 

Great trials seem to be a necessary preparation for great duties.  It would seem that the more importand the enterprise, the more severe the trial to which the agent is subjected in his preparation.

 

Now this is what Jane has to say about some "trials" which I found in Chapter 38 of Sense and Sensibility:

 

Elinor and Lucy Steel (Sense & Sensibility 2005)

 

 

The next morning brought Elinor a letter by the two-penny post, from Lucy herself.  It was as follows: --

 

Bartlett's Buildings, March.  I hope my dear Miss Dashwood will excuse the liberty I take of writing to her; but I know your friendship for me will make you pleased to hear such a good account of myself and my dear Edward, after all the troubles we have went  through lately, therefore will make no more apologies, but proceed to say that, thank God! though we have suffered dreadfully, we are both quite well now, and as happy s we must always be in one anothers love.  We have had great trials, and great persecutions, but however, at the same time, gratelfully acknowledge many friends, yourself not the least among them, whose great kindness I shall always thankfully remember, as will Edward too, who I have told of it.

 

 

Jane seems to be aware that though we have "great trials" that those trials, though not necessarily preparing us for "great duties," but may possibly have  a 'happy ending'.

 

I found the first quote above by Edward Thompson in a book titled "A Gift of Love" by Perry Tanksley which appears to be quite intriguing due to the subtitle and I can hardly wait to read it in its entirely.  The subtitle for the book is "A Volume of Verse for Young and Old and for All Who have Suffered Adversity."  This is particularly intriguing because my daughter and I were discussing our own personal "trials".  So I leave you with the glad expectation that our 'great trials' will prepare us for our 'great duties'.

 

Yrs aff'ly,

Linda the Librarian