Sunday 5 April 2009

Jane Austen Quote - Week 50

Our apologies my dear friends, seemingly Team Jane is a bit mixed up with our schedule this weekend... hence the lateness of the Quote of the Week installment. Anyway, pulling up from the various cyber sites again, I found an intriguing one:

"Every man is surrounded by a neighbourhood of voluntary spies"

Northanger Abbey, chapter 24, my dear friends. How vigilant Jane Austen was! Thanks to Wikipedia for the direct quote.


And for the commentary: Well, it has been happening to me these last few days. I've been escaping to my mother's house in a traditional community... and have set a habit of taking a morning walk since a few days ago. But since it's not a cold place, I deliberately put a pair of shorts for walking. Not really short... but is still grouped as shorts. And it seemed that I've made some people around the house upset because... it wasn't usual for them to see a woman of thirty plus plus taking her morning walk alone... with a pair of (not so short) shorts. I did not really care about it... but it reminded me of how Jane Austen's own defiance in her own time...

Perhaps I might attempt to walk with a long Georgian dress and a lacy parasol tomorrow... I think I have some in my luggage. Might they think that I am polite enough, or still too strange? ^_^

Pic: Just for a giggle... from this site

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, Icha, it seems that people are the same the world over. As Jane said, so it is in my little corner of the world. I remember such admonitions when I had on some (not so) shorts once from a great-uncle, who said, "You ran your legs too far through your trousers!

Linda the Librarian

Icha said...

Muahahaha!!! That's SO funny, Linda! "You ran your legs too far through your trousers!" LOL! Your great-uncle had some weird sense of humour!

I wonder how many things were considered improper in Jane Austen's time. Walking with hair down? Going out without a chaperon, surely? Ah, refusing to dance when there were so many women around; poor Mr. Darcy!

Mimi said...

Did you know that "Lost in Austen" is being aired at PBS on Sunday nights?

Anonymous said...

Mimi, search as I might, I cannot find what you are speaking of. Do you mean PBS in the U.S.? If so, what is the name of the program? I would like to see this if possible. Thanks for the alert.

Linda the Librarian

Unknown said...

Just a few words to say I love your site. Many thanks! I am now an avid fan of Jane Austen and the film Becoming Jane. Since February your information has led me to libraries, bookshops, websites, Wikipedia etc all the quest of Jane Austen. I have just purchased Lost in Austen from my nearest ABC shop in Sydney, Australia. Looking forward to viewing it this Easter hols! Thanks again & have a lovely Easter break to all at Team Jane.

Mariana said...

Linda, check WTTW (PBS) channel, I think this is the only one airing LIA. In case you don't have this channel and you'd like to see it on YT: http://www.youtube.com/user/Chicawapa

Happy Easter!!!! (on my part of the world it looks like getting ready to celebrate Christmas again :( got back the snow hills in front of my house ):

--here's an article I've enjoyed reading today: Jane Austen's Easter http://www.janeausten.co.uk/magazine/page.ihtml?pid=601&step=4

Icha said...

Tamajipi, thanks a lot for your kind words! Truly nice to know that our efforts help sparking the love of Jane Austen and Becoming Jane world-wide (I am staying in Oz too most of my time!). And happy watching Lost in Austen, I find it a very entertaining series!

Also thanks a lot Mimi for your PBS info (Hope Linda gets that) and JA's Easter! Been looking for an Easter quote myself...

Michelle said...

Ah, Icha, I love this quote! It never fails to make me laugh. How human nature doesn't change!