11 Random Things Tag

You know how much I love answering tags so when I saw the one on Miss Abby’s blog Newly Impassioned Soul, I planned to do it as soon as possible.

Here are the rules:

• Post these rules.
• Post 11 random things about yourself.
• Answer the questions set for you in their post.
• Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
• Go to their blog and tell them they are tagged.
• Tag 11 people.

11 random things about myself:

1. I currently listening to classical music
2. I love to write
3. My Pride and Prejudice soundtrack is missing.  :( 
4. I wear glasses
5. I have two blogs
6. I love grape juice
7. I a wearing a plaid shirt right now
8. I am currently reading Les Miserables – it’s tough but I’m working on it
9. One of my favorite books is Uncle Tom’s Cabin
10. I like playing around with the My Memories software
11. My absolute favorite movie is Sense and Sensibility 1995

The 11 questions Miss Abby made up:

1)      What smell reminds you of your childhood?  Homemade pizza

2)     What one thing would you like to change about the world?  More people appreciate Mansfield Park – dumb, I know, but it’s my wish.

3)     How long is your hair?  I’m not sure the exact length, but everyone says it’s quite long

4)     Which period in history would you love to spend a day living in?  Easy – Regency England

5)     Do you have one maxim you try to live by?  No

6)     What is your favourite accent?  British

7)     What did you think of the last book you read?  William and Catherine.  It’s a book about Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge’s romance and wedding.  Gorgeous photos

8)    What is your favourite foreign cuisine?  Sushi!  I could eat it every day

9)     What is your handwriting like?  Kind of messy – in a nice way

10)  What is the first thing you notice about people?  I couldn’t really say

11)  What colour is your bedroom?  Blue, but I’d like it to be lavender

My 11 questions:

1. What was the last thing you wrote (grocery list, note, letter, instructions, novel, etc.)?
2. What color are your eyes?
3. Spaghetti or lasagna?
4. Do you like Jane Austen’s novels?
5. How many friends do you have on facebook (if you have a facebook account)?
6. Do you keep a journal or diary?
7. How many books do you estimate you own?
8. What kind of music do you like listening to?
9. What’s your least favorite color?
10. What is your favorite food?
11. What are you wearing right now?

I will never be able to find 11 blogs to tag so just use this tag.  Please link back to me.

Defending Mansfield Park Update

I wrote a post a couple of months ago called Defending Mansfield Park.  You can read it here.  This is post is by far the most controversial and the most commented post.  It received five comments by other people and two by me.  There are conflicting views expressed in the comments and I will post the different comments I received:

You really believe that Fanny Price is mature? I don’t. I find her to be a hypocritical bore. – ladylavinia1932

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I can’t decide which between Persuasion and Mansfield Park is Austen’s most mature work. Anne Elliot and Fanny Price are two unlike characters, having been brought up in vastly different environments. One cannot expect Fanny to trust her own mind and be as lively and pretty as Anne…

Mansfield Park is a very interesting novel. Not only did Austen explore to some depths the human mind but also wrote a story that seemingly runs on its own–almost independent of the author’s hand–letting the characters struggle, suffer the consequences of their ambition and ideals, and work themselves through the world they’d been placed in.

(I raise my glass.) To your valiant defense of Mansfield Park! – auxochrome

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I remember seeing this post a few days ago and felt glad you were defending MP. It’s rather strange to some, perhaps, that I defend my least favorite Jane Austen book so much; but that just says how much I love all her works, that though it may be my technical ‘least favorite’ I still love it!

The main thing I like about it is Fanny Price. I sympathize with her and love her. I’m not really a fan of Edmund – mainly for going for Mary – but I still like him tolerably well enough. =) He is such a nice fellow. Now if Miss Austen had included a redeeming proposal quote, I might be more disposed to rate him highly. tehe…

It drives me nuts when people say Fanny is judgmental, or boring, or whatever else they say about her. They just don’t understand her if they do! =)

I think the main thing to boost MP’s popularity would be a good miniseries of it. I hope one comes soon! – Melody

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Mansfield Park may not reach my top three favorite Austen books, but I found it neither dull nor boring. It was, in fact, interesting. Fanny’s a lovely character with wonderful, strong qualities. Although Edmund doesn’t rank high as my favorite Austen heroes, I agree: he still has many good character traits as well. – Jemimah C.

So as you can see, I received conflicting views and opinions.  However, I welcome all your comments, positive or not-so-positive, as long as they are kept polite.

Jane Austen: A Life

Author: Claire Tomalin

Genre: Biography

My rating on a 1 – 10 scale: 10

Type: Non-fiction

Time Period: Written in modern times.

Main Characters: Jane Austen

My Review: Jane Austen: A Life is the best biography on Jane Austen I have ever read (and I’ve read several).  The biography is written in a semi-story format.  Claire Tomalin takes myths, traditions, and hard facts about Jane Austen a makes a highly entertaining biography.  It has a whole chapter devoted to Mansfield Park – “Inside Mansfield Park” which I enjoyed.  I think I can say that M.P. is my favorite Jane Austen novel.

My overall opinion:  A great book, entertaining read, and a good authority on Jane Austen and her family.

Jane Austen Boxed Set and 2005 Pride and Prejudice Review

For an early New Years gift (we don’t celebrate Christmas), my Dad bought me all the Jane Austen novels in a beautiful boxed set.  Since I don’t own any actual Jane Austen novels (didn’t own! ) I was really excited and happy to have them all now.  The only problem we had was that Mansfield Park‘s pages were badly crushed but we were able to exchange it for and almost identical copy.  All the novels have blue spines (except M.P. which has a black one), and are paperbacks.

Review of Pride and Prejudice 2005

I recently watched this great movie so of course I wanted to do a review of it.

For starters, the Kiera Knightley and Matthew Macfayden are THE Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy.  I really like Colin Firth’s and Jennifer Ehle’s performance too, but K.K. and M.M. are the best.

The music, the scenery, and the costumes are all wonderful.  Elizabeth does have her hair down more than once (a Regency no-no), and George Wickham looks so creepy that it’s a wonder Elizabeth could believe his story.

But there are several factors that make this my favorite P and P adaption.  For one, Caroline Bingley is better (in my opinion) than the 1995 version.  She’s so venomous and I think she really brings out the worst in her character.  For instance…

Elizabeth Bennet to Mr. Darcy: I dearly love a laugh.

Caroline Bingley (with scorn): A family trait I should think.

The story, even though it is condensed into two hours, follows the book very well.  Lady Catherine (though a bit old for her role) looks a lot more imposing in this version than the Lady Catherine in the 1995 version.  

Again, the music, scenery, everything was wonderful.  The characters were well cast and the plot is interesting and moves swiftly and interestingly.  That is my opinion of the 2005 P and P…and now despise me if you dare.

Thanks for taking time to read this post, and please come again soon.

Defending Mansfield Park

For some unknown reason, M.P. has usually received a bad rap among Austen fans.  ”It’s too dull.  Fanny and Edmund are boring as a heroine and hero.”  In my mind, nothing could be further from the truth.  M.P., I think, is Austen’s most mature novel.  It really explores the human mind and displays the differences between good and bad.  M.P. is also an entertaining read.  From the private theater to the visit to Sotherton to the deep discussions between the main characters and Fanny’s come-out ball I am never bored.  M.P. is perhaps not as entertaining as Pride and Prejudice; as light-hearted as Northanger Abbey; as sparkling as Emma; as satisfying as Sense and Sensibility; or as tender and romantic as Persuasion, it still ranks (in my thinking) as one of the top three of Austen’s works.

Fanny is a very interesting character.  In her own quiet way, she is the strongest of all the characters.  She refuses to act and doesn’t get carried away by the charm and good looks of Henry Crawford.  She is intelligent, understanding, and full of many other good qualities.  Fanny may not be the liveliest Austen heroine, but besides Anne Elliot, she is probably the most mature of all heroines.

Edmund is not boring and dull.  He has lots of good character traits even though he is led somewhat astray by Mary Crawford.  Edmund and Fanny understand each other very well, and it’s easy to tell why they are attracted to each other.

Thus ends my post.  Sorry for ranting, but I just can’t understand people when they say that M.P. is boring and dull.  Have a good day and please tell me what you think about M.P.