Thursday, July 30, 2009

Hellooo

Hey all, just want to say hi and thanks for letting me join.
I have to say, Pride and Prejudice is one of Austen's best. It also happens to be the only one that I've read. But its the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
I also really love that movie which Shadi quotes constantly. Jane Austen Book Club I believe. Awsome movie with very sexy Hugh Dancy as Grigg. mmmm
anyway, that's all for now; can't wait for this discussion though I'm not sure my insights will be very deep. I'm more a J.R.R Tolkein kind of girl so..yeah
Bye, Alana

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

hi, welcome. my random bossiness

hey, just want to welcome alana to the group :D Also, louise you'd better start reading cos youre the only one who hasnt <3 we shall start discussing stuffs next week mmk? if anyone ha a problem with that.... let me know lol.

New Member Alert!

How do you add new members? Here she is!!! She wrote a little something for y'all:

I'm Alana, a friend of Shadis, and she introduced me to this blog.
My email is alllama.xs@hotmail.com

I'm not sure how this blog thing works, could someone please add her? Awesome.

And Leish, I have read P&P, as has Alana. Just so you know.

xxx. 

What Would Jane Do?

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Have you read Pride And Prejudice yet?

Hey everyone,

so we were thinking we should probably start... Can everyone please follow the blog so that you get alerts on your dashboard when someone posts?

We're going to start with Pride And Prejudice and work our way from there, so yeah. Comment and let us know if you've read it yet so that we can start discussing.

Thanks guys

Friday, July 24, 2009

hopefully the new header is better and everyone likes. hey, at least it doesn't say 'music by aaron zigman' right? :) Also if anyone else wants their results for the Which Jane Austen Female Character Quiz posted, take the quiz and email me the html code. It will be posted down the bottom with the rest of the results. Also, your character will be added to the header until we can no longer fit any other characters in. Yeah, right. As if this blog will ever end up that popular. Oh well, we can dream right? Maybe we should actually start discussing some Austen stuff.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Lol thanks Lauren. I think I might enjoy this, I already learned some interesting things about Jane Austen. As long as we have a lot of time to read the other books as well.....cos it's gonna take me a long time to read just one book *blush*

New Members

If you'd like to join the blog club, please comment a post and we will add you to our members list. Also, if you parrticipate in or know any good Jane Austen blog sites, please let us know. Thanks.

I would just like to extend an awesome welcome to our newest member Kelsey, she hasn't actually joined yet, but she will. /glare.

Love youuuu. :)

Monday, July 20, 2009

I suck, I posted a blog here that wasn't supposed to be here. oopsy. :S

before I forget:

my devastatingly fictional crush

'Who would you pick as your love; Mr Bingley or Mr Darcy?'

Well Leish you can have Mr Bingley but I call shotgun on Mr Darcy.
a. He is Colin Firth
b. He is richer
c. He is Colin Firth

Well he's played by him at least. Which is enough. Because everytime I think of Mr Darcy I go OMGOMGOMGOMGCOLINFIRTHISSOHOT.


These are all very superficial reasons for being in love with Colin Firth Mr Darcy. I suppose that really Mr Bingley would be way more suited to me; he's open, cheerful and charming, whilst Mr Darcy is more reserved and prone to Mr Grumpy Time. And I don't have Lizzy's resilience: if he had called me merely 'tolerable' I would have gone home and slammed my head in the oven a few times.

But seriously.

COLIN FIRTH.

The End. :)

Saturday, July 18, 2009

July 18, 1817

Today is the 192nd anniversary of Jane Austen's death.

It is most likely that the cause of her death was Addison's Disease, which is the tubercular disease of the kidneys. However, it is possible she died from anaemia, or stomach cancer.

Jane died in the early hours of the morning (believed to be around 4.30 am) in her sister Cassandra's arms. She was only 41. Of her six books, only four had been published (Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Emma and Mansfield Park), and all anonymously with only a close circle of friends and family knowing of the author's true identity. Her other two novels, and the short story Lady Susan, were published after her death, in her own name, by her brother Charles.


Friday, July 17, 2009

The Austen Novels

One thing I find odd is that Northanger Abbey was finished in 1798. But then Jane didn't finish Sense and Sensibility until 1811. And from then on, all of her books followed pretty soon, one after the other, with Pride and Perjudice in 1813, Mansfield Park in 1814, and both Persuasion and Emma in 1816. Also, Lady Susan in 1794.

What I'm curious about is why it took her so long between Northanger Abbey and Sense and Sensibility. I mean she was a new author, just starting out and that could have somethign to do with it. But why did it take 13 years to finish another book?

Her father died in 1805, which would make a lot of sense considering Sense and Sensibility was the next book she wrote. Could the death of her father be the reason she stopped writing?


Thursday, July 16, 2009

Jane...who?

I absolutely agree. I don't think that Jane and Elizabeth are one in the same, simply that there are very particular similarities that strike me.

She has characters like that in every book. Take Marianne Dashwood for example.

I love her books.
I love what she has created.

Bigwither is a terrible last name. I'm sorry, to any Bigwithers, you may be beautiful people. But there's something very...insensible..about that name. haha :P

What would Jane do? xoxo

:P

Elizabeth Bennet

'but I think Jane would be more of an Elizabeth Bennett'

Shadi, you said this the other day. And while I don't necessarily disagree with you, I'm nto sure that I agree either. I mean... I love Lizzy's character. I think she's one of Jane's most timeless characters, one of the most well known and the most loved.

But... Wouldn't it make you just a little bit sad to find that Jane's most well known, most well loved character... was in fact just a shallow echo of the author? I am inclined to believe that Elizabeth's life was somewhat molded around that of her creator, and even that Mr Darcy may indeed be Harris Biggwither. That the way things went with Mr Darcy for Lizzy, are the way Jane had indeed hoped her life my pan out.

I do think that Jane has written some similarities into Elizabeth. I do think that Elizabeth is made to echo her creator's satirical outlook on society and her ability to make fun of that very society in which she lived.

I do believe that Jane has put a lot of herself into the character of Elizabeth. However, I would like to think that Elizabeth was also a unique creation, that a lot of that much loved character was created by Jane, not just mimicked from her own behaviours.


Marianne?

"You are Marianne Dashwood of Sense & Sensibility! You are impulsive, romantic, impatient, and perhaps a bit too brutally honest. You enjoy romantic poetry and novels, and play the pianoforte beautifully. To boot, your singing voice is captivating. You feel deeply, and love passionately."

Like I said in the email to Leish, I agree with most of those things. Except, I'm never too brutally honest. I should probably be more forthcoming about my opinions.

Your thoughts?

What Would Jane Do? xoxo

- Shadi

Which Austen Character Are You?

Memo: Shadi, take the quiiiiiiiz. You have to email me the code so i can post it down with mine and Lauren's'. I actually think Elizabeth Bennet and Elinor Dashwood suit the two of us quite well. Lol. :)

Also I stand by what I said the other day, while Mr Darcy is like the heart-throb of Austen novels, Mr Bingley is sooooooo more my type lol.


P&P

Members!!! Yay :)

Aaaalso; I'm half-way through "Pride and Prejudice" (the novel). Its proving to be a very entertaining book. I mean- its actually funny :) I didn't think people back then had senses of humour. I thought they sat around drinking large amounts of tea and saying "well, old chap, i think its time to hunting for some fox. which isn't cruel at all." (kidding) Haha. I love Mr Bennett. Much to my surprise, the film is based very heavily on the book, which is nice. But its harder to fall for Mr Darcy in the book as it is in the film. Probably because I've seen the film already? And Matthew Macfayden is HOT. :P.

Mr Bingley is a ginger :) :) :)

Now, on to discuss a more serious topic. Who do you think Jane Austen is most like in P&P. I mean, one of the characters is called Jane, but I think Jane would be more of an Elizabeth Bennett. I mean, if you seen "Becoming Jane", you'd agree....right?

My blog pals, by all means, reply :) Have fun reading.

Also, answer this question; who would you pick as your love; Mr Bingley or Mr Darcy.

PS. I am NOT like Lydia OR Kitty in any way. I'm more of a Janeziabeth.

What Would Jane Do? xoxo

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

THE ORDER!

Okay, so we start with Pride and Prejudice in the hopes of Kelsey joining us.

Then Mansfield Park because none of us have read it yet (i don't think...).

Then Northanger Abbey and Persuasion because they were originally published together so Lauren tells me which means we may as well read them together.

Follwed by Emma then Sense and Sensibility. Any complaints?


New Member !!

Hey Shadi,

Guess waht!

New member alert :P

Grand welcome to our new member LAUREN!

teehee


Monday, July 13, 2009

Members

Now recruiting :P

Hello and Welcome

to the official Jane Austen Blog Club. Yay! :)