Quotes from Jane Austen

All but the last of these quotes are from Mansfield Park, which is 200 years old this year.

“There should be moderation in everything.” Sir Thomas to Fanny, commenting on Fanny’s not having a fire, thanks to Aunt Norris.

“I thought it all might pass for nothing with him. Fanny’s attempt to explain her refusal of Mr. Crawford’s proposal.

“I must be a brute indeed, if I can be really ungrateful.” Grateful to Lord Bertram who had raised Fanny

“You have some touches of the angel in you.” Henry Crawford to Fanny.

“How could you imagine me an advocate for marriage without love?” Edmund to Fanny, talking of Crawford’s proposal.

“As a by-stander, perhaps I saw more than you did.” Fanny to Edmund, talking about the play

“It would have been easier if the Genetics Board had not insisted that she bear his child.” Sue Ann Bowling, Homecoming. Derik is half-wishing Vara had not been forced by the Genetics Board to have his child, but he cannot regret the child.

Quotes from Jane Austen

All but the last are the contexts of quotes posted from Mansfield Park by Jane Austen, in honor of the 200^th birthday of that book.

“I am worn out with civility.” Henry Crawford to Fanny, near the end of her first ball.

“I have been talking incessantly all night, and with nothing to say.” Henry Crawford to Fanny.

“Let us have the luxury of silence.” Still Henry Crawford.

“They are all going away, I think. I wish they would stay at home. Lady Bertram, after Sir Thomas gives Julia permission to stay longer with her sister.

“It is every body’s duty to do as well for themselves as they can.” Mary Crawford’s philosophy.

“Ask her to love you, and she will never have the heart to refuse.” Edmond’s advice to Henry Crawford.

“For Zhaim, having power and not using it was a form of weakness. And the weak neither survived nor deserved to.” Homecoming, by Sue Ann Bowling. Zhaim is rationalizing, as usual. He’s the villain of Homecoming, but he himself sees his actions as acceptable, even noble. (Not a spoiler, as the first scene shows him as a torturer through the eyes of one of his victims. He thinks he’s a misunderstood artist in human flesh.)

Quotes from Jane Austen #IAN1

These are the contexts of the quotes tweeted between Oct 2 and Oct 8, 2014. All but the last are from Mansfield Park, by Jane Austin. This book is 200 years old this year.

“My intentions are only not to be poor.” Edmund’s continuation of his response to Mary’s fixing on a large income as a recipe for happiness.

“A woman can never be too fine while she is all in white.” Edmund, speaking to Fanny before the ball.

“Fraternal love, sometimes almost everything, is at others worse than nothing.” The author is using the love between Fanny and her brother William to contrast with other sibling relationships in the family, such as between Aunt Norris and her sisters, or between Julia and Maria. Note that in this case “fraternal” is used to refer to any pair of siblings, regardless of sex.

“I can never bear to ask.” Henry is in some ways almost a stereotypical male of modern times: he won’t ask for directions when he is lost.

“Poor Fanny, not allowed to cheat herself as she wishes.” Edmund, perceiving that Fanny would much rather that her brother William won.

“The possession of what she had so much wished for did not bring much satisfaction.” Fanny’s thoughts after accepting the necklace from Miss Crawford.

“Maybe your body knows what it needs better than you do.” Sue Ann Bowling, Homecoming. Flame, speaking to Roi, after she has found him wracked with nightmares.

Quotes from Jane Austen

Here are the contexts of the quotes tweeted from @sueannbowling between September 4 and September 10, 2014. All but the last are from Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen.

“You must try not to mind growing up a pretty woman.” Edmund to Fanny, when she is embarrassed by her uncle’s admiration of her person.

“If any one faculty of our nature may be called more wonderful than the rest, I do think it is memory.” Fanny to Mary Crawford, as they are sitting in Mary’s half-sistert’s shrubbery and talking of how it has been changed.

“One cannot fix one’s eyes on the commonest natural production without finding food for a rambling fancy.” Fanny is still rhapsodizing on the shrubbery.

“There is no escaping these little vexations.” Mrs. Grant to Mary, pointing out that no matter where one lives, things will never be perfect.

“A large income is the best recipe for happiness I ever heard of.” Mary’s response.

“I cannot intend anything which it must be so completely beyond my power to command.” Edmund’s response to Mary’s comment on income.

“It’s not that things really work like the songs.” Sue Ann Bowling, Tourist Trap. Penny’s comment on Roi’s question on whether a folk song would make sense in her culture.

Quotes from Jane Austen

Here are the contexts for the quotations tweeted from @sueannbowling between August 7 and August 13, 2014. All but the last are from Mansfield Park, 200 years old this year, by Jane Austen.

“If the part is trifling she will have more credit in making something of it.” Tom Bertram, trying to make Julia contented to play Cottager’s Wife.

“She was safe, but peace and safety were unconnected here.” Fanny has been saved from acting, but by Miss Crawford to whom she does not wish to be obligated.

“There is very little sense in a play without a curtain.” Mrs. Norris, as usual overpraising her own part. (She has been making the curtain.)

“Selfishness was lost in the common cause.” Sir Thomas has come home unexpectedly early, and though for a moment Julia is one with the players, this feeling is quickly lost as she sees Maria and Henry Crawford.

“I come home to be happy and indulgent.” Sir Thomas, while pointing out that his indulgence will not include any more rehearsals.

“He was more willing to believe they felt their error, than to run the risk of investigation.” Sir Thomas’s attitude toward his children.

“Dressing well and feeling beautiful will make you feel more confident.” Homecoming, by Sue Ann Bowling. Cinda, encouraging Marna to dress up for her first meeting with Lai.

Quotes from Jane Austin

Here are the contexts of the quotations tweeted from @sueannbowling between July 3 and July 9, 2014. All but the last are from Mansfield Park, by Jane Austin.

“Thoughtless and selfish from prosperity and bad example.”  Jane Austen’s description of Henry Crawford.

“He had not much to recommend him beyond habits of fashion and expense.”  Narrator’s description of John Yeats, Tom Bertram’s friend who brought the acting virus to Mansfield Park.

“This, though the thought of the moment, did not end with the moment.”  Tom Bertram’s idea of acting a play at Mansfield Park.

“I feel as if I could be anything or everything.”  Tom Bertam, once he begins to get the bit between his teeth on the idea of the play.

“Let us do nothing by halves.”  Edmund’s comment on the play, though he means just the opposite.

“I have no fears, and no scruples.”  Tom Bertam, still arguing for a play. (He unfortunately continues to urge that it will be a distraction for Lady Bertram at the anxious time of her husband’s returning over the Atlantic, not noticing that she has fallen asleep.)

“We can’t help you if we don’t know what’s going on!” Sue Ann Bowling, Homecoming. Derik to Roi, as he begins to suspect what has been happening at Tyndall.

Mansfield Ranch by Jenni James (Review)

Jane Austin’s Mansfield Park is 200 years old this year, and in celebration I’m reading and reviewing as many spinoff tales and DVD’s as I can find, as well as tweeting quotes from the original book. This month it’s Mansfield Ranch, one of the Jane Austen Diaries by Jenni James.

The Austen Diaries are re-tellings of the Austen novels with the protagonists re-imagined as modern teenagers. If Mansfield Ranch is a good example, they are effectively high school romance – not a genre I normally read, and not one I particularly care for. That said, the story is well-written and well-edited, and the Kindle edition (the only one Amazon lists) is properly formatted.

The parallels with Mansfield Park are definitely present, though Mrs. Norris and Tom are missing. Lily (Fanny) is a foster child rather than a cousin, and the play (a high school play) is The Music Man rather than Lovers’ Vows.

I had a hard time getting into the book, largely because of a total disinterest on my part in high school doings. Two-thirds of the way through, when Lily is sent to live with her previously-unknown grandmother on the Reservation, I found my interest rising, but if I hadn’t promised myself to write this review I’d never have gotten that far. The ending was much better. But there are two points that bother me.

First is Princess Buttercup, the mare Sean gives Lily. Has Lily fallen in love with the horse from seeing her online? Could a 3-year-old possibly be as well trained as this horse is projected as being, or even a good mount for a 16-year-old’s first horse? If Lily is knowledgeable enough about horses to continue her training, would she challenge her cousin to an immediate race on a strange horse?

The second lies with the definition of incest.

Lily, the Benallys and Lily’s grandmother are all said to be Navajo. The Benallys (including Sean) may have assimilated to the point that Sean sees Lily, his foster sister, as too much a sister for romantic thoughts, but the grandmother, at least, is likely to be more concerned about Mrs. Benally’s clan affiliation. The point is that traditional Navajo society is matrilineal, and the definition of incest is based on not marrying someone of the same clan (which is determined by the clan of the mother) or of the same clan as one’s father.

Over all, however, I think it would be a decent read for someone who likes YA romance.

Quotes from Mansfield Park

These are the contexts of the quotes tweeted from @sueannbowling between June 5 and June 11, 2014. All but the last are from Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen. The book is 200 years old this year.

“There are situations in which very high spirits would denote insensibility.” Henry Crawford, talking to Maria while they are stopped at the gate, and responding to her statement that her spirits are naturally as high as Julia’s.

“When people are waiting, they are bad judges of time.” Fanny is trying to excuse the bad behavior of Henry Crawford and Maria to Maria’s fiancé, Mr. Rushworth.

“It is more than I would affirm myself.” Edmund to Fanny, when she tries to insist that the family living did not bias his choosing the clergy for his profession.

“A clergyman has nothing to do but to be slovenly and selfish.” Mary Crawford’s idea of the clergy.

“When an opinion is general it is usually correct.” Mary Crawford, still on the same subject. (In fact, this is very shallow. General opinions can be very incorrect, especially if money/power is on the side of wanting a particular opinion to be general.)

“Miss Price has been more used to deserve praise than to hear it.” Mary Crawford, speaking of Fanny to Edmund.

“Being free wasn’t as—well—free as he had once thought.” Sue Ann Bowling, Homecoming. Roi is beginning to realize that being free carries responsibility.

Mansfield Park (2007 Version) DVD Review

This is the 200^th anniversary of the publication of Mansfield Park, and I’m celebrating it by reading or watching (and reviewing) as many spin-offs, re-tellings, and dramatizations as I can find this year. This DVD, the 2007 Masterpiece Theater version starring Billie Piper and Black Ritson, is the third DVD I’ve watched. I’m afraid I have to say that it comes in third to the other two (reviews here and here.)

I think my major problem with this version of Mansfield Park is that it’s very difficult to follow the plot if you haven’t read the book, and you are constantly confused by the changes they’ve made if you have. Two examples:

In one scene, Fanny is playing some kind of game (hide and seek?) with a much younger girl who never appears anywhere else. Susan? What is she doing at Mansfield Park? But she is left a mystery.

Instead of sending Fanny to her family in Portsmouth, Sir Thomas leaves her at Mansfield Park while he takes Lady Bertram and Aunt Norris to visit their mother. Never mentioned is the fact that this mother must also be Fanny’s grandmother. In fact, all of the scenes are set at Mansfield Park. This may have made filming easier, but it is very unlike the original, where Henry Crawford appears much different against the background of Portsmouth.

While the DVD had its moments, I found it a little disappointing overall. Certainly it does not come up to the older BBC version.

Quotations from Jane Austen

These are the contexts of the quotes tweeted from @sueannbowling over the last week. All of the quotes except the last are from Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen. This book is 200 years old this month.

“The mind which does not struggle against itself under one circumstance, would find objects to distract it in the other.” Fanny to Miss Crawford, in the chapel at Sotherton.

“The gardeners are the only people who can go where they like.” Miss Crawford, when they discover the gate to the wilderness is locked.

“Go into the law! With as much ease as I was told to go into this wilderness.” Edmund to Miss Crawford, when she tries to talk him into becoming a lawyer rather than a clergyman.

“A watch is always too fast or too slow.” Miss Crawford to Edmond, when her perception of time passed disagrees with his watch’s measurement.

“I cannot be dictated to by a watch.” Miss Crawford to Edmond, same scene.

“Resting fatigues me.” Miss Crawford, who is very bored at being stuck behind the gate.

”It’s not that I mind doing the cooking, it’s just that I have to eat it.” Sue Ann Bowling, Tourist Trap. Roi, faced with preparing supper for the group. (They aren’t very happy about eating his cooking, either.)