Week Three: Northanger Abbey, or How to be Completely Naïve and Get the Man of Your Dreams

Ladies and tyrants and boos – oh my! I always forget how much I love to read Northanger Abbey – then I pick it up and a smile floods my face. Though lightening strike me down, this novel comes very close to eclipsing my love of P&P. Very close. Why, you might ask? Because deep down I know that I am much more like Catherine Morland than I am Elizabeth Bennet. A Facebook quiz proved it too.

Catherine Morland is a fifteen year old girl whose first passion in life is reading novels – novels referring to the gothic romantic coming of age genre that was so popular at the end of the eighteenth century and also favorites of Jane herself. So naturally she has a very – quite possibly over – active imagination. This all sounds so familiar…. Oh yeah. Because that would be me. Anywho. The daughter of a minister and sibling to nine , she is invited by rich, childless neighbors to go to Bath, the place to be in the summer months - because “when a young lady is to be a heroine…something must and will happen to throw a hero in her way” (Northanger Abbey 6). And so it does. Enter HENRY TILNEY!!! *insert cliché big sigh* Henry Tilney is the son of General Tilney and the sister of Eleanor Tilney and brother of Captain Tilney. And he has a sense of humour, and he’s cute, and he’s a minister – but he still reads novels! And enjoys them!!! And he makes me laugh and he is so sweet and considerate… and that was me talking, not Catherine. He is, obviously, the hero of our story. The villains? Numerous! And not limited to the following: Isabella and John Thorpe. Isabella loves Catherine’s brother and John starts to fall in love with Catherine (I hope you automatically read those italicized words in a snarky sneering sing-songy voice. If not, go back and repeat). The first time you meet those characters, you can immediately see through their façade. Our sweet, dear, NAÏVE heroine cannot, unfortunately. Luckily she is whisked away to Northanger Abbey upon invitation from the General. But what mysteries are hidden in its aged walls? What is really behind those bumps and moans in the night? What really happened to Mrs. Tilney? All these questions haunt Catherine’s over-active imagination while she is there…

I’m going to stop now. I’m notorious for giving away the ending. Although I suppose the title of this post does that for me. But then, it is a work by Jane so a happy ending is required.

And if you appreciate the dark, gothic, foreboding tone I attempted to use at the end of the synopsis, check out this 1965 reprinting of the novel… 

As with all of Austen’s novels, two things really drive this work’s greatness – character and place. The characters are all recognizable and though some are contemptible, none are flat. They all have a story and various motives. We all know an Isabella or John. We all know an Eleanor. We are probably all related to a General Tilney. As for Catherine, although we may not be as young as she is (fifteen), we have all had similar embarrassing moments to the ones she experiences, after which we slap our foreheads and call ourselves stupid in as many ways as we can think of (and I know you are either nodding or looking away from your computer and remembering your most-like-to-forget moment).  In regards to place, like Pemberley is for P&P Northanger Abbey is for Northanger Abbey. Clever of Jane to title the book that then isn’t it? Just as we have all fantasized looking out at Pemberley and thinking “Of all this I might have been mistress” you’ll find yourself longing to glimpse this illustrious home. Finally, what sets this novel apart is the humor and irony in every word that comes from Jane Austen’s mouth. She is the omniscient narrator and I personally feel like it is this, her first work, that most gives a reader a glimpse into her playful nature.

I have included both the Masterpiece Theater version of the novel below. The film is a fantastic adaptation of the work – in my opinion, one of the best book-to-screen films ever. It manages to capture Austen’s playfulness as well as remaining true to the characters and place. And J.J. Feilds is the perfect Henry Tilney.

So I do realize that today is Friday…not Thursday as I had promised. But I’ve had a long week and my internet access is sketchy at best. So please forgive me J. I had originally intended to begin my costume next week, but since I have to work everyday (this blog won’t pay the bills you know) that will have to wait. I believe I shall do a review of North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. Well, the BBC version at least. It’s not Jane Austen, but it is the P&P of the Industrial Revolution, and a bit of a role reversal. Basically, Jane would have loved it.

Week Two: A Matter of Honour

Like how I used the British spelling? I thought you might. So I hope that before reading this you watched the little video I put together of the DUEL at the Jane Austen Festival (from here on out to be referred to as the JAF2010). I had so much fun with that!!! I used Windows Live Movie Maker which is VERY basic. But it did the trick. And honestly, if it had been any more complicated I would have had no idea what I was doing and it really just would have been a complete mess. As it is I couldn’t use the exact part of the 1812 Overture that I wanted (the middle) but I think the timing worked out pretty well. I like how it’s kind of somber during the duel and then really picks up at the end. And it’s period correct. Let me know what you think (keep in mind I had really no idea what I was doing).

But speaking of honour…

I kind of like to think that this is what happened to Wickham later in his life after Lydia was fed up with him and his children (scary thought – Lydia + Wickham = little impetuous/impulsive/reckless/greedy babies) had realized how worthless he was (but maybe they’re the kids who turn out okay despite everything - maybe). Because if this had happened in Pride and Prejudice at some point, where would we all be? One of the most beloved characters of all time – because really, who else can you think of that you love to hate more than Wickham? – would have died in a duel and Lydia would have never run away and Lizzie wouldn’t have thought she had completely lost Darcy and Darcy wouldn’t have been able to prove just how much he had learned and grown from knowing Lizzie so even if they had of gotten married it wouldn’t be as great a thing as it is! (Don’t worry, there will be a post about why Lizzie and Darcy are the greatest couple ever). And there would have been no nail-biting (I know I’m not the only one) for readers as they approach the end of the novel! How will this all turn out? Will Lizzie ever get Darcy? Will he be able to look at her ever again? What about Jane and Bingley? Will Lydia ever learn her lesson? Exactly how many drawing rooms does Pemberley have? Is the fishing really that great there? These questions would either never be answered or worse, never asked! That’s one of the best parts of P&P! The commiseration and agony we experience with Elizabeth leading towards the well deserved happy ending. I think most people would agree that an Austen staple is that people get their come-uppance. Wickham and Lydia get each other. Jane and Bingley get each other. Lady Catherine and Loneliness also get each other (poor loneliness).  And of course – Darcy and Elizabeth and the polluted shades of Pemberley. J So thank God that no one called Wickham out on his lack of honour. And thank you Jane for your creation of this delightful love to hate character.

Another note: The Duel was awesome. There was a woman yelling about how the men were dueling in their pajamas and the accuser yelled back that women technically weren’t allowed at duels. Also, I don’t think the misfires were supposed to happen – but the men really thought on their feet and it turned out splendid.

Next Week: NORTHANGER ABBEY!!!! I am so excited for this one! I’m still not sure exactly what I’ll do. I might do the most recent version of the movie, possibly the book (I have one with a lot of footnotes!), or I might just go on and on about how Henry Tilney is the greatest thing before sliced bread. Or maybe something else. Check back next Thursday to find out!

A Novel Beginning

On the tenth of July, 2010, I was strolling around the house at Locust Grove in Louisville, KY, having just witnessed a most terrifying duel between two men over cards when the thought occurred to me that to write once a week on a topic relating to Jane Austen for a year would be a splendid undertaking. Okay, it actually went like this:

“OHMIGOSH!!!! That’s it!”

My two friends who had accompanied me to the 2010 Jane Austen Festival, Elizabeth and Marcy:

“Um, what’s it?”

Me:

“My blog! I’ll write about Jane Austen for the next year until the 2011 Jane Austen Festival!”

It was quite an exciting moment. Here was something I am truly passionate about, that I want to know more about, and that has truly shaped my life. How about a little back story….

It was in the beginning of fifth grade. I was given permission to go to the “big kid” side of the school library – one of the only in my class. I was perusing the book shelves when one caught my eye. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. This many years later I can’t remember if I had heard of her or the book before or the real reason it caught my eye. What I do remember is that I read it once, in three days, and then again, and then I read from after The Letter to the end. Of course, I had to go back and read the beginning to keep it even…and I couldn’t leave it unfinished so I read to the end again. So began my love for Jane Austen.

Alright, so it’s a short back story, but it’s the beginning. Over time I read the rest of her novels, except Emma which I have yet to get through. I watched the A&E “Pride and Prejudice” with Colin Firth and the new one with Kiera Knightly (which came out the day before my birthday). And although many still look at me like I’m crazy, my friends and coworkers have accepted that I am a Jane Austen Fanatic.

I haven’t quite figured out what about Jane and her writing captivates me. I believe it is a combination of things – her own rather sad story (all these love stories and she never married herself), the romance between Liz and Darcy that I consider to be perfect and real, her laughter which you can hear in her writing…

I love Jane Austen.

She inspired me to become a writer. She inspired me to not settle for Joe Schmoo – or my cousin Mr. Collins. Perhaps most importantly, she taught me the importance of being able to laugh at myself. She gave me a lot more than this, but these three gifts I consider the most important. For these reasons, I consider the reading of Pride and Prejudice to be one of the pivotal moments of my life.

Last year was the first time I went to the Jane Austen Festival – and, naturally, I had what can only be called a blast! I saw beautiful dresses and was able to share my love of Jane with others. This year was even better. Next week I’ll give a short presentation of why, although I will say the number of men who participated was a key factor. This year it was about 10x more. As in, last year there was one gentleman and this year there were about ten.

Okay, so in this rather random introduction I’ve tried to tell you a little bit about myself (oh, I’m a college sophomore in Chicago, but I’m from Kentucky) and a little bit about why Jane means so much to me. But what about this blog?

For the next year I will be posting a new blog every Thursday. Sometimes it’ll be a review of one of Jane’s works with a more in depth look at a character or aspect of the novel. Other times it might be a review of fan fiction. I hope to be able to do an interview with an author of published fan-fiction at some point. And all throughout this I will be putting together my own dress for next year’s festival! I hope to do most of it myself, but I’m no seamstress – luckily I know a couple who might be willing to help me out! Basically, throughout all of this I want to learn more about Jane – by reading Emma and her shorter works, as well as some of her letters – and more about myself (whatever that means, :). And I want to share my love with you! Whether you consider yourself a seasoned Austenite, a fledgling, or just someone with a passing fancy, I hope that you enjoy what I present here. This is a learning opportunity for me in more ways than one (my first blog, finally getting through Emma, figuring out blogger, keeping true to my voice and style…), which means that I want your feedback! I want this to be fun for everyone who sees it, not just me.

And so it begins!