I just read Emma. I really enjoyed it, though not as much as P&P and Persuasion... Emma annoyed me throughout most of the book, but at the end she redeemed herself. That's what I really like about Jane Austen's heroines (and sometimes heros)-- they have faults, but realize them, and work to overcome them.

This is going to sound dumb, but I was thinking abou this the other day: what would Lizzy call Mr Darcy after they are married? I'm sure he calls her either Elizabeth or Lizzy, at least when its just the two of them, but what does Lizzy call him? Fitzwilliam? That's kind of long to say all the time... so would she shorten it to Fitz? William? Will?
"

_________________
"...that kind of music in general turns my stomach. It's nice that they do have fans, though." -Nienor

Perhaps Fitzy? If she follows the pattern of her parents, she'd call him Mr. Darcy...

I'd guess William; Will seems a little too casual for someone as unrelaxed as Darcy.

_________________

maybe she'd call him her fwuffy wuffy bunnikins...or just fitz. I'd call him fitz, it sounds cool...but then its hardly like mr darcy is down wit da kidz. OH GOD I'm not making any sense and i apoligise profusly for this...
She probably would call him mr darcy though...

_________________
<img src="http://i1.tinypic.com/n6stxu.gif">

<center><font size="1">icons made by me
<a href="http://www.freewebs.com/theuniqueme">The Unique Me - my graphics site</a></font></center>

*gasp* I LOVE Jane Austen! I can never decide between her and Tolkien, lol. I have read P&P and Emma... am now reading Mansfield Park. *happiness*

~Cathy

Mansfield Park is the one book I don't have by her. I'm pretty sure I have all the others. I haven't got round to reading them though...
Jane Austen is so cool!

_________________
<img src="http://i1.tinypic.com/n6stxu.gif">

<center><font size="1">icons made by me
<a href="http://www.freewebs.com/theuniqueme">The Unique Me - my graphics site</a></font></center>

Fitzy Somehow I don't think he'd be too keen on that one. But maybe if it was coming from his Dearest Loveliest Elizabeth, he would get over it. Mr Darcy almost seems too formal for two people so in love. Remember, the Bennets weren't really very much in love. I am sure there was at least some degree of affection on either side, but Mr Bennet admits himself that he married her more for her looks than her wit.

Ok so to narrow down my question, if YOU were married to Fitzwilliam Darcy, what would you call him? I like William or Will. Maybe Fitzy if I was annoyed with him :B

By the way, is anyone here, besides Arwen, familiar with the site AustenBlog? Well, if you are a Jane Austen fan, you will love it, because its dripping with JA-like sarcasm. I found this entry from a couple days ago particularly enjoyable:

http://www.austenblog.com/archives/2006 ... bout-face/

Scroll down to the picture of the old Persuasion book cover, and read their description of it. It made my Wednesday

*geeks*

_________________
"...that kind of music in general turns my stomach. It's nice that they do have fans, though." -Nienor

I'm familiar with it! Me! Me! Ah, wait, you said <i>besides</i> Arwen No fair

I did giggle at their caption for the Persuasion cover - quite funny!

If I were married to Mr. Darcy (*insert fangirl-like giggle here*), I would call him William I still maintain that Will would annoy Darcy and doesn't sound...LONG enough for such a dignified guy.

_________________

THat Austen blog thing is really cool. I just laughed at that cover and my mum looked at me like i was mad. I love the really horror-ish northanger abbey one.

oh, and fitzy all the way!!!

_________________
<img src="http://i1.tinypic.com/n6stxu.gif">

<center><font size="1">icons made by me
<a href="http://www.freewebs.com/theuniqueme">The Unique Me - my graphics site</a></font></center>

Has anyone read that novel Jane Austen Book Club? If so, is it good? and while we're on the subject of paraliterature (basically, publishable fanfic), are there any Austen-related novels that anyone reccomends?

_________________
"...that kind of music in general turns my stomach. It's nice that they do have fans, though." -Nienor

I apologize for double posting, but it is a neccessary evil, as this thread was lost on page five.

They say that everyone has her (or his) "own Austen," meaning that everyone pulls something different from Jane's work, and view the books differently. What is "your Austen?" Do you see her as a writer of humor, romance, social, a combination of these, or something else entirely? In other words, when you read Austen's books, how do they affect you?

_________________
"...that kind of music in general turns my stomach. It's nice that they do have fans, though." -Nienor

Sorry I didn't notice this earlier. I've read the Jane Austen Book Club and I thought it was quite good. I enjoyed the bits where they were discussing Jane Austen but since that was really the only reason I read the book I didn't think there was enough of them. And they practically missed out P&P

I've also read Pemberly by Emma Tennant but I wasn't that keen on it. It's about Elizabeth and Darcy (Fitzy ) after they're married . I know that of course they won't have been blissfully happy all the time but after the end of P&P I like to imagine they were. So the problems they had in the book - because all novels need problems - seemed like a let down. Plus of course it wasn't nearly as well written as P&P.






Hmm.. interesting question. I think it really depends on which of her books I'm reading. There's definitly a bit of all three of these things in all the books but P&P I see as mostly humour and romance. S&S tends towards romance, Northanger Abey's more social commentry and so on. I also think they start to gain more meaing as I get older and on each reading and I do seem to see myself more in her characters now. These also tend to be the more flawed heroines: much as I love Lizzie it's Catherine and Emma that I identify with more.

_________________

I think Lizzyis definately flawed, but one thing I really respect about her is her awareness of her flaws and her effort to overcome them. Just look at her family. All of them (save Jane) are crazy, and as Mr Darcy so generously points out, convey a great lack of propriety. Elizabeth is able to turn out decent (and perhaps even better for it) despite the negative influence of her family. I think this largely has to do with people outside her immediately family (such as the Gardiners) that give her an alternate example of character and sense than her parents and siblings.

However, since Jane and Lizzy both turned out sensible and possesing propriety, and they are the two oldest sisters, where did Mr and Mrs Bennet go wrong? Did something happen between the birth of Lizzy and Mary to make the youngest three so silly? Just a thought.

_________________
"...that kind of music in general turns my stomach. It's nice that they do have fans, though." -Nienor

because they needed a son, after having two daughter and then three more would have really disheartened the bennets, so i think that made them more ... casual(?) with the other three. So Jane and Lizzy had much better parenting than Mary, Kitty and Lydia, which is why they are less ridiculous. Or at least thats how i read it...

_________________
<img src="http://i1.tinypic.com/n6stxu.gif">

<center><font size="1">icons made by me
<a href="http://www.freewebs.com/theuniqueme">The Unique Me - my graphics site</a></font></center>

Hmm, perhaps... that would make sense. I wonder if this is also when the strain on their marriage took place (the strain which we see the effects of).

_________________
"...that kind of music in general turns my stomach. It's nice that they do have fans, though." -Nienor

Yeah, I guess it is - poor mr bennet, hiding in his library from his slightly obsessed wife and increasingly madder children. I really like Mr Bennet , more than Mrs Bennet anyway

_________________
<img src="http://i1.tinypic.com/n6stxu.gif">

<center><font size="1">icons made by me
<a href="http://www.freewebs.com/theuniqueme">The Unique Me - my graphics site</a></font></center>

I think Mr Bennet is funny. I like him... a bit. I don't think he is a good father, nor a respectable person. While I believe he loves his entire family, he shows a lot of favoritism towards Lizzy and ridicules his three younger daughters and wife right in front of them. While this is funny to us as readers, it also shows his foolishness and weakness of character. I think Lizzy realizes this... notice how she never joins in when he's mocking his wife and daughters-- however strongly she may be tempted--and this is one way she shows her strength, and sets her apart from the rest of her family.

_________________
"...that kind of music in general turns my stomach. It's nice that they do have fans, though." -Nienor