This was such a fun read. So now on to the questions...
1. Name one of Jane's commentaries on life that you enjoyed.
ie: The part where Henry and Catherine are talking about motives and people in their circle. Henry is talking above Catherine and she states quite plainly " I do not understand you." Henry replies, "Then we are on bery unequal terms, for I understand you perfectly well." Catherine:"Me? Yer; I cannot speak well enough to be unintelligible."
I love this part. It is such a commentary on those people who use language and their own opinions to raise themselves above others. I thought it was such a clever moment and such a loud statement in very simple terms.
I also love the commentary in the beginning where Jane is talking to her readers in that she states that there is no shame in her heroines reading novel. She carries on for a good two paragraphs on the hipocrasy of writing novels and then having your heroines too virtuous to ever touch a novel. I laughed out loud. I thought this too was so clever.
2. What theme stood out most to you?
I think that one of the strongest statements made was to not judge a situation based on the perceptions of others. (Particularly Isabella or John Thorpe) I think though these characters were exaggerated, they are found in everyday life. They are the "all around experts" and Jane cautions us to be careful of them. To judge a situation or person based on facts gathered from more than one source and hopefully above all else gathered from the person themself. I think this was made apparent in the father judging Catherine based on John's opinion as well as Catherine judging the Father based on her imagination and facts gathered on her own.
3. Comment on your overall opinion of the story.
I agree with the earlier comment. At times Catherine was a little too naive. I think Jane exaggerated all of her characters in order to make a greater statement. I did feel that the story though less complex than her others, was very clever and very enjoyable. I laughed out loud many times and found many delightful scenes. One of my favorites being the "proposal" hint by John Thorpe and Catherine's naive responses. I loved the conversation in this scene. It was so clever. Again I laughed out loud. I love it when a book brings that strong an emotional response.
4. Bonus question! Compare Catherine to your favorite Austin heroine.
I choose Lizzy from Pride and Prejudice. Lizzy to me is such a dynamic character. She is witty, and strong willed. She is intelligent and human. She jumps to conclusions and judges poor Mr Darcy harshly, but admits her mistake and is wise enough to recognize when she is wrong. Catherine is naive, though in that naivity is still witty unintentionally. She is a bit more rash, but very humble and quickly admits her faults and rectifies them. She is sweet tempered and trusts very easily. She learns from her mistakes. Both characters though very different are enjoyable.
Have a super week ladies!
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6 comments:
I agree with the Lizzy Comparison.
I think there was a lot going in this story as far as themes go. I think Austen was poking fun of how gossips (in that time period just as it does today) can inflict such commotion in life.
The whole scence with Catherine's imagination in her bedroom with the trunks I think was a sort of interesting and it seemed to let me as the reader build up an anticipation of some huge discovery at the Abbey that Catherine was going to find but in the end there was no secret or discovery. I found that sort of fun and yet wanting Catherine to find some dark deep secret.
In the end I feel like Austen gave us a fairytale ending. All ended happy.
1. i dont have my book anymore, so i'm going to have to pass on this one, i dont remember it well enough on my own.
2. integrity. Catherine stays catherine throughout the novel. she regards everyone she meets as honest and true, and when they prove to be otherwise, she is still nice but doesnt keep them as close as they once were. and the matter of riding alone in the carriage with john thorpe, when she realized it was improper, she didnt do it anymore and wanted to tell her friend to save her embarrassment as well. i think thats why henry ultimately returned her love, he could see what a good girl she was even through his father's bad behavior and insult towards her.
3. i really enjoyed the story. not as complex as her other novels or as shocking things happen, but still very entertaining and had a good message.
4. i'm going to twist the bonus a little bit. compare henry to your favorite austen hunk. henry vs. mr.darcy. both are wealthy, well-bred gentlemen. henry's interaction with catherine is more direct and he helps keep her wild imagination in check without seeming to fatherly about it and teases her in good fun. me darcy never seems to know what to say to lizzy without it getting wildly out of hand b/c of her sharp wit. interaction is strained until the very end. both good guys but one is better in dealing with women than the other. i really liked henry.
This isn't going to be my best discussion, since we have been sick at our house, and I have read two other books since I read this one, but I'll do my best :).
1. I loved how she showed how easily some people can be swayed by the gossip of others. I thought it especially interesting that Henry's father was even taken in.
2. Being true to who you are. Throughout the course of the book, many of the characters behaved according with a false perception they had of someone else, ie. being especially kind to Catherine. I loved, however, how both Catherine and Henry were their true selves, no matter the circumstances.
3. Although I found I liked the story more this time (the last time I read it was right after reading all of Jane's other novels, and so it paled in comparison), but still found it wasn't the greatest. The thing that was lacking most for me was in Catherine. I felt her character, although kind and good, lacked the spirit of the other heroines in Jane's novels.
Did anyone watch the movie Becoming Jane? I just watched it and it was OK. I can not say I was in love with it. I also just watched The Jane Austen Book Club. A total chick flick. This would have been a good one for a Moms night out at the movies! I also watched this week Emma and Mansfield Park.
I did see becoming jane and enjoyed it. I thought Ann Hathaway made an excellent Jane. I have to say, I just read Memoirs of Jane Austen by Syrie James and preferred her storyline to becoming jane. It is similar, but I thought better thought out.
I have that book My Syrie James but have not had a chance to read it yet. I got it for Christmas and have been waiting to read it.
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