Classic Friday ~ Quotable Jane: Observations, Definitions and Witticisms

I thought it might be fun to start compiling favorite Jane Austen quotes, whether they be from her letters or her books. Here are a few of my favorites on the topic of her observations, definitions, and witticisms.



"Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us." Pride and Prejudice

“Vanity working on a weak head, produces every sort of mischief.” Emma

"One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other." Emma

“Friendship is certainly the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love.” Northanger Abbey

" . . . our pleasures in this world are always to be paid for . . . " Northanger Abbey

"One man's ways may be as good as another's, but we all like our own best." Persuasion

“How quick come the reasons for approving what we like!” Persuasion

"There seems something more speakingly incomprehensible in the powers, the failures, the inequalities of memory, than in any other of our intelligences." Mansfield Park

“Money can only give happiness when there is nothing else to give.” Sense and Sensibility

“I do not want people to be very agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them a great deal.” Letter of Jane Austen December 1798

“Surprises are foolish things. The pleasure in not enhanced and the inconvenience is often considerable.” Emma

“But people themselves alter so much, that there is something new to be observed in them forever.” Pride and Prejudice

“We live at home, quiet, confined, and our feelings prey on us.” Persuasion

“You have delighted us long enough.” Pride and Prejudice

“Business, you know, may bring money, but friendship hardly ever does.” Emma



Please feel free to add to the list of observations, definitions, and witticisms of Jane Austen. Next time I’ll do love, men, and marriage.

Valentine's Challenge/Newsletter Free Read

When you join my newsletter, I send you a free short story serial called Valentine's Challenge. So far we are up to three parts. Today I thought I would share some of Part I. If you'd like to read more just send me an email at newsletters@cindykgreen.com and I will add you to my subscriber list and send out Parts II & III.

Valentine's Challenge (Part 1.1)

I don’t know who it was who started the idea that if you’re still single when thirty is staring you in the face you have to ‘put yourself out there,’ but my friend, Lana is convinced of it. She is constantly telling me, “Evi, you have to put yourself out there…put yourself out there.” Well, I am out there. Is it my fault that no one seems to be a taker?

Case in point—I was at my cousin’s wedding, alone, of course. There were plenty of opportunities to ‘put myself out there.’ I stood in line for food, sat in my seat as I watched everyone else partying, and reclined against a wall as I observed the funky chicken out on the dance floor. But I was there, wasn’t I? Isn’t that close enough to ‘putting myself out there?’

I knew I was going to hear it all over again as Lana sat across from me at the local steak house while we celebrated the end of yet another week of work for Murray Industries. I’ve been busy working my way up in the secretarial pool while Lana is now a supervisor in her department. A point she relishes in reminding me more times than I like to admit.

“Evelyn, you can’t possible expect me to believe that you really try to put yourself out there. The problem is that you’re too comfortable with your life.”

I sat forward in my seat almost knocking over my iced tea as I stared back at Lana, defensiveness bristling all over me. “How am I too comfortable?”

She smiled at me with her spectacular grin. A grin I might add that was the whole reason she had no problem putting her self out there.

“You’re comfortable in your job. Nobody bothers you and you go about your daily duties not ever working for anything better, more challenging, or exciting. You do the same thing in your personal life. You don’t want to risk moving out of that comfort zone.”

My comfort zone? Okay maybe she was right. I liked my life. I liked things organized and planned. Why mess with what works.

“You need to do something spontaneous. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you do something out of the blue. I guess it’s just not in your character,” she said with obvious mock resignation. Is she trying reverse psychology on me?

“I can be just as spontaneous as the next person,” I declared, falling into her trap despite my previous suspicion. She knew exactly how to play me.

“Prove it.” She sat back in her chair and folded her arms in front of herself as her blue eyes twinkled at me—the same blue eyes that had gotten me into trouble from time to time.

For example, one time she hinted to an adorable VP on the third floor that she knew of someone who would love to go to dinner with him. Of course, thinking she was speaking of herself, he agreed. When he found out it was me she had been referring to, he was too embarrassed to say no. Let me just say that was the worst two hours of my life which ended with me taking a taxi home and never haunting the halls nearby his office ever again.

Looking back at her as all these thoughts played through my mind, I knew I was in for it. “I…I can prove it,” I stammered oh so gracefully. “I need more sweeteners. How about I take some of these blue packets home?” I discreetly grabbed a couple and stuffed them into my purse. Peeking up, I hoped against all hope that this spontaneous action would suffice for today. But as my gray-eyed gaze fell onto her face I knew it was not to be.

She gave me a discerning half smile and then her glance swept across the room, examining every crevice it seemed. When she looked back at me, there was a sinister glow about her. My fight or flight mechanism was just about to kick in when she spoke.

“If you’re really serious about proving your spontaneity, I have the perfect solution.” A playful smile graced her lips. I knew this was going to be bad, very bad.

“See the dark haired hunk at the table across the room.” She motioned with her head to a booth at the opposite side of the restaurant near the bar. There sat two men—one dark and one fair.

My heart began racing, knowing exactly where this was going. I glanced at the booth again. The dark haired one noticed my perusal and smiled before turning back to his dinner companion. There was no way I was going to go through with whatever evil and diabolical plan Lana had premeditated.

She cleared her throat and sat forward, folding her well-manicured fingers on the table in front of her. In a low tone she began, “You go over there and ask him to accompany you to the Murray Industries charity benefit next month and then I’ll agree that you can be spontaneous.” As she finished talking, she sat back in her chair, reveling in the torture she very well knew she was putting me through.

Even if I didn’t have high placed goals and ambitions, I hated being dared to do something. And that is exactly what this was. She had dared me to go ask that delicious looking man out on a date.

My hands trembled as I tried to force myself up out of my seat. I looked at her with what I hoped was determination, but I’m sure she only saw that I just wanted to be pitied and let out of this farcical situation. I finally moved about an inch out of my seat when I plopped right back down. Lana could be reasonable. I’m sure there was some other way I could prove myself to her.

She could sense exactly what I was thinking. “Evi, just say the word and we can just go back to having a nice relaxing Friday night dinner.” She moved up near to the table and leaned her head as close to mine as possible. Her eyes flashed with amusement. “But don’t you dare even attempt to tell me that you’re putting yourself out there ever again.”

She sat back and took a sip from her glass as she managed a relaxed pose. I, on the other hand, felt like I was sitting on pins and needles. Her attitude, however, had restored my resolve. I had to prove to her that I could do this. I just hoped I didn’t suffer the worst kind of humiliation at the hands of the gorgeous man mere feet away from me.

To Be Continued…

© Cindy K. Green, 2008

Classic Friday: Under the Greenwood Tree

A couple Christmas ago I received a copy of the 2005 film adaptation of Hardy’s novel – Under the Greenwood Tree. It stars Keeley Hawes (well known British actress, Spooks, Ashes to Ashes, and many Period Drama roles as well as she's married to the blue-eyed Darcy, Matthew Macfadyen) as Fancy Day and James Murray (an unknown to me at the time—not any longer—watch Primeval) as Dick Dewey. I shared the enjoyment of this film with my sister who is a Period Drama Junkie like myself. What can I say? We both loved it. And we have now added ‘Dick Dewey’ into our repartee when speaking of favorite Period men. The sensual hand washing scene alone will be spoken of for quite some time. Wonderful characterization of the local people and their quire or choir. And Parson Maybold played by Ben Miles (from the British TV show Coupling) was just terrific. All in all it was a great flick and a well-loved addition to my Period Drama collection even though it was only an hour and a half long. So many of the good ones are mini-series any more.

I enjoyed the film so much I decided to read the book. Now I love reading classic literature: Dickens, Austen, Elizabeth Gaskell, Alcott, and on and on. But I've never been much of a Hardy fan before. This book is supposed to be the first of his Wessex novels when he returned to his family’s country roots. It is a pastoral story that rues the effects of the Industrial Revolution moving into the small country villages. It is also the love story of Fancy Day and Dick Dewey. Now as I read the book, I realized that the film version had veered quite a lot from the original text. I believe the important themes were included, but the plot was altered to what I believe was better than the original text. Sorry to all those Hardy fans but the plot was a bit dull and meandered about. I also disliked Fancy in the book. She was a bit too vain and featherheaded. She was much more likeable and interesting in the film. The one thing I wish they had captured in the film was the character of Parson Maybold. He came across quite pompous in the film but in the book he had a sweet, tender heart. I wonder why they changed this?

It really surprised me that I enjoyed the book less than the film. This was a first. I always love the depth and literary precision of these classic masters but in this instance I was a bit let down by the original. The one thing which remained consistent between the film and the book was Dick Dewy – true blue and very much in love. You gotta love that! I do heartily recommend the film especially if you love Period Drama. The book is a good read too and not overly long. A ‘light’ read for a Hardy novel in both length and content. I only wonder what Mr. Thomas Hardy was thinking when he created Fancy. What were his subtle sentiments toward Victorian womanhood??

How about you? How often has it happened that you liked the film more than the original novel?

Curious about this adaptation. Watch this fan video.

I'm at the Book Roast Today

I will be in the Book Roast all day today. This time I’ll be roasted over my sweet Inspirational historical—Dilemma of the Heart. This is how it works:

We slice and serve one author a day for fun and prizes and a good, old fashioned roasting. First, we whet your appetite with a short excerpt from the author’s book, followed by a question loosely related to the passage. Some questions are silly, others are straightforward and the rest are plain crunchy. For dessert, the author picks the winner who answers the question correctly – or the most creatively. We like spice, but some authors prefer things sweet, which makes Book Roast deliciously unpredictable.

The prize: a free copy of the author’s book (and an occasional surprise!)

Best of all, authors will pop into the blog throughout the day to answer questions, share a laugh and toss out some insider tidbits.

http://bookroast.blogspot.com/

So make sure to visit me at the Book Roast today.

Join Me at a Historical Live Chat at The Romance Junkies

I'd like to invite all my readers to a Live Chat at the Romance Junkies tomorrow 4/7/09. This will be a fun Historical chat. I will be joined by three other White Rose Publishing authors:

Laurean Brooks, Ashley Ludwig, Janelle Ashley

Please join us at 9 pm EST in the Chat Room at The Romance Junkies. The chat will be one hour and each one of us will be giving away one of our historical titles.

http://www.romancejunkies.com/chat.html


Hope to see you there!

Classic Friday: Pride and Prejudice and...Zombies!

Yes, I said Zombies. Your eyes are not failing you. You haven’t warped to a new dimension. This is a real book.

Being the fanatic of Jane Austen that I am, I had heard that this book was coming, but I didn’t think much of it. ‘Really, are they serious? Whatever.’ Was my response.

Then a couple days ago I opened my copy of Entertainment Weekly—the April 3^rd edition. (Yes, I get EW. Shh!) And there in the book section the feature story is on Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith and Jane Austen. First off let me tell you that EW gave the book an A-. Pretty good but I cannot agree. I'll admit that on first reading the included scene from the book, it made me laugh. However, the more I read the more I became completely offended. It was like a sacrilege that this author could take a most beloved story and turn it into some horror fest. I can’t quote the scene from the article but let’s suffice it to say that the leads of the book: Lizzy, Darcy, Jane and Bingley come across a group of undead feeding on some servants and Darcy asks for permission to basically vanquish them. The ladies acquiesce and he goes ahead doing his heroic duty in a world where flesh eating zombies is the norm in the Jane Austen universe. Really, come on! How can this be so??

I usually don’t like to make a judgment on a book that I have as yet not read, but I don’t think I could stomach this one. My Janeite heart has been affronted. Now I have a sense of humor—Jane Austen did too. I love to laugh just as much as Elizabeth Bennet. Those who read my books enjoy the humor that has become my trademark. And I am not a Jane Austen purest as long as the essence of the story and characters remain intact, but this just seems to surpass any tolerance I may have had for this farcical look at Jane’s masterpiece.

The publisher of this book is Quirk Books. I wasn’t familiar with this company so I did a little research and found that they are a small Independent press based in Philadelphia. I write for the small press too so I commend this small company for attempting to fill a niche in the publishing market. What is their niche you ask? They publish nontraditional crossover books. Well, with that description then I guess Pride and Prejudice and Zombies fits their line to a tee.

By the way, did I fail to mention there are ninjas in the story too. I believe this lady will pass on this one. I mean there are so many spin off novels from Jane's works, but this one just went a step too far.

What do you think? A winner or a stinker? Of course, with all the press it is receiving I’m sure it will do well. People will read it for pure sensationalism alone. Good luck to you Mr. Grahame-Smith. I only ask what is next--Emma the Vampire Slayer. Hmm. Now that I might consider...

The Art of Handshaking – The Ins and Outs of 19th Century Greetings

In my training as a historian, I focused my research mainly on social aspects as I love Social History and most specifically on how events affected women. I could prove to you that women participated in the American Revolution due to their true patriotic fervor not as just an extension of their domestic duties (yes there was a theory to the contrary) or how women attempted to recreate Eastern society in their homes on the Western frontier. But it is the small things like etiquette and names of clothing that I really had to research in my new capacity as a historical novelist—things that make your stories realistic.

One of the first items I decided to research once I began to write the sequel to my American Victorian, Dilemma of the Heart, was the art of handshaking. This novel, Temptation of the Heart, takes place completely in Philadelphia in December 1865 at the height of society. I knew I had to be up on my American 19th century etiquette.

So what peaked my interest in this simple activity of hand shaking? Well, I needed to know the etiquette of greeting and after watching the 2004 adaptation of North and South based on Elizabeth Gaskell’s novel of the same name, I was a bit confused. In that film, Margaret Hale is from the South, near London, from a middle class family. The hero, John Thornton, is from the North, a factory owner. A display is made in showing their differences especially with the whole hand shaking scene. You see, when he offers his hand in goodbye and friendship to Margaret, she refuses to take it. Seems rude, right? Not exactly. Just in her view of appropriate etiquette, a proper gentleman would never offer his hand to a lady.

Was it like this in the United States at this time? It was a question that needed answering.

So here it is. The answer to my questions about the ins and outs of handshaking.

1. Handshaking was mainly seen as the behavior of the middle and lower classes most especially the brusque working class man.


2. The more public the place in which people ‘met’, the less appropriate it was to shake hands. Shaking hands was considered far too personal a matter to be employed casually.


3. Introductions are not to be followed by shaking hands, but rather by a bow.


4. Once a person became a part of your social circle, it became more appropriate to shake hands in public.


5. In a ballroom setting where the introduction has as its purpose asking another to accompany you to dance, and not to initiate a friendship, ladies and gentlemen are never to shake hands.


6. Once having been introduced, a married lady may offer her hand, something an unmarried woman may never do.



So there you have it. Clear as mud, right?