Here's my problem with the word "love." There's only one of it. If you think about it, the word "love" can be used to describe a multitude of emotions that are entirely different from each other. We "love" pizza. We "love" our boyfriends/girlfriends. We "love" our siblings. We "love" our best friends. We "love" our parents. We "love" shopping. We "love" our country of origin. We "love" our favorite television show. We "love" skydiving or rollerblading or music or football. The emotions we feel for the aforementioned people and objects are quite different from each other, but we use the same word to describe all.
Of course, we could rephrase some of them. Pizza tastes good. I enjoy shopping. I like to watch White Collar. I am loyal to America. But there's no other way to say that I love my mother and my boyfriend. The emotion is completely different; the word is the same because there is no other word for either feeling. We could qualify it: I romantically love my boyfriend. But how many people say "I romantically love you!" when they leave for work in the morning?
And sometimes, we love one thing in different ways. I like to watch tennis, but I also enjoy playing it. However, I still only "love" it. I love my brother both as my brother and as my friend, but I still only "love" him. There aren't two different words.
I'm out of words and have homework to do. Much love.
ZB
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
2011 Book List, or, My Love for Persasion
At the end of 2010 I made a book list composed of about twenty-five books or series that I would like to read. As many of the items are quite long, I told myself that I would only read ten of the items on my list, and continue working on it next year.
One of the items on said list is all the Jane Austen novels: Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility, Emma, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion, and Mansfield Park. I will also likely read Lady Susan and Sandition, two of her shorter works, sometime, but they're not on my list. I own all of Jane Austen's novels except for Mansfield Park. I can't find it anywhere! I've looked at four different bookstores in my area, and none of them carry it except for one, but it's a copy of Mansfield Park in a volume with all Austen's other novels. As I have all the other novels already, I am definitely not spend thirty-five dollars on a book that I already have most of. The fact that I can't find it disappoints me. I haven't read it yet, and will probably just borrow it from the library to read it, and buy it from Amazon.com later, but it bothers me that I can't find it. I don't like reading library books. Somehow the fact that it doesn't belong to me makes it difficult to read.
Since I haven't yet obtained Mansfield Park, I started the next book on my list: Wuthering Heights. Now that, I must say, is a strange book. All the characters are either complete idiots or complete demons, except for the narrator, Ellen Dean. I like her; she's sensible and practical. It's a well-written book, and difficult to put down, since it's so interesting. The events of Wuthering Heights are violent and strange, and seem surreal. Contributing to the sense of surrealism is the fact that Wuthering Heights and the Grange, the two main places of the action, are entirely isolated from the world. They are miles away from any civilization, out on the windy moors of England. Emily Bronte chose this spot for a reason. It emphasizes the loneliness of the characters, and their helplessness, so far removed from any other person. The unpredictable weather is also key. It reflects the extreme moodiness of the characters, and their constant warring with each other. As I said, it's a well-written book, but a little frightening and I dislike the characters. It's hard for me to like a book if I don't like the characters, so I don't think I like Wuthering Heights, per se, but I don't dislike it, either. It fascinates me.
My primary topic for this post was going to be the Austen novel Persuasion. Now, this is my favorite Austen novel. (So far. I haven't read Mansfield Park, but I can't imagine I'd like it any more than I like Persuasion.) In fact, it easily makes my top twenty favorite books. It is Austen's best work, the last full-length novel written before her death, and it is impressive. It is a masterpiece. It is subtle but clear in its treatment of the conflict. It is an easy read, but takes time, time to savor and digest and understand. It took me a week to read. (For comparison, Persuasion is one of Austen's shortest novels, and her longest novel, Emma, took me about three days. A week is forever for me to read a book.) I plan to reread it after I finish Wuthering Heights and Mansfield Park, to take it in again. Immediately after I finished Persuasion, I read Northanger Abbey, Austen's first novel, and I was struck by how much Austen matured in her writing style. Northanger Abbey isn't poorly written, in any way, but Persuasion is far superior. The dialogue is well-placed and revealing. The characters aren't static or stereotypical. Each setting is well-described but not too much emphasis is placed on them.
Anne Elliott is my favorite Austen heroine. She is different from the other Austen heroines. She is quiet and introspective, and very observant. She is very much a background person; others rely on her without even realizing how much they do. She isn't free-spirited like Lizzy Bennett, isn't imaginative like Catherine Morland, isn't mischievous like Emma Woodhouse. She represents more the quiet strength of Elinor Dashwood, but she isn't like Elinor, either. Elinor is firm and in control at all times. Anne Elliott is, again, content to let others decide what to do. She is simply there when they need her to be there, and gone when they need her to be gone.
I read in the introduction to Persuasion that Marilyn Butler divided the Austen heroines into two categories: the ones who are always right, and the ones who are always wrong. In the "always wrong" category Butler puts Emma Woodhouse, Elizabeth Bennett, and Marianne Dashwood. These are the girls who through the book learn that they are wrong, that they made a mistake. Then, in the "always right" category Butler puts Elinor Dashwood, Fanny Price, and Anne Elliott. I disagree. Anne is not always in the right. She is often wrong. When she is nineteen, eight years before the novel begins, she gives in to her family's persuasion that she disappoint Frederick Wentworth, though she knew she should have married him. She didn't stand up for herself enough. And again, she was wrong in her perception of Mr. Elliott. She likes him very much, and even forgives him for disowning her father and scorning Elizabeth when he comes back to charm his way into their lives. He turns out to be a perfect scoundrel. No, Anne Elliott is not "always right". However, her imperfections, as all imperfections do, add dimension to her.
I've always been a Darcy girl, ever since I first saw the BBC movie adaption of Pride & Prejudice almost six years ago. However, now I think I'm more of a Wentworth girl. I think I like him better than Mr. Darcy. Mr. Darcy is great. I still love him. But I like Captain Wentworth better. He's more human than Mr. Darcy, more fallible, more real. Mr. Darcy seems almost too good to be true. Captain Wentworth, however, is not too good to be true. In fact, he can be a jerk. But he's so lovable. I don't have time right now to expand on just why I love him, but I do. Go read the book and find out why for yourself.
As a side note, I watched the 2007 BBC movie adaption of Persuasion. While I wouldn't call it terrific, I do say that they did a very good job for the ninety-eight minutes allotted to the film. The book is simply too complicated to be compressed into a movie of ninety-eight minutes, but they did do a good job with what they had. They changed Wentworth's proposal, though, and that I didn't like. Everything else I was satisfied with.
Well, I'm done avoiding homework. Much love.
ZB
One of the items on said list is all the Jane Austen novels: Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility, Emma, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion, and Mansfield Park. I will also likely read Lady Susan and Sandition, two of her shorter works, sometime, but they're not on my list. I own all of Jane Austen's novels except for Mansfield Park. I can't find it anywhere! I've looked at four different bookstores in my area, and none of them carry it except for one, but it's a copy of Mansfield Park in a volume with all Austen's other novels. As I have all the other novels already, I am definitely not spend thirty-five dollars on a book that I already have most of. The fact that I can't find it disappoints me. I haven't read it yet, and will probably just borrow it from the library to read it, and buy it from Amazon.com later, but it bothers me that I can't find it. I don't like reading library books. Somehow the fact that it doesn't belong to me makes it difficult to read.
Since I haven't yet obtained Mansfield Park, I started the next book on my list: Wuthering Heights. Now that, I must say, is a strange book. All the characters are either complete idiots or complete demons, except for the narrator, Ellen Dean. I like her; she's sensible and practical. It's a well-written book, and difficult to put down, since it's so interesting. The events of Wuthering Heights are violent and strange, and seem surreal. Contributing to the sense of surrealism is the fact that Wuthering Heights and the Grange, the two main places of the action, are entirely isolated from the world. They are miles away from any civilization, out on the windy moors of England. Emily Bronte chose this spot for a reason. It emphasizes the loneliness of the characters, and their helplessness, so far removed from any other person. The unpredictable weather is also key. It reflects the extreme moodiness of the characters, and their constant warring with each other. As I said, it's a well-written book, but a little frightening and I dislike the characters. It's hard for me to like a book if I don't like the characters, so I don't think I like Wuthering Heights, per se, but I don't dislike it, either. It fascinates me.
My primary topic for this post was going to be the Austen novel Persuasion. Now, this is my favorite Austen novel. (So far. I haven't read Mansfield Park, but I can't imagine I'd like it any more than I like Persuasion.) In fact, it easily makes my top twenty favorite books. It is Austen's best work, the last full-length novel written before her death, and it is impressive. It is a masterpiece. It is subtle but clear in its treatment of the conflict. It is an easy read, but takes time, time to savor and digest and understand. It took me a week to read. (For comparison, Persuasion is one of Austen's shortest novels, and her longest novel, Emma, took me about three days. A week is forever for me to read a book.) I plan to reread it after I finish Wuthering Heights and Mansfield Park, to take it in again. Immediately after I finished Persuasion, I read Northanger Abbey, Austen's first novel, and I was struck by how much Austen matured in her writing style. Northanger Abbey isn't poorly written, in any way, but Persuasion is far superior. The dialogue is well-placed and revealing. The characters aren't static or stereotypical. Each setting is well-described but not too much emphasis is placed on them.
Anne Elliott is my favorite Austen heroine. She is different from the other Austen heroines. She is quiet and introspective, and very observant. She is very much a background person; others rely on her without even realizing how much they do. She isn't free-spirited like Lizzy Bennett, isn't imaginative like Catherine Morland, isn't mischievous like Emma Woodhouse. She represents more the quiet strength of Elinor Dashwood, but she isn't like Elinor, either. Elinor is firm and in control at all times. Anne Elliott is, again, content to let others decide what to do. She is simply there when they need her to be there, and gone when they need her to be gone.
I read in the introduction to Persuasion that Marilyn Butler divided the Austen heroines into two categories: the ones who are always right, and the ones who are always wrong. In the "always wrong" category Butler puts Emma Woodhouse, Elizabeth Bennett, and Marianne Dashwood. These are the girls who through the book learn that they are wrong, that they made a mistake. Then, in the "always right" category Butler puts Elinor Dashwood, Fanny Price, and Anne Elliott. I disagree. Anne is not always in the right. She is often wrong. When she is nineteen, eight years before the novel begins, she gives in to her family's persuasion that she disappoint Frederick Wentworth, though she knew she should have married him. She didn't stand up for herself enough. And again, she was wrong in her perception of Mr. Elliott. She likes him very much, and even forgives him for disowning her father and scorning Elizabeth when he comes back to charm his way into their lives. He turns out to be a perfect scoundrel. No, Anne Elliott is not "always right". However, her imperfections, as all imperfections do, add dimension to her.
I've always been a Darcy girl, ever since I first saw the BBC movie adaption of Pride & Prejudice almost six years ago. However, now I think I'm more of a Wentworth girl. I think I like him better than Mr. Darcy. Mr. Darcy is great. I still love him. But I like Captain Wentworth better. He's more human than Mr. Darcy, more fallible, more real. Mr. Darcy seems almost too good to be true. Captain Wentworth, however, is not too good to be true. In fact, he can be a jerk. But he's so lovable. I don't have time right now to expand on just why I love him, but I do. Go read the book and find out why for yourself.
As a side note, I watched the 2007 BBC movie adaption of Persuasion. While I wouldn't call it terrific, I do say that they did a very good job for the ninety-eight minutes allotted to the film. The book is simply too complicated to be compressed into a movie of ninety-eight minutes, but they did do a good job with what they had. They changed Wentworth's proposal, though, and that I didn't like. Everything else I was satisfied with.
Well, I'm done avoiding homework. Much love.
ZB
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