She was born to discover the falsehood of her own opinions
Eight years ago my mom video-taped A&E's Pride and Prejudice and sent it to me. After watching it (in one sitting! I had no idea how long it was going to be!), and thoroughly enjoying the story, I checked the book out of the library. I had lived in this earth three decades, and it was the first time I had ever read anything by Jane Austen! (Hark! It is the voice of my readers, crying "Philistine!")

The book I checked out also had Sense and Sensiblilty in it, so I eagerly began to read it. What a stupid story! Elinor and Edward were the dullest romantic characters I'd ever read. I wished Marianne would just shut up and get over Willoughby. (Hark! It is the sound of my readers picking up stones!)

In spite of this disappointment, I read several more of Austen's novels, and by becoming more familiar with Jane Austen's world, I have learned to value what she valued.

Last week I finished reading Sense and Sensibility for the second time, and this time I saw that Elinor is not dull, she loves her family enough to guard her words so that she will not hurt those who are dear to her. Edward is not stupid, he is that unshakable man who keeps his word even when it hurts. Marianne wasn't whining, she was confessing her sins.

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Since I'm still scatter-brained and I can't think of anything sensible to say, here are some related links.

What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew - lots of good basic information here. Explains titles (who outranks whom, and forms of address), social customs, basic etiquette, and lots more. Did you know that there was a special tax on man-servants? So only fairly wealthy people had a man-servant (the Bennets did not, but the Dashwoods - even after being disinherited - did!)

Jane Austen: Public Theologian article by Peter Leithart. Here's an interesting tidbit: "In a play, only the worst actors (like Bottom) want to change roles. The good actor has been assigned his role and does not want to become somebody else. If he did so, the play would fall apart... In a traditional society, the goal of life is to act well in the assigned role—to say your lines properly, to do what your role assigns to you." This is particularly encouraging when I'm feeling cranky and am tempted to act the way I feel. What I ought to do is to remind myself that I should act according to my role - I'm the wife, therefore I should act respectfully, or, I'm the mother, therefore I should act kindly.

A Man of His Word - article at Ladies Against Feminism about Edward Ferrars. Reading this article is what prompted me to go back and re-read the novel. I'm glad to have my original opinion of Sense and Sensibility proven false!