Jane's Legacy

-












"Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery." Jane Austen

While I spent the weekend and subsequent days at Bonnie's, we went to see Becoming Jane. I'm a decided Jane Austen fan, though not rabid about it. Becoming Jane was rather heart-breaking, and I was glad to learn later that the evidence of the cruelly dashed romance between Austen and Lefroy was not significant.

Meanwhile, thinking of her life, I had to reflect upon her early death. She died at 41 after having written 6 novels. Those stories have gone on to inspire countless books, movies, societies, museums, stage plays, and the admiration of millions. Charlotte Bronte and Mark Twain were quite critical of her work, but I find I can love it without guilt. If characters are put through their trials and tribulations, they usually deserve a happy ending. While I can sometimes enjoy a novel where things are dark and scary or dreary, as an author, I am usually with Jane. Let others dwell in the darkness, I prefer the light. It seems I am not the only one.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I don't favor Jane. However, she squeezed the language around her characters tighter than any boa constrictor ever did, wrapped them tight until the only undeniable thing left was the psychological truth bursting forth.

The stories may not be of my liking, but the writing is an education in of itself.

-Leonard (still kicking)
September 25, 2007 at 12:12 PM
Kimberly Frost said…
Dear Leonard,

Fair enough. :) And glad to see you're still kicking.

I just finished a book where Jane Austen is the sleuth. A mystery by Stephanie Barron called: Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor. It was clever, but I'm definitely ready for something contemporary next.
September 26, 2007 at 8:02 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PARAPALOOZA - Day 1

-
Image
Southern Witch series - Quote of the Day: "I'd never kill anyone with hair that fabulous." ~ Rollie the vampire * * * Gerry Bartlett writes a terrific humorous paranormal series featuring a beautiful full-figured vampire. Here's what Gerry has to say about becoming one of the undead herself... Since you write about vampires, if you had the choice, would you want to be one? "Lots to consider here. First, my heroine, Glory St. Clair, was turned when she had a few extra pounds to lose and then she was stuck like that. So first, I’d have to diet down to a perfect weight. And that’s obviously not going to happen. I have the self-control of a mosquito in a nudist colony. Then there’s the whole liquid diet thing. Sorry, but I love my food too much to give it up. What fun is it to live forever without steak and a baked potato? Not to mention chocolate truffles. I have to have crunch in my diet too, just like my heroine. She suffers just to taste the occasional Cheeto. O...
Read more

PARAPALOOZA - Day 2

-
Image
Southern Witch series - Quote of the Day: "I don't know why people pay for rental cars when so many friends and family members just leave their keys lying around unattended." ~ Tammy Jo Trask, whose car is often misplaced. * * * NYT bestselling author Nina Bangs writes awesome sexy, funny paranormal romances, but she didn't always know that she would become a writer. When asked in an interview what she wanted to be when she grew up, she said: "I wasn't so practical when I was young. I wanted to ride horses. I wasn't too clear on the concept of how I'd manage that, but I was open to suggestions." Don't you just love that? Amazingly, she went on to raise and show Arabians for a few years. So apparently Nina's good at turning all kinds of dreams into reality. I'm taking notes! (To learn more about Nina's terrific books, visit her site - www.NinaBangs.com ) * * * Another author whose work I love is Alyssa Day. She writes about the l...
Read more

PARAPALOOZA - Day 5

-
Image
Southern Witch series - Quote of the Day "And how come the Glenfiddle workers remembered me splashing them with the passionflower potion? Weren't these potions supposed to cause at least a little bit of amnesia? I mean how was a witch supposed to spell-cast without getting caught?" ~ Tammy Jo, realizing that when she rescues people from monsters, she needs to be sneaky about it. Life as a witch is so complicated! * * * Maria Lima is a terrific cyber-friend that I met at my friend Nancy Pickard's blog awhile ago. Maria writes a wonderful series of paranormal books (the Blood Lines series) that are set in Texas and are packed with mystery. How could I not love them? Here's the first line from Matters of the Blood : "I know the dead, and the dead know me. Not a personal choice, mind you, just the result of being born into a family of necromancers." Maria hooked me with that opening and pulled me through the rest of her story, which is just as great. Recent...
Read more