The Jane Austen Prequels?

The miniseries Sanditon (Jane Austen's unfinished novel) seems like to meet the fate of the source material, as it finished on a rather non-Austen cliff hanger with little hope of a second season to smooth out the wrinkles, unless of course they are going for a 'Becoming Jane' feel and ending on such a wretched note because that's how real life turned out, but this is fiction and Jane Austen too, I hope someone reconsiders lest they never live down the irony!  But if you are tired of modern remakes and interpretations and disasters pertaining to all things Austen, why not indulge in Fanny Burney?  Yeah, I never heard of her either, but I saw a little article about her writings and thought I'd give her a try, apparent influence on Austen as she was.  It was a little eerie, reading Cecilia, I felt like I saw the ghost of a hundred different characters or plots of Austen fame all through the book.

Overall it was wonderfully written, but it was insanely long and tedious at times and I even wonder if the young Austen was poking fun at Burney with her quote, 'run mad as often as you like but do not faint' for some of the antics of the characters?  If you have exhausted all things Austen, and are a diehard fan, give Burney a try, but if you are a casual acquaintance, go watch the five hour mini-series of Pride and Prejudice starring Colin Firth!  In Austen you find all of Burney's exquisite satirical wit and social commentary, but refined, sharpened, precise, finished, dare I say perfected?  The pupil has out shown the master!  There are several characters that could be left out entirely but are given pages and pages of conversation that is neither advancing the plot or amusing, rather it is tedious, not to mention you want to slap the main characters at various moments as well.  The romance minds one of either Persuasion or Mansfield Park or Jane Eyre with the long, painful, impossible, never-ending twists and turns but without characters half so interesting to walk that interminable road with.

Check out project Gutenberg for free copies of Burney's novels, they are certainly worth a try for the hardcore Austen enthusiast, but for anyone else, they might be the death of their interest in classic literature, perhaps death by classic literature?

Making the Myth Real

Here's an interesting little article, anything that quotes C.S. Lewis must be worth the read, right?  Then I realized that's why I write stories, well besides for the fact that I'm apparently wired to do nothing but.  I am fascinated with the idea of why stories haunt us, why was that the mechanism through which the Word made flesh decided to communicate to humanity?  Even in this age of disparate interests, Story is still at the heart of our entertainment, purpose, recreation, and culture.  Nobody would care about climate change if it was a mere conglomeration of statistics and measurements, rather we clothe it in epic splendor and proclaim it like the Prophets of old did the coming Messiah and suddenly it is as widespread and accepted as the Gospel in our grandparents' day.  There's a reason He speaks in parables!  The only question is, will we come to embrace the old, old story as more than an intriguing tale of ancient days?  There is a reason we were brought to Narnia, but will we be Susan or Lucy, very participants in the fairy tale of life but either blind to its reality or eager to see what lies beyond it?

Thesis anyone?

Anyone need a thesis in psychology or literature?  How about 'Narcissistic Personality Disorder in Classic Literature?'  There's much worse out there, let me assure you, my favorite being 'Oedipal Complex in Good Night Moon,' yeah, I don't get it either!  In my last post, I mused upon why so many famous and beloved authoresses seem to be so familiar with the idea, namely Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, and L.M. Montgomery.  What is it about narcissists that inspires great writing?  Is it that they make such lovely villains?  That's certainly necessary for a good story, but what makes a good writer?  Basically it is someone who can so describe in words, landscapes, people, situations, and other complex realities that we can see them in our mind's eye, feel them in our hearts, acknowledge them with our mind, all without ever actually seeing them, but feeling that we have known them in person.

I propose there is a four fold reason for this phenomenon in those significantly influenced by a narcissist.  This is not to say that every great writer was raised by a narcissist or all children of narcissists will be great writers!  Rather it seems far too curious a coincidence to be mere happenstance, thus I may theorize at will, but I leave it to the biographers and historians to say who the narcissist might have been in each of these women's lives.  First, a soul must express itself for we are creative beings, and when all other arts are forbidden, the imagination is sometimes our sole escape, creating elaborate worlds, stories, and characters to people our bleak and colorless lives to such an extent that our inner world is far more lovely and intricate than our real surroundings and relationships.

Second, when you live daily with such a person, who questions every blink, breath, movement, thought, look, sneeze and so forth, when you can hardly breath without criticism or permission, you become a keen observer of human behavior, learning painfully how to minimize the offense given for such grievous sins as hiccups and laughter or tears, you learn to read the least signs of others' moods and dispositions, lest you fall afoul of an already precarious situation by some inadvertent blunder that might have been prevented had you been paying attention to the other's mood.  This familiarity with humanity in general and in particular would be very useful for a budding writer in developing characters and cultures.

Third, when you have no solace in human company or relationships, solitude and peaceful surroundings are then your only solace (at least before social media!).  You escape outside (no matter the weather, it must be better than the subzero temperatures withindoors) and wander far and wide, learning to see beauty and hope everywhere, developing a love of nature and all her moods and aspects or perhaps histories or museums or fairy tales or a hundred other escapes fill that aching void in your heart that should be filled by human love and kindness.  As you learn the many facets of human behavior and mood, so too do you fill your mind with the intricacies of your given retreat, be it a forest or a drawing room, which in turn might allow you to recreate the phenomenon in words for others' perusal.

Lastly, writing is an escape, an outlet for otherwise pent up feelings, emotions, and experiences.  When you are not allowed either to laugh or cry, sometimes your only outlet is words, words, words.  Sometimes we write to understand ourselves or the world about us, sometimes to save ourselves from madness or exploding with the pressure.  Our fantasy worlds become more real and beautiful than our daily lives, into it we pour all our stifled passions and heady visions, so drab on the outside, but alive and bubbling as a fountain within and as easily staunched.  If you do write the thesis on this, remember to cite this article!  Enjoy!

The novel is already written, and it is good!

Many people are familiar with L.M. Montgomery's works, if not with the author herself, for 'Anne of Green Gables' is almost as classic a novel as 'Pride and Prejudice,' and the television adaptations have their own place in many hearts around the globe even if they've never read the books.  While I love the Anne books, to paraphrase a character in 'Anne's House of Dreams,' in referring to her own childhood sorrows compared to the more tragic life of another character, "your own unhappiness is only that of a child with no one to love them."  At first it seems an odd thing to say, for is not sorrow and misery, especially in children, an abhorrent thing no matter what?  What matter degrees?, but as some theorize that there are seven circles of Hell, I have come to realize she is right.  Yes, Anne has a rough start, a very unhappy and friendless early life, but she knows that, and while tragic, a mind can eventually wrap itself around that and come to peace with itself.  Anne has dwelt in the first or second circle of Hell, certainly, but eventually she does find love and acceptance and Home.

I have long theorized that the Bronte sisters and Jane Austen are very familiar with what we now call narcissistic personality disorder because of certain characters in their novels, but Montgomery had hitherto stumped me, she wrote as one who might be familiar with the topic, especially in the above mentioned book there is certainly a character that seems thus afflicted, but then again, Anne and 'Emily of New Moon,' while certainly having tragic beginnings, were not themselves raised or significantly influenced by such a personality.  Then I reread The Blue Castle, and I had no more doubts, though I'm beginning to wonder if all the great classical authoresses have been significantly impacted by a narcissist?

While we see a little of what it is to be raised by a narcissist in 'Jane Eyre,' it is rather a brief glimpse. The Blue Castle takes a good long look at the subject and even includes a look at the extended family.  But then it moves on to the inward struggles of recovery from narcissistic abuse and even examines the mindset of the victim after she has been freed, as she wonders that anyone could actually loves her.  Some people reading this book might wonder at the idea of anyone having such a wretched, drab existence (I cannot call it a life) and think it all fancy, but there are others, like me, who will identify with the main character so much that she could be a long lost sister, and rejoice and cry by turns, or perhaps, gain hope and confidence that they are not crazy or alone in their struggles and that there is hope even for them.  I've wanted to write a novel like this, but happily I don't have to.  Montgomery's lesser known novel is an excellent read in itself, but particularly for those who suspect or are struggling with these issues, it offers a source of hope in a world that often thinks us mad in saying that our own mothers could be so awful.  I can stick with my paltry little fairytales as Montgomery has already written a veritable fairy tale upon the subject.

As to Anne's conundrum of her sad childhood, what could be worse than no one to love you?  Growing up unloved but not even knowing it, for the word and concept are so twisted and tortured that the child has no concept of what it truly is or means, perhaps they believe they will be loved when they do something to deserve it (not that they ever will) or perhaps they hate themselves for being so awful their parent(s) can't love them.  One can live with the truth of not being loved, but when one thinks one is loved (or will be under the right circumstances) and that is not true, that is the very definition of the seventh circle of Hell: to think one walks in Eden only to find oneself a resident of Hell, where hatred, indifference, and manipulation are called love, and Love itself is a concept beyond finding out or understanding.  But Montgomery does an excellent job of showing the conditions of such a wretched life but also the hope of healing and happiness if one is willing to address them.  It's an enchanting tale, and maybe it will help you or someone you know discover that they can have life and love indeed!

Who needs real when you have virtual?

Here's an amusing look at modern 'community,' well worth a look!

Life in a minor key!

Tired of Christmas, artificial trees and smiles, rush and bustle and disappointment?  Here's the cure!  Be sure to check the music links, I've found a new favorite singer and a wonderful new song, along with a haunting rendition of a personal favorite.  But don't just keep this idea in your holiday heart, rather as Dickens urges us, let's keep it in our hearts all the year.  Happy Advent!

Advent is upon us!

Happy Advent, here's a nice little article and it isn't about counting down to Christmas with wine!