Simple Pleasures

Pride and Prejudice

"Confession. I have read Pride and Prejudice two hundred times. I get lost in the language, words like "thither, mischance, felicity." I'm always in agony over whether Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy are really going to get together. Ah! Read it. I know you'll love it!"

Kathleen Kelly, You've Got Mail

I just finished reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and I'm in love. In love with it all - Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth Bennet, the grandeur, the romance, the misunderstandings and missed opportunities.

I'm not sure what persuaded me to read Pride and Prejudice, although it does qualify for my New Year's Resolutions, as it is one of those books I should have read in high school. And I have to agree with Kathleen Kelly - I, too, got lost in the language, though sometimes, more lost in the whole "what the heck are they talking about," as compared to being lost in the magic of it.

Seriously - I had to google more than one word along the way. And for the record, "felicity" is not just a Keri Russell TV show from the 90's, but is also "the state of being happy, esp. in a high degree; bliss."

There were so many things I loved about it - the charm, the agony, the wit. I was especially surprised by the wit. Two examples, both from Mr. Bennet, who couldn't be bothered with the raising of his girls. Upon Lizzy's refusal to marry Mr. Collins, Mrs. Bennet tries to get Mr. Bennet to intercede and convince Lizzy to say yes (chapter 20):

"Come here, child," cried her father as she appeared. "I have sent for you on an affair of importance. I understand that Mr. Collins has made you an offer of marriage. Is that true?"

Elizabeth replied that it was.

"Very well -- and this offer of marriage you have refused?"

"I have, Sir."

"Very well. We now come to the point. Your mother insists upon your accept it. Is not it so, Mrs. Bennet?"

"Yes, or I will never see her again."

"An unhappy alternative is before you, Elizabeth. From this day you must be a stranger to one of your parents. --Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr. Collins, and I will never see you again if you do."

And again, wit from Mr. Bennet to Mrs. Bennet, as she laments the fact that Mr. Collins and wife (Charlotte) are to the inherit the family estate because of entail (to limit the passage of a landed estate to a specified line of heirs, so that it cannot be alienated, devised, or bequeathed - another one I had to look up) upon Mr. Bennet's passing (chapter 23):

"Indeed, Mr. Bennet,'' said she, "it is very hard to think that Charlotte Lucas should ever be mistress of this house, that I should be forced to make way for her, and live to see her take my place in it!''

"My dear, do not give way to such gloomy thoughts. Let us hope for better things. Let us flatter ourselves that I may be the survivor.''

As all great literature has at one point or another, this novel has inspired countless movies and books. Long before I read the book, one of my favorite movies was Bridget Jones' Diary, and one of my favorite male heroes was, of course, Mark Darcy. I knew that the character of Mark Darcy was inspired by Colin Firth's portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the BBC version of P&P. I had no idea that the rest of the book was a modernized version of Jane Austen's classic.

Let's take a moment to compare, shall we?

Elizabeth has an instant disliking to Mr. Darcy when first they meet. Bridget also has sour feelings for Mark Darcy.

Elizabeth is courted by Mr. Wickham, who has a tragic story of how Mr. Darcy did him wrong. Daniel Cleaver, too, has a tragic story of how Mark Darcy did him wrong, which, as with Elizabeth, feeds Bridget's dislike of Mark Darcy. In both cases, M. Darcy was the victim, not the perpetrator.

Elizabeth's mother is a rather shallow creature, interested only in marrying off her daughters to men of fame and fortune. Bridget's mother, though less overt in her actions, has the same desires.

Elizabeth is easily discarded by Mr. Wickham, as Bridget is easily discarded by Daniel.

Mr. Darcy, somewhat anonymously, rescues Elizabeth's family from social death when her little sister runs off with Mr. Wickham without the protection of marriage.

While the situation is different, Mark Darcy does, somewhat anonymously, come to Bridget's rescue. In the original book, the rescue is of Bridget's mother, who gets herself into somewhat of a pickle involving illegal drugs in a foreign land. This happened in the second movie, not to her mother but to Bridget herself.

And of course, Mr. Darcy loves Elizabeth as Mark Darcy loves Bridget - Just the way she is.

If only I could find a M. Darcy...

Everyone Should Have a Moment Like This...

I've heard the hype, read the headlines...I've seen mention of this on the Internet for a couple of days. And finally, today, I took a moment to watch as 47 year old unemployed, "Never Been Kissed" Susan Boyle blew the world away.

I got goosebumps.

I got tears in my eyes.

I don't know her, but the lack of acquaintance meant nothing. As I watched her on stage, I was so proud of her, so happy for her.

And I think everyone should get a moment like this. A moment all their own. A moment to defy expectations. A standing ovation. Accolades and praise.

To be in that moment and realize you've done it.

If only for a moment, you lived your dream.

Check it out here.

Seriously.

Quarterly Update

So...let's talk New Year's Resolutions. I make them every year. I think about them for months in advance, ponder them, rate them and this year, even wrote them down.

And then, on like January 3rd, I'm like...

"What's a New Year's resolution? That's a novel concept...I should make one of those NEXT year."

And thats the end of that.

This year, I decided that I'd try to review them regularly - you know, just to see how things are going.

So - How did I do the first quarter of the year?

1. Lose Weight - And this one is in progress. So far, since my birthday...14 pounds. Not too bad, considering I didn't even give it a half-a$$ effort until like 4 weeks ago. So YEA for pounds lost. However...it's still only a half-a$$ effort - MUCH room for improvement.

2. Expand my mind by reading five books I should have read in high school - Still on my list, but not complete yet. Actually...not really even started yet. Oops. Just like high school - it's all about procrastination. :)

3. Expand my mind with American History - Yeah...ummm...see point number 2 above. Status here is pretty much the same.

4. Read the Old Testament - Well, I started. And of all the resolutions I've failed so far with this year, this one was the heaviest on me. But it's not too late - I can still save this one. Check back on the second quarter update and see if there's been any progress here.

5. Take pictures - Well, considering that I didn't actually make this very specific and my only comparison to "more" was "more than the two dozen pictures" from the last five years, I have to call this a success. Even if, like, a hundred of the "more" pictures were of my dog. Hey, it's not my fault he's so dang cute!

6. Finances, Pay off some debt - Well...I would have said I was making progress on this one until I drove my car into the back of someone elses...Dag-nabbit.