Monday, October 8, 2012

How mor'ifying!


It's mortifying, truly it is, when you find you've been misquoting something (or someone) for any length of time.  Especially when you've been doing it in the public blogosphere.  "Oh, Jo, I'm simply degradatated."

Recently, my dear friend Melody brought to light a shocking discovery that sank us both into the depths of despair, a depth so deep that not even plum puffs could have yanked us out of it (had we had plum puffs at our disposal, which we unfortunately did not).  It turns out, my friends--prepare yourselves--that Mr. Palmer's supposed famous quote in S&S95 (the one I have used with great frequency on this blog and in my email and comment writing) does not go the way we thought it did.

I, you see, was under the distinct impression that the line of dialogue went like this.

MRS PALMER:  She [Marianne] will be wet through when she returns!
MR PALMER: Thank you, my dear, I think we have all apprehended that much.

But in reality--alas for my inaccurate and frequent quoting!--it goes like this:

MRS PALMER:  She [Marianne] will be wet through when she returns!
MR PALMER: Thank you for pointing that out, my dear.

The world is ending, THE WORLD IS ENDING.  All those "thank you, my dear"'s I've said over the last few months!  I shall have to recall them! All of them!  UGH!  I shall have to change them all to "yes, thank you Mary," because that is the actual quote.  It's P&P, you see, not S&S.

In episode five (or is it six?) of P&P95 (the definitive version, you know), the Bennet girls are talking over Lydia's elopement.

MARY: This is the most unfortunate affair, and will probably be much talked of.
ELIZABETH:  Yes, thank you Mary, I think we have all apprehended that much.

Sigh.

Oh, and since we're on the subject of misquoted quotes, I may as well unearth another shameful confession.  I've been taking a Shakespeare class twice a week at a local college, and in the middle of September we studied the sonnets.  (Well, some of them.  There are one hundred and fifty, after all, and not even Marianne Dashwood could get through all those in two classes.)

At any rate, I was quite put out to learn that the last three words of Sonnet 116 are, in fact, "man ever loved," not "Willoughby, Willoughby, Willoughby."

I mean, really.  WHO'D-A THUNK IT.

16 comments:

Unknown said...

I've hated myself ever since I misquoted something a great comment I posted! It is really too ridiculous, but nevertheless I hate myself for doing it.

And I just abhor the fact that I mixed up a quote from the "superior version" of P&P with the "not so superior version" of it!

Uggggghhh... :P

"My poor nerves...!"

Why does that G.R.E.A.T. seem slightly... cheesy to me? OH!

I just slandered a P&P quote! Its like slandering, "Dearest, loveliest Elizabeth", or "Lovely children...", or "No... but I think I've been rendered unconscious."

That just burns my biscuits. =)

Bekah said...

Pretty new header photo! :) I really don't comment on your blog enough, do I?!

But then again, I spend a lot of time blogging myself and not many people comment & my followers don't seem to grown much. :(

Arielle Melody Bailey said...

Oh, Amy dear, I am most shamefully laughing!!

You poor dear!!!! I do feel deeply for you, despite my laughter. It truly is DREADFUL to find out that a treasured quote is, in fact, incorrect.

Chin up, m'dear, and go watch The Scarlet Pimpernel or Les Miserables. It will help pull you fromt he depths of despair. =) Sending virtual hugs of condolence!

*Mental note, do not quote that line that way anymore.* :)

And the last line of Sonnet 116 - Oh. My. Land. I'm still giggling over it!!

Alexandra said...

You poooor darling. :D I didn't even notice, if that's any consolation, even though I *cough* knew the correct quote *cough*.

And I burst into giggles at the last sonnet misquotes. Hehehehehe. Glad to see you're studying Shakespeare's sonnets, by the way. As I'm sure you know now, a sonnet is a poem written in fourteen lines, the last two of which must form a rhyming couplet...and no, you may not ask a question just yet.

Holly said...

ok...!
that's quite funny you know though :)
oh well, hopefully you'll get over it in the next year or so!

Miss Dashwood said...

Abilaine,
"Burns my biscuits"--heehee, that's funny. Did you make it up?
I know, it's quite trying to find you've been misquoting something all along!

Bekah,
Thank you! I did so want something Emma-ish, but most of the pictures I found weren't big enough or wouldn't accommodate words nicely enough, and then I found this one and was Most Pleased.

Miss Melody,
Go watch TSP or Les Mis? Wellllll, if you insist. I suppose my arm could be twisted. :D
Thanks for the hugs!
Heehee, glad the sonnet bit made you giggle.

Ally,
Ma'am... ma'am... ma'am...
I don't think you're qualified to teach us, ma'am. I don't think you are though.
:P

Holly,
That is the great fun of blogging--you get to laugh at yourself in public and provide a good giggle to everyone else in the process. :D
And never fear, my mortification shall pass, and no doubt more quickly than it should!

Jessica Greyson said...

What a horridly dreadful discovery. The books or movies should be rewritten to follow your point of view. And you mean Austen and Shakespeare didn't know each-other? *gasp* *swoon* HOW HORRID!!!! ;) :P *giggle*

Hope you are feeling better - and don't feel bad...it could have happened to any of us...

Melody said...

"It is all my fault."
"I, I am to blame!"
But for all my quoting of Emmer and Jane, I AM to blame. I was the first one who misquoted that, and you just took little old supposed Quote Expert Me at my word. I mean, who can blame you? :P I'm sorry you've had to suffer so much mortification at the hands of your Tween. Haha.

And then remembered when you saw P&P95 again and emailed me giggling about that quote and neither of us figured out that the mistake had actually come from there and just thought they were super similar?

Wow. *headwall* Then it came to me quite randomly... suddenly "thank you for pointing that out" was in my head with a picture from that scene and I was like NOOO IT CAN'T BE... so I rushed to YouTube and YESSS IT WAS.

Sigh.

Oh well. TYMD Forever. :D Besides, Mr. Palmer's quote still be funny.

Bahahahahaha about the Willoughby thing. It's much more fun to quote it with Willoughby x3 at the end. ;)

Oh, and yes, it is episode 5. :)

P.S. I am quite at a loss to understand how Les Mis could be suggested to cheer somebody up. o.O Well, bring them out of the depths of despair, that is. Same difference. :P

Marie said...

Oh, dear! I liked the idea of Mr. Palmer saying it better.

Margaret Hale said...

The quote is still funny, even if it's mistaken.
Your new blog header is beautiful, by the way.

Rachel Heffington said...

Oh dear. I sympathize with you... truly I do. It's awful to realize something like that. But *we* didn't notice so you're safe. <3

Julia Rogers said...

My dearest Amy,
I am so sorry!! I knew the right version, and i thought:well it SOUNDS like S&S but ..maybe there is something else that sounds just like that....
because i ALWAYS say "the Mr. Palmer quote" to my sister ..when she says something very obvious. =)

Kirsten Fichter said...

Love your new header! Emma has always been a favorite with me!

And you're not the only one to misquote things, so don't feel so badly about it. It really is quite mor'tifying to misquote something and then have your younger brother correct you... fifteen times. :)

Oh! And I've tagged you in a Just Because Tag over at my blog!
http://liannetaimenlore.blogspot.com/2012/10/just-because-tag.html

Hayden said...

oooooohhhhhh noooooo!!!!

Jack said...

I feel your pain. I do this so often I feel the need to go into morning at least once a week.

Allons-y

Eva said...

I actually *knew* that you were mis-quoting it :) My bad for not pointing it out :P