Monday, June 9, 2014

The Great Big Answer Post... Part Two


Annnnnnd we're back with Part Two of the Great Big Answer Post (or should I say saga...)

Naomi Bennet asked...

What would you have done in Margaret Hale's (North and South) situation when she got asked if it was her that was seen at the station with her brother?

That's a very interesting question and one I'm not sure I have an answer for.  (Yes, that's a dangling preposition. Deal with it.)  On the one hand, *prim voice* it's wrong to lie.  On the other hand, if your brother's life might be at stake... yeeeeeeesh.  I might have said that I was there, but refuse to say why or with whom.  Of course this might in its turn lead to trouble... yep, that's a hard question.  I think I'm gonna have to say that I just don't know.


Had you been Miss Lizzy Bennet, would you have been able to find an excuse NOT to dance with Mr. Darcy?

One can always find an excuse if one looks hard enough-- I could always get Charlotte to accidentally step on my foot and render me unfit for the next dance, heehee.  But that wouldn't be the smartest move, really, because then I might not end up with Mr. Darcy in the end, and that would be little short of tragic.

What are your top ten period drama dresses?

I answered this question to some extent in this post-- but if you want the quick version of the answer, basically anything from the wardrobes of Marianne Dashwood, Emma Woodhouse, Esther Summerson, Anne Shirley and Olivia King.  :D

What was the funniest book you've ever read?

Again, hard call!  Maybe Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank and Ernestine Gilbreth... I picked it up when I was fourteen or so, thinking it would be an amusing memoir of a large family's adventures, and it turned out to be so funny, my socks flew off.

...um, sorry, that's a family joke.

Belles on Their Toes, its sequel, is just as good if not better.  Highly recommended!

so this gif doesn't really fit either... but
it's Aaron Tveit.  Shush.

What is your favourite dance?

I'm really, really bad at remembering dance names... but I do love the Virginia Reel and the Laendler (from Sound of Music).  There are a couple of other waltz variations that would rank high on my favorites list but I don't remember what they're called.  :(

What would you have done in Kitty/Lizzy/Mary's case when you saw your mother winking at you?

Wink back, perhaps.  :D  Or else tried to silently figure out what she wanted.

Do you prefer dancing to reading?

Nope, I prefer reading to pretty much anything.  :D

*please note that while I find this gif humorous, it doesn't mean I
necessarily endorsethe movie it comes from.  :P More on this later.*


Molly asked...

What was the title of the oldest story you remember writing?

The Bobbsey Twins and the Blueberry Contest, a brilliant 800-word piece of fanfiction penned (and illustrated!) by my almost-six-year-old self.  And yes, I still have it.  :D


Miss Elliot asked...

What character (for ANY period drama) do you think you most resemble? (Fun fact: I have been imagining you, Miss Dashwood, as Fantine (Anne Hathaway) of course before she cut her hair & so on. Then when I saw a picture of you & Petie, I almost flipped out! One of you actually looks like her! It's probably Petie, so I shouldn't get my hopes up, but whichever one of you has dark hair LOOKS LIKE ANNE HATHAWAY!!!)

I've included Miss Elliot's fun fact in the question as well just so that I can say that Petie (on the left in this shot) is indeed the one with dark hair, and I'm sure she'd be quite delighted to hear she resembles Anne Hathaway!  (Personally I think she looks like Katie Holmes.)

Anyways, if we're talking physical appearance here, then I have no idea whom I might resemble in any period drama... Daniela Denby-Ashe as Margaret Hale is the closest approximation, and even then it's only because of similar hair color and face shape.  (Our eyebrows, for instance, are nothing alike.  Haha.)

Her nose is also smaller than mine.
...Did I say that just so I could include this Benedict Cumberbatch gif?  Yes.  Yes, I did.  Don't you dare judge me.


At any rate, if Miss Elliot is referring to personality and defining characteristics and all that jazz, read on for the answer to that question a few paragraphs after this.  :D


Arwen Undomiel asked...

I know you don't watch/read LotR or Narnia because of the magic content, and I respect your reservations. But I've seen quite a few references to the musical "Wicked" on your blog, and since, from what I know of the musical, that has more magicky content than Lotr or Narnia, I was Slightly Puzzled.  ;) Any thoughts?

Another toughie!  First and foremost I'd like to emphasize that though I do have my own personal standards and boundaries regarding magic/fantasy in books and movies, I am NOT saying that my opinion is the only right one or that magic/fantasy is inherently sinful.  I don't think there are any specific commands in Scripture regarding this topic, so for me to tell you that my own personal convictions are the same thing as God's law would be very, very wrong.  (Pet peeve there, haha.  Opinion is one thing-- telling others what to do is another.)

That said, I shall now proceed to give my opinion.  :D  Briefly and concisely, haha.  In a nutshell, I don't fully endorse the musical Wicked, and though I do quote the songs (and sing some of them!) rather frequently, I don't care for some of the content in the musical... as my sister and I like to say to each other, if it weren't for all the witch business, it'd be an amazing story.  However, I do think that witchcraft/magic is not something that should be presented favorably in fiction, and that's why I prefer to stay away from books and movies that dabble in that sort of thing (LOTR, Narnia, etc.).  Please do understand that I've heard many of the arguments in favor of allegorical fantasy novels, had rousing (and friendly) discussions with friends on this topic, but I remain pretty firmly fixed in my views.

In short, yes, I do enjoy many of the songs and a lot of the hilarious dialogue from Wicked, but overall I really can't endorse the show.  (There are many other shows that I enjoy a few songs from but can't fully endorse, too, haha.)  Does that answer your question?  Hope I wasn't too confusing.  :D

Who is your favorite character in Frozen?

Um.  Let me think.


This guy.  :D


Yep, Kristoff.  Also Anna.  Because they're just so cute together.



Elsa Hosch asked...

What heroine, besides the ambiguous Miss Dashwood, do you identify with the most?

Well, I've always had an Understanding Thing for Anne Shirley... but then, don't we all?  Then there's Elinor Dashwood, for obvious reasons, and also Cynthia Kirkpatrick... I, like, her, am often "not very constant."  Heh.  She doesn't really classify as a heroine though... oh, and there's also Emma Woodhouse, who like me tends to meddle in other people's affairs and speak without thinking.  Sigh.

...But then, she does end up with Mr. Knightley.  :D



What period dramas have you watched without reading the book before hand?

Lorna Doone (still haven't read it, though I keep meaning to), Little Women (1939), and Ivanhoe (1982).  I almost always prefer to read the book first, and have been known to delay watching a movie for long periods of time just so I can finish the book.  Heh.

Do you have a tendency to be more critical of a movie if you have read the book in the past few weeks/months?

I do indeed!  Astute question there, m'dear.  Absence makes the critic in my heart go wander, or something like that... at any rate, if the details of the book are less sharp in my mind, I'm much less likely to go nitpicking throughout the movie.  Doesn't mean I won't find something to complain about, though.  Pointing out things that aren't done right in movies is my one weakness.




Ginger asked...

Who are some literary couples that you wish didn't end up together?

Laurie and Amy in Little Women have never quiiiiiiite seemed right, in my mind.  I don't know if I can honestly say I wish they weren't together though.  (And please note I'm NOT a Jo/Laurie shipper.  Nope, Professor Bhaer and Jo belong together, world without end, amen.)  It just seems to me that they both lost some of their personalities when they got married, which is a sad thing... they're not half as interesting in Little Men or Jo's Boys as they were in the first book(s).

I honestly can't think of anyone else, though if you'd like to jog my memory in the comments you're more than welcome to do so.  I tend to be inclined toward a "the author is always right" mindset, so a couple that ends up happily-ever-after in a book I've enjoyed will usually get a thumbs-up from me.  :D

Film adaptations: Dickens' Little Dorrit or E. Gaskell's Wives and Daughters?




Little Dorrit all the way!

Film adaptations: Wives and Daughters or North & South?

Wives and Daughters all the way again!  I do love N&S, don't get me wrong, but W&D speaks to me on a Personal Level that N&S can't achieve.

Which bothers you more: Gilbert Blythe's greasy hair or Mr. Thornton's spectacularly long nose?

Ummm... I'm getting the impression that someone isn't too thrilled with either Gilbert's or Mr. Thornton's physical appearance.  :P  Personally I think they're both quite good-looking (Gilbert more so, of course) so I'd probably have to complain more about Gilbert's slicked-back hair in that last scene of Anne of Avonlea... his hair is so nice and pleasing to look upon for the most part, it makes that greasy scene even more mortifying.

Here's a gif of Gilbert's hair being nice to make up for it.  :D  With a flat cap because flat caps are cool.



Emma Jane asked...

Did you love P&P from the first time you watched/read it, or did it take a while to grow on you?

It was love at first sight.  Head-over-heels love.  I wanted to watch the whole five hours in one sitting but my mother said I couldn't marry a movie I just met we had to wait and finish the rest of it on a different evening.  And then after that it grew on me even more, just for the record.  :D

What's the oldest movie you've ever watched?

The Rink (1916), starring Charlie Chaplin.  My dad downloaded it on our school computer when I was about nine and my sisters and I watched it faithfully at least once a week, howling with laughter every time... then when my brother was born (and became old enough to appreciate slapstick humor) it became his favorite until he got introduced to an educational film about road construction.  Gotta say, I preferred watching Charlie Chaplin.

Who in your opinion is the most hilarious Dickens character? (Or who do you think are some of the funniest?)

Hard call there!  Probably Flora Finching, Edmund Sparkler, Aunt Betsey Trotwood and Mr. Pancks.  I also realllllllly love Herbert Pocket.


Do you have a particular favorite phrase that you say often? (Like a figure of speech, or movie quote, or just a word.)

Tons and tons and tons.  Some of my favorite oft-repeated quotes (points for you if you can identify 'em)...

"Hold my fin, HOLD MY FIN."
"Yes, thank you, Mary."
"That IS the general idea."
"Come, we must return.  Those two FOOLS who run MY theatre will be missing you..."
"I'm gonna tell him."  "Don't you dare."
"And I'm Javert!"
"Sparkler, be quiet."
"These things do 'appen..."
"NO IT'S NOT OKAY!"
"It's like America... BUT SOUTH."
"How do you spell FBI?"
"You don't like this shirt? ... I like the shirt."
"Let's go KISS HANS? ...Who is this Hans?"
"You are not so cute."
"Ever get any free time?"  "Oh yeah, lots.  ....Bye."
"Robert, you may wait in the hall... I shan't say it again, Robert."
"I'm not happy, Bob.  Not happy."

[It's worth noting that my nine-year-old brother's name is Robert.  It's also worth noting that I love him to pieces and we enjoy saying sarcastic movie quotes to each other with no unkindness intended.]

Oh, and then there's this, which isn't a quote, but... yeah.

Do you ever get tired of reading classics?

'Nuff said.

What's your favorite movie that's not a period drama, or do you even have one?

Up (2009) is one of my favoritest favorites, and the Night at the Museum movies are pretty hilarious.  I also love Roman Holiday... can you tell I have a hard time giving just one answer to these questions?

Are there any authors that you've read, any genre, that you really pointedly dislike?

Contemporarily-written Western romance bugs the Hartford, Hereford and Hampshire out of me... most Amish romances do too.  Yick.  Also vampire novels, duh.


Danaya Huber asked...

If you could ask Jane Austen one question, what would it be?

"Who was the guy you met at the seaside, what was up with the two of you, do you think you might have gotten married, and why on earth did he have to die???"

(Yes, that counts as one question.)

If you had to give up either chocolate or tea, which would you choose?

Umm.... neither.  Nope.


...And since 28 questions still remain, I must ask you all to stay tuned for Part Three.

14 comments:

Ashley said...

I love your GIFs!!

Cheaper by the Dozen is hilarious!! Probably not the funniest I've read though. Have you seen the old movie version of it?

I used to be able to dance the Virginia Reel and the Laendler, Ahhhh!

Laurie and Amy are okay, I guess, but it could be better. I liked Laurie originally, but then when I saw Jack Kelly from Newsies, excuse me, Christian Bale as Laurie, he became ten times more awesome!

I've never really pictured Gilbert Blythe as he looks in the movie (slicked hair, ugh), but he does look handsome in that hat!

I really need to watch Roman Holiday!!!

I can't wait for Part 3!!

Livia Rachelle said...

Haha, the GIF for the first question, excellent way to deal with that!

I am so critical with books and movies, but usually more if I have read them book first. Sometimes I will criticize the movie as I reread the book :P

Jo and Laurie forever. The. end. Alcott intentionally separated them which means that they should have been together.

What is with people and making fun of Mr. Thorton's nose :( It is not that long! And better long than wide. I didn't notice Gilbert's hair was greasy (hello oblivious), just super duper flat. I liked it during the exams when he looked back at her.

Wow, 1916. Would that be near the beginning of films? The oldest film that I can think of watching is a foreign silent film from the 1920's which I had to watch in class.

The Jane Austen question. Yes. yes, yes! When I heard about him, I thought something like,"Why does everyone make such a big deal about Tom Lefroy; this is who she would have married!" I think my question would be more of a whine, "whyyyy did you have Cassandra burn all your letters?" No, actually it would be the end of Sandition. I have a feeling Sydney might have been my favorite Jane Austen "hero."

Anonymous said...

This is hilarious.
You really do look like Margaret Hale!
I REALLy need to watch this Sherlock show! I feel so out of it!
I just wanted to let you know I've recently started a website: http://www.homeschool-girl.com/
For homeschool girls!
I was wondering if you,as a homeschool graduate would be interested in guest posting and/or letting me feature you in my homeschool authors section.
you can email me at: hello(at)homeschool-girl(dot)com
Thanks!
Beth xxx

payton marie said...

I LOOK LIKE ANNE HATHAWAY?!?!?!?
Well, this is a new one. :) Really, I'm quite flattered.

Also, your Herbert Pocket gif. Petie Approved.

I wish I could go through each of your questions and give my heartfelt comments on each, but I must fly for now, m'dear! So I'll just say that these past two questions posts have been my favourite. :)

Evangeline said...

Ok so *scrolls up to begining of page and takes a sip of tea*

North and South hmm never actually watched that, shocking I know! but A+ GIF usage! :)

Um, maybe I don't know I thinking I would have made some feeble excuse and looked silly..

1940's! Need I say more oh and the regency period.. :) Anne Shirley YES! YES (calm down Evie, don't fangirl just yet)

I found "The Importance of Being Earnest" so much fun, we read it as a class and it's dead silent and you just hear me giggling in the corner..
Aaron Tviet!! :D love that man!

Ooh favourite dance... hmmm
the Laendler (from Sound of Music), the waltz from Carousel,the regency dances and Farmer and the Cowman Should Be Friends from Oklahoma :D

I really am like Kitty Bennet so I probably would have asked her what she was winking about.. silly I know..

Reading!

Benedict <3 !!

"Ooooooooooooneeeeeee shoooooortttt dayyyyyyy, Popular, You're gonna be Popular" Ahem.. that is one of my favourite musicals :D

Kristoffffffffffffffff :D

I am also like Anne Shirley but mainly am like Jo March.

I have started recently watching Agatha Christie's Miss Marple without reading the books and I love them!!

Um me critise movies never! *coughiactuallydocoughcough*

Another fan of Jo and the Professor YAY! Yes *nods* I agree

*Takes sip of now cold tea*
ahem..

Yep agree with you on Gilbert!

Fav Quotes:
"I'm not happy, Bob. Not happy."
"Let's go KISS HANS? ...Who is this Hans?"

Roman Holiday swooooooooon I love that film!

Wooooooowwwwwwwww what a long comment sorry!!
Please do pay a visit!
http://ramblingsfromaustralia.blogspot.com.au/

~ Evie :)





Marie said...

I love posts like these. You're good at them, m'dear. :) I got....almost all of those quotes. Up is my favorite tooooooo. It doesn't beat Frozen as a work of art but I like the story better. Western romance, ewwwwww...I've had no personal contact with it but I'm cringing at the thought. Badly written and superficial ones, of course. There's nothing wrong with a romance in a western setting. :D What?? Chocolate or tea? That would be an easy one for me. And that Sherlock gif at the end....I'm swiping it. :)

Beth said...

This was hilarious! I too am sadly suffering from a lack of post ideas. I love the Aaron Tveit gifs!

Naomi Pitts said...

I simply love all your answers!

Haha, I wouldn't have been able to answer my own first question either. That's why I asked you, just to see. :)

Wink back? Hey, that's a good idea. I sometimes imagine how funny it would have been if everyone started winking at each-other including Mr Bingley. Silly I know.

I LOOOOVE the Leandler too!

You know it's EXACTLY the same with me when I watched P&P95 for the first time. I fell head-over-heels in looooove. And my mum said we had to watch one episode every evening. How did I do it!

Yes you do look a little like Margaret Hale, but I think you also look quite a lot like Anne Hathaway. You're very pretty. :)

Thanks for answering my questions, Amy! Everything you wrote was a delight to read, which is not different from the norm, of course.

~Naomi
(from Wonderland Creek)

Raechel said...

Lovely post! I really enjoyed reading this and the last one!
And *ahem*...Gilbert may be handsome, but he does not top Mr. Thornton, aka Richard Armitage. Not possible. I am a steadfast Mr. Thornton admirer. :D
(Thank goodness we can all have different opinions, yeah?) ^.^
Loved the Sherlock gifs so much!

Elsa said...

Thank you for answering my questions, Amy! I really enjoyed reading all your responses and I wish the deadline was not last Sunday - I am bursting with more questions! Maybe you could make this an annual event. 😊

Olivia said...

Yes, thank you, you answered my question wonderfully!:D

Haha these are really entertaining to read!

I can place most of the quotes, but…what are "NO IT'S NOT OKAY!" and "Ever get any free time?" "Oh yeah, lots. …Bye." from??;)

Haha that "what?! No!" gif is hilariousXD

Melody said...

I don't like being told to deal with it. In this instance though, I don't care that there's a dangling preposition. Snort.
Ha, I got asked the same question about Margaret Hale only it was after I'd answered stuff... I was just thinking about what I would have done the other day, actually. I don't feel like writing out my thought process here though, haha. But your answer did cross my mind as a possibility. :P

I think you use answer posts as an excuse to use whatever reaction gifs you can possibly fit in it. That's what I think. ;)

Haaa... well, I prefer dancing to reading, simply because I get less opportunity. If I could only choose one to do from this point forward, of course, I would choose reading, so it depends on how one interprets the question...
And there are Some Things you Sometimes prefer to reading that shall go Unmentioned. :P

WHY HAVE YOU NOT SHOWN ME THAT BOOK THAT YOUR ALMOST SIX YEAR OLD SELF WROTE. You must show it to me next time. I insist.

Wow, whoever Katie Holmes is does look like Petie... who is she? :P

I think perhaps I look more like Margaret Hale than you do. Hahahahaha. :P I don't think her nose is smaller than yours, though. Not at all. In fact hers is rather longer than yours. Haven't you ever seen her profile? ;)

Kristoff is a guy and therefore not my favorite character.
...Okay, that's not entirely accurate. Perhaps guy characters are sometimes my favorite. Buuut hardly ever. :P

I think you talk about being inconstant more than you actually ARE, m'dear. And so far with Important Matters I have not seen you be so. ;)
And you're way less controlling than Emma, haha. I personally haven't observed you meddling but we all do that.
Okay, I'll stop.

HAHAH you watched a version of Little Women before reading the book?? I did not know this thing!
I've been known to think I should delay watching something to read the book and then I don't. *cough*

HEEHEE, when I read the one about literary couples you wished didn't end up together I thought of Laurie and Amy too.

There are some stories where you see what goes wrong after the marriage but sooometimes the bad/annoying guy ends up dead and they marry someone else or something, so those ones don't quite count. Not in Daniel Deronda, though... or HKHWR... I wish that couple hadn't ended up together because then the whole misery of that story wouldn't be there and we'd just have the stuff that I like. HA. Well, part of it anyways.
Of course, you haven't seeen either of those things.

I used to love N&S more but now I think I love W&D more. LOOK AT THAT I CHANGED MY OPINION ABOUT SOMETHING. YOU MAY NOW FAINT.
:P

I LOVE BETSEY TROTWOOD.
But you knew that. Haha.

"Let's go KISS HANS? ...Who is this Hans?"
"You are not so cute."
"Robert, you may wait in the hall... I shan't say it again, Robert."

I'm not sure I recognize those three... do I? :P

I'm afraid I still don't quite understand your fascination with Up. Haha. :P

HAHAHA, you've read neither vampire novels nor most Amish romances. The question was asking what you'd actually read, you know. :P

Aww, it wasn't Jane's fault the seaside dude died. She probably wondered why too. Hahaha.

Theeee end.

Miss Elliot said...

Haha, love this!!! The "do you ever get tired of reading classics" gif is so funny. I keep watching it over and over, and the "not my division" one is hilarious!!
Thank you for answering my question!! Yes, you do look like Margaret Hale!! Very Much Indeed. And yes, I just meant physical appearance. (Speaking of Anne Hathaway, after reading this post I went to read your Les Mis posts again. Can I say how good they are??!!!! Enough said.)

Anonymous said...

Since I am bored (very, very, very bored) and find your blog excessively diverting, I am reading virtually everything on it and making lots of comments too, so, sorry. Aye, I know it's closed...

Anyway, just for the record, you look like Meg. From Little Women 1994.