Most of the time when someone mentions The Questions Game, I think of the one in which everybody has to conduct an entire conversation solely made up of questions. (It's harder than it sounds). But in actual fact (of point), I'm not talking about that Questions Game here. (Note to self: The Questions Game might be fun to play on Blogger. Must try this sometime.) No, I'm talking about the latest trend in blogging circles. First Rachel did it, then Maria did it, then Abby did it, and now I am joining the ranks with a "me too!"
Because, y'know, I steal people's ideas. All. The. Time.
But I am redeeming myself by citing the people that I've stolen from, and therefore... well, as Mark Twain said, "When you copy one man's ideas, it's called plagiarism; when you copy many men's ideas, it's research." Anyways. I still haven't told you what I'm driving at.
Is there anything about me that you want to know... but don't?
Yep, peoples, that's the question. I'm opening the comments-- you can ask me anything you like and I'll do my best to answer! I do, of course, reserve the right to skip over any questions that I'm not comfortable with (i.e., invasion of privacy &c.) but I'll do my best to tell you what you want to know. And I shall not say that you can't just come bursting in here saying you want to know, you know, because far be it from me to ever quote Tite Barnacle. Wait.... I just DID quote Tite Barnacle...
"Well, you'll just have to live here then. Bye-bye." ~Frank Churchill, Emma
I am one of the most indecisive people I know. This is probably why Philippa Gordon and I get along so well. Or at least we would if she were a real person, and had been born a hundred years later than she was (or if I had been born a hundred years earlier) and if she lived in the United States (or I lived in PEI) which she probably wouldn't because, hello, Yankees. Hmmm, now I'm going off on a rabbit trail...
What I'm trying to say here is that I have a terrifically hard time making up my mind about Emma 1996, aka the Miramax Emma, aka the Gwyneth Paltrow Emma. There were things I loved about it. There were things I disliked. I can't say I really hated anything, which was good, but overall it gave me a sense of... well, blah.
Oh, and disclaimer to all y'all who DO like this version best-- please don't hesitate to shout me down in the comments. I look forward to hearing from you and there's nothing I like better than a good period drama debate (although please do respect my opinion and I'll respect yours).
It would make sense for me to begin with Emma herself. Obviously. So I shall say that Gwyneth Paltrow is not my idea of Emma. Now, I've read that she does a good job of portraying Emma's snootiness and snobbery and all that, and I agree, but I don't think she does a very good job of portraying the sweet side of Emma. I was finding her annoying, and I felt guilty about that, which spoiled my enjoyment of her character. So yes, I was not particularly pleased with Gwyneth Paltrow's Emma. She seemed way too sure of herself-- and though yes, Emma is supposed to have great self-confidence, I saw none of Emma's vulnerability or anxiety to please and impress people. Also, she was too old. I realize Romola Garai wasn't exactly twenty-one either, but GP (yes, I'm abbreviating) looked closer to thirty.
But she WAS incredibly lady-like, tactful, gracious and always had perfect posture (something Romola Garai sadly lacked, I'm afraid), which was nice to see. I liked how she so skillfully steered conversations away from touchy subjects. "Did I mention we are having a new drain installed?"
Now, as for Jeremy Northam's Mr. Knightley.... hooo boy. Okay. Let's approach this nicely and civilly and quietly and without a fuss.
I didn't like him.
*ducks rotten vegetables*
I know, I know. Jeremy Northam's Mr. Knightley is supposed to be the best thing since sliced toast and he's supposed to rival Colin Firth's Darcy and all that. But sorry, you guys, I just can't like him very much. For one thing, I felt as though I didn't have a chance to get to know his character. I'm an avid fan of movies that are at LEAST three or four hours long (haha, Melody's gotten an earful on that subject, haven't ya Tween?) and I don't think two measly hours in a cinema are sufficient for the development of someone as amazing as my Mr. Knightley. (Yes, I said "my.")
Besides which, he didn't strike me as being the caring, older-brotherly sort--- I kept getting the impression that he was laughing in his sleeve at Mr. Woodhouse (well, can't really blame him there) and that he was more interested in making fun of Emma than in actually seeking to help her and improve her. The Badly Done scene, however, was Well Done indeed (done well, Donwell... I need to stop making stupid puns--although in actual fact, that pun is from Letters from Pemberley and isn't my own making, but I'm getting off track now) . I have to admit that. Still and all, I prefer Jonny Lee Miller's Mr. Knightley (even though I still think he didn't quite measure up in every single respect... yes, I'm picky about the portrayals of my favorite literary hero.) And do not mention Mark Strong's butchery portrayal to me at this time. Or at any time.
And while we're on the subject, sire, do not mention the horrific rendition of my beloved Chapter Forty-Nine. I was on the verge of TEARS, peoples. That proposal is just so beautiful and they BLEW IT. And like I said, I never got the sense that Mr. Knightley DID love Emma all that much. "I rode through the rain! I'd - I'd ride through worse than that if I could just hear your voice telling me that I might, at least, have some chance to win you," doesn't sound quite so convincing when the guy who's saying it is making approximately his fourth appearance in the entire film. (Enough rants, Amy, move on.) "Marry me. Marry me, my wonderful, darling friend." No. No, no, no. Where is "If I loved you less I might be able to talk about it more"????? I'm seeking it here, I'm seeking it there, and I can't find it anywhere... Okay, sorry. I did say I'd stop. I will. I WILL.
Toni Colette's portrayal of Harriet Smith... well, she grew on me. I didn't like her AT ALL at first, and though I'm still mad that the producers didn't pay any attention to Jane Austen's description of Harriet in the book (hello, the woman doesn't often describe people so minutely---sit up and take notice!) she was a genuinely likable character and I really felt for her by the end. In fact, I felt bad for her throughout a lot of the movie. Drop that Miss Woodhouse and find yourself a real friend, girl. Believe me, all she wants to do is rearrange your life and she's not even very good at it!
Ahem.
Anyways, I found Harriet's klutziness rather endearing, and the scene in which she and Emma are puzzling over Mr. Elton's riddle was quite amusing indeed. Excessively diverting. I'll digress here for a moment to say that you mustn't get me wrong--this movie was indeed excessively diverting and I found myself laughing out loud (not just in my mind) in nearly every scene. "Try not to kill my dogs."
Now, back to Mr. Elton's riddle. Anne-girl and I first heard about this movie years and years and YEARS ago, long before we were acquainted with Jane Austen, from friends of ours who really loved it. I remember them quoting the riddle scene (twisted and paraphrased, of course) one day at lunch--"Chips--corn--CORN CHIPS!" Ahem. Moving on...
Alan Cumming's Mr. Elton was not as slimy and hilarious as Blake Ritson's, but I did find him amusing. "A party is a party!" Mrs. Elton, on the other hand... well, I must throw a party for her. Otherwise everyone will feel at once how much I dislike her. But then again, you are supposed to dislike Mrs. Elton. (Is it possible that Mr. Elton met her while doing charitable work in a mental infirmary?) Christina Cole was still better (this Mrs. Elton seemed a wee bit too old) but overall I enjoyed Juliet Stevenson's portrayal. Of course I do not pretend to be an expert on characters, but my friends say I am.
Now, as far as Ewan MacGregor's portrayal of Frank Churchill goes, well, I honestly couldn't take him seriously with that wig. Sink me, I could hardly bring myself to look upon it. Too bad this Frank never went to London to get his hair cut, because it struck me as being imperative business indeed. Overall he wasn't too bad, but not great either. Polly Walker's Jane Fairfax, though quite nice, wasn't as sweet and endearing as Laura Pyper's Jane. However, she did seem more sophisticated and elegant--but was that true to the novel? I can't remember. I need to read the book again.
But to be positive (sink me, if I'm not saying something nice. For a change) Sophie Thompson was utterly delightful as Miss Bates--in fact, she was lovely, lovely, lovely. "Angel, mother--PORK!" Other things I liked-- Greta Scacchi was good as Mrs. Weston, but there was nothing "wow" in her portrayal. Mr. Woodhouse was, unfortunately, forgettable. Michael Gambon just owns that role. Sorry.
I was most pleased by the fact that they included the famous "Brother and sister? No indeed!" quote, but the Mr.-Knightley-and-Emma dance scene didn't thrill me the way it did in the 2009 version. And the dancing didn't seem quite as authentic-for-the-time-period, either.
I think really the biggest fault with this film is that the creators tried too hard to make it appealing to modern audiences. The costumes are in many places inaccurate (although I'm no expert on Regency fashions, even I could tell that Emma's shoes are way too 20th-century) and the dialogue is rarely taken straight from the book. It's funny, yes, and enjoyable to watch, but it's not Jane Austen's Emma. It's Miramax's Emma. I've ranted about this topic before in my review of Pride and Prejudice 2005.
The reason Jane Austen was such a brilliant writer--nay, a genius--was that she captured human nature. She wrote about people and how they related to one another. Times and fashions and language and societies change, but people do not. Any person, no matter what era they live in, can relate to Jane Austen's amazing characters. So when a filmmaker tries to "update" a classic story and change things around in order to please shallow moviegoers, that filmmaker has made a mistake.
You can go here to read the rest of that review if you like.
If you'd like to see a little taste of the movie, I've embedded the trailer below. Unfortunately, this video cuts off before it reaches the end, but it's fun nonetheless.
All in all, I enjoyed this movie and would recommend it--to those who are seeking an old-fashioned, clean, romantic comedy. If you want to see an accurate depiction of Jane Austen's novel, go with the 2009 Masterpiece adaptation.
(Now that was a post title rather different from what I usually write, no? Yes. Well, to be perfectly honest, this post is going to be rather different from what I usually write, but please just bear with me. Thank you. Thank you.)
I've been blogging for six months now. Six months and two days, actually. Yep, I missed my first half-blog-o-versary (but I'm not crying myself to sleep over the fact). Sometimes it feels as if I'd been doing this forever, and sometimes I feel like an utter newbie, still tentatively testing the waters.
When I first started blogging, it was a spur-of-the-moment thing. I'd been writing a private blog about life and other stuff for about two and a half years before I began this one, so it wasn't completely uncharted territory. But I'd never yet ventured much into the forays of the Public Blogging World, so it was with some timidity that I set up this page and posted my first post. And it was with even more timidity that I started de-lurking on some of the blogs I'd been stalking for a while and began doing that thing called "actually leaving comments". And, wonder of wonders, many of these bloggers commented back. And followed the link to my blog. These were girls I'd never met before. Girls who share my interests and hobbies and passions, girls who are--and I don't use this word lightly--kindred spirits. I'm still flabbergasted every time I discover another person who "likes what I like". "What, another Little Dorrit fan? I thought we were a rare breed!"
And now, today, I'm looking at the homepage of Yet Another Period Drama Blog, still not quite believing the number that I'm seeing on the Google Friend Connect gadget. One hundred followers. One hundred people who "like what I like". One hundred fellow sojourners.
And now... it's time to be honest. Because frankly, honestly, truthfully, deep down inside, my first reaction at seeing that my blog had reached the hundred-follower mark was, "Wow. A hundred followers already? All these people wanting to read what I have to say-- I must be pretty awesome."
I cannot believe I just told you that, but there it is in black and white and I'm not retracting it because looking at it and wincing is good for toning down my ego. Which could use a little toning down. (See above.)
But I have to wonder-- what am I really striving to do on this blog? Am I writing about things I love so that I can share my passions with others who are interested? Or am I trying to be popular, seeking for attention, rejoicing inwardly whenever the number of pageviews goes up?
Well, it's both. :P And yes, I'm being brutally honest here and all that, and if you don't like reading all this, if it's ruining the image you had of the Perfect and Sweet Miss Dashwood Who Never Does Anything Wrong, you don't have to read this post. Wait, what? You don't think I'm perfect and sweet and never do anything wrong? .... Oh.
I'm going to admit something else here, and that is that when I started this blog, I daydreamed of becoming one of those Super-Bloggers who had a gazillion trillion followers, garnered hundreds of comments on each post, was constantly sought-out and gushed over and was well-beloved by everybody. And quite honestly---haven't we all dreamed of that from time to time?
I'm not a Super-Blogger, not by a long shot. I don't have a gazillion trillion followers, my posts do not garner hundreds of comments, and I'm not constantly sought-out or gushed over. (The well-beloved by everybody part... well, you can draw your own conclusions. Kidding. KIDDING.) And frankly, the more I think about it, the more I realize that I don't want to be a Super-Blogger. I would rather have a (comparative) few followers who understand what I'm talking about, who participate in enthusiastic comment wars (Sir Percy or Mr. Darcy? I can't decide... but don't kill me...) who write blogs that I want to read and who, in short, are friends. That sounds so much nicer than being a Blogger of Note with a gazillion trillion followers who post hundreds of comments. (Would I even have time to read hundreds of comments, let alone reply to them? I think not.)
And yet, even though I say all that (and truly do mean it) there's still the other side of the coin (it's a multi-faceted coin. Just imagine a Rubix cube that you can buy things with---only don't try using it to settle a dispute): the side that includes desperately wanting to fit in. Yep, I'm guilty of that one almost daily. I read other people's blogs and love them and want to be just like them-- and so I resort to (sometimes unconsciously, sometimes consciously--yes, I DID just tell you that) trying to copy them. Anne Shirley says that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but Proverbs says that a man who flattereth his neighbor spreadeth a net for his feet. And since I don't want to trip any of you, I shouldn't be trying to imitate you.
This is getting ramble-y, but you know what? Rambling is what Tigger Amy does best. That's what I do. I ramble. And, yes, I envy those of you who post coherent and clearly concise writing that does not ramble but instead chooses a topic and sticks to it. I need to work on doing that, but I also need to write what I'm comfortable with. Without trying to please everybody, without trying to make myself be liked. Without trying to be somebody I'm not. Without trying to gain popularity, without seeking attention. "Favor is deceitful," after all! So why am I so often striving after vain things?
Blogging, for me, is turning out to be a journey. I'm learning so much every day. I'm sharpening my writing skills (well, a little bit), organizing my own ideas about things (opinions always sound so much better when they're written out) and making new friends (which is, indubitably, the very swellissimus-est part of it all). I'm resolving to try to focus on that in the next six months (and in the--hopefully--many more to come) instead of thinking about How To Make Bloggers Like Me and Like My Blog. (Ouch.) I'm going to write what I love, share what makes me feel happy inside. The truth of the matter is that I still will feel a little squealy inside when the pageviews go up. I will still get excited when a new follower joins. Although that last one is because I wouldn't be writing this if no one were following. True? True. So thank you, each and every one of the one hundred, because I wouldn't be writing this without you. Here's to you! (*Amy stops herself from randomly breaking into a Les Miserables song*--it's amazing how one little phrase can set me off...)
Mr. Phillips: Let us not have tears; partings are a natural part of life... To ease the pain of this news, I have glad tidings. We shall adjourn early this afternoon, make our way to the Spurgeon farm, where Moody's parents have consented to host a celebration in honor of my departure. Moody Spurgeon: Nobody told me.... eh, heh.
~Anne of Green Gables
First of all, I should like to apologize to all of you who were fooled by my April Fool's Day post yesterday. Obviously, the point of the post was to fool you and perhaps make you laugh, but I honestly never thought anyone was really going to take me seriously! "I am sorry to cause pain to anyone, but it was most unconsciously done, and I hope will be of short duration." However, I must say that I was quite touched by your expressions of regret at my "departure" and I assure you that I have no plans to stop blogging anytime in the near future. (And I might add that Melody, who I always thought was my friend, seems quite capable of getting on nicely without me, and that my Sister Dear appears to be planning a celebration in honor of my departure, and that Ally thinks I'm horrid and has already sustained two heart attacks. Ahem.)
Moving on...
my sister Anne-girl is hosting a Hero Week at her blog, Scribblings Of My Pen, at the end of April! She's provided some lovely buttons to advertise the event, and since I couldn't decide which I liked best, I'm posting three of them here. :) Click on the buttons to go to her blog and read all about it!
...the Claw has chosen me. I go on to a better place!
I never can resist quoting Toy Story. Sorry. :P
Anyways, this post is going to serve as a sort of goodbye. I've really enjoyed the few months I've spent blogging, and getting to know all of y'all has been great, but I just need to take a different direction in my life now. I'm getting fed up with all the costume drama stuff, and I think I just need to move past the Austen-and-Dickens obsession. (And even though Ally's probably having a heart attack right now, I've discovered that there IS such a thing as too much Scarlet Pimpernel.) I'd still like to keep in touch with you ladies, of course, and I'll continue to read blogs and all that, but I'm really quite tired of writing reviews and posting things. It gets old, you know. And for that reason, I've decided that from henceforth Yet Another Period Drama Blog is no more.
So this is goodbye, and it's actually a bit hard for me to write this, but I do believe it's for the best.
This is a forty-four step tag-- you tell eleven random things about yourself, answer eleven questions posed by the person who tagged you, make up eleven questions of your own and then tag eleven people to answer those questions. Don't worry, it takes a lot less time than you might think.
Eleven random things about myself (ugh, this part is always the hardest):
1. My left ring finger is crooked. Not drastically so, but the top section of it bends to the right.
2. I love practically all herbal and fruit-flavored teas-- except for peach tea. Can't stand that one.
3. Last week I went to a movie theater for the very first time in my entire life. (My sister and I and our grandparents went to see the Royal Ballet company do Romeo and Juliet, and it. was. amazing. I'm not much of a ballet fan, but I LOVED that performance.)
4. I have dislocated my elbow twice, but have never broken a bone.
5. I am exactly five and a half feet tall.
6. I visited the White House during the Bush administration (the second Bush, obviously) and I saw the presidential dogs, Barney and Miss Beazley, live and in person dog.
7. I am deathly afraid of heights, and we are talking pure, unadulterated, shaking-in-my-shoes TERROR here. You couldn't get me to go up in the Empire State Building even if you bribed me with dark chocolate.
8. One of my pipe dreams is to act in a Broadway musical someday. You can have eighteen guesses as to which one. :P
9. I like smilies and emoticons and use them frequently. Mostly for the purpose of driving my sister nuts. (She hates them.)
10. Rex the dinosaur (from Toy Story) is probably my favorite animated character ever. "Hey, how do you spell FBI???" "Oh great. Now I have guilt!" (And the fact that he was voiced by Vizzini makes him doubly funny...)
And now for a fact that isn't particularly random, but I thought I'd stick it here nonetheless...
11. My parents have given me permission to post my first name on my blog, so now the Mystery Will Be Revealed. (I still like using Miss Dashwood, of course, but I think it would be nice if y'all knew me by a slightly less formal handle.)
My first name is...
No, peoples, my first name is not Little. Nice try. Very funny. Nope, my name is Amy. It's short for Amelia, so you can call me Miss Warne if you want, but I usually go by Amy. And of course you can still call me Miss Dashwood if you like. But now you have a choice of options. :D
And now for Charity's eleven questions:
1. What’s your favorite breakfast food?
I adore yogurt of any kind (Greek is best, though), fruit is my passion and I'm quite fond of bagels. And omelets. Breakfast and I are on very good terms. Actually, food and I are on pretty good terms, in general. :D
2. What’s your favorite book by Jane Austen? Pride and Prejudice. Hands down.
3. What’s your favorite period drama?
I have to choose one?? All right, since Jane Austen adaptations are covered in another question, I'll say Little Dorrit (2008).
4. What’s your favorite book by a more modern author?
Hmm... I'd have to say At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon.
5. What’s your favorite kind of chip?
"Zest of Lime" white corn tortilla chips. That is snack heaven.
6. What’s your favorite fast food restaurant?
I really don't like fast food. I know I sound like a health freak (which I'm not, haha) but it's quite true. If I had to choose, though, it would probably be Arby's.
7. What’s your favorite classic book not by Jane Austen?
That's a toss-up between Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery, Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens, Les Miserables by Victor Hugo and The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy.
8. What’s your favorite Jane Austen film adaption?
Pride and Prejudice 1995 and Emma 2009 tie for that spot.
9. What’s your favorite movie soundtrack?
Is it cheating to say Les Miserables? Because technically the movie hasn't even come out yet, but I have the soundtrack to the 10th Anniversary Concert DVD... and so that's a soundtrack. I have the funniest feeling that Charity wasn't referring to musicals in this question... oh well. :D
10. What’s your favorite place to read?
In bed at night with a cup of tea.
11. What’s your favorite thing to blog about?
Characters from my favorite books and movies. I love people and I love classic literature and I love period drama, so the three combine to make my favorite blogging topic!
Now for my eleven questions: 1. Describe your dream pair of shoes. 2. What's your favorite children's picture book? 3. What's your favorite fruit? 4. How tall are you? (I always like to know how tall people are-- not sure why. Don't worry, I'm not asking for your weight... and if you feel it's an invasion of your privacy to post your height, you can substitute a picture of a cute kitten for this question.) 5. If money was no object, where would you like to go on your honeymoon? 6. Who is your favorite singer? 7. What's the next book on your to-read list? 8. What's your biggest language-related pet peeve? (i.e., what phrases or words bug you the most?) 9. Which movie lines do you quote the most? (share as many or as few as you like) 10. If you could wear any outfit from a movie for a day, what would you choose? 11. What's your favorite dessert?
And I tag eleven people (in alphabetical order, haha, because I like things to be Done Decently And In Order)...
A couple of weeks ago, my blogging friend Payton hosted a bookmark giveaway over at her blog, Dirt and Dickens. I entered (naturally--- I always enter giveaways, though I almost never win them) and since I wasn't expecting to win, I won. Okay, maybe that wasn't why I won, but it did happen that way. :D Thank you so much, Petie!
The prize for the giveaway was one of the lovely lettered bookmarks that Payton creates, and the winners got to choose what they wanted their bookmarks to say. I don't know what the other winner chose, but I picked a classic catchphrase from one of my favorite movies, and Payton made it up into a simply delightful bookmark! Check it out...
Here you can see the bookmark gracing the spine of one of my favorite books. The quote comes from the movie and not the book, but... hush.
I'm really looking forward to using this bookmark as I improve my mind (heehee). Right now I'm on page 172 of The Princess Bride, so I can't really say I'm improving my mind, but I'm definitely getting a good laugh out of the experience. (If you liked the movie, go read the book posthaste.)
But I'm not here to talk about TPB; I'm here to talk about my bookmark. It's adorable, of course, but that's not the only reason I like it. It also fits nicely into my book without leaving creases or marks, and it doesn't bend or pinch the spine in any way. Plus, I am quite sure it will prove to be a good conversation starter. :D
Is this post a shameless plug for Payton's bookmark shop, you might ask? Why, wherever would you get such an idea as that? *wide-eyed innocence* Shamelessly or not, (you can draw your own conclusions) I do encourage y'all to hop on over to Payton's shop and order your own personalized elastic bookmark today!
P.S. Oh, and she isn't paying me to say all this, just so ya know-- these are my own completely unbiased opinions about her product. Which I love. And you will too, so go click that link.
It's been quite a while since I posted anything about my NaNoWriMo story (possibly owing to the fact that NaNoWriMO was four months ago), but I've been wanting to do a Beautiful People thingy with one of my characters for quite some time. The only problem was, I couldn't decide which character to do, but this month's questionnaire solved everything. March's Beautiful People is on relationships, and you can fill it out for any two of your characters that have a special kind of relationship (romantic, familial, friendship, whatever).
Elizabeth Sophia Markette and Rodney Edgerton Burke are the male and female protagonists of Only a Novel, and naturally they end up together at the end. (There, I just spoiled it for you. Abject apologies. :P) I could go on and on and on, but I'll just answer the questionnaire for now and then if you're confused you can leave a comment and I'll do my best to clear things up.
I do, however, wish to take a teeny moment and squeal with delight over the fact that I have found Elizabeth! There are few moments more glorious than that one where you know you are staring straight into the face of your character. Now at last I can actually look at her and picture her saying the things I want her to say, etc. etc. etc.
Here she is, folks-- Miss Elizabeth Markette, in the flesh digital photo. To some of you, she may be recognizable as Bella Wilfer from Our Mutual Friend but to me she's Elizabeth. To a T. Except for her hair-- Elizabeth's supposed to be a dark blonde, but I can imagine her hair as being different than what it really is. A certain literary heroine of which we know of was quite good at doing that sort of thing. :D
And to make things fair and even, here's Rodney, too. Who you may already know as Roger Hamley from Wives and Daughters. Rodney's actually a cross between Roger Hamley and Henry Tilney from Northanger Abbey, but this picture best fits my mental image of him.
Without further ado, the Questions.
1. Do they believe in anything that most people think is impossible?
Hmm... well, Rodney is an incurable optimist. Elizabeth is more cautious and not too quick to believe in anything just at first (except for storybook endings, haha). But as for believing in the impossible... not particularly.
2. Are they strong, or the "damsel/knight in distress" sort?
Ha. HAHAHAHAHA. Sorry. I'm just getting too much amusement out of picturing Elizabeth as a damsel in distress and Rodney being Knightley and rescuing her... I think even Elizabeth would find that far-fetched. And as for the idea of Rodney being a knight in distress... HA.
They found Mercy in tears—Mercy who supposedly never cried. Something cold and hard and terrifying settled in Elizabeth’s stomach.
“Mercy… what’s wrong?”
She didn’t appear ill or injured. It wasn’t Rodney, of course—it couldn’t be, because nothing bad ever happened to Rodney. Ever.
3. Do they have a special place? (e.g. a corner in his/her bedroom, under a tree...)
The place where they spend the most time together would definitely be the Crimps' stable. Rodney works there, taking care of the horses and cleaning the stalls and whatnot, and Elizabeth brings the children she teaches (Jonathan and Isabelle Crimp) out to see the horses every so often. Increasingly more often as the story goes on. Heehee.
4. What occupation do they have, or plan on having?
Rodney is a carriage driver, gardener, groom, parrot catcher and man-of-all-work for Mr. and Mrs. Crimp. (I think Mr. Crimp has a first name, but I can't remember what it is. Dear, dear.) Elizabeth is the governess for Mr. and Mrs. Crimp's two older children. (The Crimps also have a two-year-old named Maria but she's of little importance.)
5.Describe their current place of residence.
Rodney lives with his little sister in a tiny apartment above the stable. The apartment above the stables bordered on sparse. One room served as a sort of dining kitchen, and two doors opened off it into what Elizabeth presumed were bedrooms. “I cook our meals in here,” Mercy explained, “on Evangeline, and—” “Evangeline?” It was rude to interrupt, but curiosity often overpowered manners. “Oh, that is what we call our lumpy old stove. She is anything but sweet and dainty as the name might suggest, so one day Rodney was in a perverse mood and dubbed her Evangeline after Longfellow’s heroine, and the name stuck.”
(I'm not especially fond of this part because I think it sounds forced, but I haven't had time to revise it because I promised myself I would kill my inner editor and JUST WRITE the rest of the story before I started revising. :P But I included that excerpt anyway because it's the only thing I have describing where Rodney lives. I'm not big on description, in case you couldn't tell.)
Elizabeth has a small, whitewashed bedroom in the servants' quarters of the Crimp home. The room is uncarpeted and there are no pictures on the walls, but that's her own fault because she hasn't bothered to put any up. Elizabeth put down her pen and stared moodily at the wall. Heroines in novels always gazed wistfully out of the window, but the tiny table in her tiny bedroom faced the wall, not the window.
6. Explain their last crisis. How had they changed when they came out of it?
Heehee. Well... for starters I suppose I should say that Only a Novel isn't a crisis-y kind of story. It's about normal people, in a normal setting, who do normal, everyday things. Because that's the kind of story I like to read, y'all, and so that's the kind of story I write.
But anyway, even though there are no death-defying rescues or heart-stopping disasters in my novel, there are quite a few crises in the form of Uncomfortable Moments. Because, y'know, Uncomfortable Moments can seem like crises at the time. And believe me, Elizabeth and Rodney (well, Elizabeth anyway) have (has) quite a few of those. (This may or may not be because I get an evil delight out of putting my poor characters into cringe-inducing situations. Muwahahahaha.)
To actually answer the question that's been posed, the last crisis Elizabeth and Rodney went through would probably be the ultra-awkward afternoon when Elizabeth ran smack into her friend Lavinia at Kensington Gardens. Ran smack into her quite literally, I might add. Elizabeth had taken Jonathan and Isabelle to the Gardens as per Mrs. Crimp's orders, and Rodney came along. To drive the carriage, you know. Anyway, the kids brought a kite with them, and... here. It's easier to just throw in an excerpt than to recap it all. :)
“I want to fly the kite,” Isabelle piped up. “It’s mine,” said Jonathan, “and I will get the first turn.” He glanced back at Elizabeth. “Just let me run ahead a tiny bit, Miss Markette.” “As long as you stay within my sight,” Elizabeth conceded. “No, you come with us,” Jonathan urged. “Cassandra and Maria [the baby and her nursemaid, reverse respectively] can poke along here as slowly as they want. You come with us, and you can toss up for me.” “Toss up?” Elizabeth had never tossed up a kite before. Grandfather had always done it for her when they went out together, and after Grandfather’s death she had been too old to fly kites. “I’ll do it,” Rodney offered, appearing rather disconcertingly at Elizabeth’s elbow. “No one is going to steal the brougham, and I’d be far more interested in helping with a kite than watching Virgil and Opus bite grass and chew it at each other all morning.”
Elizabeth had almost forgotten about Rodney. It would indeed be rather dull for him to stay with the horses all day while she and the children roamed the gardens. She was not entirely sure about the propriety of flying kites with a stable hand in public, but a cursory look around her convinced her that no one would be witnessing the unladylike deed.
So they fly the kite and have a great deal of fun, but then Jonathan and Isabelle start fighting, which turns into a Heart-Stopping Chase Scene (okay, so maybe it isn't heart-stopping, but it IS a chase) which turns into Elizabeth's tearing after them to tell them to stop running (haha). And she ends up practically knocking down her friend Lavinia Solange Vivian Bancroft, who just happened to be out walking with her Auntie. (This is getting long-- I'd better wrap it up.)
At any rate, Elizabeth is much mortified, and Lavinia is even more mortified at the idea of her particular friend racing around in a public place in the company of a stable hand. So naturally she is quite cool and frosty to poor Elizabeth. Rodney, of course, is completely unfazed and seems to think the whole thing rather funny, but Elizabeth wants nothing more than to go home and thunk her head against the wall. In frustration, you know. What comes of all this is, actually, a bit of a light-bulb moment for Elizabeth. It's the beginning of the end of her uppity-ness (a big problem at the beginning of the story) because it begins to show her that Lavinia's attitude towards people-of-the-working-class is silly and snobby, and that she (Elizabeth) has been behaving in the exact same way without realizing it.
Long answer, there.
Oh, and as for Rodney-- for him it just provided some amusement. And a chance to show Miss Bancroft that stable hands are gentlemen, too, because of course he was unflinchingly polite and didn't laugh until it was all over.
7. If they could drive any kind of car they wanted, what would it be?
There were no such things as cars in 1881 or 1882, so... next, please.
8. How do they deal with change?
They're both pretty good with change. Elizabeth, at the beginning of the story, is faced with the loss of her grandmother (her guardian) and utter financial ruin. She takes the whole thing in stride and sets out to earn her own living. With a few romantic notions, of course, that get a bit ka-squooshed as time goes on. It's a learning experience. :)
Rodney lost both his parents when he was still a teenager, as well as his family's estate, and like Elizabeth he didn't let it get him down. He simply went looking for work and did his best with what he had and didn't waste time feeling sorry for himself. (Did I mention I liked this guy?)
9. If they had to amputate one body part, which one would they choose?
To quote Anne-girl, "Gross!" Um, probably a foot? Neither of them would take kindly to giving up their hands.
10. What would their favorite be at the local coffee shop?
Rodney takes his coffee black, with sugar (yes, there's a little of me in him) and Elizabeth would probably take hers black without sugar. They're not the creamer type.
The questions about their relationship.
1. How did they meet?
They met when Elizabeth first came to work for the Crimps-- she was out taking a stroll around the garden and tripped over the gardener. The rest, as they say, is history. :D
She was just beginning to calm down again when she found herself stumbling over a person kneeling at the edge of one of the flowerbeds. The person, oddly enough, seemed to be talking to the flowerbed. It was a young man, dressed in rough outdoor clothes: obviously the gardener. He jumped up immediately to apologize. “I’m so sorry, I had no idea anyone was out here,” he said. In his left hand he held a trowel and in the right, a large garden toad. Elizabeth was not afraid of most wild creatures, but the sight of the toad so startled her that she nearly screamed. Of course she did not do such an indecorous thing, but she came very close. “Er, no, I beg your pardon,” she said, swallowing twice. “I wasn’t looking where I was going.” Her eyes were glued to the toad, which blinked at her quite sleepily and rearranged himself more comfortably in the young man’s hand. “Allow me to introduce my friend,” said the young man with a courtly bow, removing his hat. “This is the Toad Who Inhabits The Back Garden. I haven’t actually named him yet, but if you have a suggestion I’d be most eager to hear it.”
2. How do these two deal with conflict?
With each other, or conflict in general? Elizabeth doesn't like confrontation and will most likely back out of an argument if things get heated. Rodney doesn't go looking for a fight, but he will stick to his guns and not back down when something important is at stake. "I will never sacrifice truth on the altar of politeness. But I will also do my best to be civil at all times."
3. Do they have a special song, phrase, item, or place?
Well, they don't, but I as their author do... the song "I See The Light" usually comes to mind when I'm writing about their relationship. Just... because. :)
4. What kind of things do they like to do together?
Talk about books. Talk about life in general. Laugh.
5. Describe their relationship as a whole in 3 words or less.
Took long enough!
(That's a slightly paraphrased quote from Rodney's sister Mercy, by the way. :D)
And to cap it all off, I present you with a picture of the lovely couple. I amaze myself with my amazing Photoshopping skills at times. Quite lovely, no? (It's okay. You can say no. I won't die of anguish. Well, I might, but I won't tell you and so you won't feel bad.)
I'm participating again in Miss Elizabeth Bennet's delightful Period Drama Advice Event. This time, the advice-seeking letter comes from one of my favorite period drama characters of all time. So I decided to reciprocate by writing an advice letter from another of my favorite characters... I only hope I did him justice. At least a little.
Dear Period Drama Advice Column,
I received a proposal from a dear friend of mine, John Chivery. I refused him because I do not love him. I am very fond of John, but I could never feel that way about him. I wish I could; it distresses me to see him unhappy, but I can’t love him — not in that way, not to be his wife. I would rather stay and look after my father than marry someone I do not love. I hope he will find a good wife one day because he deserves one. I am in love with another man, Arthur Clennam, but he is in love with someone else who I don’t know. And now because I refused John, everybody is unhappy or angry with me. What should I do?
Sincerely,
Amy Dorrit
My dear Miss Dorrit,
Asking me for advice, what? Sink me, I'm far too embarrassed... well, if you insist.
How very troubling this all sounds. 'Twould seem your friend Mr. Chivery is in some distress, and though you might at first be inclined to go to the rescue, I would not advise it. It sounds as though the man isn't even capable of tying his own cravat.
You will think now, Miss Dorrit, that I am not serious, but I tell you I am. Deadly serious. And if you think I don't know the meaning of love... well, you are wrong on that point. Quite wrong. You cannot marry a man you do not love, mademoiselle, and you will only set yourself up for unhappiness. No, no, it will not do. You must refuse this Mr. Chivery as kindly as you can; it is not fair to him if you cannot love him as he loves you. Or is, love, too, a crime these days?
I' faith, mademoiselle, I do wish I could see your face as you read this letter and the contrast between the beginning and the end. Let that be a lesson to you, Miss Dorrit. Never take anyone for granted.
You needn't ask for my identity-- I am a phantom, my lady. Nothing more than a phantom.
Yours sincerely,
They seek him here, they seek him there Those Frenchies seek him everywhere Is he in heaven? or is he in hell? That demmed elusive Pimpernel!
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