Day 09 and a possibility
Day 09. Most hated foe of a heroine.
I actually had a very hard time coming up with an answer to this question -- there are so many Austen "foes" that I love to hate! -- until I read hotaruanne's answer. Now I'm going to steal it, and give the "most hated foe" title to Lucy Steele from Sense and Sensibility. From her introduction in the novel, Lucy is revealed to be a manipulative person with an elevated sense of her own importance; her behavior to the Middletons, for example, is clearly an act. She later becomes a true foe of Elinor's when she "confides" in her with the story of her secret engagement. She has obviously heard the rumor that Elinor and Edward are in love with each other, so she makes it very clear that Edward is her man, rubbing it in at every opportunity, all while pretending to be Elinor's close friend.
There are many other odious characters in the Austen canon; I had immediately thought of Mrs. Norris (Mansfield Park), Mrs. Elton (Emma), and John and Isabella Thorpe (Northanger Abbey). All these characters are certainly terrible people, but I realized that I actually love reading about them because they're so unintentionally funny! Lucy is equally disagreeable, but her bad qualities aren't nearly as humorous, so she has the dubious honor of being my least favorite "foe" in Austen's work.
The Jane Austen Challenge
1. Favorite Austen heroine.
2. Favorite Austen man.
3. Favorite Austen book.
4. Favorite quote from the books.
5. Favorite moment in the books.
6. Favorite movie adaptation.
7. Favorite Austen couple.
8. Least favorite couple.
9. Most hated foe of a heroine.
10. Most frustrating family member.
11. Least favorite book.
12. Least favorite Austen heroine.
13. Least favorite Austen man.
14. Favorite love confession from the books.
15. Favorite love confession from the films.
16. Least favorite film adaptation.
17. Moment that made you sad/cry while reading.
18. Moment that made you smile/happy while reading.
19. Moment that made you laugh while reading.
20. Moment that made you mad while reading.
21. Favorite Jane Austen-related photo.
22. Favorite Austen female casting decision.
23. Favorite Austen male casting decision.
24. Favorite supporting character.
25. Favorite family connection (i.e. sister-sister, mother-daughter, brother-sister, etc.)
26. Favorite casting cameo from the films.
27. Favorite quote from the films.
28. Favorite moment from the films.
29. Favorite character back story or secret.
30. Character you most relate to.
~~~~~
In other news, I saw this at She Is Too Fond of Books:
Melissa at Jayne's Books is hosting a "Time to Relax Read-a-Thon" during the first weekend in December. Here's what she has to say about it: "It will be taking place on December 4 & 5 and will not have a specific time limit. You can read for as much or as little as you wish to.
One thing I would like for people to do is to donate either some money or toys to your local Christmas Bureau. You can donate as much or as little as you wish to." The basic idea is to take some time away from all the crazy pre-holiday stress and relax with a good book (or several).
I haven't quite made up my mind whether to sign up for this, mostly because my classes will be over by then and I should be studying for exams during that time. However, I'm definitely tempted to take a little study break and do some fun reading! I'll let you know what I decide. :)
I actually had a very hard time coming up with an answer to this question -- there are so many Austen "foes" that I love to hate! -- until I read hotaruanne's answer. Now I'm going to steal it, and give the "most hated foe" title to Lucy Steele from Sense and Sensibility. From her introduction in the novel, Lucy is revealed to be a manipulative person with an elevated sense of her own importance; her behavior to the Middletons, for example, is clearly an act. She later becomes a true foe of Elinor's when she "confides" in her with the story of her secret engagement. She has obviously heard the rumor that Elinor and Edward are in love with each other, so she makes it very clear that Edward is her man, rubbing it in at every opportunity, all while pretending to be Elinor's close friend.
There are many other odious characters in the Austen canon; I had immediately thought of Mrs. Norris (Mansfield Park), Mrs. Elton (Emma), and John and Isabella Thorpe (Northanger Abbey). All these characters are certainly terrible people, but I realized that I actually love reading about them because they're so unintentionally funny! Lucy is equally disagreeable, but her bad qualities aren't nearly as humorous, so she has the dubious honor of being my least favorite "foe" in Austen's work.
The Jane Austen Challenge
1. Favorite Austen heroine.
2. Favorite Austen man.
3. Favorite Austen book.
4. Favorite quote from the books.
5. Favorite moment in the books.
6. Favorite movie adaptation.
7. Favorite Austen couple.
8. Least favorite couple.
9. Most hated foe of a heroine.
10. Most frustrating family member.
11. Least favorite book.
12. Least favorite Austen heroine.
13. Least favorite Austen man.
14. Favorite love confession from the books.
15. Favorite love confession from the films.
16. Least favorite film adaptation.
17. Moment that made you sad/cry while reading.
18. Moment that made you smile/happy while reading.
19. Moment that made you laugh while reading.
20. Moment that made you mad while reading.
21. Favorite Jane Austen-related photo.
22. Favorite Austen female casting decision.
23. Favorite Austen male casting decision.
24. Favorite supporting character.
25. Favorite family connection (i.e. sister-sister, mother-daughter, brother-sister, etc.)
26. Favorite casting cameo from the films.
27. Favorite quote from the films.
28. Favorite moment from the films.
29. Favorite character back story or secret.
30. Character you most relate to.
~~~~~
In other news, I saw this at She Is Too Fond of Books:
Melissa at Jayne's Books is hosting a "Time to Relax Read-a-Thon" during the first weekend in December. Here's what she has to say about it: "It will be taking place on December 4 & 5 and will not have a specific time limit. You can read for as much or as little as you wish to.
One thing I would like for people to do is to donate either some money or toys to your local Christmas Bureau. You can donate as much or as little as you wish to." The basic idea is to take some time away from all the crazy pre-holiday stress and relax with a good book (or several).
I haven't quite made up my mind whether to sign up for this, mostly because my classes will be over by then and I should be studying for exams during that time. However, I'm definitely tempted to take a little study break and do some fun reading! I'll let you know what I decide. :)