Art: Holding a Mirror Up to Life Since the Cave Paintings
I finished Mansfield Park earlier this week. I liked it quite a lot. I am quite firmly in the pro-Fanny camp, because I could never bring myself to dislike Fanny Price. Is it any wonder she turned out painfully shy and with zero self esteem? She came from a family of nine kids where she was ignored to a house where she was continually disparaged and reminded that she was never going to be as good as her cousins. Geez. But I do firmly agree that Edmund Needs a Slap Upside the Head. I thought he was a decent guy until about the last third of the book when I was finally like, "Okay, yes. *Smack.*"
Isn't it weird how sometimes what you're reading really reflects what you're going through in life? I have to say, it's never happened to me to this almost creepy extent before with this timeliness:
"You think only of yourself; and because you do not feel for Mr. Crawford exactly what a young, heated fancy imagines to be necessary for happiness, you resolve to refuse him at once, without wishing even for a little time to consider of it-- a little more time for cool consideration, and for really examining your own inclinations-- and are, in a wild fit of folly, throwing away from you such an opportunity of being settled in life, eligibly, honorably, nobly settled, as will, probably, never occur to you again. Here is a young man of sense, of character, of temper, or manners, and of fortune, exceedingly attached to you, and seeking your hand in the most handsome and disinterested way; and let me tell you, Fanny, that you may live eighteen years longer in the world, without being addressed by a man of half Mr. Crawford's estate, or a tenth part of his merits."
"She had deceived his expectations; she had lost his good opinion. What was to become of her?
'I am very sorry,' she said inarticulately through her tears, 'I am very sorry indeed.'
'Sorry! yes, I hope you are sorry; and you will probably have reason to be long sorry for this day's transactions.'
'If it were possible for me to do otherwise,' said she with another strong effort, 'but I am so perfectly convinced that I could never make him happy, and that I should be miserable myself.'"
Anyway, it's all cool. I haven't updated in so long because of dead week and finals. But guess what? FINALS ARE NOW OVER! I just took my last one! YIPPEE!
To celebrate...
I am now in love with Jane Eyre the Musical (much thanks to Whitney for letting me borrow it) and am probably going to be iconing the hell out of some of those songs, like "Sweet Liberty."