It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

I don't know about you, but around my house we start decorating the day after Thanksgiving (which was nice and early this year!), and decorating the house reminded me to decorate my blog, too.

I LOVE CHRISTMAS. :D

The new header is from Emma (2009)--I was going to do one with people more visible or else more of a scenery shot, but that just struck me as so cozy and Christmassy that I had to use it. :) Hopefully it's not too dark.

The lovely background is provided by Miss Laurie--I am quite delighted with it. Thank you, Ladybird!

Now tell me. When you see the colored words on my blog (that is, the links) do you see more green or more red? Because I want you to see more red, since the background is green, but *I* see more green since it would seem I've visited nearly all the links... anyway, do let me know, if you can, and I may end up switching them. :)

I suppose I should have taken a screenshot of the old header and background, but I forgot. Oh, well. Here's the header I had:

And just for fun, this is the header I had last Christmas:

(It's not that I'm stuck on Emma, folks, it's that it has such swell screencaps.)

Speaking of last Christmas! I was sort of advertising a Christmas CD last year, and if anyone is interested, it is still available.

Merry Christmastime! :)

Esteem him? Like him?!

..."Use those insipid words again and I shall leave the room this instant!" (I cannot help finishing it thus, even though that is from the 1995 version and not the book.)

Semi-recently, my dear Miss Laurie sent me songs from the Sense and Sensibility musical, which hitherto I was unaware even existed. I enjoyed it far more than I thought I would... it was just interesting to see how a story is taken and put into songs. I do not think that such musicals should ever be actual representations of novels, especially such as Jane Austen's, but for one who has already read the book it can be delightful.

Anyway, I started working on a fan video (or music video, or whatever) for "That's Not Love," an Elinor and Marianne song that I liked, with clips from the 1995 movie. And quite recently I made a YouTube channel, and could therefore post it; so if any of you wish to watch my first attempt at a fan video of any sort, here is the link. :D

Also, Miss Dashwood made a video for my favorite song in the musical, "I Must Have Sense" (which, for your random information, is a reprise) which is sung by Elinor during the part Marianne is sick and is therefore nice and dramatic. You can watch that here. (And if you're going to, be sure you listen to the whole thing, because the best part is in the last half. Heehee.)

So anyways... that's all, folks. And Happy Thanksgiving, if I don't post again until then, which is likely.

Rereading Northanger Abbey

At the end of last month I finished my second reading of Northanger Abbey, with a great deal of delight. There's nothing like reading a book for a first time, but Jane Austen books are wonderful for rereading multiple times... as I am sure we all know. ;-)

If possible I think I was even more pleased with Henry Tilney this time than last...it struck me more than ever that if he were to be transported to modern times, he would probably be just the sort of person I would like; he might tease just a tad too much, but he does know when to be serious, at least. But what I really noticed this time was that his opinions seem to match mine quite well in some areas--or the 19th-century version of them, anyways. And he as such an understanding of muslin! ;) But see, he doesn't mind admitting that he has an understanding of muslin. He's not insecure, haha. And he admits to reading novels. My 21st-century version of that is always that he would read Jane Austen and like it, and admit it. ;-) There was one thing I particularly noticed this time, when Henry said--

I should no more lay it down as a general rule that women write better letters than men, than that they sing better duets, or draw better landscapes. In every power, of which taste is the foundation, excellence is pretty fairly divided between the sexes.

See, it's a bit of a pet peeve of mine when men and women are given stereotypes, and it seems like he has the right ideas.

Anyway, enough rambling about Henry Tilney. (Ha, I can just hear some of you saying "No!") I think Isabella Thorpe made me laugh more this time. (You know, if you take some of the things she says seriously, she actually has some pretty good quotes, too. As do Mrs. Elton and Caroline Bingley.) I thought it was hilarious and served her right when Catherine never understood her insinuations.

John Thorpe made me feel madder, if that's possible. He is SO annoying. I have to say, I think he's the most irritating of all Jane Austen's villains. Grrrrrr.

So, I really haven't much to say, but I decided when I reread to S&S to post about my first rereads of Miss Austen's novels.. This is a delightful book, but very different from JA's others and I think one should definitely read at least most of her other books before this one. And preferably have a slight understanding of those old Gothic novels and their tendencies, or you won't understand the satire.

By the bye, the 2007 movie (which, I must disclaim, I do not approve of in its entirety) didn't get that at all right. For instance, in the movie, as soon as Catherine claps eyes on Northanger Abbey, she says "It is exactly as I imagined it would be!" In the book, they arrive during a rainstorm and she never really gets to view the outside of the house until later on, and the inside is much too modern to be like what she imagined. Also there's this one scene where she sees Henry with his sister, but she doesn't know it's his sister and you can tell she's all disappointed (haha), but in the book Jane Austen clearly said that she did not do that (as other heroines would, you see), but that she guessed immediately it was his sister; it looked right, and he'd mentioned having a sister before.

That's just a couple of examples. But it doesn't have much to do with the book so I'll quit ranting talking about it.

Oh, and I have a question for you all. Have any of you read There Must Be Murder, which is a sequel to NA by Margaret C. Sullivan? I really enjoy what I know of her writing in general, but I'd have to buy it so it is nice to have recommendations. I'm a person who likes libraries. Heehee. Unfortunately they don't have it.

I can't think of a good way to tie up this short and ramble-y post besides to put a few quotes from NA. These are ones that I scribbled down during my re-read & didn't do last time.

"...while I have Udolpho to read, I feel as if nobody could make me miserable."
~Catherine Morland

"A woman especially, if she have the misfortune of knowing anything, should conceal it as well as she can."

"...from politics, it was an easy step to silence."

"[T]o marry for money I think the wickedest thing in existence."
~Catherine