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Thursday, December 20, 2012

JABA Answers, Winners & Wrap-Up

Old-Fashioned Charm

Here it is, the Jane Austen Birthday Assembly has drawn to a close and it's now time to announce the winners of the contests and the answers to the trivia quiz!

But first I'd like to thank Melody of Regency Delight and Miss Elizabeth Bennet of Elegance of Fashion for all of their help in putting together this event. It was so much fun working with you ladies, you are indeed a blessing my sweet friends!

I'd also like to thank Little Lady of Sunshine and Shadows and Rebekah of The World of Rhoswen Faerie Wrose for writing such lovely guest post last minute! And to all of the bloggers who participated in putting up Character Buttons for the Jane Austen Characters Scavenger Hunt, thanks so much for your help!

Much thanks to everyone who commented and participated in this celebration!

~*~
 Jane Austen Character Scavenger Hunt
Thanks to everyone who played the Character Scavenger Hunt and for all of the participating bloggers who put up buttons! 

Answers :

Charity U at Austenitis - Mr. Darcy Stamp (main page sidebar)
Miss Elizabeth Bennet at Elegance of Fashion - Elinor Dashwood Stamp (Review Index page), Colonel Brandon Stamp (Sense & Sensibility 2008 review)
Little Lady at In Sunshine and Shadows - Mr. Knightley Stamp (About Me page)
Jemimah C at Ink and Iridescence - Anne Elliot Stamp (Persuasion 2007 review)
Kiri Liz at Lianne Tamienlore - Emma Woodhouse Stamp (My Swell Friends page)
Maria Elisabeth at Miss Georgiana Darcy - Edmund Bertram Stamp (bottom of main page)
Miss Laurie at Old-Fashioned Charm - Captain Wentworth Stamp (Banners page), Fanny Price Stamp (Anne Elliot 225th Birthday post)
The Miss Dashwoods at The P&P95Forever Club - Jane Bennet Stamp (Our Favorite JA Film page), Charles Bingley Stamp (bottom of main page)
Melody at Regency Delight ~Jane Austen, &c.~  - Marianne Dashwood Stamp (Classics Club page), Elizabeth Bennet (Guest Post at Yet Another Period Drama Blog post)
Hayden at The Story Girl - Henry Tilney Stamp (main page sidebar)
Rebekah at The World of Rhoswen Faerie Wrose - Catherine Morland Stamp (Bottom of Main page)
Miss Dashwood at Yet Another Period Drama Blog - Edward Ferrars Stamp (My Movie List page)

Scavenger Hunt Winner:
Sarah of Isla Creations was the first to find all 16 Character Stamps! Good work Sarah!

Winner's Button for Sarah:
Old-Fashioned Charm

Runners Up:
Kiri Liz - 16 of 16 stamps
BatZion - 15 of 16 stamps
Scullery Maid - 15 of 16 stamps
Jemimah C - 13 of 16 stamps
Emily Ruth - 12 of 16 stamps

~*~


Winner ______ announced. Read her short story ______ ______ at Regency Delight!

Winner will be announced soon!

~*~

Those who answered the Tag Questions  
(if you're not on this list leave me a comment with the link to your answers!)

~*~


Quiz Answers:

1. Where was Jane Austen born?
a. Steventon

2. Name at least four of Jane Austen's seven siblings.
In order of birth: George, James, Edward, Henry, Cassandra, Francis "Frank", [Jane], Charles

3. What nickname did Jane Austen's father use for her as a baby?
d. Jenny

4. What was Jane Austen's mother's maiden name?
c. Leigh

5. Which of Jane Austen's siblings' names did she not use in a major novel?
Cassandra (it's used in a Juvenilia story but not in a major novel)

6. Which Juvenilia work takes place partly in Scotland?
a. Lesley Castle

7. Which Jane Austen story was the first to be sent to a publisher?   
Pride and Prejudice (then called First Impressions). It was the first sent to a publisher but it was refused and sent back.

8. How old was Jane Austen when her first novel was published?
d. 36 

9. Which suitor was Jane Austen engaged to for less than a day?
c. Harris Bigg-Wither

10. Who did Jane Austen dedicate the second edition of Emma to?
The Prince Regent (later George IV), it was his idea not Jane Austen's!

11. "Full many a flower is born to blush unseen, And waste it's fragrance on the desert air..." - Which two of Austen's novels contain this quote from Thomas Gray's poem 'Elegy In A Country Churchyard'?
Emma and Northanger Abbey.

12. Which Austen novel celebrated it's bicentenary in 2011?
c. Sense and Sensibility (Pride and Prejudice's bicentenary is in 2013!)

13. What was the name of the book Catherine Morland read in Northanger Abbey and who was the author?
The Mysteries of Udolpho by Mrs. Ann Radcliffe

14. In which Jane Austen novel do the events all take place in one town? What is the name of that town?
Emma. The town is Highbury. (a couple people mentioned Hartfield but that was the name of Mr. Woodhouse's home)

15. Which of these actors portrayed Mr. Darcy in the BBC 1980's adaptation of Pride and Prejudice?
e. David Rintoul

16. Which Jane Austen novel contains the expression "Nonsensical Girl!" and who says it?
Emma. Mr. Knightley says it to Emma Woodhouse.

17. Which two Austen novels were published after her death?
Persuasion and Northanger Abbey, both published by her brother Henry.

18. Which Jane Austen heroine receives marriage proposals on four separate occasions throughout her life story?
d. Anne Elliot - Captain Wentworth's first proposal, Charles Musgrove's proposal "a few years before he married Mary", Mr. William Elliot and Captain Wentworth's second proposal. Elizabeth Bennet had three proposals.

19. Can you name the three Austen heroes who are clergymen?
Henry Tilney from Northanger Abbey, Edmund Bertram from Mansfield Park and Edward Ferrars from Sense and Sensiblity

20. Which Jane Austen novel has two different endings?
Persuasion. There's the first ending Jane Austen wrote and the second polished one that features Captain Wentworth's letter and is most popularly printed. Most film adaptations blend the two endings.

21. Which of Jane Austen's heroines "is in general reckoned to draw extremely well"?
b. Elinor Dashwood - her brother John Dashwood makes this comment about her work. Emma Woodhouse admits that she doesn't draw very well.

22. How many of Jane Austen's major novels were named after country houses?
Two, Mansfield Park and Northanger Abbey

23. Which Jane Austen novel contains the quote "Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery"?
Mansfield Park

24. What is the name of the heroine in The Watsons?
c. Emma. Frederica is from Lady Susan and Charlotte is from Sanditon.

25. Which two major novels prominently feature Navy officers?
Persuasion and Mansfield Park.

26. Which major Austen novel has the least film adaptations?
c. Northanger Abbey - only two film adaptations

27. Name an actress who has portrayed Jane Austen in a film.
Anne Hathaway or Olivia Williams

28. Which classic author asked their friend: "Why do you like Jane Austen so very much? I am puzzled on that point."?
a. Charlotte Bronte

29. How old was Jane Austen when she died?
Age 41. She died in July 1816 and wouldn't have turned 42 until December.

30. Which classic poet said: "Miss Austen understood the smallness of life to perfection. She was a great artist, equal in her small sphere to Shakespeare..."?
b. Alfred Lord Tennyson


Trivia Quiz Winners - Tied:
Meredith - 280 points
Melody - 280 points

Winners' Button:
Old-Fashioned Charm
Old-Fashioned Charm

Runners Up:
Miss Dashwood - 217 points
Hayden - 210 points
birdienl - 198 points
Livia Rachelle - 190 points
Miss Melody Muffin - 185 points
Emily Ruth - 113 points

~*~

Penned by Miss Laurie of Old-Fashioned Charm at 11:30 AM 4 charming comments Labels: , , , , , , ,

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Book Review: Christmas At Pemberley

I won a copy of Christmas At Pemberley at the author's blog a year ago during a Jane Austen Birthday giveaway. I'm not a huge fan of Jane Austen Sequels and this was interesting but I almost stopped reading several times during the first few chapters, but the urge to know what would happen to these Pride and Prejudice characters kept me going.

Christmas at Pemberley
by Regina Jeffers

Plot: Darcy has invited the Bennets and the Bingleys to spend the Christmastide's festive days at Pemberley. But as he and Elizabeth journey to their estate to join the gathered families, a blizzard blankets the English countryside. The Darcys find themselves stranded at a small inn while Pemberley is inundated with refugees seeking shelter from the story.
  With her brother's strong presence, Georgiana Darcy tries desperately to manage the chaos surrounding the arrival of six invited guests and eleven unscheduled visitors. But bitter feuds, old jealousies and intimate secrets quickly rise to the surface  Has Lady Catherine returned to Pemberley for forgiveness or revenge? Will the manipulative Caroline Bingley find a soul mate? Shall Kitty Bennet and Georgiana know happiness?
  Written in Regency style and including Austen's romantic entanglements and sardonic humor, Christmas At Pemberley places Jane Austen's most beloved characters in an exciting yuletide story that speaks to the love, the family spirit and the generosity that remain as the heart of Christmas. - from back cover

Author Regina Jeffers
Author's Website & Blog: RJeffers.com

Author: A teacher for nearly 40 years in the public school systems of three different states, Regina Jeffers is a Time Warner Star Teacher Award winner, a Martha Holden Jennings Scholar, a Columbus Educator Award winner, and a guest panelist for the Smithsonian. She served on various national educational committees and is often sought as a media literacy consultant. Like many "snow birds," Jeffers moved to the South several years ago. She is late to the publishing business, having written her first book on a dare from her students, who, literally said, "If you know all this, why do you not do it yourself?" On a whim, she self published her first book, and from there, everything happened at once. Now, writing for Ulysses Press in California, Jeffers is the author of several Jane Austen adaptations including Darcy's Passions, Darcy's Temptation, Vampire Darcy's Desire, The Phantom of Pemberley, and Captain Wentworth's Persuasion. She considers herself a Janeite - a member of the Jane Austen Society of North America and spends lots of her free time involved in such. Jeffers has now branched out into the Historical Romance genre. Her first book in the Realm series, The Scandal of Lady Eleanor, will be released in early 2011. - from Amazon bio


Historical Accuracy: The story adheres well to Regency manner and customs. A true Regency Christmas is described with the possible exception of the mistletoe that may or may not have been a part of Regency Christmas tradition. Some historical events such as a British/American war is mentioned, and the stories of a few historical characters are explained a bit. Ms. Jeffers includes a historical note at the end of the book about Regency Christmas traditions and the historical events she mentions in the book. I think even the bad winter weather mentioned in the book is historically accurate.



True To Austen? In many ways it is true to Jane Austen's original characters. One neat thing is the quotes from Pride and Prejudice that are blended well in the story. Dialog is actually quite up to snuff and most of the time is close to what Jane Austen herself might have written - only maybe not quite as witty. Unlike some badly written sequels the personalities of the characters are fairly well preserved, although after a while I found Georgiana, Kitty and Anne De Bourgh sounding a bit too much like Elizabeth, especially Georgiana gets a bit too much of Lizzy's pertness. Elizabeth Bennet I found quite true to the book, Mr. Darcy a bit less so but I suppose more like Mr. Darcy at the end of P&P sounds. Kitty and Mary Bennet's stories sound very plausible and something like Jane Austen would have written but Georgiana and Anne De Bourgh's stories are a little oddly worked through while Caroline Bingley's is just quite silly (although hilarious that that should happen to her!) There's a bit more about romance, kissing and a birth described that would not at all have been talked about by Jane Austen.


My Thoughts: I was not really partial to Elizabeth and Darcy's part of the story; it was sweet in it's way but sometimes got a bit tedious. The Darcy's spend most of their part of the story either discussing how wrong they were to be proud and prejudiced towards each other back when they first met - this is something I don't think they would have done all that much since in the second proposal in P&P Mr. Darcy even said: "But think no more of the letter. The feelings of the person who wrote and the person who received it are now so widely different from what they were then, that every unpleasant circumstance attending it, ought to be forgotten. You must learn some of my philosophy. Think only of the past as its remembrance gives you pleasure." (P&P, Chapter 58). The other half of their time is taken up with slightly pornographic thoughts or descriptions. I mean, I know they are married and because they truly loved each other Darcy and Lizzy would probably enjoy their married life completely, but does that really have to be mentioned in the book at all, let alone so frequently? No, this is not a true "bodice ripper" but neither is it a book for very young ladies. The most interesting bits of the book for me were when the story jumped to Pemberley and the stories of the family and friends that were gathered there. Four romances emerge which are great fun to see unfold, and it's neat to hear updates on the Bingleys, Colonel Fitzwilliam, the Collinses and the Bennets. Among the "courting couples" at Pemberley I do think there was a bit too much kissing under the mistletoe, some of which almost leads to impropriety and mentioning that a young lady has been "compromised". Also sometimes situations or thoughts are over-explained which can get a bit tedious. There is a bit of a mystery which is quite interesting, even though when it's solved the explanation doesn't quite make sense. I think my favorite bit was Kitty Bennet's story because it's quite sweet and she has a chance to show how kindhearted she really is. I was a bit disappointed in Georgiana Darcy's part of the story, it was cute but lacked some of the sweetness and tenderness it should have had. Overall it was an interesting continuation to Pride and Prejudice but I probably won't read it again - at least any time soon.


My Recommendations: Because this novel features some "bedroom" scenes/thoughts between Darcy and Elizabeth as well as a description of birth I would only recommend it for older teens to adults. It doesn't get as graphic as a "bodice ripper" romance novel might, but there were some things that I skipped over, rolled my eyes and said "oh, brother" at. Christmas At Pemberley is fairly true to Jane Austen which makes it a fun read but I wouldn't rate is as high as Letters From Pemberley which I love.

Have you read any of Regina Jeffers' books?

 Would you like to spend Christmas at Pemberley?

 Georgiana Darcy, Kitty Bennet, Anne De Bourgh or Caroline Bingley - which lady do you think Colonel Fitzwilliam would be most likely to marry?







Penned by Miss Laurie of Old-Fashioned Charm at 10:00 AM 1 charming comments Labels: , , , ,

Reminders & My Tag Question Answers

Old-Fashioned Charm
Our Jane Austen Birthday Assembly is drawing to a close. Don't forget there's still time left to play the Jane Austen Trivia Quiz and the Jane Austen Characters Scavenger Hunt. Also don't forget the JABA Tag Questions and if you answer them leave me a comment with the link!
Here are my own answers to the JABA Tag Questions. Thanks to Melody and Miss Elizabeth Bennet for suggesting some of these fantastic questions!
1. How did you meet Jane Austen? 
I was introduced to her through Sense & Sensibility (1995) and other film adaptations. You can read the whole story in my post How I Met Jane Austen.

2. In which order did you first become acquainted with and read Jane Austen's novels? 
I became acquainted with the story of Sense and Sensibility, then Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Northanger Abbey, Mansfield Park and lastly Persuasion.
I read Northanger Abbey first followed by Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion, Pride and Prejudice, Emma and then Mansfield Park.


3. Rate Jane Austen's major novels from your most favorite to your least favorite and tell why.
My favorite novel is Northanger Abbey because of it's wit, sweet story and wonderful characters! Also I'm quite partial to the novels that don't get as much publicity or fans. My next favorite is Persuasion, then Mansfield Park has recently made it to my third favorite, Sense and Sensibility would be fourth, Emma would be my fifth favorite. My least favorite is Pride and Prejudice mostly because it's just so popular and I don't identify with the hero and heroine as much as with the ones in the other novels.


4. Which Jane Austen hero/heroine couple is your favorite and why?
Because my favorite novel is Northanger Abbey I should say Catherine Morland and Henry Tilney and they are incredibly sweet! But I'm going to say Captain Wentworth and Anne Elliot because Anne is actually my favorite Austen heroine and to me they are the best matched couple, and their love is tried and true.


5. Which hero/heroine couple is your least favorite and why?
Are you really ready for this? You're going to be shocked! My least favorite couple is Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. *ducks the rotten tomatoes*  Although I love all of Jane Austen's novels and characters, and would always choose them over other books, Darcy and Elizabeth's personalities are aggravating - more aggravating than the other couples. They are definitely well matched...yeah, they deserve each other! Also they are so popular and part of me always wants to rebel against liking things that are SO popular. :-/

6. Have you read any of Jane Austen's Juvenilia works? Which ones?
I've read all of Jane Austen's Juvenilia works and own them all in one paperback volume. I do need to read them again soon because I really enjoy them.


7. If you could change the name of one of Jane Austen's characters who would it be and why?
Well, besides giving Colonel Brandon a first name, I'd change Henry Crawford's first name. Being a fan of the Henry - the incomparable Mr. Tilney - I don't think Mr. Crawford deserves the name and I'd change his first name probably to Richard (an NA joke "though his name was Richard, and he'd never been handsome.")


8. Have you ever introduced someone to Jane Austen?
I've tried with a few of my friends but they showed little interest. My sister has grown up listen to me talk about Jane Austen and our family watching film adaptations and in the last couple years I've gotten her to read Northanger Abbey (which she enjoyed greatly), Emma, Sense and Sensibility and some of Pride and Prejudice. She also loves quite a few of the movies now, especially Emma (2009).

Anna Chancellor
9. If a new film about her life was made, which actress would you want to play Jane Austen?
Well, because she's related to the Austen family I've always thought it would have been neat if actress Anna Chancellor had portrayed Jane Austen. The best part is that she most definitely has the Austen nose, is taller like Jane and when she was young was quite pretty. I know we think of her as Caroline Bingley but I would have loved to see her in Miss Austen Regrets. She's 47 right now so if a film were made about Jane Austen just before her death she might be able to pull it off. :)

 

10. Pretend you're having a weekend party at your very own country house, which Austen characters (up to five) would you invite and why?
Mr. Tilney, Eleanor Tilney, Admiral and Mrs. Croft and Mrs. Jennings. Of course Mr. Tilney, I love Eleanor Tilney, the Crofts would be so much fun and Mrs. Jennings to winkle things out of us all! "She's horribly good at winkling!" :)


11. In your real life have you ever attended a Jane Austen themed event, party or ball? Or have you hosted one yourself?
YES! This summer I attended the Jane Austen Festival in Louisville, Kentucky which is now two hours from where I live. This was my very first Jane Austen excursion and I enjoyed it so so much! I can't wait to go next year and would love to take some friends with me, so if you're in the area come July I'd love to attend with you! 2013 marks Pride and Prejudice's 200th anniversary! :)


12. Suppose you were given the opportunity to ask Jane Austen two questions: one in connection with her real life and one about her stories. What would they be?
About her life I would ask her what the name of her mysterious seaside gentleman was and whether she loved him.
About her stories I'd ask her whether Captain Frederick Tilney purposely flirted with Isabella Thorpe to draw her attention away and save James Morland or if he was really just a cad after all.




Penned by Miss Laurie of Old-Fashioned Charm at 7:30 AM 3 charming comments Labels: , , ,
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