Jane is Purple!
I went to the movies with a lady friend this week. It was spontaneous and fun. Of course, we saw a "chick flick", one I could never drag my husband to. And, who knew? Not only is Jane Austen a childfree woman, she remained single all her life. Look what she was able to create!
Purple WomenTM who did not skip English Lit class in high school will already know this. Now I might have to give her a read.
Technorati Tag: Childfree
4 comments:
Teri--
I saw the movie last night and found it rather tragic. Mostly because, for Jane's class of women, "women of independent means" where considered one tiny step above prostitutes and most "respectable gentlemen" wouldn't touch them with a ten foot pole.
I felt sorry for her spurned, hapless suitor, too. His "tragically childless" rich aunt invested all her hopes and dreams on finding him a good marriage and failed. Dame Maggie played the stereotypically bitter childless woman to the hilt. However, I was glad to see Jane's reaction to the fact that her wannabe lover Tom named his daughter after her.
It seemed to me she valued his respect more than she valued his hand in marriage.
Does anyone know what Jane Austin died of? The movie didn't devulge the cause of death.
Oh man, now you spoiled the movie for everyone! (teasing)
I thought the handsome, blond, spurned suitor was the more interesting of the two suitors. Don't know why she couldn't see that. He was such a gentleman, even after being rejected!
I felt a familiar twinge of social stigma when the two women authors had their tête-a-tête in the movie. The elder warning young Jane how she would not fit into society very well being an income earning and independent thinker. Sound familiar Ladies?
There's a great book that is largely about Jane Austen and what it was like for a woman in her time period. It's called "Letters to Alice" by Fay Welden. I recommend it. The premise for the book is Fay's niece Alice writes to her saying she wants to be a writer, but why are they making her read old stuff like Jane Austen? the letters are Fay's answers to why Jane Austen is important.
In that time, a fairly large percentage of women never got married.
While on holiday in England my mother and I visited Bath and had a luxurious high tea at the Pump Room where it is said that Jane Austen often went to socialize with friends. It was lovely. (We visited her museum too.)
Very nice to hear she was a Purple Woman too.
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