Silhouette of Jane Austen
Image: Public Domain
Jenny has convinced me, time after time, to give Jane Austen a chance. Each time I watch something new, I’m sure I’ve got it all figured out. Honestly, the end results of the movies/books are super predictable. This is most likely because I’ve been reading at a college level for over 15 years now, and pretty much everyone has copied Austen’s format.
But the journey of the story, there’s nothing like it. Emotional shoves and shakes, obsession, denial, fate, love, pride, honor, prejudice, manipulation, and outright indecisiveness rule the hearts of lords and ladies. Men with riches and names, women with odd parents and idiot sisters, the characters are compelling and just, so, real.
So I’m that guy. The one who loves chic-entertainment. The one who enjoys travelling back in time hundreds of years to see the lives of people in a culture that hasn’t existed in my lifetime. I’m generally disappointed that not enough people die in most books, but Austen has a great way about her stories, in which deaths are both tragic, and terribly convenient.
This has persuaded me to think of myself in new ways.
- I’m a sap.
- I wish I could physically travel to these places.
- I’m a God-damned time traveler.
- I’ve got a big head after watching a bunch of idiots run around and be idiots on a screen.
One of these may be an exaggeration. Probably the one about idiots. I can’t be sure, until someone uses science to prove them all right. Any PhD physicists in the room? Anyone?