In which Zana talks about historical novels and doesn't expect anyone to pay much attention

[zana16]

Am most upset about what Forester did to William Bush in Lord Hornblower. Further, am most upset about the fate of Perkins in Sharpe's Battle. Yes, I realize that identifying more with literary characters than actual human beings is not exactly healthy, but dammit! My favorite characters are not allowed to be maimed or killed; why does nobody respect my perogative on this subject?!

Speaking of which, while I love movie!Bush to pieces, I am more fond of book!Bush in general. I think actually that the same goes for book!Hornblower who is infinitely more interesting, though not as hot, as movie!Horatio. Still, movie!Archie and movie!Pellew redeem all.

Meanwhile on the Mansfield Park front, I have to say after Elizabeth of P&P I'm rather disappointed in Fanny Price. I'm growing to like her more as the book progresses, but I like characters I have more respect for. Edmund is growing on me, as well; I wouldn't be fond of him in real life, I'm afraid, as he'd be rather boring and stultifyingly correct and moral, but I must remember that he is a man of the cloth and thus perfectly suited for Fanny Price. Why it takes him all these many pages to figure out what is obvious to the rest of us is beyond me.

Also the fact that Fanny is so utterly incapable of seeing the injustice of her situation. It must be the republican in me (small "r", as in the ideal, not the party), but I just can't abide the whole class thing. It's disgusting to me that we're supposed to like Fanny more because she buys into it completely and doesn't rebel at all, and is a Poor Martyred Soul to be pitied. I dislike martyrdom except when brief and heroic. Dying for one's ideals is all well and good, but living a whole life out without even protesting the injustice--it speaks to me of cowardice, not heroism. Either that or stupidity. Woe! Am I never to find another Elizabeth? Apparently not, since I think this is the last Austen novel I haven't read.

Meanwhile, I am two weeks behind on LOST. Need to upload the episodes I've dl'ed to the server, go to the Mac lab, burn them to CDs, take them to my computer in my apartment to convert them, and pray that I can find a program to play them with as Windows Media Player has gone kaboom. The effort is, I'm afraid, too much to be quite worth it until Tuesday night.

Comments

[alas-sweet-lady.livejournal.com]

eeek a while ago i got soooo behind on LOST and now i've had to stop watching it b/c I DON'T UNDERSTANDDDDDDDDD
<3kari

[zana16.livejournal.com]

tinalikesstuff has had some episodes up; I don't know if they stay up long, though.

[bingblot.livejournal.com]

Fanny isn't meant to be liked, I don't think. She was created to make a point and not so much for us to like her.
Either way, you're hardly alone in not liking her so go right on disliking her. :-) MP is my least favorite Austen book b/c I dislike just about every character in it.
(Which reminds me, I think I should reread MP for the first time in months and try to figure out the significance of the name, 'Mansfield' in it.)

[zana16.livejournal.com]

The only character I truly like is William, who is a minor character, and we don't get to follow him to sea, and since the Age of Sail is kind of my obsession right now, I'm a bit bitter about that. :)

[ambermoon.livejournal.com]

I grumped and grumbled my entire way through MP, usually hissing and sputtering, "She's such a mouse!" to my mother, the nearest poor soul who knew the book. Fanny, in my opinion, does an abysmal job of overcoming her whiskers and tail, in that she doesn't. Moralising prig, to boot. Not, really, that anyone else in the novel is that much better, but she gets first place of bitching for being the main character.

[zana16.livejournal.com]

Sarah says Fanny isn't supposed to be liked but was created to prove a point. But I must say I prefer likable heroines. Or at least, heroines I can have some respect for. I realize I am on a constant quest to find another Elizabeth, but I loved Elizabeth for her faults.