Making Sport for Our Neighbors? Gossip and Jane Austen

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Making Sport for Our Neighbors? Gossip and Jane Austen

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Meaning of a Jane Austen Quotation

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"Silly things do cease to be silly if they are done by sensible people in an impudent way." Emma I was looking at this quotation yesterday, wondering what it means, and thought I'd put in up for people to share their thoughts about it. I rather think of it as a tongue twister but for the brain -- a brain twister. You have to slow down and think about it for your mind to be able to follow its twists and turns. So what do you think it means? Is Jane Austen supporting impudence, and saying that if you're impudent you can carry off anything, and she admires impudent people for it? Or is it the opposite? That silly things are still silly, even if it's sensible people do them? Or is she condemning the fact that sensible people can get away with silly things because of people's perceptions that they are sensible? Or is she laughing at us and talking about herself? Let me know what you think Jane Austen is saying here.
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Jane Austen's Emma airs tonight! Plus P&P Question-a-Day 4

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I loved some of your answers yesterday. Wet shirt = washing?! That pulls Colin Firth down a peg or two! Some complex answers in there too. I have to say, apart for the eye candy, I do think the scene works so well for other reasons. As Emily puts it, it mirror the changes that have occured from within. The intimacy, the fact that it is startlingly private is in stark contrast to the Meryton assembly. It does give us a different glimpse of Darcy (the "uncivilized" side as South Bay Ladies Tea Guild points out), whom we haven't seen since Netherfield. I read somewhere that it puts both characters at a disadvantage. Elizabeth is very embarrassed at being caught ogling Pemberley, and of course, he's extremely embarrassed to be seen this way by a lady he wants to impress. It's also an unusual scene because he's half undressed (extremely improper) whereas she's fully clothed. The scene has many interesting angles to it. I'm settling in tonight to watch th
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Of Flawed Perceptions, and Pride and Prejudice Question 9

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I was just over at Marilyn Brant's page (author of According to Jane ) and spotted a JA quote I didn't know (oh, how did I miss this one?) "Seldom, very seldom, does complete truth belong to any human disclosure; seldom can it happen that something is not disguised, or a little mistaken." JA It's so perfect for the discussion, and I think it's crucial to bear it in mind as we're going through Pride and Prejudice. As for your responses yesterday, what can I say? You're outdoing yourselves. Pretty much everyone brought up something to think about. Of course, Charlotte is the perfect example, particularly since the she and Elizabeth seem to be close friends. You'd think she'd realize that Charlotte needed to get married and wouldn't turn down an opportunity. Which goes along with what Lori and Kt say about Eliza not understanding her mother, either. Mrs Bennet is silly, but she knows how important it is to secure Longbourn, yet Eliza ne
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