On a slow night, we give you: stuff we find on the Internets
Does anyone else feel sorry for this person?
Not that we think the whole world needs to love Jane or anything. But we’re just saying.
- Now Available!
Buy from Jane Austen Books
Buy from an independent bookseller
Amazon US | UK | CA | FR | DE
Powell's | Barnes & Noble
Or at your favorite bookstore!- Learn more about the book and get a signed bookplate!
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License
December 14th, 2006 at 12:27 am
It’s a monumental burden to prove yourself “hip” all the time. A true distorter of personalities. And those hip people just miss out on a lot…
December 14th, 2006 at 3:22 am
I liked Northanger Abbey… ::shrug::
This is why one should lock one’s lj entries - or they could end up being snarked on AustenBlog! XD
December 14th, 2006 at 5:09 am
This one really made me laugh… with “schadenfreude”. Poor chap…
The comments are worth a read, too. I would never recommend “Mansfield Park” to someone who’s already bored with “Pride and Prejudice”. *lol*
December 14th, 2006 at 7:25 am
I cannot believe that you have linked to a LJ-post.
Although the entry has been marked as “public”, I am sure the authoress of that journal would not want any of her entries to be linked to from a location that masses of people visit. In addition, I am sure, the authoress would be offended by this entry on austenblog if she ever read it.
December 14th, 2006 at 7:32 am
Sounds like the author needs A Sensible Yet Elegant Guide to [Jane's] World!
December 14th, 2006 at 10:19 am
Carolin: why are Livejournals so sacred that they cannot be linked to? As you said, if the person didn’t want it public, they should have friend-locked it. The web is built on linking, as is the blogosphere. And I don’t see why someone would be offended. I’m not mocking him or her for their opinion of Jane Austen. I just feel sorry for someone who can’t appreciate her. I’m sure people feel sorry for me because I don’t like, oh, Norman Mailer’s work.
Sarah: I thought the same thing, naughty pushy author that I am! Though I suspect they’re more concerned with the “aristocracy” type of Regency and my book is about the gentry of Jane Austen’s novels.
December 14th, 2006 at 10:30 am
Agreed… when I make a public post on my Livejournal, it’s with the knowledge that it could be linked or posted anywhere at any time.
December 14th, 2006 at 10:58 am
Simply, because they are journals. I have often observed that LJ is different from other weblog services. There is a strict distinction between communities, journals, graphics journals, fanfiction journals etc.
The journal entries that have been unlocked usually have the purpose of enabling the author to meet up with new friends within the LJ sphere. Nobody that I know would like to share the “public” contents of their journal with anybody beyond those that might stumble across their journal in the course of “normal” journalling.
I am not suggesting that everybody feels the same, but as long as their is some doubt to the matter, I would not link to a journal entry.
December 14th, 2006 at 12:03 pm
ANYTHING YOU POST ON THE INTERNET IS SUBJECT TO PUBLIC SCRUTINY. If you don’t want everybody and his brother reading your deepest personal thoughts, then don’t post them … ANYWHERE.
Example — sorority girl on vacation in Europe recently had a one night fling with movie star “V.V.” and shared details in online journal with a few sorority sisters. Within hours story was hot gossip all over world … and she’s crying foul — embarrassed and humiliated.
Lesson #1 from junior high school: Any secret told to even one friend … is no longer a secret.
Lesson #2: Anything posted in a public place (bathroom wall, internet, etc.) is fair game for public consumption.
Lesson #3: If you keep a journal or diary of your personal thoughts, be sure it has a good key and is hidden from your siblings, parents, and visitors to your room. If you leave it in full view, it’s unreasonable to blame them for reading it and possibly sharing the details with others.
When did we stop accepting responsibility for our own actions? Must stop now … there is smoke coming out of my ears.
December 14th, 2006 at 12:24 pm
Hear hear!
December 14th, 2006 at 1:12 pm
Of course, everything is subject to public scrutiny. All I am saying is that many people are not aware of the actual extent of the scrutiny they are subject to and that I would put every effort into not potentially embarrassing any non-public figure.
December 14th, 2006 at 1:34 pm
Is it ok to embarrass public figures? Just kidding.
Both sides of the issue have very good points. Youth is very often lacking in prudence. And sometimes sense.
I’ve never kept a journal of any kind because I condsider my thoughts to be private. That’s just me. Not everyone thinks that way.
Whether or not the authoress would be offended is something only the authoress can know. It is noble to stick up for others, especially for people we don’t even know. But it happens alot on the web that someone gets fired up about someone else’s rights and it often turns out the person whose rights were supposedly violated doesn’t care, or in some cases gave their approval in the first place. The only person who truly has a right to be upset is the lady with the Live Journal.
I am a writer and musician. So feelings and rights are things I deal with all the time, with regard to myself and others. I love the idea that people would stick up for me. But I would also hope my fans would know enough about me to realize that there are lines that only I should cross in defending myself.
That comment is not directed at Carolin, just at those truly self-righteous who love to give others a hard time. I have yet to encounter any such meanness from members of Austenblog. One of the reasons I love to come here.
December 14th, 2006 at 2:20 pm
I want to be very clear that I don’t mean to mock or belittle the OP. He or she is entitled to dislike Jane Austen’s work. I get these Google alerts for Jane Austen and a lot of the “blog alerts” are schoolkids complaining about having to read Austen for school and I just ignore them.. But this person seems literate and witty and the type of person who should like Jane Austen, yet cannot. As I do enjoy her work tremendously, I am sad for someone who cannot, as I think they are missing out on something great. But I don’t consider it a character failing or anything.
And no one has expectation of privacy on a publicly- posted journal. I don’t post certain things on my blogs that might be hurtful or damaging (for instance, anything about my job) for that reason. One should be prepared to defend what one posts on a blog or LJ or anywhere else.
December 14th, 2006 at 6:02 pm
Well, because of this link, I ended up posting a couple of book recommendations in that LJ, which the owner said was ‘exactly the kind of thing she was looking for’. If the people in one’s own flist list do not have the information or knowledge you are looking for, then such outside links can well bring you into contact with it.
December 14th, 2006 at 6:10 pm
P.S.:
Uh, “flist list” is a double description isn’t it? But I agree with what Mags says about the ‘blogosphere’ - it’s an exciting thing that brings you into contact with all kinds of people who share what you’re interested in. Sometime that is in an extremely roundabout way - like Mags feeling sorry for someone who doesn’t like Austen, posting it here, and then us being able to provide useful references for their work. In that case, I say, take what you can and just, as Tom Petty said, “Damn the Torpedos”.
December 14th, 2006 at 9:23 pm
Tom Petty said that?
December 14th, 2006 at 9:51 pm
I don’t know about Tom Petty but I know that Henry Fonda said it to Lucille Ball in “Yours, Mine and Ours.”
December 15th, 2006 at 5:24 am
Heh, heh… well, he sang it then..
December 15th, 2006 at 5:36 am
Shoot, obviously didn’t do the cut to the URL correctly in the last post http://www.amazon.com/Damn-
Torpedoes-Tom-Petty-Heartbreakers/dp/B00005ABK8]sang
December 15th, 2006 at 10:46 am
“Yours, Mine & Ours” is a good movie.
Didn’t one of the great American Revolution patriot military guys say that? I want to say John Paul Jones, but I’m notoriously wrong on some of these quotes.
December 15th, 2006 at 11:45 am
Didn’t one of the great American Revolution patriot military guys say that? I want to say John Paul Jones, but I’m notoriously wrong on some of these quotes.
I’ll take “famous naval quotes” for $500, Alex.
“Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!”
*ding*
Who is Admiral Farragut?
(And it was the Civil War, not the Revolutionary War. The Petty album is a classic, too.)
Famous naval quotes for a thousand!
“I have not yet begun to fight.”
*ding*
Who is John Paul Jones?
(So there you go.)
Two thousand!
“Don’t give up the ship!”
*ding*
Who is Captain Lawrence?
(They did give up the ship, after the poor guy died, unfortunately. This was the War of 1812. A new battleship was named after the heroic Lawrence, which was surrendered in her first battle. Irony abounds.)
Final Jeopardy!
“We have met the enemy, and they are ours.”
*ding*
Who is Commodore Perry?
(Perry was captain of the Lawrence in her first battle, the Battle of Lake Erie, until they were no longer able to fight; he gave orders to surrender the ship after he and his unwounded officers had left. He had himself rowed to the Niagara, which then became the flagship, and they won the battle. Very cool story.)
December 15th, 2006 at 3:00 pm
@Ina #12: Actually, it is ok to embarrass public figures.
To be more precise, in the US, public figures and celebrities have a greater burden of proof to prove libel or defamation. So, a magazine can get away with saying that a celebrity is having an affair, while a local newspaper could be successfully sued for saying the same thing about a local person. That’s a simplified example, but you get the idea.
This has nothing to do with anything, but just felt like sharing my communication law nerdiness.
I’m hoping the OP loves NA and the other books recommended to her/him and turns into a JA fan! (Wow, that was a lot of acronyms.)
December 15th, 2006 at 5:08 pm
Interesting Zoe. I would say that celebrities and public figures in America do a much better job embarassing themselves than anyone else ever could.
Mags, I am very impressed with your knowledge. This is what I get for posting without thinking. There were no torpedos in the Revolutionary War. *smacks head on keyboard* My father is a military scholar. I should know this stuff. The ironic part is that I love history and I’m really good at remembering things, except for who said what. And apparently when it was said.
December 15th, 2006 at 5:33 pm
Well, the “torpedoes” in the Civil War were not propelled, I believe–they were more like mines. Not sure about that.
I love anything to do with sailing ships, so I am a bit of a ringer in that Jeopardy category.
December 16th, 2006 at 4:55 am
I’m hoping the OP loves NA and the other books recommended to her/him and turns into a JA fan!
Heh, heh… the latest news from behind enemy lines *winkks*
“Dare I confess I’m seven chapters in to Northanger Abbey already and while not ‘massively blown away by it’ (I was not expecting to be), I am certainly not grinding my teeth or in the verge of flinging the thing across the room. That’s a massive improvement from my reaction to Pride & Prejudice the last time I tried it. I’m a Dickens bod, through and through, and have been since a (relatively) early age. However, judging on my finding Northanger Abbey thus far quite readable and the main character quite likeable (and, yes, Austen herself quite witty - a statement I never, ever thought I would find myself saying), the tide may yet be turning, and I might join the ‘middle’ camp yet. You never know.
It bodes well so far. I shall post and let everyone know what I made of it once I’ve finished, but if it continues as it starts, it should be quite positive and may even encourage me to tackle P&P once more. Now, THAT’s saying something.”
And btw Carolin, I had a message exchange with her on the subject: she was not offended, and is also of the opinion that if you put stuff out publicly on the web, you’ve got to be aware anyone get at it and use it.
December 16th, 2006 at 10:28 am
Good–I’m so glad she is enjoying NA. I personally think Dickens’ and Austen’s styles quite compatible. I’m not that well-read in Dickens and I’m making up for it here and there in bits. I have Pickwick Papers on my PDA and am reading it when stuck somewhere with no book and nothing to do, and enjoying it tremendously.
December 16th, 2006 at 10:41 am
Dare we nominate another great quote? Pogo says, “We have met the enemy, and he is us!”
December 16th, 2006 at 6:16 pm
She likes NA!!! What more can one ask. Enter Henry - and she’ll be sure she likes the novel!!
Yes, I do hope she becomes one of us. But imagine, not liking Emma!!!!
Hrrrrmph >:[
December 17th, 2006 at 8:18 am
Er, hello. *waves nervously* This would be ‘the OP in question.’ I’ve finished the book, and written a review. Forgive the rather shambolic nature of it (it’s a LONG time since I did lit crit), but it should express my opinion on it all fairly well I think if not wholly coherently. Feel free to comment on it if you so choose - it be interested in seeing what Austen-o-philes make of my response.
http://boz4pm.livejournal.com/151379.html#cutid1
And, yeah - I liked it. ;D
Also, while I’m here: thanks to the OP of THIS thread, since your linking to my whinge meant I got a lot of helpful and insightful feedback from contributors here.
December 17th, 2006 at 1:19 pm
And thank YOU for being so open-minded and good natured about it. Carolin had a point–I posted this on a whim when I really had nothing else to post and maybe I shouldn’t have–our standard operating procedure around here is pile on the snark, and I opened you up to it, which I shouldn’t have. Thanks to all for behaving themselves, here and there.
It’s one thing to just not care for Austen’s work, and another thing to be stupid about it. The latter is Cluebat-worthy. The former…not so much.