North Anger Nonsense

[northangernonsense]

This meme is the famous doge meme, and I made this meme myself. The doge meme is kind of an expectation vs. reality meme, as the expectation is always better than the reality.

Catherine is the main character in my personal favorite Jane Austen novel, Northanger Abbey. She loves reading gothic novels, and seems to want to live in one. Therefore, when she gets an opportunity to live in Northanger Abbey temporarily, she sees it as a way into the novel. When she arrives, she is very disappointed, as it does not resemble the gothic castle she had hoped for. Throughout her stay at the abbey, she continually tries to find out secrets within the family and the castle, constantly trying to find a way to make it a gothic novel. However, she is unsuccessful, as her suspicions about a murder were debunked quite quickly. She is taken down a peg after that, and seems to understand what Northanger Abbey is. This is one of the most ironic moments in Northanger Abbey, as her optimistic imagination tries to create something unusual at a place that is, in all senses of the word, completely normal.

This is one of the more important instances of irony in Northanger Abbey, and is one of the sections I plan to explore in my project.

[northangernonsense]

This is a meme I found on google. It is a scene from the office, with a character named Dwight Schrute, who is known as being a crude and blunt character.

In no way does Henry Crawford relate to Dwight, however, this meme accurately describes what we talked about in class. Henry Crawford goes from acting like everyone else in the house toward Fanny, to saying that he will make her fall in love with him. My interpretation of him saying that he wants to make a tiny hole in her heart is that he does not actually care about her affections. It almost seems like he wants to corrupt her simply just because he can. Fanny seems to realize this as well, and takes a stand against him. Jane Austen herself was surprised at this, which is ironic because she obviously wrote the story.

I find this meme especially funny because Fanny is compared to a "well watered fern." This shows exactly how they think of Fanny. It is something that is nice to have around, but it is not noticed at all. Once Henry seemingly gets bored, he looks at Fanny again, and sees her as an attractive young woman instead of a fern. I am very proud of Fanny for recognizing his fake politeness, and it shows the development of Fanny from a scared little girl into a smart young woman.

[northangernonsense]

This meme is from Brooklyn 9 9, a popular TV show.

The context of the meme is that Fanny is not a real member of the family in Mansfield Park. As we talked about in class, Fanny is an incredibly shy and scared girl, perhaps a result of how she has been treated. Mrs. Norris especially does not like her at all. The joke is that Mrs. Norris thinks that she has the audacity to exist. This essentially just underscores the fact that they do not see her as close family, instead almost a charity case.

I also wanted to explore the comparison between Mrs. Norris in Mansfield Park and Mrs. Norris in Harry Potter, as we discussed in class. Harry Potter was always one of my favorite series growing up. Mrs. Norris was the cat of Argus Filch, the angry caretaker of hogwarts. She is always snitching on Harry and his friends, and is basically a smaller villain of the books. However, Mrs. Norris in Mansfield plays a much larger role, as a manipulative, critical, and selfish person.

Since they are somewhat different, I wonder if the use of Mrs. Norris was a nod to Austen in Harry Potter. Based off of the comparison, I would think that it is not. I had a lot of fun researching the difference.

[northangernonsense]

This quote is from "Pride," a modern version of Pride and Prejudice. The quote is from Zuri, who is the equivalent of Lizzie, and Darius, who is the equivalent of Darcy. The development of their relationship in both books is very similar. Their relationship, like the book, has a cultural spin on it. Zuri is a poor African American girl who lives in the hood. However, she is incredibly proud of her "block," which is disturbed when the Darcy's move in across the street. She immediately is apprehensive of the two boys her age, especially Darius, who is very rude to her at the beginning. A parallel between the books that we talked about in class was the cocktail party in Pride and the Ball in the original. Contrarily, the major event at the cocktail party is Darius telling Ainsley to break it off with Zuri's older sister, Janae. This, like the Ball in Pride and Prejudice, becomes the reason that Zuri dislikes Darius. She then goes out with Warren, who seems to be a smooth guy that has a lot more in common with Zuri. Eventually Darius develops a love for Zuri, and cannot help himself but to warn her about Warren. This is representative of Wickham in the original.

However, I did notice an event that was different from the original. In Pride, they are supposed to go on a date, at a moment when they seem to be doing very well together and very much in love. Inexplicably, Darius takes her to a party with all white people and doesn't pay much attention to her. Of course, Zuri being as prideful as she is, she calls him out on it. Eventually they save her sister and it leads back to the house, where they work it all out.

Her pridefulness shows the truth in the quote. She was never trying to impress Darius, in fact, she often tried to make him mad by going on a date with Warren. He was impressed with her at the poets club, but she did not know he would be there. It is similar to Darcy in Pride and Prejudice always seemingly staring at Lizzie.

I have not read a YA book in years, however, I found myself lost in this one. I will admit that I read the entire book in one sitting, even when we were only supposed to read half. It was very well written and in my opinion, very thought provoking.

[northangernonsense]

Lost in Austen and Pride and Prejudice

Lost in Austen is an movie where Amanda steps through a portal and is stuck in the middle of Pride and Prejudice. There are many parallels between this movie and the book, and it is especially interesting seeing a modern point of view on the book.

For example, Charlotte says," “Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance." This is not as common in life today, and Amanda disagrees. This shows the parallel between her and Lizzie Bennet, who also believed that marriage should be for love. Marriage was often viewed as a social contract more than something done purely through emotion.

Amanda is shocked by this idea, and even more shocked when Charlotte marries Mr. Collins, who seems to be disconnected from emotion. She, like Lizzie, sees Darcy as someone who she does not like in the beginning. She then realizes that he is a flawed man, but eventually falls in love with him, living out her life in Pride and Prejudice. The turning point in her and Darcy's relationship is when Darcy begins to appreciate her courage and authenticity. She falls in love with him not just for the hero he is in her mind, but for the person he is. By the end of the movie, Amanda and Darcy's love transcends the time periods and social boundaries, blending Austen's romantic ideals with modern-day values.

[northangernonsense]

Austen Fan Fiction: Pride, Prejudice, and Rock and Roll

I found a fan fiction trough one of the links in canvas, and it took me to this fan fiction piece. In it, all of the main characters are a part of a band.

I thought this one was particularly interesting. The plot is parallel, however, much more blunt and adultish. It is, however, a similar story. The section that I read shows Wickham bad mouthing Darcy, only for Darcy to swoop in at the end of the chapter and make a good impression. Lizzie and Jane both maintain their personalities from Pride and Predjudice. Similarly, Darcy is hesitant to tell Lizzie who Wickham really is, but eventually decides it is best if she knows.

This fan fiction describes a scene where Lizzie has to step in to play a show, and it talks about how different guys are trying to get her attention. At first, she is looking at one of the guys in the band, but eventually Darcy makes her laugh and she is completely focused on him. It confuses her, because before that she did not like him all that much. Maybe this is like the scene where he proposes to her in the original. I very much enjoyed reading this!

[northangernonsense]

This one made me laugh for a second. This meme is obviously depicting Darcy. He soon realizes that he in fact does find Elizabeth attractive enough to fall in love with her. In light of this meme, and with Wednesday being focused on Darcy, I have decided to do a quick character analysis on Darcy.

I do not fault Elizabeth for forming the opinion she did early on in the book. Darcy essentially calls her ugly, and continues to seemingly look at her with hatred. Little does she know, it is actually with love. Darcy has a strange way of showing this love, and Elizabeth obviously thinks so to. This is evidenced by the proposal. Elizabeth clearly thought that the proposal was completely out of left field, as she is left in disbelief. However, it does show a change in Darcy, as the reader is likely to have formed a similar opinion of him from earlier. It seemingly plants a seed in my mind as a reader that maybe he is not such a bad guy. When I read the proposal passage, my first thought was that it was much better than Mr. Collin's proposal. Even though he did propose in such a condescending way, he did it out of love, while Collin's was simply a matter of convenience.

After the proposal was my favorite part of the book. Watching Elizabeth slowly realize that Darcy is a good man is very interesting (whether she really wants him or his estate is another question). As we discussed in class, the parallels between her visiting the house and her meeting Darcy are very thought consuming. I think what really helped to change her mind was the passage where the housekeeper vouches for Darcy. She said she has worked in the estate since she Darcy was little, and said that he has never said an unkind word to her, even as a kid.

My opinion of Darcy has completely changed. I now see him as a good man, but I do wonder what motivated him to say those harsh things at the ball. If he really is such a good man, why would he say that?

I am very much enjoying this part of the book.

[northangernonsense]

This meme was found online, through a google search.

I think this meme perfectly describes their relationship. Darcy is such a rude guy to her at the beginning, even when he proposes he is incredibly rude. I honestly do not blame Elizabeth at all for the negative perspective she has of him at first, especially after what Wickham tells her. She had no reason to not believe Wickham either, he seems like a nice guy.

It is very ironic that Darcy ends up falling in love with her, because when he first met her he basically said she was not pretty enough to be able to dance with him. It is ironic, because after that, Elizabeth basically hates him, and for good reason. After this, he quickly falls in love with her. Then, he proposes, and just like the meme entails he essentially insults her and makes it sound like he is doing her some huge favor by marrying her.

My personal opinion is that yes, Darcy was made to sound much worse than he is, but I do think that he treats Elizabeth and her family like he is so much better than them simply because of his money. For that reason, I think that Elizabeth should not forgive him. Even if the Wickham story is not true, it is true that he was a pompous jerk to her from the beginning.

[northangernonsense]

I found this meme online. It is from the popular tv series Schitts Creek, and depicts a woman who is seemingly a wreck refusing to do things because she is sad.

This very much relates to Marianne, as for seemingly the last 100 pages she has been declining in mental and physical health. This, obviously, is because of Willoughby's betrayal and engagement. Marianne, the character associated with sensibility, is so affected by this heartbreak that it takes over her life. A quote that I found that portrays her emotional self: "Marianne gave a violent start, fixed her eyes upon Elinor, saw her turning pale, and fell back in her chair in hysterics." This quote shows just how dramatic she is. Comparing the two, I am sure Elinor would have simply quietly exclaimed, "Wow, " and gone to her room to actually be sad. This difference between them is like we talked about in class, a foil.

This foil is show in the way that they approach romantic relations ships. Marianne, because of her sensibility, dives straight in to falling in love, and falls hard because of it. Elinor, because of her sense, is much more cautious to give her love away. Her relationship with Edward is brought about with a lot of patience and realism, which in the end turns out better for her when he comes back.

[northangernonsense]

This meme is from the Movie Thor. It is Thor's brother Loki, reacting to the destruction of their home city. Loki is known as a character that is often a villain in the marvel movies, and this quote shows just how cold hearted he is.

This is comparable to Fanny in Sense and Sensibility. This quote, "People always live for a long time when they are very rich; they are so careful of themselves," shows just how coldhearted and selfish she is. Austen portrays Fanny as someone without empathy, and someone that only cares about herself. Her unwillingness to part with money, even when it concerns her own family, is very telling.

The other part of this meme that I find interesting is her not caring that the father has just died, particularly when he has left his fortune to her and John. Based on this, you have to assume that they did not have the closest of relationships.

I think it is ironic that she infers that they are "moping around, " as she is also quoted calling them "stout" and "active." This hypocrisy shows her willingness to immediately change tactics when convincing John to reduce their financial support of their family. It reinforces the notion that she is willing to do anything to be rich and comfortable.

[northangernonsense]

I created this meme through a generator. This meme is called "the cooler Daniel meme, " and is from a high school year book.

In Northanger Abbey, Catherine faces a dilemma. Her friend Isabella Thorpe has a brother named John, who is very much interested in Catherine. However, he seems much more interested in himself, which Catherine does not like. His constant advances on Catherine are met with little to none in return. Here is a quote I found that shows his arrogance:

"Old Allen is as rich as a Jew – but that is all he has. A good kind of fellow enough, but as to anything else, he is the stupidest fellow! I could drive a coach and six horses better than any man in England – that is, if I had but the time to learn!"

This, and many other instances of his arrogance, result in Catherine not liking him at all.

Her other "option" is Henry Tilney, who would be described as the cooler Daniel in the meme. She sees him as a breath of fresh air when compared to Thorpe. He constantly jokes with her, which she seems to love. His family is also quite affluent, and owns Northanger Abbey, which Catherine is very excited about because she loves gothic books.

To conclude, Catherine sees Henry Tilney as the "cooler Daniel," and John Thorpe as not so cool. At this point in the book, it really seems that she will end up with Henry Tilney, and as the reader I think that is the much better option as well.

[northangernonsense]

As someone who did not know who Jane Austen was before this class, I was sadly one of these people. However, now, having read the Jane Austen Juvenilia, I was immediately drawn to a young Jane Austen's storytelling abilities. To be able to write so smoothly, albeit a little all over the place, is an incredible skill. However, even though she was sporadic with her storytelling, I very much enjoyed reading her work. I am excited to read many more of her novels.

The point in which I realized that I enjoyed her writing was definitely when the stories began to have people randomly dying in them, often without explanation. Another aspect of her early writing that I enjoyed was how she would often make fun of the writing style of that time. She often made her main characters far from perfect, like when Cassandra refuses to pay for anything and knocks people over.

During my research of Jane Austen memes/posts, I was shocked at the amount of memes I had to choose from. The community of people that almost worship Austen and her work is much larger than I had originally thought. This leads me to believe that I will very much enjoy talking and reading Jane Austen during this semester.