An ode to Mr Tilney

I have a rather startling confession to make. I think I may be leaning more and more towards Henry Tilney over Fitzwilliam Darcy as my Austen hero of choice.

No, no, hear me out. I know Mr Darcy is smoking hot, and undoubtedly passionate (I think all of us agree he’s a man who’d burn up the sheets), and he’s also seriously rich with the most amazing house ever, but… Do you think the man ever lets loose with a really big belly laugh?

Mr Darcy smouldering. Image courtesy of www.janeausten.co.uk

Mr Tilney and his cute half-smile! Image courtesy of www.janeausten.co.uk

 Henry Tilney certainly would. He has a sense of humour. He sees the ridiculous side of life and can laugh at it without malice or spite. He’s also considerate and kind…and that’s not something that Mr Darcy can be accused of in the first half of Pride and Prejudice. ;-)

Also, Henry Tilney is a man who can converse with some skill on female fashion--what a treasure! This probably means he wouldn’t mind getting roped into the odd shopping spree. Fun!

And, of course, a man who declares: “The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid,” is a man after my own heart. :)

I could slop soup down my front, belch, sing off-key (to ABBA), tramp mud into the house, and do bed hair in front of Mr Tilney, and I bet Mr Tilney wouldn’t mind in the least. I can’t imagine doing any of those things in front of Mr Darcy. What’s more saying, “Henry, can you grab some milk while you’re out?” seems doable, but saying, “Fitzwilliam, can you take out the trash?” does not.

Mr Darcy might win it in the overall hot and hunky stakes, but Mr Tilney is the one you’d curl up next to on the love seat to watch a rom com.

Also, I think this kiss scene from the movie adaptation is one of the sweetest kisses ever.



See? How cute is that kiss! 

So what about you? Do you have a favourite Austen hero? Is it Mr Darcy all the way? Or maybe you prefer a tortured Captain Wentworth? Or the even more tortured Colonel Brandon? Or even possibly a bossy Mr Knightley?

Jane Austen and the New Year!

by Emily May


What I'm reading: Jane Eyre

Watching: Dexter

Listening to: Fat Freddy's Drop







Welcome to a brand new year everyone!

To start 2011 with a regency flavour, I'd like to share some quotations from the incomparable Jane Austen. Since this is a blog for people who love to read, I'll begin with Mr Tilney's views on reading -- or rather, his damning views on people who don't read!



"The person,
be it gentleman or lady,
who has not pleasure in a good novel,
must be intolerably stupid."





None of us are intolerably stupid, right? If we were to meet Mr Tilney among the pages of Northanger Abbey, he would suitably impressed by our novel reading and pronounce us tolerably intelligent, wouldn't he? So, from one avid reader to another, let me wish you all many hours of joyful reading this year!

Secondly, here is a piece of Jane wisdom (said by Mrs Morland to her daughter Catherine, also in Northanger Abbey):

"You should never fret about trifles."

I'm a big trifle-fretter, but I'm going to do my best to follow this advice. Hopefully 2011 is the year I'll conquer this habit!

Another excellent observation of Jane's (via the eponymous Emma of Emma) is this:




"Silly things do cease to be silly
if they are done by sensible people
in an impudent way."




I love this quote -- it's definitely an invitation to us all to do silly things!




My favourite Jane Austen quote, however, is this one from Sense and Sensibility (as uttered by Edward Ferrars):





"I wish as well as every body else
to be perfectly happy;
but like every body else
it must be in my own way."



Very, very true. We each need to find our own happiness in our own, unique way. If we haven't already found it, may 2011 be the year that we do!



I'd like to finish with some excellent advice from Jane:

"Run mad as often as you choose, but do not faint!"

And to illustrate the excellence of that advice, here's Mr Darcy in his wet shirt after doing a little running mad (or rather, swimming mad)...








Happy 2011 everyone -- may it be a fabulous year for us all, full of reading, and no trifle-fretting, and lots of silliness, and finding our own happiness, and running mad -- but not fainting!
If you have any favourite Jane quotes, please feel free to share them!