Elizabeth's Final Project

For this project I made a list of all the Heroines, then took all the Heroes from the books and started matching them. Also, I underlined the Hero, that I believe, the respective Heroine would marry, if her true Hero was not there. The list is pretty self explanatory.

Elizabeth Bennet

Could Marry- Mr. Darcy, Mr. Knightley, Mr. Tilney, and Capt. Wentworth

Could not Marry- Mr. Bingley, Col. Brandon, Edward, and Edmund

Jane Bennet

Could Marry- Mr. Bingley, Edward, Col. Brandon, and Edmund

Could Not Marry- Mr. Darcy, Mr. Knightley, Mr. Tinley and Capt. Wentworth

Elinor Dashwood

Could Marry- Edward, Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bingley, Col. Brandon, Mr. Knightly, and Edmund

Could Not Marry- Mr. Tilney and Capt. Wentworth

Marianne Dashwood

Could Marry- Col. Brandon, Mr. Knightly, Mr. Tilney, and Capt. Wentworth,

Could Not Marry- Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bingley, Edward, and Edmund

Fanny Price

Could Marry- Edmund, Mr. Bingley, Edward, Mr. Tilney, and Capt. Wentworth

Could Not Marry- Mr. Darcy, Col. Brandon, and Mr. Knightley

Emma Woodhouse

Could Marry- Mr. Knightley, Mr. Darcy, Mr. Knightley, and Mr. Tinley

Could Not Marry- Mr. Bingley, Edward, Edmund, and Capt. Wentworth

Catherine Morland

Could Marry- <3 Mr. Tilney <3, Mr. Bingley, Col. Brandon, and Capt. Wentworth

Could Not Marry-Darcy, Edward, Mr. Knightly, and Edmund

Anne Elliot

Could Marry- Capt. Wentworth, Edward, Col. Brandon, Edmund, Mr. Knightley, and Mr. Tilney

Could Not Marry- Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley

Elizabeth's Favorites Lists

Favorite Books

1. Northanger Abbey

2. Pride and Prejudice

3. Persuasion

4. Emma

5. Sense and Sensibility

6. Mansfield Park

Favorite Heroines

1. Catherine Morland

2. Anne Elliot

3. Jane Bennet

4. Elizabeth Bennet

5. Elinor Dashwood

6. Emma Woodhouse

7. Fanny Price

8. Marianne Dashwood

Favorite Heroes

1. Mr. Tilney

2. Col. Brandon

3. Mr. Knightley

4. Capt. Wentworth

5. Mr. Darcy

6. Mr. Bingley

7. Edward

8. Edmund

Elizabeth's Favorite Jane Austin Quotes of All Time

“Her mind was in a state of flutter and wonder, which made it impossible for her to be collected. She was in a dancing, singing, exclaiming spirits; and till she had moved about and talked to herself, and laughed and reflected, she could be fit for nothing rational.” ~Emma

"Your brother is certainly very much to be pitied at present; but we must not, in our concern for his sufferings undervalue yours… You feel, as you always do, what is most to the credit of the human nature."
~Northanger Abbey~ Henry Tilney

Skyeler's Final Blog Project

Upon reading all of the Jane Austen books, I found three Heroines that tied for my favorite.  I had a favorite quote for each of them, and they are  listed on the picture below.

Skyeler

Farewell, Miss Austen!

It has been a most remarkable year!  When we began this journey, I had no idea just how dear Jane Austen would become to all of us.  We have read, watched, laughed, argued, and quoted more Jane Austen than I can possible count.  What a joy it has been to be a part of the discussions about Miss Austen's works and watching the girls confidently expressing their opinions and thoughts.  I am richer for this experience.  

We met for our final Conversations with Jane meeting on a beautiful spring day.  I thought we might change up  our tea and instead had a Blueberry Lemonade.  It was yummy paired with homemade donuts and my own version of a cucumber sandwich.  A funny side note, I had made donuts unknowingly on National Donut Day :)  

Our table setting, a little less formal than my china teacups

One last picture around the table

Our farewell meeting was all about favorites, final blog projects, and fun.  We'll start with the fun first (since I have pictures).  I found a Jane Austen Bingo game HERE and thought it would be a fun addition to our last meeting.  We had a good time with it.  I forgot to get markers for the bingo board so we had to improvise with foamie shapes.  You can also see in the first and last picture that Skyeler and Victoria were still working around on their bonnets.  Skyeler had almost finished hers when she realized that she was going to need to glue the flowers on with a glue gun instead of weaving them into the hat.  Unless she wanted to be poked by the stems, that is.  Victoria used what we learned about making shoe roses in March to make her own roses for her bonnet.  They came out lovely. 

The final blog projects were to be a culmination of the year's study.  Something that included a little bit of everything we learned about over the year.  We spent some time sharing their projects and remembering our favorite parts of the year.  

Part of their work for the final meeting was to list their favorites.  

*Their favorite Jane Austen quotes...one per book please. :)  Oh, the groans that produced LOL!  How to pick just one from the many they collected over the year!  

*Their favorite books in order from most liked to least liked.

*Their favorite heroes/heroines in order from most liked to least liked.  I did allow them to use more than one per book because there is more than one hero/heroine in some of the books

And that was the finale of Conversations with Jane.  If you have been with us since the beginning, thank you.  If you have happened across our site, take a moment to browse through our year.  Very soon now the girls will be posting those final blog projects and favorites to the blog.  We have enjoyed our time with Miss Austen, and though our study comes to a close our love of her works does not.  This is not the end of The Austen Sisters, for there are still ball gowns to complete and a Regency Ball to attend and who knows what else Austenesque may cross our path.  Farewell, Miss Austen, for now.

~Angel

Victoria's Favorite Jane Austen Quotes

Here are my all-time favorite Jane Austen quotes (necessarily limited to one per novel in order to conserve internet space) :)

Emma

“‘Men of sense, whatever you may choose to say, do not want silly wives.’”

Mansfield Park

“But there certainly are not so many men of large fortune in the world as there are pretty women to deserve them.”

Northanger Abbey

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

Persuasion

“Her spirits wanted the solitude and silence which only numbers could give.”

Pride and Prejudice

“‘…you could be neither happy nor respectable, unless you truly esteemed your husband; unless you looked up to him as a superior.’”

Sense and Sensibility

“...Elinor was the only one of the three, who seemed to consider the separation as anything short of eternal.”

Farewell Jane Austen, it has been a marvelous year!

-Victoria

Victoria's Favorite Jane Austen Novels, Heroines, and Heroes

In order of my preference, Jane Austen’s…

Novels

Pride and Prejudice

Emma

Mansfield Park

Northanger Abbey

Sense and Sensibility

Persuasion

Heroines

Miss Elizabeth Bennet

Miss Emma Woodhouse

Miss Elinor Dashwood

Miss Jane Bennet

Miss Anne Elliot

Miss Catherine Mooreland

Miss Fanny Price

Miss Marianne Dashwood

Heroes

Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy

Mr. George Knightly

Captain Frederick Wentworth

Mr. Henry Tilney

Mr. Edward Ferrars

Mr. Charles Bingley

Mr. Edmund Bertram

Colonel Christopher Brandon

Victoria's Final Blog Project

Throughout the year, as we were reading Jane Austen's novels, I found myself wondering about the time when Jane Austen was writing them. When did she write each book/in what order? How old was she when she wrote each one? How long did it take for them to get published?

Therefore, in order to satisfy my own curiosity and to cater to my visual brain, I created a timeline (on photoshop) that outlines the journey Jane Austen's novels took before their publication.


-Victoria

Calleigh's Pride and Prejudice Quotes

Here are some of my favourite lines from P&P, though not all. There are many funny, witty, and thoughtful lines I have not included, but these are some of the ones that stood out to me most.

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”

“A lady's imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony, in a moment.”

"An unhappy alternative is before you, Elizabeth. From this day you must be a stranger to one of your parents. Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr. Collins, and I will never see you again if you do."

“Those who do not complain are never pitied."

"There is a stubbornness about me that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others. My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me."

"For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbours, and laugh at them in our turn?"

"I cannot fix on the hour, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun."

~ Calleigh

Calleigh's Pride and Prejudice Blog Project.

Throughout Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice the estates and houses vary from person to person, station to station.  A house can tell a lot about its occupants, and give us hints about their personalities.

                                              

Pemberley is Mr. Darcy’s home.  Proud and stately, it echoes the man’s character.  It is well decorated, handsome beyond belief, and filled with hidden treasures.  It shows his extreme wealth, and while beautiful and extravagant in size, it is not overdone.  Much like his house, Mr. Darcy is well dressed, astonishingly good looking, and often surprises people with his true nature, rather than what he commonly shows.

                                                        

Netherfield Park is where Bingley spends most of the book.  It is a beautiful house, with wonderful grounds.  It is well furnished and grand, but still a home that allows “lesser” people to feel more comfortable than they would in a house as grand as Pemberley.  Like his house, Bingley is well dressed, and shows his wealth, but it isn’t his focal point. And then of course Mr. Bingley is at ease with everyone he meets, and at all times the perfect gentlemen.

                                               

                Longbourn is a well picked name for this house, as well as a play on words.  It has long born every ridiculous act with silence.  This trait is most personified in Mr. Bennet, the head of the house.  Through most of his family’s scandals, escapades and adventures, he remains a silent bystander, more content in the realm of his book, than in his own house.  But he is a gentlemen, and though the house is not luxurious, it is well kept and looked after, and not all together lacking in beauty.

                                               

                Rosings Park. A grand estate to be sure, and the home of Lady Catherine De’bourgh.  But although we are awed by the magnificence, we do not care about this manor as we care about Longbourn, Pemberley, or Netherfield, because we do not care about its occupants.  Lady Catherine is a proud busy-body who sticks her nose into everyone’s business, and is too controlling for her own good.  While her house is splendid, it holds no grandeur for us, as we are too focused on our dislike for its owner.

                                                     

                Last and quite possibly least, is Hunsford.  It is a tidy house with beautiful gardens, several rooms, and let us not forget, shelves in the closet.  Hunsford shows some of the eccentricities that its owners possess.   It is well kept, and pretty, offering consolation and peace to Charlotte, and happiness to Mr. Collins at it being so close to Rosings Park.  It shows Mr. Collins character in that it is very clean and well looked after, providing all the comforts he could desire.

                Well do the houses and manors fit their characters. From grand mansions to beautiful cottages, all the houses of Pride and Prejudice are perfect for the people who inhabit them.  From their character, to their sense of style, each house is thoroughly its own.

~ Calleigh

A Bonnet to Trim

Unbelievably, we are coming to the end of Conversations with Jane.  We put the final touches on Pride and Prejudice and in two weeks we will wrap the study up.  Our activity for Pride and Prejudice?  Bonnets.  In the words of Lydia, "Look here, I have bought this bonnet.  I do not think it is very pretty; but I thought I might as well buy it as not.  I shall pull it to pieces as soon as I get home, and see if I can make it up any better."  Only Tori's bonnet came with something actually on it, the others were plain and waiting to see if it could be made "up any better."    

We met at Sharon's for tea. She had some beautiful, bright decorations out with flowers from Tori's birthday.  Elizabeth, Skyeler, Calleigh, and Victoria

We spent some time sharing blog projects and doing a group word activity.  The girls had to think of their top ten words that described Pride and Prejudice.  They had trouble narrowing it down to just ten :) Once they eliminated the duplicates, they were able to make the word art.  Elizabeth has already posted the final project.  

We moved down to the basement so the girls could spread out and begin making something of their bonnets.  It turns out that one afternoon was not nearly enough time.  Tori's bonnet came with some ribbon around it.  Elizabeth and Skyeler's were plain.  The girls had brought home leftover fabric from their dresses to possibly use on their bonnets.  As you can see in the middle picture, Elizabeth and Skyeler got a little carried away.  No girls, we are not beekeepers but Regency ladies.  You will have to stay tuned for the finished product.

Calleigh chose not to do a bonnet.  She had fun video taping the abundant silliness. 


As usual, enjoy the blog projects and stay tuned for our wrap up.  


~Angel

Favorite Quotes from Pride and Prejudice

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.

For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbors, and laugh at them in our turn?

Loss of virtue in a female is irretrievable; that one false step involves her in endless ruin; that her reputation is no less brittle than it is beautiful; and that she cannot be too much guarded in her behavior towards the undeserving of the other sex.

No one can be really esteemed accomplished who does not greatly surpass what is usually met with.

Elizabeth

Printings of Profundity

My favorite quotes from Pride and Prejudice.

With a book he was regardless of time;

Miss Bennet he acknowledged to be pretty, but she smiled too much.

A lady's imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony, in a moment.

From all that I can collect by your manner of talking, you must be two of the silliest girls in the country. I have suspected it some time, but I am now convinced.

Everything nourishes what is strong already.

When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.

Jane was firm where she felt herself to be right.

Do clear them too, or we shall be obliged to think ill of somebody.

We are each ... unwilling to speak, unless we expect to say something that will amaze the whole room, and be handed down to posterity with all the eclat of a proverb.

It needed all Jane's steady mildness to bear these attacks with tolerable tranquility

I must have my share in the conversation if you are speaking of music.

I should infinitely prefer a book.

"It is above eight months. We have not met since the 26th of November, when we were all dancing together at Netherfield." - Mr. Bingly :)

All was acknowledged, and half the night spent in conversation.

Skyeler

Skyeler's Pride and Prejudice Blog Project

For my blog project, I decided to write a letter from Lydia's point of view. It does not entirely line up with the book's timeline, but close enough that it still makes sense.

Dearest Kitty,

Since I have come to Brighton, I have scarce had time to write I have been so busy. Even today two invitations requesting me to join them have already come in. You will never guess who from. I could hardly believe it myself when I began to receive so many letters.

The first came from that droll cousin of ours, Mr. Collins. He thought it was his "duty" to pay his respects to me, for some reason so unimportant I have forgotten it already! He has been in town recently, and thought I would take a liking to a visit from him. To add to this scandal, he was wrongly informed that I would be near his area. Of course I have been intending to travel with a dear friend of mine (who is the other correspondent I mentioned previousy) but I had no intentions of paying a visit to our cousin. As it were, he could have no knowledge of my departure. It is a grand secret! To avoid having to meet him anyway, I informed Mr. Collins of a prior engagement of mine. Seeing as how I had no such engagement, I made one up and compensated by fixing a real commitment after. You would have done the same were you in my position.

The second is from the man of whom I can hardly cease talking. It is Mr. Wikham who wrote, and he also is the one I made arrangements with. It makes me laugh just to think that the two of us shall be traveling within a week. He will be here for tea, even within the hour (my idea to escape from the likes of Collins and his plan for a visit with myself.) Now I have little time to write, and I bid you adieu until I next write.

Yours and etc.

Lydia

Skyeler

Victoria's Pride and Prejudice Blog Project

For my blog project, I decided to take quotes out of the novel and compare them side by side to emphasize the irony and inconsistencies that Jane Austen intentionally put into her characters to make them more life-like.

“Pride and Prejudice” Ironies and Inconsistencies

…that make this Elizabeth Bennet smile J

Mrs. Bennet’s opinion of Mrs. Long

“I do not believe Mrs. Long will do any such thing. She has two nieces of her own. She is a selfish, hypocritical woman, and I have no opinion of her.” (Chapter 2)

“I do think Mrs. Long is as good a creature as ever lived—and her nieces are very pretty behaved girls, and not at all handsome: I like them prodigiously.” (Chapter 54)

One sentence steeped in irony

“I believe, ma’am, I may safely promise you never to dance with him [Mr. Darcy].” (Chapter 5)

Charlotte Lucas’s view on matrimony

“‘it is better to know as little as possible of the defects of the person with whom you are to pass your life.’ ‘You make me laugh, Charlotte; but it is not sound. You know it is not sound, and that you would never act in this way yourself.’” (Chapter 6)

“Charlotte the wife of Mr. Collins was a most humiliating picture!” (Chapter 22)

Mr. Darcy looking at Elizabeth Bennet

“‘I [Mr. Darcy] have been meditating on the very great pleasure which a pair of fine eyes in the face of a pretty woman can bestow.’” (Chapter 6)

“‘Mr. Darcy, who never looks at any woman but to see a blemish, and who probably never looked at you [Elizabeth] in his life! It is admirable!’” (Chapter 57)

Elizabeth Bennet and second proposals

“I do assure you that I am not one of those young ladies (if such young ladies there are) who are so daring as to risk their happiness on the chance of being asked a second time.” (Chapter 19)

“A man who has once been refused! How could I ever be foolish enough to expect a renewal of his love? Is there one among the sex, who would not protest against such a weakness as a second proposal to the same woman? There is no indignity so abhorrent to their feelings!” (Chapter 54)

Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy’s proposals

“In such cases as this, it is, I believe, the established mode to express a sense of obligation for the sentiments avowed, however unequally they may be returned. It is natural that obligation should be felt, and if I could feel gratitude, I would now thank you. But I cannot…” (Chapter 34)

“Elizabeth…immediately, though not very fluently, gave him to understand that her sentiments had undergone so material a change…as to make her receive with gratitude and pleasure his present assurances.” (Chapter 58)

Mrs. Bennet’s fears for Mr. Bennet

“And now here’s Mr. Bennet gone away, and I know he will fight Wickham, wherever he meets him and then he will be killed, and what is to become of us all?...Oh! my dear brother…above all, keep Mr. Bennet from fighting.” (Chapter 47)

“What, is he [Mr. Bennet] coming home, and without poor Lydia?...Sure he will not leave London before he has found them. Who is to fight Wickham, and make him marry her, if he comes away?” (Chapter 48)

Mr. Bennet and forgiveness

“Into one house in this neighborhood they shall never have admittance. I will not encourage the impudence of either, by receiving them at Longbourn.” (Chapter 50)

“‘You ought certainly to forgive them, as a Christian, but never to admit them in your sight, or allow their names to be mentioned in your hearing’ That is his notion of Christian forgiveness!” (Chapter 57)

Elizabeth's Pride & Prejudice Blog Project

I made a scrapbook page for this blog project. Showing different pictures of the characters as portrayed in the 1995 version.

Elizabeth

For our Group Project for Pride & Prejudice, we created a word picture. Each of us thought up an average of ten words, and added them all to the word picture.

Pride and Prejudice

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."  One of the most famous first lines in literary history.  Thus we begin our final Jane Austen book, Pride and Prejudice.  The book is simply a delight.  Is it my favorite Jane Austen novel?  I can hardly tell.  I suppose  my favorite might possibly change with my mood or the season of life I happen to be in.   It is certainly one of the easiest Austen novels to pick up and read.  So much wit and irony!  So much Mr. Darcy!  The beautiful grounds of Pemberley.  The shelves in the closet at Hunsford.  I could go on and on.  Pride and Prejudice is not only filled with love and romance, but with humor.  Humor that makes one smile to oneself or even to laugh out loud!  Mr. Bennet himself provides ample to smile at, especially when he is provoking his wife.  And who could not give a little snort of laughter over Mrs. Bennet proclaiming, "Those who do not complain are never pitied."  I believe I could come up with a quote for every character that best suits their personality!  I love what Jane Austen wrote about Elizabeth Bennet...


"I must confess that I think her as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print, & how I shall be able to tolerate those who do not like her at least, I do not know."  Jane Austen in a letter to Cassandra, on Pride and Prejudice's Elizabeth Bennet, January 29, 1813


Yes, Jane, we do like Lizzy.  


We had much to talk about during our Conversations with Jane meeting.  My own book looked like one big sticky flag.  There were favorite quotes, new discoveries, and even some talk of why Seth Grahame-Smith might have made the choices he did in the ridiculous (and repulsive) Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.  I don't know if Sharon is ever going to forgive me for making her read that, she is still offended that Mr. Grahame-Smith took such liberties :)  We all found it funny that the notes in the Insight Edition of Pride and Prejudice mentioned the only failing of the book to be the absence of the scene where Darcy gets out of the pond dripping wet LOL!  For myself, I tried to flag things that I had missed before or quotes other than the ones we say all the time.   I found that Lydia Bennet was taller than her sisters and Mr. Darcy smiles much more in the book than the movies portray.  Then there was Mr. Bennet.  His character has to be one of my favorites.  Many times I found myself marking his quotes.  One of my favorites, "If my children are silly, I must hope to be always sensible of it."  Another quote of Mr. Bennet's is one that I told the girls I hope they all hear from their Daddy's on their wedding day, "I could not have parted with you, my Lizzy, to anyone less worthy."  Mr. Bennet is awesome!


We just managed to squeeze in the Pride and Prejudice crossword puzzle from this site here.  The girls found it easier than the Sense and Sensibility one we did in the fall.  They were also slightly less competitive.  Please check back for their favorite quotes and blog projects. The girls' creativity is just delightful!

~Angel

The Making of a Gown

I had planned many activities for our Conversations with Jane study this year.  Some of them worked out very well, some certainly didn't turn out like I had envisioned.  The grand finale, the mother of all activities, is  attending a Regency ball.  What greater way, other than traveling to England itself and touring all the Jane Austen locales which would be absolutely AMAZING (but unfortunately not feasible), to end our year-long study of Jane.  Of course if one is attending a Regency ball, one must be dressed appropriately.  I am sure that Mrs. Allen of Northanger Abbey would know just the thing, probably a nice muslin, to outfit them with.  Our "Mrs. Allen" is Beverly.  Last year in co-op Beverly taught the girls how to sew.  This year she had planned on them sewing a formal gown.  Since she is incredibly amazing (and patient to work with all those girls), she agreed that the formal gown could be their Regency ball gown.  The girls have been diligently working on their gowns since September.  They were originally working toward an August date for the ball, but due to some misinformation on my part, they will need to wait till next spring.   The gowns are nearing various stages of completion and I thought that now would be a good time to update their progress and show off what they have accomplished thus far.  

Tori giving me a smile, that means all is going well...for now.

Elizabeth, the first to have her dress sewn together.

Calleigh concentrating on her work.

An oops!  Calleigh made some progress on her sleeves only to find out that one sleeve was sewed on the wrong way.  She was not the first to have something like this happen!  Just the only "lucky" one to get it caught on camera :) 

Tori has a skirt!  

Working on Elizabeth's hem  

Tori's skirt before it was gathered and sewed.  It fit them both!

Skyeler's dress, pinned and ready to be hemmed.

Skyeler and Elizabeth modeling their dresses before hemming.

Tori has a dress!

We are so thankful that Beverly has had the time to continue teaching them at co-op.  This is such a big accomplishment and we are so very proud of them all!  

~Angel

Movie Day

When I was first planning our Jane Austen study, I envisioned reading the novel, discussing it, doing a project, and watching the related movie.  The study has gone so well with the girls having so much to talk about with each novel that we haven't had time to watch any of the movies during a Conversations with Jane meeting. Mid-year the girls decided we needed to plan a day to take in some of the movies.  Many of them are quite lengthy so we could not watch all of them in one day.  A vote was taken and it was settled we would watch the 2009 Emma, the 2007 Northanger Abbey, and the 1995 Persuasion.  Emma was a huge hit!  Many of us had not seen this version and we found it very well done.  I, personally, loved it, though my favorite Miss Bates is in the 1996 Emma.  After watching this version of Persuasion, I realized that I have yet to see a Persuasion that I liked.  I have one more to try and hopefully the third try will be the charm.  

We all got comfy and had a great day.  I was glad that my mom was able to join us for the day as she is very fond of Jane Austen movies.  It was decided that we would need to have one more movie day after our Conversations with Jane year is over.  I can't wait!