***Giveaway Reminders***

Hello  darlings.

So this post wraps up the 7 Weeks of Jane Austen!

I hope you all enjoyed reading my not so scholarly thoughts on the different bits and pieces and that you enjoyed the guest posts from Sharon, Cecilia and Alex (Thank you guys you all ROCK!)

Since things were pretty crazy with the posting - believe me when I tell you the hamsters inside by computer and internet home hub have both been fired and I have upgraded to a gerbil (we shall see how it goes - I didn't want any of you to miss out on the giveaways going so here we go. All the pretty rafflecopters in one place - can't say I am not good to you guys.

Win a copy of Mr. and Mrs Fitzwilliam Darcy by Sharon Lathon
a Rafflecopter giveaway


Win a copy of Emma by Jane Austen
a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Amazing Mystery Box - This is a box of books and other lovelies! (the giveaway is Jane Austen themed so the books won't be totally random - and I can promise there will be at least 4 books in the box - that are not written by Jane Austen)
a Rafflecopter giveaway


Books 1 and 2 in the Jane Austen Academy Series by Cecilia Gray
a Rafflecopter giveaway

All Things Austen - Guest Austen Author and Giveaway - Cecilia Gray

Please turn off all mobile phones for the duration of the program, thank you.

*the stage is dark, a lone figure stands center stage*

*one beam of light illuminates this figure*

Welcome Austen Author Cecilia Gray everyone!

Cecilia Gray is the author of Fall for You and So Into You the first 2 novels in the Jane Austen Academy Series. Fall for You being the re-telling of Pride and Prejudice and So Into You being Sense and Sensibilities turn. You can check out the very cool trailer for the book series here

 


-------------------

I did not set out to write a series of Jane Austen retellings. I set out to write a series set in an exclusive all-girl’s boarding school that becomes co-ed to the delight and despair of its female students.

I wanted the new guys to challenge my heroines who would also be challenged by each other. I wanted each girl to be very different.

There had to be a driven leader, a shy wallflower, a popular girl. As I began sketching the characters I found myself having thoughts like, “This girl will be spunky…you know…like Elizabeth Bennet.” It wasn’t long before Jane Austen was officially integrated into the series.

Reimagining Jane Austen’s heroines as modern-day high school girls is not new. Most famously, Amy Heckerling’s 1995 teen film Clueless gave us Cher Horowitz – a supernatural fashion queen who, like her source material Emma, engages in well-intentioned if misguided matchmaking.

Here are several of my modern interpretations:

Lizzie (Elizabeth from Pride and Prejudice)

Sassy, intelligent and a tad judgemental? Lizzie had to be an opinionated, budding journalist – one who hadn’t learned to keep to the facts instead of her feelings. In FALL FOR YOU (Book #1 – The Jane Austen Academy Series) Lizzie protests the changes to the school and despises the incoming boys – especially Dante (Mr. Darcy) who is too rich and too superior for her taste.

Ellie (Elinor from Sense and Sensibility)

Sensible and reserved, Ellie always hides her feelings. It made sense to me that Ellie from SO INTO YOU (Book #2) would be a Santa Cruz surfer girl whose go-with-the-flow attitude is challenged when her parents decide to stop paying her tuition.

Anne (Anne from Persuasion)

Anne, by far my favorite Jane Austen heroine, is intelligent but easily persuaded to ignore her better judgement and regrets her decisions while in the throes of losing her home. My Anne has just lost her school – the Academy, to be precise - which was her family’s legacy until it was mismanaged. To make matters worse, one of the new male students is her ex-boyfriend who she broke up with when he moved away to military academy. He’s back, as hot as ever, and rich to boot.

Almost every character from the series is re-imagined although to keep the cast small, I’ve doubled up on roles.

Josh Wickham, a Hollywood heartthrob attending the school in my series, serves as my villain for the Pride and Prejudice retelling but is right back to being the bad boy for Willoughby’s role in the Sense and Sensibility story. I didn’t want any of the characters to have siblings at the school, so when sensible Ellie (Elinor/Eleanor) needed her dramatic Marianne, I let my Emma fill the role.

I’ve always loved Jane Austen, but developing and writing this series has exponentially increased my respect for the author and the enduring universality of her themes and characters.

Plus Jane Austen never shied away from giving her heroines “the win” – a cute guy and newfound self-respect. I hope I’ve able to do the same.

---------

You can find out all about Cecilia at her ----

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Keep these in mind guys they are going to come in handy later on...

You can also sign up for her newsletter here

About Cecilia

Cecilia Gray lives in Oakland where she reads, writes and breaks for food. She also pens her biographies in the third person. Like this. As if to trick you into thinking someone else wrote it because she is important. Alas, this is not the case.

Cecilia has been praised for “instilling a warmth and weight into her characters”  (Romancing The Book Reviews) and her books have been praised for being “well-written, original, realistic and witty” (Quills & Zebras Reviews).

Several of her titles - including A Delightful Arrangement (The Gentlemen Next Door #1) and An Illicit Engagement (The Gentlemen Next Door #2) - have spent, in her view, a shocking amount of time on bestseller lists for romance, historical romance and regency romance in the US, UK, Italy and Spain.

Her latest release, FALL FOR YOU, the first in a series of young-adult contemporary Jane Austen retellings received a starred Kirkus review and was praised for being a “unique twist on a classic” and offering “a compelling action of action, drama and love.”

She’s rather enamored of being contacted by readers and hopes you’ll oblige.

Giveaway Time!!
Cecilia has been kind enough to offer her 2 books - see above - for a giveaway! Yaaaaaay.

This will be international and the giveaway will be for e-books.

Fill out the pretty rafflecopter below and good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

All Things Austen - Guest Post - Top 5 Favourite Austen Adaptations

Once again thank you to Alex (it is so weird thanking an Alex when I am an Alex...moving on) from A Girl, Books and Other Things.

Top 5 favorite Austen Adaptations.

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that this little blogger loves writing up lists!

And in the spirit of the Seven Weeks of Austen I decided to put together a list of my favorite adaptations of Ms. Austen’s works.

I ‘ve tried to put a little bit of everything and this is all my humble opinion.

So, onto the list!

Pride and Prejudice (1995) BBC/Masterpiece

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112130

Okay, I’m going start with the absolute obvious choice. I absolutely love Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle as Darcy and Lizzie. They have great chemistry together to be sure, but they also look the part - they have a very British look in my opinion - plus I think the actors and director got the essence of the sisters right. Little as Kitty and Mary’s screen time is, I remember them. And Lydia is annoying and vain but also kind of fun. 

I believe this series is so well loved it has almost become cannon - like the Darcy -swimming scene.

Persuade Me by Juliet Archer (2011)   

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11690220-persuade-me

Persuasion is one of those stories that I feel often gets overlooked, even by Austen fans but it has always been a favorite of mine mostly because it’s a story of second chances. And I think Persuade Me is a lovely modern retelling, because it gets the essence of the characters, their flaws, and yet it makes you connect with them. It’s hard to forgive someone when there are 10 years of misunderstandings in between, and Persuade Me shows that. Also, it manages to mirror a lot of the events in the original book in a way that makes sense in this day and age.

Sense and Sensibility (2008) BBC/Masterpiece

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0847150/ 

One of the things I love the most about this adaptation is that they got the ages of the characters right. If you read the book, Marianne is about 17 and Elinor about 19 - something you totally don’t get from Emma Thompson’s version, though I admit I kind of like that one too, but not as much as I like this version. Also, Edward doesn’t look like he goes around being constipated all the time - I’m looking at you Hugh Grant!

Sure, this version doesn’t have Alan Rickman or Greg Wise but it doesn’t actually suffer for it.

Clueless (1995)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112697/

I was only about 11 years old when Clueless came out but I still love watching it. It actually took me a while to work out it was an Emma retelling and I actually like that. Because of the setting and the way the argument was updated you feel just like you are watching a very fun story, no a retelling, and I love that.

Northanger Abbey (2007)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0844794/

I admit that until I saw this movie, Northanger Abbey was probably the Jane Austen story that I was least familiar with, but I was so charmed that I of course went and bought the book and read it and loved it even more. The story is silly and fun and I loved Felicity Jones as Catherine (she’s one of my favorite young Brit actresses), and how incorporated her dreams into the movie. For me it actually turned into a feel good movie

Shout Out to:

The Lizzie Benet Diaries (2012) You Tube

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?annotation_id=annotation_208531&feature=iv&list=PL6690D980D8A65D08&src_vid=kobsKwCbXHY

I’m a bit on the fence about this because the more time it passes the less I like Lizzie - which actually made me realize she is very judgmental and has less-than-stellar parts to her personality (she’s not very nice toward her sisters other than Jane - even in the original) but because of the medium, it kind of jumped at me this time. In this version I like Caroline B. a lot more than Lizzie (at least so far) so go figure!  On the other hand, it’s a pretty clever idea to tell P & P through vlog entries, and I don’t even mind the Americanization of the story… that much.

  

All Things Austen - Janey DVDS

As this is Jane Austen free-for-all week I could not neglect to mention the films/programs that I am aware of that are all about the lady herself. 

I give you. 

The Janey DVDs (which I have watched and thought were both really good in their own ways BTW)

This drama depicts a passionate and emotional chapter of Jane Austen’s romantic life, inspired by the great writer’s own novels, letters and diaries.

As Jane Austen approaches her 40s, her success as a writer is assured and her witty and sharply observed romantic novels are widely admired. To her niece, Fanny Knight – a young, pretty girl desperate to fall in love – Jane is a favourite aunt who offers the wisdom and knowledge to help her in her own search for a happy marriage.

Yet, when asked by Fanny to help her vet potential husbands, Jane's usual confident composure is threatened. Surely the woman so capable of writing love on the page must have experienced love herself, so why did she never marry?

Protected by her wit, Jane has presented a front as dazzling as many of her novels' young heroines, but as she reflects on her own romantic encounters and affairs, we are drawn into the passions, suitors and choices of her life – the cruel flirting, the proposals spurned and the love that seemed to arrive too late.

As she recalls missed opportunities, the doubts arise. Did she make the right choice for herself and her family? Could the great romantic expert have been mistaken? And, could her principles about love and marriage possibly have been ill-judged?

I really enjoyed this. It wasn't at all what I expected it to be which at first I was a little disappointed by but by the end I loved it. It isn't one of those DVDs that I could watch over and over again but it is definitely one to bring out of hiding and snuggle up to with a bar of chocolate and a cup of tea. 

I couldn't find and synopsis that didn't go into crazy detail so I shall just say that this is a film that focuses mainly on the early years of Jane Austen.

Okaaaaay, so between the two Miss Austen Regrets is my favourite. I just couldn't quite gel with this one at all for some reason. And I think that it may be because it came across like Pride and Prejudice or Sense and Sensibility. It is entertaining but I just couldn't ... get into it in the same way that I could Miss Austen Regrets. 

Have any of you guys seen these? I would love to know what you though of them :)

All Things Austen - Being Elizabeth Bennet by Emma Campbell Webster

Elizabeth Bennet is the wittiest and most attractive heroine in English literature. And for the first time, in "Being Elizabeth Bennet", you are given the opportunity to star in the most popular novel in the English language: "Pride and Prejudice". 

You will be faced throughout this book with delicate challenges and dangerous choices. Whether you're accepting Mr Darcy the first time he professes his attachment, deciding to elope with Mr Wickham or avoiding a murderous Lady Catherine de Bourgh, this is a chance to rewrite Austen's most famous book. You decide who to marry and when. And if you have always preferred Mr Knightley's sophistication or have a sneaking admiration for the odious Mr Elliot then you can marry them instead. 

However, make choices with caution: "Being Elizabeth Bennet" is packed with characters and plot twists to thwart your happy union with Pemberly's most eligible bachelor. You must complete five stages - and successfully negotiate your way through Austen's five other novels - before can choose to accept Mr Darcy. But if the outcome does not suit, simply return to page 1 and create a new Jane Austen adventure.

This is very much a choose your own adventure book. You are given choices to make through out the book to see what happens at the end. Will you die of the cold? Or will you live happily ever after with Mr Darcy?

One of the things that I found hilarious was that you have to make up a list of 'inferior' connections as you go through - that tickled me. 

'No more!' you cry, and with that you hurl Fordyce's Sermons directly at his head, killing him in an instant. 

All Things Austen - Jane Austen's Guide to Dating by Lauren Henderson

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." --Jane Austen, Pride and PrejudiceThere was never a more astute chronicler of the hits and near-misses of love than Jane Austen. Now, she helps readers discover their inner heroines and get the guy in this witty book of romance and dating strategies.

Utilizing wisdom inspired by Jane Austen's novels, from Sense and Sensibility to Pride and Prejudice and beyond, author Lauren Henderson creates an indispensable guide for navigating the all-too-mystifying dating scene. Harnessing the triumphs and pitfalls of Austen's classic characters, Henderson shows how qualities like honesty, self-awareness, and forthrightness always win the right man -- and still let you respect yourself in the morning.

A completely new and amusing approach to dating, Jane Austen's Guide to Dating includes insightful personality quizzes that reveal which Jane Austen character you -- and your mate -- most resemble. Armed with this knowledge, you can learn what to do if you're a Lizzie, but the object of your affection is a Bingley. You can even find out how to gain the clearheadedness and confidence that Anne Elliot had and almost lost in Persuasion.

Full of wit and truly useful advice that has stood the test of time, Jane Austen's Guide to Dating will help readers overcome the nonsense and find the sense (and sensibility) to succeed in a lasting relationship. Fans of Jane Austen and newcomers alike will delight in this fun, fresh, and audacious guide.

I first read this book not long after it first came out and I loved it!

As there isn't really a story in the book I can't tell you about the characters or the plot etc. 

It is just what it says on the cover, this is 'Jane Austen's Guide to Dating'. There are case studies of the girls from Austen's novels and their relationships with others and what they did. And then there are real-life scenarios. 

At times this is just a fun read and at others slightly more serious. 

All Things Austen - The Jane Austen Mysteries by Stephanie Barron

Shout out time!

This is a series of books were Jane Austen is the heroine of the story as she gets herself involved in some dodgy goings on.

There are 11 books in this series - so there is a lovely collection of them to read if you like the first (so that is always a good thing).

Jane Austen and the -

Book 1 - Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor
Book 2 - Man of the Cloth
Book 3 - Wandering Eye
Book 4 - Genius of the Place
Book 5 - Stillroom Maid
Book 6 - Prisoner of Wool House
Book 7 - Ghosts of Netley
Book 8 - Jane and His Lordships Legacy
Book 9 - Barque of Frailty
Book 10 - Madness of Lord Byron
Book 11 - Canterbury Tale

Stephanie Barron's Website is here
Stephanie Barron's Bog is here

Persuasion - Novel Shout-Out Time #2

For those of you with a love for Captain Wentworth who may want to know what was going through his mind.

Captain Wentworth's Diary by Amanda Grange

(This is part of the Jane Austen's Heroes Series by the author)

(I love this front cover!)

During his shore leave from the Navy, Frederick Wentworth falls in love with the elegant and intelligent Miss Anne Elliot. Only to see his hopes of marrying her dashed by her godmother.

Eight years later, Wentworth has realized his ambitions. A wealthy captain, he has pushed his memories of Anne to the furthest recesses of his mind - until he sees her again. And though Anne's bloom has faded, Wentworth is surprised to find that his regard for her wit and warmth has not.

None But You (Frederick Wentworth, Captain #1) by Susan Kaye

Eight years ago, when he had nothing but his future to offer, Frederick Wentworth fell in love with Anne Elliot, the gentle daughter of a haughty, supercilious baronet. Sir Walter Elliot refused to countenance a marriage, and Anne's godmother, Lady Russell, strongly advised Anne against him. Persuaded by those nearest to her, Anne had given him up and he had taken his broken heart to sea. When Jane Austen's Persuasion opens in the year 1814, Frederick Wentworth, now a famous and wealthy captain in His Majesty's Navy, finds himself back in England and, as fate would have it, residing as a guest in Anne's former home. Now, it is the baronet who is in financial difficulties, and Anne exists only at her family's beck and call. For eight long years, Frederick had steeled his heart against her. Should he allow Anne into his heart again, or should he look for love with younger, prettier woman in the neighbourhood who regard him as a hero?

For You Alone (Frederick Wentworth, Captain #2) by Susan Kaye

How could he have failed to know himself so completely? Captain Frederick Wentworth, lately returned to England from a distinguished naval career fighting Napoleon, had re-visited the scene of his romantic defeat of eight years previous at the hands of Miss Anne Elliot to find his former love a pale, worn shadow of herself. Attracted by the libely young ladies in the area who regarded him as a hero, he had ignored Anne and entangled himself with Louisa Musgrove, a headstrong young woman who seemed all that Anne was not. Now, because of his careless behviour and Louisa's heedlessness, his future appeared tied to her just at the moment when it had become painfully clear that Anne was still everything he truly wanted. In honour, he belonged to Louisa, but his heart was full of Anne. What was he to do?

 

Persuasion - My Favourite TV Adaptation

I am going to go against everything that I have said in previous posts about the modern-er adaptations of Jane Austen's Novels.

The latest adaptation of Persuasion is by far my favourite!

I love it.

It is not really how the plot is portrayed - I love that too, don't get me wrong - but the way that the characters have been painted. I found that I could really gel with them in this version more than any other Austen adaption I have seen.

The way that the difference is shown between Anne's blood family and her family through marriage is brilliant, with the playful light feel that comes from her being with people who care for her and then the strict, almost bleak feel of her actual family.

Not to mention is has one of the most beautiful closing scenes when Captain Wentworth dances with Anne in front of her family home that he has just purchased as a weeding present for her. I am telling you, it is enough to bring a sentimental tear to a glass eye.

**Giveaway** - The Mystery Giveaway

This giveaway is going to be something a little different.

It is going to be a surprise....

DUN DUN DUN.

It will be a Jane Austen themed giveaway, so there will be Austeny books in the box as well as other goodies in the box. But right now that is all the info I am giving you *insert crazy take-over-the-world laugh here*

Entering for the box of coolness is easy.

Fill out the rafflecopter below.

Good luck guys! :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Persuasion - Novel Shout-Out Time!

Shout out time guys!

So here are some books that are based on Persuasion by Jane Austen.

Persuading Annie by Melissa Nathan (Yes, the author of 'The Nanny')

Meet Annie Markham. Gentle, sweet and kind. Except for her dark side. A dark side called Jake Mead. Seven years ago he’d been her entire world, even though her godmother had tried to persuade her to dump him. But when the going got tough, Annie’s tough got going. Jake’s hasty departure from her life proved that a) godmothers are cleverer than they look and b) the only thing reliable about men is that they’re totally unreliable.

Now Jake is back in her life. And he’s the one man who may just save her family’s ailing company. But what Annie doesn’t know is that Jake has an Achilles heel. An Achilles heel called Annie Markham. He’s never quite got over her treatment of him all those years ago. This is the perfect opportunity for what some may call closure. But what Jake calls, revenge.

Possibilities by Debra White Smith

(This is part of an Austen Series of books by the author)

Allie Ellen is the daughter of a respected, wealthy southern family who owns a plantation. Frederick Wently has no money and plans to join the Air Force. When the two meet, they feel a deep attraction. But Allie's unsentimental aunt dissuades her from the relationship--so when Frederick proposes, Allie runs off.

Years later, Allie and Frederick find themselves in the same city once again. But other love interests and Frederick's bitterness from their earlier break up may keep them apart. Will forgiveness and hope erase the memories of the past in time for Allie and Frederick to have a future?

Persuasion - My Thoughts on Persuasion by Jane Austen

Welcome to Persuasion Weeks ladies and gentlemen!

Persuasion is definitely up there near the top of my list of favourite books, never mind books by Jane Austen. And the funny thing is that I have no idea why.

As I have already mentioned in my Emma post, I do not like match-making stories because I just know there is going to be a huge screw up somewhere and lots of embarrassment. 

But Persuasion doesn't have the match-making element Alex. So why don't you like it?

Because it has second thing that I most dislike in a story. The reconciliation with an old love thing. *shiver*. I really don't like that kind of story. Even in films - you know the kind, successful business woman returns to her small home town and rekindles her romance with her now widowed high-school sweetheart complete with motherless child - I dislike that kind of story line. 

But in Persuasion I just love Anne so much - not to mention all of the colourful characters that surround her. She it is obvious that her heart is breaking as she watches the man she loves court another and listens to the gossip that he will marry someone who is not her but she made her choice years ago and is prepared to face the consequences. She does not go around thinking that the world owes her something - even though in my opinion it does after she has had to deal with her family for all those years. 

And then we have Captain Wentworth - next to Colonel Brandon he has to be my favourite Austen hero (must have a thing for guys in uniform ;)) Even though I do think he is a bit of a tube for the way that he treats Anne when they first re-meet one another he is a right gent and he is only acting that way because she broke his heart so I can forgive him - but only just. 

And just to finish off with I want to mention one last thing. 

I have come to the decision that Jane Austen is the queen of supporting characters. They are all so colourful and full of life! I find that especially true where Persuasion is concerned!

Northanger Abbey - My Favourite Adaptation

This one required absolutely nearly no thought from me in the slightest. As I have said Northanger Abbey is not a firm favourite of mine (book wise) but I do have a firm favourite when it comes to the TV adaptations and it is one of the few occasions where I would watch the DVD over reading the book.

Peter Firth as Henry Tilney

It is the version from 1986.

It is brilliant and had the whole gothicey-ness down to a T. Peter Firth does an excellent job in his portrayal of Henry Tilney - I think with some adaptations the characters come across as being a little too 'pretty' and clean cut. I don't mean that as a criticism at all, as compared to Bronte and Dickens and other authors of the time Jane Austen's writing is downright fluffy (on the surface of things anyway), and to convey this and to appeal to a new generation of viewers the way things are done and cast are bound to change.

Katharine Schlesinger as Catherine Morland

Sorry of on a tangent there.

But yes, when it comes to the 1986 version what tops it for me is the characters

My only issue with the latest adaptation of Northanger Abbey is that it seems to miss out so much Austen goodness and other character's story-lines in an effort to simplify things and fit it into a 2 hour slot. (ITV I love you for your Austen-i-ness but I am talking to YOU)

So there is my pennies worth on my favourite adaptation.

Northanger Abbey - My thoughts on Catherine Morland

Oh dear... here I go again.

So, although I enjoy Jane Austen (most of the time), Northanger Abbey is one of those books that I can't read without wanting to rip out pages.

Reason?

Catherine!!!

She is such a...a...NINNY!

Her actions have my emotions swinging from embarrassment to mortification at some of the stuff she gets up to and even anger at her stupidity.

I know that Jane Austen wrote Northanger Abbey as a way to poke some fun at the stereotypical gothic-horror-romance of the day but I cannnot help but wonder if she was trying to poke fingers at the irritatingly naive character of Catherine at the same time - I suppose I will have to read some of the novels mentioned in by Catherine and Isabelle to see if the female leads are like that in them. Or maybe she was saying that if you let your kid read these novels they will loose the ability to think with anything but their imagination and their brains will turn to mush...?

I haven't read any studies on Jane Austen's work (I will have to work on that) so I do not know exactly what the common thought is for what she was trying to say... (answers on a postcard if you know)

Anyway, back to Catherine.

Who goes nosying around someone else house? Especially when this someone isn't exactly someone who you have know for an extended period of time. Seriously, who in their right mind does that!!!! Some who is very rude I think! (Or if you are going to do that at least  wait until everyone else has been abducted by aliens and are too bust being experimented on to try and find you. Don't get yourself caught!)

I also find her to be quite insensitive in the way that she needs to know everything about EVERYTHING that is going on.

She is definitely not one of my favourite Austen heroines.

In fact, this is another Austen book where the supporting character are my favourite.

Mr and Mrs Allen are at the top of my 'people I like' list for this book.

Northanger Abbey - My Favourite Northanger Lines

No one who had ever seen Catherine Morland in her infancy would have supposed her born to be an heroine.

I love this line, although at the same time I can'r help but roll my eyes. It is like some epic fantasy were Fred the bakers boy who is beaten everyday, starved and sleeps behind the fireplace (so yeah, you don't expect him to be a hero) turns out to be Prince Unpronounceable Name from the land of Hey-We-Need-A-Forgotten-Heir.

Yes, I know exactly what you will say: Friday, went to the Lower Rooms; wore my sprigged muslin robe with blue trimmings -- plain black shoes -- appeared to much advantage; but was strangely harassed by a queer, half-witted man, who would make me dance with him, and distressed me by his nonsense.

One of the characteristics that I love about Henry is his lightheartedness when he first meets Catherine. Perfect big brother material I think.

Oh! I am delighted with the book! I should like to spend my whole life in reading it

And all of us bookworms scream 'Amen' at this point.

...beware how you give your heart...

Need I say more.

And by personal favourite regarding the 7 horrid novels of Northanger Abbey

...a particular friend of mine, a Miss Andrews, a sweet girl, one of the sweetest creatures in the world, has read every one of them. 

Hehe, that  make me giggle every time I read it.

Northanger Abbey - The Novels of Northanger (Part 2)

Welcome back to the Novels of Northanger everyone!

The Horrid Mysteries: A Story From the German Of The Marquis Of Grosse by Carl Grosse, and Peter Will

(no cover I'm afraid)
The hero of the tale, the Marquis of Grosse finds himself embroiled in a secret revolutionary society which advocates murder and mayhem in pursuit of an early form of communism. He creates a rival society to combat them and finds himself hopelessly trapped between the two antagonistic forces. The book has been both praised and lambasted for its lurid portrayal of sex, violence and barbarism.

The Necromancer, or The Tale of the Black Forest by Karl Friedrich Kahlert

"The hurricane was howling, the hailstones beating against windows, the hoarse croaking of the raven bidding adieu to autumn, and the weather-cock's dismal creaking joined with the mournful dirge of the solitary owl..."

"The Necromancer" consists of a series of interconnected stories, all centering on the enigmatic figure of Volkert the Necromancer. Filled with murder, ghosts, and dark magic, and featuring a delirious and dizzying plot that almost defies comprehension, "The Necromancer" is one of the strangest horror novels ever written.

The Orphan of the Rhine by Eleanor Sleath

(The only blurb I could find for this was a watered down telling of the book on Wikipedia and I don't want to ruin it for you all. Needleass to say there is drafty castles, elopements, evil gorgeous people...You know, the works ;))

The Midnight Bell by Francis Lathom

Young Alphonsus Cohenburg enters his mother's bedroom and finds her covered in blood. She tells him his uncle has murdered his father, and orders him to flee Cohenburg castle forever to save his own life

A disconsolate exile, Alphonsus wanders the earth seeking the means of survival, first as a soldier, then a miner, and finally as sacristan of a church, where he meets the beautiful Lauretta. They wed and establish a home together, and everything seems to promise them a happy future. But their domestic tranquillity is shattered, when a band of ruffians kidnaps the unfortunate Lauretta Alphonsus must solve the mystery of Lauretta's disappearance and the riddle of his mother's strange conduct. And when he hears that ghosts inhabit Cohenburg castle, tolling the great bell each night at midnight, the mystery only deepens....

The Italian by Ann Radcliffe

(again this isn't part of the official (if you like) 7 but it is mentioned)

From the first moment Vincentio di Vivaldi, a young nobleman, sets eyes on the veiled figure of Ellena, he is captivated by her enigmatic beauty and grace. But his haughty and manipulative mother is against the match and enlists the help of her confessor to come between them. Schedoni, previously a leading figure of the Inquisition, is a demonic, scheming monk with no qualms about the task, whether it entails abduction, torture—or even murder. The Italian secured Ann Radcliffe's position as the leading writer of Gothic romance of the age, for its atmosphere of supernatural and nightmarish horrors, combined with her evocation of sublime landscapes and chilling narrative.

And there we have it. I think some of these would make some smashing October reading don't you?  

If I have missed any of the novels mentioned in Northanger shout out and I will amend this ASAP, but I think I have got them as most are mentioned in the same passage of the novel.

"... but are they all horrid, are you sure they are all horrid?"

I think we are going to have to read them and find out.... 

Northanger Abbey - The Novels of Northanger (part 1)

One of the things that I like about Northanger Abbey is that our main female leads love to read the gothic novels that are available to them. I just love it. I mean it does annoy me how Catherine really does let her imagination run away with her and she was probably one of the reasons that parents didn't approve of their children reading novels and some frowned on it... But I am going off course here. 

So, the novels mentioned in Northanger Abbey -

The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe
(this book is not actually one of the 7 'horrid' novels mentioned by Isabella to Catherine but it is a book that they read)

Trapped in a gloomy medieval fortress, an orphaned heroine battles the devious schemes of her guardians as well as her own pensive visions and melancholy fancies....


The Castle of Wolfenbach: A German Story by Eliza Parsons

Matilda Weimar flees her lecherous and incestuous uncle and seeks refuge in the ancient Castle of Wolfenbach. Among the castle's abandoned chambers, Matilda will discover the horrifying mystery of the missing Countess of Wolfenbach. But when her uncle tracks her down, can she escape his despicable intentions?

Clermont by Regina Maria Roche

Clermont is the story of Madeline, a porcelain doll of a Gothic heroine, who lives in seclusion from society with her father, Clermont, whose past is shrouded in mystery. One stormy night, their solitude is interrupted by a benighted traveller, a Countess who turns out to be a friend from Clermont's past. 
Madeline goes to live with the Countess to receive her education, but her new idyllic life soon turns into a shocking nightmare. Ruffians attack the gentle Countess, and Madeline is assaulted in a gloomy crypt. And to make matters worse, a sinister stranger appears, threatening to reveal the bloody truth of Clermont's past unless Madeline marries him. Can she avoid the snares of her wily pursuers, solve the mystery of her father's past, and win the love of her dear De Sevignie? 

The Mysterious Warning by Eliza Parsons

The good old Count Renaud is dead, and his will makes the degenerate Rhodophil his heir, disinheriting his other son Ferdinand, who has married against his father's wishes. Rhodophil promises to share his new riches with his younger brother and his wife Claudina, but Ferdinand hears a mysterious voice from beyond the grave, warning him to flee his brother and his wife to save himself from sin and death!

Ferdinand obeys the supernatural warning and sets out to find fortune and adventure. In the course of his quest he will encounter a recluse in a ruined castle with a horrible secret, find himself captured and imprisoned by the Turkish army, and encounter one of Gothic literature's most depraved female characters, the monstrous Fatima. And if he survives all these dangers, Ferdinand must return to Renaud Castle to solve the mystery of the ghostly voice and uncover the terrible truth about his wife and his brother! 

I don't know about you guys but I am loving the sound of these. I supposes Counts back then are the same as Dukes today in fictions, there seems to be a surplus of them ;)

Northanger Abbery - Wishbone takes on Northanger Abbey!

I am back again with another shout out for Wishbone.

Out of the 6 novels by Jane Austen 2 of then have been televised for Wishbone. There was Furst Impressions (Pride and Prejudice) and now there is ...

Pup Fiction based on Northanger Abbey.

Like all of the Wishbone episodes there is a ink between what is happening with the kids in real life and the story that Wishbone with be telling the audience.

As we have already said through the different posts Catherine was a heavy reader of gothic romance. Could we call it the 'pulp' fiction of the day? Perhaps. And so to link the stories together one of the girls in the modern day has got into pulp thrillers. So I give you the link, a little shakey, but there it is. :)

You can find this episode floating around the web if you do a little googling :) *cough* YouTube *cough*