Jane Austen Society of North America-- New Jersey Region

9.28.2012

Author Event at Princeton University Library

Sandy Lerner Talk and Book Signing

October 02, 2012 4:30 p.m.– 5:30 p.m.

Author Sandy Lerner, aka Ava Farmer, author of Second Impressions, will be discussing and signing her book, Second Impressions.

Set 10 years after Pride and Prejudice, the novel explores the changes to the Darcy family's lives, Europe post-Napoleon, and life in the late Regency England with humor, a love of Austen's language, and a fascinating yet credible plot.

Location: Chancellor Green Rotunda

Audience: Free and Open to the Public

For information about parking and location visit the Princeton University webpage.

9.26.2012

Yesterday as I was filling in my Jane-a-Day journal I read the quotation and had a thought I wanted to share with you to see if you agree with me or not.

You see, I am a very prosaic, unromantic, sensible sort of fellow myself; and I have always had my heart set on finding the most sensible, prudent, level-headed wife in the world. But, on the other hand, it is very important to me that she possess one very particular flaw: she must have no sense whatsoever where I myself am concerned. - Sanditon

I'll be honest, I haven't read Sanditon so this quote is really out of context to me. I really didn't have anything to write about so I started to think on the quote to write a line or two about it, but soon realized that the space in the journal wasn't enough, I had to share my thoughts here.

First I wondered what is meant by "no sense." Does he mean that she should pay him no mind or that she looses all her sense when he's around? A 'sensible, prudent, level-headed' person can lose all sense when presented with a number of situation and people so that kind of fit for me, but than this is Jane Austen we're talking about and I think she meant the first, that as a wife she would pay her husband no mind.

When I decided on that my second thought became, 'couldn't this passage fit the relationship of Mr. Collins and Charlotte?.' Mr. Collins could very well see himself as being, 'prosaic, unromantic, [and] sensible.' In Charlotte, he did find a wife who seems to be sensible, prudent, [and] level-headed.' I believe that she also has 'no sense' where her husband is concerned.

Agree or disagree?