Meet Me At The Pump Room.

Hey Ladies,

It's that time of the month... we need to set up a meeting time. Like Catherine and Isabella, we'll meet up, dish all our gossip and share our personal commentaries to our joyful delight. (ha ha, that's why the club is called hot book GEEKS) I'm looking at October 24th which is a Saturday. Would it be easier to coordinate on a weekday? Please give me your thoughts for a day and time.

Also, here are some other discussion questions and ideas to ponder:

1) Compared to Austen's other works, and considering that Northanger Abbey was the first novel she sold (not the first published, just the first sold), how do you think it rates? Compared to Austen's older novels (Emma, Pride and Prejudice) is the plot as riveting? The romance as intriguing? The heroine and hero as like-able or as irritating?

2) Northanger Abbey was Austen's parody of sorts on the plethora of gothic novels popular at the time. The question is, is it anything deeper? In other words, what else is Austen trying to say or make a statement about?

3) Side stories: The love triangle of Isabella, James and Captain Tilney; Elanor's marriage to a viscount.

Ok, please leave comments as to the day and time that you think would be best.

Cheers,

Miranda

Memorable Words and the Lure of Escapist Fiction

Hello beautiful ladies!

Week one of October is down; how's Northanger Abbey coming? I know a few that are finished reading already, so I thought to keep everyone interested and involved we'd try something new.*

To get us started, I wanted to share one to my favorite lines from the book:

"Provided that nothing like useful knowledge could be gained from them, provided they were all story and no reflection, she had never any objection to books at all."**

So for our first discussion this month, I've picked two topics to start with:

1) Your favorite line from Northanger Abbey (or fav line so far). If you don't have one you could share a fav line from another Austen book.

2) The idea of this quote- Escapist Fiction. Does that mean sparkly vampires to anyone else? I love me some sparkly vampires and shape-shifting wolves, don't get me wrong. I adore escapist fiction, but it does have a bad reputation in the literary world, and society in general too. Is there anything to gain from it? Is it deserving of a bad connotation? Does it have any value? What are your thoughts; inquiring minds want to know.

*To anyone that is interested and finishing Northanger early on in the month, there are at least two of us reading And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie if you want to read along on that one too.

**Sorry I don't know what page that's on as my copy is a full works copy and thus it's on page 818, but I think it should be on or around page 2.

Discussing Emma

Ok, so I promised you discussion questions yesterday.  Sorry, I'm a day behind :)

Anyway, hope you ladies have enjoyed reading Emma.  I look forward to discussing it with you.  Feel free to answer any questions by simply posting a comment, just make sure to number your discussion comments so we know what question you are referring to.  

Other than that, I'll see you all on Saturday the 25th @ 8:30 pm my time.  I wish I could let you all know specifically what time that is for you, but if you go here, you can figure it out.  I am UTC/GMT time zone.  See you soon!

Discussing Emma: 

1. How do matters of class affect the interaction of these characters, and would you describe class as being rigid or flexible as it is depicted by Jane Austen? To what extent can class be said to be of central importance to the development of the novel, since it is one of the most important considerations in marriage? Does class seem to be treated differently by those in Highbury than it does by outsiders, for example Frank Churchill and Mrs. Elton? Do you think it is significant that no woman in Highbury is of Emma's age and rank?

2. Do you think Mr. Knightley's feelings change as the novel progresses? Why or why not?

3. While matchmaking is the central device in Emma, both for the plot and as a backdrop to develop characters, not all of the matches made in the novel are good. Compare the matches made between Mr. Weston and Miss Taylor, Emma and Mr. Knightley, Harriet and Mr. Martin, Jane Fairfax and Frank Churchill, and Mr. Elton and Mrs. Elton. Which are good matches and which are bad? What character traits in the couples make them suited or unsuited for each other? Why are the mismatches so important to the story?

4. Does Emma act as a good friend to Harriet Smith?  Does Harriet ultimately benefit from Emma's friendship or her attempts to help her?

5.In the final analysis, is Emma a sympathetic character? Does she seem to have good intentions only marred by a slight desire to interfere with other people's lives, or is she thoughtless and unconcerned with the effects she has on others? In your estimation, is Emma ultimately moral or immoral? What specific incidents in the novel lead you to that conclusion?

*I collected these questions from a few book club suggestion sites. If you all want to discuss something else, please add it! Inquiring minds want to know!*