If Jane Austen Blogged A-Z (and a GIVEAWAY)

I "borrowed" this idea from the extremely talented S. L. Hennessy over at Pensuasion. She is one of the incredible bloggers hosting the A-Z Challenge this year and to provide participants with some inspiration, she has written two Characters Who Blog posts that are just so great: Ingo Blogtoya and Blog-ementary, My Dear Watson. I am eyeball-deep in my Master's of Arts thesis right (I actually just typed "write" there initially) which is a detailed look at Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. I think, speak, dream, and I would guess even bleed Jane Austen at this point so when I saw S. L.'s posts I couldn't help but consider how Jane Austen might blog A-Z. So, I am taking a break from thesising to write this post!

I'm only going to include first or last names of characters in Austen's six complete novels with a few added "extras" here and there. At the end, I'll leave a couple of fun questions for you to try and answer in relation to those "extras." As you read through, see how many characters you can place in their proper novels (Hint: The characters within each letter are listed in order of the publication date of the novels they appear in - but sometimes there is more than one character from each novel.)

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Original image: Holly Hayes

It will be a truth soon universally acknowledged that a reader in search of a fascinating blog need go no further than Little Bits of Ivory. After all, it's been over two hundred years since my first publication and I am more famous today than I was then! This new-fangled A-Z Challenge is rather intriguing so I cannot help but participate.

A - Anne
B - Brandon, Bingley, Bennet, Bertram
C - Cassandra, Collins, Charlotte, Crawford, Catherine
D - Dashwood, Darcy, de Bourgh
E - Elinor, Edward, Elizabeth, Elton, Edmund, Emma
F - Fitzwilliam, Ferrars, Fanny, Frederick
G - Georgiana, George
H - Henry, Harriet
I - Isabella
J - Jane
K - Kitty, Knightly
L - Longbourn, Lydia, Lucas
M - Marianne, Mary, Maria, Morland, Musgrove
N - Netherfield
O - officers
P - Pemberley, Price
Q - Quirk Books
R - Regency
S - Smith
T - Tilney
U - Udolpho, Mysteries of
V - Val McDermid
W - Willoughby, Wickham, Woodhouse, Wentworth
X - Xerxes
Y - "Yes" by McAlmont and Butler
Z - zombies, Zellweger (Renee)

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So, how did you do? Could you associate all of the characters with their novels?

Here's a little "extras" quiz:
1. Which novel has the most character names listed A-Z?
2. Which name is NOT one of Austen's character's? (Hint: The name is actually her sister's)
3. Place names are listed from only one novel. Which novel?
4. O, Q, R, U, V, X, Y, and Z have their own special significance. Any guesses?

If I get at least five participants via the comments in my little quiz by April 30th, 2015, I'll send a Jane Austen swag bag (includes: a copy of Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, Emma, and Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict - so far!) to the person who gets the most answers correct!

A-Z Challenge: N is for Northanger Abbey

It's A-Z. Mine's all about my upcoming adventures in grad school a.k.a doing a Master's thesis on Jane Austen. It is finally time for 'N' and my favorite Austen novel, Northanger Abbey.

Let me guess, you've never even heard of Nothanger Abbey? It really wouldn't surprise me. It's the Austen novel that is least talked about and least adapted for television/film. Depending on who you read/believe Northanger Abbey was either the first novel Austen wrote or the fifth. What everyone seems to be in agreement with, however, is the fact that regardless of when she wrote it, it was published posthumously in 1818 along with Persuasion.

So, if it's Austen's least popular novel, why is it my favourite? I can only assume you are asking yourself that so I will provide an answer. First, though, I think a bit of context is in order.

I read all of Austen's novels in order of publication while working on my undergraduate Advanced Topics paper (basically a thesis without a defense) which means Northanger Abbey was fifth in my reading list. The premise for my paper, in laymen terms, was to rip apart the romantic, happily-ever-after love story that many readers see in Austen's novels. My paper argues that Austen was in fact making a mockery of marriage as a social convention especially as it pertains to young women. This mockery is done in a very subtle manner and is therefore easy to miss, but that subtlety is the brilliance that is Jane Austen and also the reason I love her work.

So, back to the reason that Northanger Abbey is my favorite novel. Of all of her novels, Northanger Abbey is the least subtle in terms of the parody it makes of propriety, believing in happily-ever-after, and popular Gothic novel story-lines. Northanger Abbey is hilarious! There are instances where the author as narrator directly speaks to the reader giving her opinion on the value of novels during a time when the novel was given little credit as a literary form.

I think Northanger Abbey gives the reader the closest look into Austen as a person than any of her other published works. For a reader like me that believes Austen was an early feminist, the likes of Mary Wollstonecraft, this novel is really just kind of magical. It also contains the most mystery and suspense of all the Austen novels as well as being set in the most magnificent building of all the novels. I mean, a haunted abbey?! Come on!

I know I really didn't tell you much about the plot or the characters, but just read it. Read Northanger Abbey. I'm 99.99% sure you'll love it!