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Sunday, July 4

Jane Austen Throwdown

Ah, the dog days of summer have arrived at last! Excessive heat encourages one to do no more than lounge under the shade or languish near a cooling body of water, waiting for others to do our bidding. Two of Jane Austen's characters need no encouragement to sit and be waited upon: Lady Bertram from Mansfield Park or Mr. Woodhouse from Emma.

In your estimation, which character relied most upon the kindness of their servants and family to do their bidding?

Mr. Woodhouse: Hypochondriac


Lady Bertram: Dog lover



6 comments:

TONY said...

Vic, that's NOT how I see Lady Bertram.

Who is that actress? She looks familiar?

She's too "HOT" in a steely sort of way!!! Phew!! must calm down.

Vic said...

Lindsay Duncan, and she IS hot. If you saw her as Katherine in Under the Tuscan Sun you would know it! Lindsay played Lady Catherine de Bourgh in Lost in Austen, and Mrs. Price and Lady Bertram in Patricia Rozema's 1999 version of Mansfield Park.

Mystica said...

You have not included Mrs Bennet ? I thought she gave Hill a lot of trouble!

Vic said...

She does, Mystica, but she does not have the reputation for slothfulness as Lady Bertram and helplessness as Mr. Woodhouse.

Meredith R. said...

The votes show how hard it is to choose between these two. This was a hard decision, but I threw my weight behind Lady Bertram. Mr. Woodhouse at least exercised around the property, which makes me think he might have done some things for himself; I doubt Lady Bertram ever bothered to move from where she sat or slept.

Nonna said...

This is the first time I've seen a poll so evenly split...Mr. Woodhouse was fussy but at the same time endearing. Lady Bertram was lazy, snobbish and self centered. If my relations were in the kind of dismal shape Fanny's family were just because they chose to marry for love and not money, I would have helped them, not chided and despised them !