"Single women have a dreadful propensity for being poor-which is one very strong argument in favour of matrimony."

February 17, 2014


Dear Jane,


As you very well know, this is a quote from one of your letters to Fanny Knight (your niece) on 13 March 1817, and it truly made me laugh aloud (for it is painfully true)! This quote has inspired me to comprise a letter solely dedicated to both your wittiest and most romantic accounts of love throughout your letters and novels, and as Saint Valentine's Day was only three days ago, the subject of love is still quite relevant. Additionally, although I did not receive any fine poems of love from young gentlemen or obtain an invitation to a ball at the pump room in Bath, I can still appreciate an agreeable love quotation (especially one written by you) every now and again!

Before I begin, I wanted to tell you that I came across the above-mentioned quotation on the cover of a fantastic book that I purchased about a week ago in a sad, little town called Roanoke, Virginia. It is entitled, The Wicked Wit of Jane Austen, and it may very well have been one of the best things to come out of this town, I daresay. 

Now, the following are five of my favorite quotations (written by you) regarding love. Let us begin:

1.) “I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun.” 

Mr. Darcy speaks these words to Elizabeth Bennet in Pride & , Prejudice after she endearingly asked him how and when he first fell in love with her. As many gentle readers know, Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth did not have the most pleasant relationship when they first met, but their love truly blossomed into one of the finest romances of all time. *Sigh*

2.) "Next to being married, a girl likes to be crossed in love a little now and then."

Again, another quote from Pride & Prejudice, but this time it was spoken by Mr. Bennet (Elizabeth's father) in regard to Elizabeth's sister, Jane, and her predicament with Mr. Bingley. Not only is this an oddly true statement (why is that ladies? I guess we are all gluttons for punishment at one point or another), but it also reaffirms my fondness for Mr. Bennet. He is loving, sarcastic and wise all at the same time, and has always been one of my favorite characters in this novel.

3.) "The more I know of the world, the more I am convinced that I shall never see a man whom I can really love. I require so much!"

Poor Marianne Dashwood always felt everything so strongly! However, I think every lady has felt this way now and again (myself included). Sometimes it all seems so hopeless, but just remember, Marianne was in the depths of despair after Willoughby broke her heart, but she went on to find true love with the amiable Colonel Brandon. 

4.) "If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more."

I must allow myself another *sigh* for this one, Jane. What a beauftiful sentiment! This reaffirms the belief that love needs no fine words or grand poems. Mr. Knightley is without a doubt one of my favorite gentlemen (I cannot decide between he, Captain Wentworth or Mr. Darcy, but no matter, I have plenty of love for all three of these fine gentlemen). Mr. Knightley and Emma were always honest with each other no matter what happened, therefore, their love was built on friendship and trust; can one be any more fortunate than that? The answer is, of course, no, Jane.

5.) "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”

I am ashamed to say that I almost did not include this quote on my list, Jane. However, I cannot argue with the fact that it is without a doubt one of my favorites, and my list would have been quite incomplete without it. This truth sets the stage for one of the most wonderful novels ever written. Mr. Darcy was in fact in possession of a good fortune. Also, whether he knew it or not, he was in want of a wife, and no one other than Miss Elizabeth Bennet would have been his perfect match. And that is that.

I hope you enjoyed re-reading those quotations as much as I did, because as I stated before, they are without a doubt, some of my absolute favorites of yours.

As I begin to conclude my letter, I must confess that there may be another reason that I chose to write to you today. I must tell you that I was not planning to write again so soon, but an overwhelming sense of boredom has taken hold on me while in Forrest City, Arkansas, so I was fortunate enough to have time to write you a proper letter. 

Regarding, this woebegone town, not only was there no wine or spirits available for purchase on this past Sunday, but in order to keep ourselves occupied, my cast and I ventured by foot to the nearest Wal-Mart not once, but twice in one day. While at the Wal-Mart, we learned of a terrible, “no drinking on Sunday in Arkansas” rule while bringing our goods up to the register. We happened to learn of this rule in a very peculiar way…

As we were walking towards the cash registers, a red-haired, middle-aged lady stopped us and exclaimed (with a fine, southern drawl), “Y’all aren’t from Arkansas are you.” We replied with a polite, “No, ma’am.” She went on to inform us that should we try to purchase our wine and beer, we may very well have the “PoPo” called on us for even trying as there is no alcohol sold in Arkansas on Sundays. (When she said “PoPo, Jane, she was referring to police officers. Confusing for you, I know.) Why was there no sign or indication of this in the spirit aisle, Jane? WHY!? I digress. Anyway, this red-haired, middle-aged lady went on to tell us that we could cross the border into Mississippi for alcohol or venture to a nearby casino where we could “drink all day and night if we put ten dollars in the penny slots.” Although this idea was tempting (albeit absurd), we chose to simply return to our hotel rooms and find other ways to entertain ourselves for the rest of the evening (sadly without the presence of wine).

I can only imagine what today has in store for us...my hopes are not high for a diverting afternoon, unfortunately. Wal-Mart, here we come...

Anyway, I truly wish you a Happy belated Saint Valentine’s Day, and may you be blessed with bountiful love and plenteous bottles of wine! (I realize that this letter did not end up being solely about your wittiest and most romantic quotations regarding love, and for this I apologize deeply.)

Yours Faithfully,

Amanda

Adventures in Forrest City, Arkansas: The Album

I learned from dear Charles that this piece of run away weave is actually called a "tumble-weave." This indicates that a lady or gentleman is missing part of their weave, and subsequently can no longer "pat their weave."

Dear Charles is posing with said "tumble-weave." I wish I could tell you that this was the only one we found in Forrest City, but sadly, it is not.

This little thing is actually a bird and I have named him Melvin. Leslie seemed to think his name was Roberta, but she is clearly misinformed. He is clearly a Melvin. I did, however, think that he was a paper bag for he was not moving in the slightest for quite some time.