Monday, April 17, 2006

Northanger Abbey

From "Northanger Abbey" by Jane Austen:
"It would be mortifying to the feelings of many ladies could they be made to understand how little the heart of man is affected by what is costly or new in their attire; how little it is biased by the texture of their muslin, and how unsusceptible of peculiar tenderness towards the spotted, the sprigged, the mull, or the jackonet. Woman is fine for her own satisfaction alone. No man will admire her the more, no woman will like her the better for it. Neatness and fashion are enough for the former, and a something of shabbiness or impropriety will be most endearing to the latter...(When Catherine is trying to avoid one young man at a ball and wanting to spot another) Every young lady may feel for my heroine in this critical moment, for every young lady has at some time or other known the same agitation. All have been, or at least all have believed themselves to be, in danger from the pursuit of someone whom they wish to avoid; and all have been anxious for the attentions of someone whom they wished to please."

1 Comments:

At Tuesday, April 18, 2006 10:37:00 AM, Blogger Wayne Larson said...

Ha! Great quote. Austen is da bomb. Here's that post I mentioned a few days ago where I pulled a quote from Mansfield Park.

http://tinyurl.com/f5htx

 

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