One of the delights of being a hobbyist creator is having the power to be just as quixotic as you choose. It might seem incongruous to some to unite summer fashion with thoughtful analyses of Shakespeare and Austen, but two of my top concerns this past July have been: (1) what am I going to wear on vacation? and (2) what am I going to read on vacation?
Therefore I say, why not combine the two? And I doubt not that much of the bookish kingdom will reply with a hearty, “Hear, hear!” 😄
I had a fun time planning my wardrobe for my family’s Florida excursion this past month, and it was a lovely trip, with plenty of time to get myself back into a good reading groove. I checked off several titles that were on the list I made at the start of the summer and made good progress in several others!
A Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson
“It was his time with the Xanti which had changed him. They thought that everyone’s life was like a river; you had to flow with the current and not struggle, which wasted breath and made you more likely to drown. The river of life seemed to be carrying him back to Westwood.”
This was my favorite read of the month and possibly my favorite Eva Ibbotson that I’ve read so far - which is saying something, considering I’ve hugely enjoyed many of her books for both children and adults! This is a children’s book which follows a somewhat similar plot to A Company of Swans. The lush jungle setting of the Amazon River is fantastic, and the “River Sea” put me in mind of the Everglades (originally “Riverglades”) that we had just visited. There’s a bit of a mystery that unfolds, and the characters are all charming in different ways; but the stand-out for me was Miss Minton the governess. From her deadly hat pin copied from Eric the Hammerer to her heavy and indispensable trunk of books, she is an inspiration!
A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
“And yet, to say the truth, reason and love keep little company together now a-days. The more the pity that some honest neighbors will not make them friends. Nay, I can gleek upon occasion.”
Here’s your Shakespearean word of the day: “gleek” means to joke or jest!
The pink palace of the Don Cesar was the backdrop for my Shakespeare read of the summer; it was an excellent setting in which to read about the magical misadventures of Oberon and Titania, Theseus and Hippolyta, Lysander and Hermia, and Demetrius and Helena. Sometimes I opt for a more scholarly Arden edition of Shakespeare and take the time to read the copious and fascinating notes, but in this case I had just the play itself on my Kindle, and Shakespeare’s language is so swift and flowing and beautiful, I read it so quickly! When I reread Jane Austen’s Emma earlier this year, I noticed that A Midsummer Night’s Dream is mentioned twice throughout the novel, and it was fun to try to trace some of the elements from this Athenian forest romp which perhaps carried over to Highbury and Hartfield. But this was not my only nod to Austen and #JaneAustenJuly…
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
**spoiler warning: skip to the next title in the wrap-up if you don’t want spoilers for Sense and Sensibility!
I’ve been musing much this month on Jane Austen’s clarity of vision, and rereading Sense and Sensbility made me appreciate how that clarity is just as present in her own storytelling as it is in the striving of her protagonists. One of the reasons Austen’s plots are so satisfying is that she always provides an explanation to inexplicable situations! At one point in S&S, Elinor is puzzled because John and Fanny decide to invite the Steele sisters to stay with them in London. She never gets to see the why, but we, the readers, get the inside scoop and hear the whole absurd scenario. Spoiler: it boils down to Fanny’s selfishness and dislike of her sisters-in-law. I love this line that sums up the situation: “…when people are determined on a mode of conduct which they know to be wrong, they feel injured by the expectation of any thing better from them.”
Of course, the dirt on Fanny’s invitation to the Steeles is one of the book’s more minor revelations; we also get the full backstory on why Willoughby does what he does to Marianne. In real life, we often have to be at peace and live with not really understanding the indecipherable behavior of others, but Jane has some perspective on how to navigate those waters too. When Elinor and Marianne read the letter that Willoughby sends which puts an end to all hope, they don’t yet know all the facts. The letter not only hides the facts that they don’t know; it also attempts to distort and disguise the facts that they do know, by rewriting the past and claiming that Willoughby never cared for or even acted like he cared for Marianne. But Elinor’s clear-sightedness cuts right through the artifice.
“Though aware, before she began it, that it must bring a confession of his inconstancy, and confirm their separation for ever, she was not aware that such language could be suffered to announce it; nor could she have supposed Willoughby capable of departing so far from the appearance of every honourable and delicate feeling—so far from the common decorum of a gentleman, as to send a letter so impudently cruel: a letter which, instead of bringing with his desire of a release any professions of regret, acknowledged no breach of faith, denied all peculiar affection whatever—a letter of which every line was an insult, and which proclaimed its writer to be deep in hardened villainy.”
“Impudent” insincerity like Willoughby’s can be bewildering - it’s an external fog rather than an internal fog that has to be cleared away. I think Elinor shows so much strength and clarity of mind in how she sums up the break-up so precisely and relentlessly: she sees it “not as a loss to [Marianne] of any possible good but as an escape from the worst and most irremediable of all evils, a connection, for life, with an unprincipled man, as a deliverance the most real, a blessing the most important.” And at that point, all she has to go on is the letter itself! As yet, Elinor knows nothing about Miss Williams and the full extent of Willoughby’s worthlessness.
But Willoughby doesn’t deserve so much of our time and attention! I found myself with an increased appreciation for Colonel Brandon during this read-through - his loyalty and dependability, his kindness, unselfishness and humility deserve more page time! 🙌 Here’s to the Colonel Brandons of the world (and if anybody knows where mine has gotten to and what’s holding him up please let me know 😆).
Vivian by Maria Edgeworth
It’s easy to see why Jane Austen loved Maria Edgeworth so much; she has a similar clarity of judgment in how she sums up her characters.
“His countenance announced pretensions to ability; his easy and affable address, and the facility with which he expressed himself, gained him credit at first for much more understanding than he really possessed. There was a plausibility in all he said; but, if it was examined, there was nothing in it but nonsense. Some of his expressions appeared brilliant; some of his sentiments just; but there was a want of consistency, a want of a pervading mind in his conversation, which to good judges betrayed the truth, that all his opinions were adopted, not formed; all his maxims common-place; his wit mere repetition; his sense mere tact.”
As I’ve mentioned in the past, where Jane shows, Maria tells, and Edgeworth’s didactic and moralistic style is not as pleasant or as powerful by comparison. Although there was some beautiful writing, on the whole Vivian felt very soap opera-ish, and the characters felt one-dimensional, as if they were all only there to illustrate the point of what can happen to the weak-minded. I wish we had seen more Selina Sidney, she was my favorite character. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend Vivian, but I would definitely still recommend checking out Maria Edgeworth - maybe start with Belinda or The Absentee.
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Between staying at the Contemporary with monorails zipping through and riding a Tron light cycle in Tomorrowland for the the first time, I probably should have prepared a science fiction read for this month, but instead I beat the Florida heat by reading about ice skating in Moscow! I am almost through the first book of Anna Karenina - one volume down, seven more to go. 👍 Speaking of fashion, I enjoyed the descriptions of Kitty’s and Anna’s ensembles and the dancing at the ball…
“Korsunsky began waltzing with measured steps straight towards the group in the left corner, continually saying, “Pardon, mesdames, pardon, pardon, mesdames”; and steering his course through the sea of lace, tulle, and ribbon, and not disarranging a feather, he turned his partner sharply round, so that her slim ankles, in light transparent stockings, were exposed to view, and her train floated out in fan shape…”
Carry On Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse
I made some progress in Tolstoy during my vacation, but I also let myself enjoy some lighter reading! Wodehouse’s humor is always a treat - I love how his beautiful descriptions are always mixed with something silly.
“It was one of those still evenings you get in the summer, when you can hear a snail clear its throat a mile away. The sun was sinking over the hills and the gnats were fooling about all over the place, and everything smelled rather topping - what with the falling dew and so on - and I was just beginning to feel a little soothed by the peace of it all when suddenly I heard my name spoken.”
This short story collection includes the first time that Bertie and Jeeves meet as well as a story written from Jeeves’s perspective. I love the recurring motif of Jeeves’s sartorial standards. In one of the stories, Bertie has to stay in a hotel for awhile, and it’s so funny to hear Jeeves moving in his wardrobe: “I am leaving a small assortment of our neckties on the mantelpiece, sir for you to select according to your preference. I should recommend the blue with the red domino pattern, sir.” I can only hope Jeeves would approve of my outfits!
Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc by Mark Twain
Almost everybody knows the name Joan of Arc, but starting on Mark Twain’s semi-fictional work about the French martyr has made me realize how few details I actually know about her life. I’m so excited to become more familiar with her story - I’ll have to follow up this book with a proper biography! Mark Twain’s reverence for Joan of Arc is beautiful to see.
“She was truthful when lying was the common speech of men; she was honest when honesty was become a lost virtue; she was a keeper of promises when the keeping of a promise was expected of no one; she gave her great mind to great thoughts and great purposes when other great minds wasted themselves upon pretty fancies or upon poor ambitions; she was modest, and fine, and delicate when to be loud and coarse might be said to be universal…she was a rock of convictions in a time when men believed in nothing and scoffed at all things.”
The list goes on! I’ve been enjoying the frame story so far, told from the perspective of a childhood friend of Joan of Arc. This is the August pick for my subscriber book club! We’ll be discussing it on Saturday, September 2 at 1 p.m. eastern. If you’re interested in joining us for the video chat and are not yet on the email list, just drop me a line at emma@bookishprincess.com.
Tell me about your favorite fashions, reads, and adventures from this summer down in the comments below. Hope everyone is having a lovely summer. ☀️
What I Read (& Wore) on Vacation in July 2023