Literary heroines.

Kellie at Accordion to Kellie is hosting her yearly Literary Heroine Blog Party again! There are fun questions to answer and some incredible giveaways. I joined in last year, too, but I tried to mix up my answers a little bit this year. :)

 

The Questions

 

1. Introduce yourself! Divulge your life's vision, likes, dislikes, aspirations, or something completely random!

 

Hi, I'm Kristin! I'm a bookworm, a classic movie fanatic, and a period drama nerd. I love to make things: I sew, knit, embroider, and spin yarn. I watch too many musicals and listen to a lot of Sinatra.

 

2. What, to you, forms the essence of a true heroine? 

 

A true heroine is godly, kind, clever, humble, loving, etc. But goodness, she can't be too perfect or we won't be able to stand her. :) She has to have some flaws that I can relate to, but she should be able to recognize them and hopefully move past them.
 

3. Share (up to) four heroines of literature that you most admire and relate to.

 

 a) Elinor Dashwood {Sense and Sensibility}. I relate the most to her. We're both quiet introverts who need to open up with other people a little more. I, too, generally listen more than I talk. She's wiser than I am, though. and even though she'd rather stay behind the scenes, she'll step up and take charge when necessary.

 

b) Anne Elliot {Persuasion}. Have you read or watched Persuasion lately? I had forgotten how much poor Anne has to put up with! Her dad and sisters are awful...they take advantage of her and hardly even treat her like family. And she bears it all patiently, in a quiet sort of way. She allowed people to mislead her in the past, but she ends up being stronger and more confident in her own decisions.

 

c) Lucy Pevensie {The Chronicles of Narnia}. Lucy is brave, kind, honest, and funny. She has a childlike faith, even when she's all grown up. She trusts Aslan completely and she's joyful about life.

 

d) Hermione Granger {Harry Potter series}. I'm going to go out on a limb a bit here, but I consider Hermione a heroine. And I definitely relate to her. She's bookish (sound familiar?) and obsessed with good grades (I was the same way in school :). She's a perfectionist and a bit of a control freak. Plus, I definitely had the poofy hair thing going on when I was younger. I admire her because she's a really good friend and she's brave and incredibly clever.

 

4. Five of your favorite historical novels?

 

1. Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen
2. Persuasion, by Jane Austen
3. Emma, by Jane Austen
4. Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte
5. the Little House series, by Laura Ingalls Wilder
 

5. Out of those five books who is your favorite main character and why?

 

Mr. Darcy! Oh...this is a literary heroine blog party, you say? Sorry. :)

 

It's hard to pick just one, but probably Lizzy Bennet. She's witty, kind, loyal, and honest. She speaks her mind when necessary (I'm talking about you, Lady Catherine) and won't do the "proper" thing when she knows it isn't the right thing (I'm talking about you, Mr. Collins). She loves to laugh, especially at ridiculousness. She comes from a wonderfully kooky family. But she's not perfect. She's a bit judgemental and sometimes fails at accurately understanding people's character. :)

 

6. Out of those five books who is your favorite secondary character and why?

 

Mr. Collins. He's just awful. :) He's hilarious because he's so awkward and prideful and ridiculous. And slightly creepy.

 

7. If you were to plan out your dream vacation, where would you travel to - and what would you plan to do there?

 

My dream vacation, if money and time were no object, would be a tour of Europe. Most of the time would be spent in England (but France, Scotland, and Ireland would be nice, too). I would visit all of the places associated with my favorite books and movies. The country estates where my favorite Austen adaptations were filmed, Jane Austen's house, the pub where C.S. Lewis and the Inklings met, Platform 9 3/4, Beatrix Potter's home, etc. And I would visit all of the gorgeous places I've only seen pictures of- the Yorkshire moors, English gardens, castles, the Eiffel Tower, etc. I would see the Loch Ness Monster, of course. It would obviously be approx. a two month vacation. :)

 

 8. What is your favorite time period and culture to read about?

 

I am most fascinated with the 1920s through the early 60s, though I don't necessarily read a lot of novels set during that time. As far as books go, I read a lot of historical fiction set in Regency England and 1800s-early 1900s America. And of course I read classics which were actually written during that time.

 

9. You have been invited to perform at the local charity concert. Singing, comedy, recitation - what is your act comprised of?

 

I would not accept the invitation, so none of the above. :) I hate being in the spotlight, and getting up in front of a large number of people is one of my least favorite things ever. {The only reason I got through my required college public speaking class with an A was because of my obsession with good grades...see above.}

 

10. If you were to attend a party where each guest was to portray a heroine of literature, who would you select to represent?

 

Maybe Anne Elliot?

 

11. What are your sentiments on the subject of chocolate?

 

I love it. A lot. If large amounts of it were good for you, I'd probably live on chocolate. Chocolate is the reason why I will never be skinny. {That and my disdain for any form of exercise except walking. Hey, it's the exercise of choice for Jane Austen heroines, too! :) }

 

12. Favorite author(s)?

 

Jane Austen and C.S. Lewis, because they wrote my absolute favorite books.

 

 13. Besides essentials, what would you take on a visiting voyage to a foreign land?

 

My journal, books, a camera, knitting supplies, and embroidery supplies. :)

 

14. In which century were most of the books you read written?

 

I really couldn't say! My reading taste is all over the place, from Austen to modern memoirs. But I actually probably read more modern books, even if they're historical fiction. So probably the 20th and 21st centuries.

 

15. In your opinion, the ultimate hero in literature is…

 

I don't know. I love Mr. Darcy, of course, but in real life I don't know if I would be best suited to a Darcyish person. I would probably be more drawn to a Captain Wentworth or a Mr. Knightley (but not one who was 17 years older than me. That doesn't bother me in the book or films because he doesn't seem that much older than her. But when I remember...good grief).

 

16. Describe your ideal dwelling place.

 

A typical old southern farmhouse. A long, tree-lined driveway. The house is two stories, with a wrap-around porch and a tin roof. There's a little orchard off to one side (I just love that most old farmhouses had an orchard), and a tire swing hanging from a tree in the front yard. Plenty of huge, ancient trees on the property. The inside would be vintage style, with a yellow and green kitchen and one of those gorgeous 50s dinette sets. There would be lots of old, mismatched furniture and the record player is in the living room. There's a library with a rolling ladder, and the entire house has lots of windows.

 

 17. Sum up your fashion style in a short sentence.

 

I don't really have one (5 words!). I like to think I'm working towards a quirky Penelope style, except a little more vintagey.

 

18. Have you ever wanted to change a character’s name?

 

Maybe, but I can't really think of any at the moment. Oh...what about Sauron and Saruman in Lord of the Rings? They're two bad guys whose names are just too similar. As if LOTR wasn't complicated enough in the first place. :)

 

This wasn't the question, but glancing at my bookshelves, do you know what a really good name is? Matilda (of the Roald Dahl story). And Lemony Snicket. That's just perfection right there. If I was going to write books under a fake name and build a whole bizarre little world around that, I would choose Lemony Snicket. :)

 

19. In your opinion, the most dastardly villain of all literature is...

 

I don't generally read a lot of literature with dastardly villains. :) So I'll stand by last year's choice of Mr. Brocklehurst, of Jane Eyre.

 

20. Three favorite nonfiction books?

 

At this exact moment, I'll go with a craft book: Harvesting Color, by Rebecca Burgess, and two memoirs that I really enjoyed: My Life in France, by Julia Child, and The Wilder Life, by Wendy McClure.

 

21. Your duties met for the day, how would you choose to spend a carefree summer afternoon?

 

Reading or watching a good summerish movie. And there should be ice cream involved, too.

 

22. Create a verbal sketch of your dream hat - in such a way as will best portray your true character.

 

I've always thought cloches were pretty lovely...though not necessarily on me. Maybe that's because I'm secretly in love with 1920s fashion and forever bitter that I'll never be able to pull off wearing a drop waist. :)

And while searching for the above picture, I found this one. And it was so amazing that I had to include it. :)

23. Share the most significant event(s) that have marked your life in the past year.

 

Gosh, I really don't know! The past year has been pretty uneventful for me personally. So I guess I'll have to go with the fact that I just hit 60 sales in my Etsy shop. That's pretty exciting. :)

24. Share the Bible passage(s) that have been most inspiring to you recently.

Matthew 6:33: But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

 

Until next time,