For some reason, this then got me to thinking of the part in Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility" where Marianne Dashwood comes down with a nasty case of what I guess was putrid fever (typhus) after becoming horribly depressed and standing in the rain while staring longingly at the home of the man she loved who abandoned her for Miss Grey, a woman of money and title.
"Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds. Or bends with the remover to remove. Oh no! It is an ever fixed mark that looks on tempests and is never shaken. Willoughby. Willoughby. Willoughby."Poor Miss Marianne is quite overcome and takes to bed for quite a long period of time while Colonel Brandon (admirably played in the movie by Alan Rickman) is beside himself with worry as he is quite taken with Miss Marieann himself. The doctor is called in for some "bloodletting", a rather common medical practice at the time that was thought to help purify the blood from whatever disease was attacking it and heal the patient. I could get into a whole discussion here about how it was bloodletting that first determined the difference between surgeons and physicians and the origin of barber's poles but perhaps I'll save that for another day!
Suffice it to say that after an extended period of time, Marianne comes around from her illness (with apparently no mention of bed sores!) and finds that her affections have now turned towards the very kindly Colonel Brandon who, though not as dashing as young Willoughby, loves Marianne beyond reason and what woman could resist that in a good man?
In addition to that happy ending in the book, we also get to cheer when Elinor and Edward are finally united after a series of happenstances that make one think that the love they have for each other is overwhelmingly doomed. All in all, "Sense and Sensibility" is one of my favorite Jane Austen novels but that's probably because it appeals to the incurable romantic in me.
Now, if you're wondering how on earth this post started talking about the aches and pains of being in bed for way too many days into a short review of a Jane Austen novel just bear in mind that I have had way too much time on my hands to think and not do much else! Just be glad I'm not posting any of the strange dreams I've been having lately where I'm panicking because I have one more room to pack up and move before the evil landlord takes over the house! Trust me, I'd rather be thinking about Alan Rickman or even Hugh Grant!

"You're Marianne Dashwood of Sense & Sensibility! More dramatic and emotional than your sister Elinor, you have no trouble saying what you think and showing people how you feel about them. However, you usually know when to keep your mouth shut."Well, I'll be - who knew?? Though I'm pretty sure there are those at work who would argue with the part about knowing when to keep my mouth shut! If you'd like to take the quiz yourself, check it out here and a big thank you to Jamie on the West Coast! Now if my Colonel Brandon would just show up and sweep me off my feet!
I love Sense and Sensibility! Where do you think the SisterDears and I got the name SisterDears? (Dearest) :)
ReplyDeleteHowever, my Elinor (me) is still looking for my Edward!
I learned all about surgeons and physicians, bloodleting & electrocautery in one of my first medical classes last year. Fun!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're feeling better :o)
I love this movie. We all quote it all the time.
ReplyDeletejust yesterday we did the "no doubt" part.
Hope your dreams and your back cease to plague you.
PBS has done remakes of all of the Austin novels with "The Complete Jane Austin". Sense and Sensibility was on last week. While P & P is my favorite, S & S comes in a close second.
ReplyDeleteYou can take This Test to determine which Austin heroine is most like you.
Nice post, Linda. After seeing some of the drama this weekend that I wish I hadn't seen, I'm a little less inclined towards romance in general, but I am glad to see you're feeling better! Don't let the bed-bugs bite...lol!
ReplyDeleteAre you "bed confined" as Medicare would define it? If so I need a PCS for your transport to work tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteYes, I know all about the meaning of the barber's pole. Gruesome!
ReplyDeletefeel better.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you are feeling better, Linda. Maybe it took a day in bed to get you to that point. Now stay well, tee hee.
ReplyDeleteHope you are taking care of yourself, young lady.
ReplyDeleteI liked the book review:) So glad you are feeling a bit more human again.
ReplyDeleteLinda, I love reading your posts! You make everything so fun and interesting - even about bedsores!!!
ReplyDeleteI've never read/watched any of Austin's books. I think I read one of them in high school but I can't remember which one and it didn't take. But I remember Beowulf! In a comment to Asara I explained why I have problems with sad love stories...
I hope you're back on your game soon - minus any and all thoughts of bedsores or bloodletting and barber shops!!! (I do get that one)
~~~Blessings~~~
I took the quiz - got the same thing you did!
ReplyDeleteYou Scored as Catherine Morland
ReplyDeleteYou're Catherine Morland of Northanger Abbey! Innocent and good-hearted, you love to read gothic novels, the elements of which find their way into your daydreams.
Catherine Morland
90%
Fanny Price
85%
Emma Woodhouse
75%
Marianne Dashwood
70%
Elizabeth Bennet
65%
Anne Elliot
50%
Elinor Dashwood
45%
since I've never read Jane Austen you'll have to email me if this is good or bad.....