Jane Austen Quote of the Day

Leaving off being young

"By the bye, as I must leave off being young, I find many Douceurs in being a sort of Chaperon for I am put on a Sofa near the Fire & can drink as much wine as I like."

letter to Cassandra
November 6, 1813 [96]

I have a birthday next week... Now that I am leaving off being young, I am ready to be put on a sofa by the fire. ;-)

According to dictionary.com, the archaic meaning of douceurs is "sweetness or agreeableness."

Which makes me long for more

"You will be glad to hear that every Copy of S.&S. is sold & that it has brought me £140--besides the Copyright, if that should ever be of any value.--I have now therefore written myself into £250.--which only makes me long for more."

letter to her brother Frank about the success of Sense and Sensibility
July 6, 1813 [86]

I, um, long for more!  Actually, I would be thrilled just to have enough to be able to afford health insurance. Ugh.

Delay

No books quite yet...

"There is always something to be hoped from Delay."

letter to Cassandra
April 30, 1811 [72]

As delightful a creature

"I must confess that I think her as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print, & how I shall be able to tolerate those who do not like her at least, I do not know."

letter to Cassandra, on Pride and Prejudice's Elizabeth Bennet
January 29, 1813 [79]

Handsome is as handsome does

"Mr. Digweed has used us basely.  Handsome is as Handsome does; he is therefore a very ill-looking Man."

letter to Cassandra
January 24, 1813 [78]

No explanation here of exactly what Mr. Digweed did.  No doubt Jane was joking, as usual.

I must write on

"I am not at all in a humor for writing; I must write on till I am."

letter to Cassandra
October 26, 1813

An author's hopes

"I cannot help hoping that many will feel themselves obliged to buy it.  I shall not mind imagining it a disagreeable Duty to them, so as they do it."

letter to Cassandra, on the release of the second edition of Sense & Sensibility
November 6, 1813 [96]

This makes me laugh!

Such dull elves

"There are a few Typical errors--& a 'said he' or a 'said she' would sometimes make the Dialogue more immediately clear--but 'I do not write for such dull Elves As have not a great deal of Ingenuity themselves.'"

letter to Cassandra on the release of Pride and Prejudice
January 29, 1813 [79]

The "such dull elves" line is a rough quote from Marmion.

On reading other novels

"I . . . am always half afraid of finding a clever novel too clever--& of finding my own story & my own people all forestalled."

letter to Cassandra, on trying to get a copy of Mary Brunton's Self-controul
April 30, 1811 [72]

I can no more forget it...

Well, the wait has begun!  My book should be shipping from the printer any day now, which means that I'll be jumping every time there's a delivery, even if I know it probably won't get here for a couple of weeks.  So hard to believe that the release date is around the corner.  In honor of that, some thoughts from Jane this week on writing.

"I am never too busy to think of S&S.  I can no more forget it, than a mother can forget her suckling child . . ."

on Sense & Sensibility
letter to Cassandra
April 25, 1811 [71]

View from the train of the countryside north of Exeter, where S&S is set.