My apologies. As you may have noticed, I took a significant hiatus from this blog (during which I have been furiously working on my current novel). Now I want to make a fresh start with a more focused purpose and theme, as opposed to the random topics I've selected before. Okay, so what do I know, love, and never tire of discussing? It should have been obvious from the beginning: the writings of Jane Austen. Therefore, I will henceforth choose a Jane Austen quote and confine myself to editorializing on whatever subject it addresses. I look forward to the new challenge.
"Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery. I quit such odious subjects as soon as I can, impatient to restore everybody not greatly in fault themselves to tolerable comfort, and to have done with all the rest."
This Jane Austen quote (taken from Mansfield Park, chapter 48) is probably my favorite in that it pretty much defines my literary philosophy. I'm interested in books that entertain me, that make me feel good, that sweep me away to another world. Although I know that without conflict there is no story, I'm glad when it's time to do away with the culprits and unite the lovers for a happily-ever-after ending. Reader satisfaction, in my opinion, stems from the hero or heroine overcoming their difficulties, not being destroyed by them. If someone prefers a dose of harsh reality, they can turn to "other pens" or turn on the news instead. But, like Jane Austen, I can be trusted to not dwell on guilt or misery any longer than absolutely necessary, and to restore the characters I've come to care about to tolerable comfort by the end of the book.
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