i have been remiss...i have been reacquainted with some wonderful ladies recently and did not introduce you to them. forgive me! please meet emma and edna. edna and emma meet the blog readers. um, well, yeah - these two characters would have no clue as to what a blog is!
i am, of course, referring to my readings of jane austen's emma and kate chopin's the awakening. remember i was reading these awhile back? i just completely got side tracked and didn't talk to you about them!
what a perfectly contrasted set of heroines! for the austen fans, you know our dear emma...quite the lady. she socializes in the right circles, is well-raised and well-appointed, and frequently is more than content to trifle away her days on silly frivolities - such as matchmaking and the like. and then there's edna...
her inner turmoil, restlessness, and almost incessant discontent are palpable. though her days are pleasantly common enough, edna longs to be someone other than the woman whose life she's leading. she's tragic and tormented in the sense that she just longs to escape.
on the surface - these characters are polar opposites. emma - the lighthearted one; edna - the burdened one. yet - here are two female characters who fill their days with distractions as a form of escaping themselves. though emma is educated, she's totally out of touch with herself, her desires, and her needs because her attention is spent on the activities of her friends and neighbors. and edna, well, she uses her opportunities to sketch or socialize with her peers as a means by which to avoid the true longings of her heart.
both characters do eventually find their ways to their true selves - but both do so at a cost. to understand that...you must read the books! (smile)
blessings to you,
dana
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments:
Post a Comment