Wednesday, December 14, 2011

2011 Virtual Advent Tour: Day 14

Can you believe that today is the end of the second week of the tour - once it gets started it goes so quickly!

Here are the hosts for today's stops on the tour!

*Nicole @ Linus's Blanket


Today's quote comes from one of the stories in the Jane Austen Made Me Do It anthology that was released earlier this year. This quote is from the story Jane Austen and the Mistltoe Kiss by Jo Beverley and is from page 122:

Elinor laughed at that, turning to share amusement with the Austen ladies. "I'm far past the age for mistletoe kisses, I fear."

Miss Jane cocked her head. "That seems a shame, for we must be older still."

Elinor hastily apologized, but Miss Jane shook her head. "I was only teasing Mrs. Carsholt. I believe Sir Nicholas said you were thirty-six. I don't think you should refuse the mistletoe its chance.'

"Chance, ma'am?"

"Do you not know that tradition?"

"Oh, sister," said Miss Austen, as if uncomfortable with the subject.

"Cassandra doesn't approve," Miss Jane said, smiling. "She thinks it has a touch of pagan magic about it. Local tradition says that if true lovers kiss beneath a mistletoe bough, they will instantly know their devotion."

"It sounds a little pagan to me, too, Miss Jane," Elinor said, but lightly. "And perhaps overly romantical."

"If by romantical you speak of men and women forming true matches based on love, does that not happen all the time?"

Maria spoke, with the disastrous honesty of a young child. "Did you never find your true love through the mistletoe bough, ma'am?"

"Maria!" Elinor chided, but Miss Austen replied.

"I did, my dear, but it was not to be. However, to experience true love is better than not, and one can always imagine a story with a different ending."

4 comments:

Teddyree said...

gotta love that pagan magic lol

My post is up for the advent tour
http://teddyree-theeclecticreader.blogspot.com/2011/12/virtual-advent-tour-christmas.html

Lisa said...

Mine is up! On the right day and everything!

http://bookslistslife.blogspot.com/2011/12/virtual-advent-day-14-not-so-wordless.html

RobCrompton said...

"...one can always imagine a story with a different ending."
Ah yes, indeed. Creativity - when the novelist begins with the kind of realities that actually happened and builds new ones that could have happened.

Jo Beverley said...

Thanks for using that quote. I do think Jane Austen drew on her love for Tom Lefroy in creating Pride and Prejudice, and in so often giving ladies of little fortune their opportunity for love and marriage.

Jo