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<![CDATA[Britta added 'Persuasion']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/52220557
to: Persuasion (Oxford World's Classics)byJane Austen
Although my two favorite Austen novels have long been Pride & Prejudice and Emma, this book struck a very personal chord and has been brought to the forefront of my preferred classic literature.
Harrold Bloom in "The Western Canon" calls it a "perfect novel." The aforementioned Pride and Emma are riddled with comedic characters and humorous scenes, but Persuasion borders on the grey edges. It is darker and it's heroine, Anne Elliot, more complex. Whereas Elizabeth Bennet and Emma Woodhouse are transformed through "a-ha" moments of revelation, Anne Elliot's transformation is deeply internal. She is probably the most sagaciously cerebral female character of Austen's creation. Most of the other heroines in Jane's novels have sisters or close friends to whom they confide, but Anne is very much alone and the reader only catches glimpses of her thoughts by "getting inside" her introspective head.
The situation which sets up the novel's conflict reminded me of what a Darcy/Elizabeth situation might have been, in reverse. In all of her other novels, Jane's male heros are rich; figures which the females look to as worthy companions or monetary saviors. Persuasion's situation is the only book in which the woman is the one who comes from a family of wealth (at least initially) and pedigree while the man is penniless and from low birth. It is quite a different a situation which inspires a great deal of sympathy for both.
The novel begins eight years after Anne Elliot has refused her lover, Fredrick Wentworth, a young naval officer who, though honorable, had no money and no family to recommend him. Anne Elliot is the daughter of a Baronet. At the persuasion of her godmother, Lady Russell, Anne refuses his proposal of marriage when she is 19.
Persuasion illustrates the disparity in male/female choices during the Regency; though men were looked down upon or even cut off from their inheritance (as Edward Ferrars in Sense & Sensibility) by making an imprudent match, the complications of a woman marrying a man "beneath her" were much more severe in Austen's time. Women at this time period were praised for their "prudence" and chastised for being "impetuous." Lady Russell's many reasons to turn Wentworth down included Sir Elliot's disapproval of a "degrading match," which would then ruin the chances of her two sisters making a good match thereafter. She also tells Anne a marriage would hold Wentworth back from making a name for himself in the navy. Lady Russell her a match between them could very likely be just as damaging to him as it could be to her. How could he ever advance with a wife to support? In the middle of a war (the Napoleonic wars), what would become of her if he were killed?
Believing a separation the best for all concerned, Anne rejects Frederick Wentworth and enters into a state of perpetual mourning She later receives another offer of marriage from a "respectable" young man, but she refuses him out of feeling rather than decorum and continues in a depressed existence in her father's house for years.
When her her father, Sir Walter Elliot (a vain socialite), spends the family to near bankruptcy, the Elliots are forced to let out (rent) their family estate, Kellynch. In a bizarre act of fate, the couple who comes to rent the mansion are Admiral and Mrs. Croft. Mrs. Croft is the sister of Frederick Wentworth. Frederick has now become a Captain in the British Navy and distinguished himself as a war hero. Despite his newly acquired status, Anne's father still regards the navy as a place where persons of low birth might attempt to mingle with their "superiors" - the aristocracy, and has no regard for the Crofts despite their monetary station.
Through twists and turns of circumstances, Anne and Fredrick always find themselves brought together in uncomfortable situations that bring rise to old feelings that were never lost but subverted. Austen is an author of characters. The richness of her novels is in the fullness of the personalities presented. Both of these characters are well-developed and inspire empathy in the reader. Captain Wentworth is much more drawn than Mr Darcy and Anne Elliot is deeper.
There is a great deal of social critique in all of Austen's novels, but this book in particular illustrates the British caste system as well as the tenuous situation women lived in. When people write Jane off as "simple," they are merely not reading her novels close enough. There is more going on in her books than is visible on the surface. It's important to keep in mind that many writers were being thrown to the stocks at this time for slander or anything considered vulgar or unpatriotic. When you start reading between the lines of what Austen is showing us rather than telling us, you come to realize her writing is indeed, complex.
Persuasion, Austen's final novel, was impressive and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
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<![CDATA[Britta added 'Sacred Woman, Sacred Dance: Awakening Spirituality Through Movement and Ritual']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/71443953
to: Sacred Woman, Sacred Dance: Awakening Spirituality Through Movement and Ritual (Paperback)byIris J. Stewart
Humans are diverse creatures. We live in many different places, and our history spans thousands of years, across thousands of cultures. Throughout this there are a few universal things which have appeared in all known cultures: language, spirituality, music, and DANCE. The details vary, but these things are part of what it means to be human.
Sacred Woman, Sacred Dance explores the intersection between two of these: Dance and Spirituality. Part One, "In the Beginning Was the Dance," goes back in time to the birth of dance. It covers dancing goddesses, dancing priestesses, dance as a form of theology, the role of dance in women's culture, and the symbolism in dancers' garb. Dancing is inherently female in its origins, many dances were meant to be seen by women only as initiation into womanhood rites and childbirth. Just as men used initiation ceremonies to welcome a new male into the community, women have always used dance to celebrate the feminine.
Part Two presents "Modern Sacred Dance Today." It begins by showcasing modern sacred dancers like Isadora Duncan and Ruth St. Denis and sacred dance forms. Special purpose dances include the Moon Dance, Sacred Circle, Serpent Dance, Lamentation Dance, and Drum Dance, each is covered in its own chapter.
Following comes the chapters on immanence and transcendence, followed by a discussion of elemental dances. The mirror dance promotes understanding between two people. The book concludes with keys for accessing spirituality through dance.
The supporting material really makes this book come alive. There are many exquisite full-color photographs of dancers, along with historical images like cave paintings and carvings. At the back you'll find generous resources on sacred dance, extensive chapter notes, a fascinating bibliography, and a handy index. The result is something of a coffee-table book, something of a reference text, something of a dance manual, and altogether a great read.
Sacred Woman, Sacred Dance delves into an area that touches many religions. It's a wonderful addition to any personal library, or for the cultural scholar. Dancers will find it especially interesting, but it's delightful for everyone else as well.