Status Updates From A Simple Story

this is my fleabag

Self-censorship, 18C style

“How hard is it to restrain conversation from the subject of our thoughts; and yet amidst our dearest friends, and among persons who have the same dispositions and sentiments as our own, their minds fixed upon the self-same objects, is this constraint practised—and thus society, which was meant for one of our greatest blessings, becomes...

[cont'd]

Sure, the Pater Familias might forbid all contact with you cos your mom cheated on him once (and then died), but he'll still want make sure you're not reading the wrong books...

Every. Single. Time.

...after four years passed in the most perfect enjoyment of happiness, the marriage state could give; after seeing himself the father of a beautiful daughter, whom he loved with a tenderness nearly equal to his love for her mother, Lord Elmwood was then under the indispensable necessity of leaving them both [...] in order to save [...] a very large estate in the West Indies.

"...your conversation keeps the ladies from retiring.”

“Your lordship’s does not,” said Miss Milner, “for you say nothing.”

“Because, madam, I am afraid to offend.”

“But does not your lordship also hope to please? and without
risking the one, it is impossible to arrive at the other.”

"You have run the hazard of being murdered, and what is worse, of being excommunicated..."

Don't know what I was expecting

(something sub-Richardson, perhaps, which, having just barely survived the rigor mortising of Pamela, is already pretty much sub-omnia in my estimation),

but this is really quite good indeed."

Love the first line: "it is said that a book should be read with which the same spirit with which it has been written ".

That introduction, notes on the text, and biography references plus the timeline was about twenty five pages. I've started reading this on Wayback Machine and the version I'm reading is annotated! 🥰

for 1791, this book goes HARD

this book is SO dramatic its hilarious

The updates are by chapter...not page! :)

"My Lord, I have a book here in my pocket, which I am eager to read; it is an author who speaks sense and reason— will you pardon the impatience I feel for such company; and permit me to call your carriage?"

SAVAGE

This is getting better ☕️

I hate when characters fall in love within the first few chapters and they’ve barely had one conversation together

The sheer DRAMA of it all! Plus 18th century daddy kink?? Thank you Prof Yoon for making me read this I am delighted

and the rest was appendices...

did not see that one coming

I am aware that this book is not very good - so why do I love it so much?

Started vol 3

Such a page-turner!

finished ch 7 of 55

finished ch 4 of 55

"But are you so blind," returned Miss Milner with a degree of madness in her looks, "to believe I do not care for Mr. Dorriforth? Oh, Miss Woodley! I love him with all the passion of a mistress, and with all the tenderness of a wife."

When you manage to read more of an unfinished book just by doing an assignment on it...

Liking the set up so far. ;)

Just finished Part 1. I was soo not expecting to enjoy this as much as I am! I'm loving it, but I don't even know exactly why lol.

I am going pretty slowly through Mrs. Inchbald. She's a lot like Fanny Burney, but I miss Burney's humor.

I just want to start reading some of the books on my to-do list :(

This book is the bane of my existence.