It's time once again for the Literary Heroines Blog Party! Actually, that's not quite true. It's over, but I'm posting my answers to the questions just the same. These are the same questions from last year, so some of my answers are the same, but I've updated most of them. The link to the original post and information can be found here.
~ The Questions ~
Introduce yourself! Divulge your life's vision, likes, dislikes, aspirations, or something completely random!
I am a third year college student at Houston Baptists University. I'm enrolled in the wonderful Honors College at my school. I have the best friends in the world. I'm taking a full course load this semester, working two jobs and commuting. I'm usually very tired, but I'm taking awesome classes this semester so it's ok. I love to read, I build worlds for fun, I paint and draw when I feel like it. I love books and I constantly buy more even though I have no place to put them. My goal in life is to find a job that pays me to read books and watch movies that I like. Failing that and all other plans my friend and I plan to pack up our lives and hitchhike to Florida where we will spend the rest of our lives operating rides and working for minimum wage at Disney World. And I hate fruit.
What, to you, forms the essence of a true heroine?
A well educated, strong woman who is wise enough to acknowledge her natural limitations and is not too proud to accept help when she needs it. A girl who isn't dependent on a man’s affections to serve as an evaluation of her self-worth, but isn't afraid or disdainful of love when it comes to her. And a woman who stands up for what she believes in and shows strong internal character.
Share (up to) four heroines of literature that you most admire and relate to.
Only four? Ok, um Sophie Hatter (Howl's Moving Castle), Hermione Granger (Harry Potter), Beatrice (Much Ado About Nothing), and Luthien (The Silmarillion).
Five of your favorite
Hm, weird how that one word was scratched out mysteriously. So, five of my favorite novels? Howl's Moving Castle for certain (that's not even a question), The Hobbit, The Silmarillion (because this is just the best thing ever), The Lord of the Rings (I feel like there's a theme here), and The Wind in the Willows.
Out of those five books who is your favorite major character and why?
My favorite major character would be Howell Jenkins because he's just hilarious. He's so vain and ridiculous, and there were several scenes in that book that almost made me cry I was laughing to hard.
Out of those five books who is your favorite secondary character and why?
I really love Thingol from The Silmarillion. Tolkien kind of left a lot of gaps with his character and I filled them with my own head-cannon. Like this guy is the king of the Sindar elves and no one ever asks for his opinion on anything. He gets pretty irritated about it and starts taking his frustrations out on everyone passive-aggressively. 'Oh, no one wanted to know what I though we should do about the orcs? Fine, no army for you.' 'No one wanted to know what I thought we should do about humans? Fine, but if they wander in my forest they will get lost and starve' 'Oh, you want to marry my daughter? Fine, bring me a Silmarill. lolz jk. If you bring me a silmarill, I'll just take it and still keep Luthien!'
If you were to plan out your dream vacation, where would you travel to - and what would you plan to do there?
I would go to Oxford for two weeks. During that two weeks I would visit C.S. Lewis' house, go to the Eagle and Child, and make several excursions into London. In London I would take a boat down the Thames, go see Shakespeare in the Globe, visit the British Museum, see the Crown Jewels, go to the Sherlock Holmes museum, visit King's Cross, and ride in the Eye. I would also take a train over to Cardiff Wales and go to the Doctor Who experience. Oh wait, this isn't a dream, I GET TO DO THIS IN FIVE MONTHS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What is your favorite time period and culture to read about?
I love the Medieval Era. The way that they thought about God and life were just stunningly beautiful. So much of what we have that's good comes from that time period. I love it.
You have been invited to perform at the local charity concert. Singing, comedy, recitation - what is your act comprised of?
Easy, I would recite poetry. T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats.
Jellicle Cats come out to-night
Jellicle Cats come one come all:
The Jellicle Moon is shining bright -
Jellicles come to the Jellicle Ball.
Jellicle Cats are black and white,
Jellicle Cats are rather small;
Jellicle Cats are merry and bright,
And pleasant to hear when they caterwaul.
Jellicle Cats have cheerful faces,
Jellicle Cats have bright black eyes;
They like to practise their airs and graces
And wait for the Jellicle Moon to rise.
Jellicle Cats develop slowly,
Jellicle Cats are not too big;
Jellicle Cats are roly-poly,
They know how to dance a gavotte and a jig.
Until the Jellicle Moon appears
They make their toilette and take their repose:
Jellicle Cats wash behind their ears,
Jellicle dry between their toes.
Jellicle Cats are white and black,
Jellicle Cats are of moderate size;
Jellicle Cats jump like a jumping-jack,
Jellicle Cats have moonlit eyes.
They're quitet enough in the morning hours,
They're quitet enough in the afternoon,
Reserving their terpsichorean powers
To dance by the light of the Jellicle Moon.
Jellicle Cats are black and white,
Jellicle Cats (as I said) are small;
If it happends to be a stormy night
They will practise a caper or two in the hall.
If it happens the sun is shining bright
You would say they had nothing to do at all:
They are resting and saving themselves to be right
For the Jellicle Moon and the Jellicle Ball.
If you were to attend a party where each guest was to portray a heroine of literature, who would you select to represent?
Sophie Hatter (from the movie) because I love her clothes.
What are your sentiments on the subject of chocolate?
I’m in favor of all things chocolate and of those who produce such things. After all, who is it who makes the sun rise, and who sprinkles it with dew? The candy man. That sounds like a pretty important job to me.
Favorite author(s)?
I'd have to go with J.R.R. Tolkien, Diana Wynn Jones, Bisco Hatori, Edmund Spenser, and William Shakespeare.
Besides essentials, what would you take on a visiting voyage to a foreign land?
(Like England which I'm going to?) I'll bring books, for sure, and a camera. Honestly I'm way more excited about what I'll be able to bring home from a foreign land!
In which century were most of the books you read written?
Also easy. 19th century. Unless, of course, you count all the philosophy I read, then it's like 'what time period are most of the books you read from' Um, actually I can't really answer that either. All of them. This semester alone I've moved from the 5th century BC to the 20th century AD.
In your opinion, the ultimate hero in literature is…
Well clearly Batman is the ideal hero in any genre, but since there has been, nor will there ever be, a decent novel written about him I will have to go with someone like Bilbo Baggins or Howl Jenkins. Neither of them is what you would expect a hero to be like, but there’s more to them than meets the eye, and when there’s really trouble they put aside their fear and other a sundry of character flaws and do the right thing. That makes them both incredibly human, and easy to sympathize with, and also incredibly admirable, and allows them to serve as an ideal to strive towards.
Describe your ideal dwelling place.
The front of the house will be ivy covered brick. It shall have a round front door and round windows. There will be flowers all over the front yard. The back will not be fenced in, but shall have tons of wide open space and a tree to read under. I also want a wrap around porch and a turret. Inside there will be books everywhere. You'll trip over them. And that's where I want to live.
Sum up your fashion style in a short sentence.
I'd have to care about clothing to have a fashion style. I wear clothes I like. What I like is largely random and arbitrary. I do like things that actually fit which is not a lot since I', 5'10" and really skinny.
Have you ever wanted to change a character’s name?
I guess, maybe.
In your opinion, the most dastardly villain of all literature is...
Well, last year I said Satan from Paradise Lost, so that's been done. This year I'll say Mephistopheles, the demon in Faust. Let's be real, demons are the most evilest. I guess I could say Satan from The Inferno, but that would be like cheating, so I'll stick with Mephistopheles.
Three favorite Non-fiction books?
The Confessions by St. Augustine, Cur Deus Homo by St. Anselm, and Proslogion also by St. Anselm
Your duties met for the day, how would you choose to spend a carefree summer afternoon?
If I'm being honest I would probably waste it by reading or watching things on netflix.
Create a verbal sketch of your dream hat - in such a way as will best portray your true character.
It has no brim and no cap, nor any adornments. It is made of neither straw, nor felt, nor of anything at all. It allows the wind to blow softly through my hair, which is bound up carelessly with a single ribbon. It allows the rain to fall on my head, making my hair clump in stiff wet locks, and will likely cause my head to chill which will likely be the cause of my catching consumption. I shall then grow gradually more pale and beautiful until I expire on a cruise ship, surrounded by a slew of male admirers, laying on a bed of Rose petals at sunset.
Share the most significant event(s) that have marked your life in the past year.
I found out that I'll be able to go to Oxford this summer. I entered the penultimate year of my undergraduate endeavors. I'm, pretty sure that's it. Oh, no wait. I was also confirmed in the Anglican Church this year, so there's that! :)
Share the Bible passage(s) that have been most inspiring to you recently.
1 Cor. 1-2
