this heretic narrative

Here's my Yuletide letter for this year! Thank you, writer, and I'm sure I'll love whatever you write. Here are some general types of things I like: happy married couples, wedding nights, interstitial scenes, character development, interesting writing, clever ideas, humor where it's warranted. I am not a huge fan of babies/children or of angst that goes beyond the angst-level of the original canon. Any rating is fine with me as long as it feels true to the characters, from completely tame to porn.

Lady of Quality:
Annis is one of my favorite Heyer heroines--capable and lovable. I really like how mature this book feels compared to some other Heyers, how Annis and Oliver talk about serious issues and how he really treats her like the competent adult that she is. Would love to see Oliver get a little more personality than simply very rich and very rude. Not that I don't like him as is...but he could be more.

Shades of Grey:
What interesting world-building! And of course I like the Jane Eyre parallels, as random as they seem to me in this context. Basically I finished this book craving more of it, so whatever suits your fancy will probably suit mine.

Frederica:
Would love to see Frederica and Alverstoke's life together. Not a huge fan of Felix, so would prefer not to see him, or much of him. :)

Dear writer, thank you so much for writing for me! Most of this is recycled from letters past (I am a paragon of consistency), but here you go.

In general I like happy endings, character development, and interesting writing. I am not a huge fan of babies/children or of angst that goes beyond the angst-level of the original canon. Other than that, I'm pretty easy to please and I'm sure I'll love whatever you come up with!

Venetia
Probably my favorite Heyer novel--but it's so hard to choose! One thing is for certain: I love Venetia and Damerel so much. I love how they quote Shakespeare and other literature at each other. I love how, despite having led such different lives, they are similar in many ways: clever and impulsive and sexy. I love the tortured hero thing (sue me, I'm a Charlotte Brontë fan at heart). So tell me: what's the next adventure in store for my favorite Heyer couple?

Cormoran Strike
I'm really enjoying this series and the relationship between Robin and Strike. I loved the ending of the last one--I must admit, I do ship it, but friendship fic would work for me, too.

Lady of Quality
Annis is another one of my favorite Heyer heroines--capable and lovable. I really like how mature this book feels compared to some other Heyers, how Annis and Oliver talk about serious issues and how he really treats her like the competent adult that she is. Would love to see Oliver get a little more personality than simply very rich and very rude. Not that I don't like him as is...but I think he could be more.

I'm making my annual LJ/DW post as I hurriedly sign up for Yuletide at the last minute.

Do I even bother saying something like "I'm gonna try to post something else here at some point?" Because it's true, friends, but my track record is poor.

( I will fix this later )

Dear friends,

It's an understatement to say that I've been MIA for the past couple of years (I am reading my friendslist, though! I am!). This post is an attempt to do a little better at that—at least from a Yuletide perspective. If you are interested in my other projects or my personal life, keep scrolling. (Sorry!) I'd love to hear from you, though, so if by some unlikely chance you've been missing me, please drop me a line, here or by email. I promise to respond soonish.

YULETIDE STORIES WRITTEN FOR ME THIS YEAR

I was very lucky this year and got two stories—both of which are great and exactly what I asked for. Happiness! The first is a delightful, sparkling coda to Black Sheep, and the second is an insightful, moving character study of Hester from Sprig Muslin. If you like Heyer, I hope you'll read them both.

The Aftermath of the Abduction (1518 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Black Sheep - Georgette Heyer
Relationships: Miles Calverleigh/Abigail Wendover
Summary: After an abduction, there must be a gloomy house in the countryside filled with sinister retainers. Abby has no intention of letting it stay that way, and, all in all, she has high hopes of this abduction turning out rather better than any trashy romance one might do.

Maid In Waiting (1004 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Sprig Muslin - Georgette Heyer
Characters: Lady Hester Theale
Summary: Lady Hester Theale had a dream, once...

THREE PIECES OF EVIDENCE THAT I HAVE BEEN A SHAMEFUL BUTT

1) I never posted in my journal about the fic I received LAST YEAR for Yuletide. This is pathetic for multiple reasons, including the fact that it was (again) really excellent, beautifully written, exactly what I asked for, and for a tiny/non-existent fandom. If you've read The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer, I highly recommend reading it (and you can tell kass that you didn't read it before because I am a shameful butt).

Blueprint (3305 words) by Kass
Fandom: The Invisible Bridge - Julie Orringer
Relationships: Andras Levi/Klara Morgenstern
Characters: Andras Levi, Klara Morgenstern, Polaner
Summary: He finds his spiritual sustenance in the curve of his wife's shoulderblades, the low angled light gilding his studio, the sweep of precise angles on a white page. Five scenes from Andras and Klara's life in America.

2) lotesse recorded a podfic of my Yuletide fic from a couple years ago (Jane Eyre Has a Posse). It's the first time anyone's ever done a recording of one of my fics, and it is awesome. But did I even mention it in my journal at the time? NO. :(

[Podfic] Jane Eyre Has a Posse (19 words) by lotesse
Fandom: Jane Austen's Fight Club, AUSTEN Jane - Works, Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
Characters: Elizabeth Bennet, Jane Eyre, Marianne Dashwood, Elinor Dashwood, Bertha Mason, Blanche Ingram, Shirley Keeldar, Emma Woodhouse, Catherine Earnshaw, Fanny Price
Summary: podfic of Jane Eyre Has a Posse, written by bow and read by lotesse

3) Also inspired by Jane Eyre Has a Posse, brontevindicator wrote fanfic for Shirley. How great is that? I'm so happy that it exists in the world. Currently a WIP, but interesting and promising, with lots of great details! If, somehow, you are one of the few fellow humans who've read Shirley, please read this, too!

Louis Moore the Romantic (17106 words) by brontevindicator
Chapters: 12/?
Fandom: Shirley - Charlotte Bronte
Characters: Caroline Helstone, Shirley Keeldar, Robert Moore, Louis Moore, Cyril Hall, Mrs Pryor, Mr Helstone, Sykes family, Mr Malone, Mr Donne, Yorke family
Summary: Louis Moore aspires to become a poet. Will he be able to achieve his literary ambitions? In the meantime, Caroline is pining away for Robert, but becomes friends with Louis. After Shirley Keeldar ridiculed them, Mr Donne and Mr Malone aim to woo a well-to-do bride in the shape of the magnificent Dora Sykes, beloved of David Sweeting. Who will win in the end?

OTHER STORIES I READ THIS YEAR AND AM RECOMMENDING

Here are some stories that jumped out at me as I skimmed through the archive this year. I'm sure I've forgotten some good stories I read and missed a lot of great stuff entirely, though. I'm not going to do an elaborate rec for each one or I will never get this posted, but I've added a tiny explanation in a few cases where the author's summary didn't completely explain why I loved it. They're all good and (as befits my attention span) reasonably short. These are in no particular order.

( thirteen fandoms, thirteen stories )

IN CONCLUSION

I will try a bit harder not to be a shameful butt in future.

Dear Author:

Oh man, I really apologize for taking so long to update my letter! Despite the crappy first impression I've made, I'm grateful that you'll be writing for me and very excited to read the finished product.

North and South (Elizabeth Gaskell):

Basically, I love John Thornton--I just want to see him happy. I recently rewatched the miniseries and was struck by how much I enjoyed seeing Thornton being comforted and loved (by his mother or by Margaret). Something along those lines would be great. Or I'd love to read about Margaret and John's life after the book closes--how they deal with their differences and make a happy life together.

From The Mixed-Up Files Of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (E. L. Konigsburg):

I read this for the first time as an adult and loved it, especially the relationship between Jamie and Claudia. I'd love to see, for instance, what the two of them are like as adults, or another adventure they have together, or more about their friendship with Mrs. Frankweiler.

The Invisible Bridge (Julie Orringer):

I know it's a sad and brutal book, but my favorite part was Andras and Klara falling in love in Paris. I'd love to see more of those moments between the two of them--a respite from the harshness of the narrative. I love Eli Polaner, too, if you'd prefer to write about him.

---

Here are some general types of things I like: interstitial scenes, character development, interesting writing, clever ideas, humor where it's warranted. I am not a huge fan of babies/children or of angst that goes beyond the angst-level of the original canon. I'm okay with an interesting AU. Of course, these are just guidelines, and I'm sure I'll like whatever you want to write for me! If you have an idea that really appeals to you, go for it, even if it's different than what I've written above.

Thanks so much for writing for me!

Hi! Happy 2012!

I wrote three stories for Yuletide and was really pleased by the response. They're all funny this year (...or meant to be funny, anyway!). Thanks to everyone who read, recced, commented or gave kudos! It felt awesome.

In the order in which they were completed:

Jane Eyre Has a Posse (3804 words) by Bow
Fandom: Jane Austen's Fight Club, Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
Summary: After an initial success, Jane Austen's Fight Club has become tedious and routine. If fight club is to thrive, the ladies will need a serious intervention, Brontë-style. Featuring exciting crossover action!

If the Austen heroines met the Brontë characters, it might go sort of like this...as long as they were all also into Fight Club (which I am pretty sure they were). Written for tofty!

If you're thinking about reading only one of my Yuletide stories, I say choose this one. It's funny, but it has something to say. Technically, it does reference all six Austen novels and all seven Brontë novels, but I think you can read it as long as you know vaguely what Austen is like and don't mind spoilers for Jane Eyre (best of books!). It will be funnier the more Austen and Brontë you've read, though.


I Am Entirely Sick of Shadows (5361 words) by Bow
Fandom: Downton Abbey
Summary: Christmas is coming, and a ghost has moved into Downton Abbey. As usual, Mary is the one to suffer.

In which I send up Downton Abbey. It starts with a totally unhinged concept and plays it straight...for laughs. Uh, does that make any sense? Anyway, I say read it if you like Violet and don't take Downton Abbey too seriously. This was my assigned story, which I wrote for skaryma.


Mystery Solving Teens Confirm the Obvious (1304 words) by Bow
Fandom: Hark! A Vagrant
Summary: The Mystery Solving Teens land their highest-profile assignment yet. Will they crack the case...or fail to care entirely? The Shit Talker--the high school's most illustrious student newspaper--reports from the scene.

This one is for walgesang and pauraque! As soon as I saw their separate Hark! A Vagrant request details, I knew I wanted to combine them into one fic. The Mystery Solving Teens meet Nancy Drew and a few other Beaton characters in the process of solving, or failing to solve, a mystery. Featuring twitter posts from Vanessa, missing snickerdoodles, and waterfowl that use inappropriate language.

Also, I can now reveal that my awesome gift fics were written by talibusorabat (A Mother's Wisdom), pauraque (The Universe Is Winding Down), and tofty (Blood Will Have Blood). Thanks again, dear friends, for making my Yuletide that much more awesome. ♥

Hi friends,

It's been a pretty long time since I've posted here. Let's ignore that for the time being.

I have a mildly tortured relationship to Christmas music. It may be partly about being Jewish, but mostly has to do with how many Christmastime choral performances I participated in until I graduated from high school. Christmas was the time of year when all my choirs would take their act onto the road and perform at about 90 million shopping malls in the area.

Show choir was especially egregious, with its elaborate holiday medleys, terrible choreography, and lurid sequined dresses (sequined bow ties and cummerbunds for the guys, obviously). Show choir trauma is probably responsible for a large portion of my dislike of Glee: been there, done that...in WAY worse costumes. Tempted to upload photos, so far resisting the urge.

To this day, hearing "Jingle Bell Rock" provokes an immediate feeling of humiliation so deep that it's nearly physical, because of some particularly embarrassing choreography that involved swinging a stool (the tall kind with no back) back and forth in a bell-like motion, grinning maniacally all the while. "Mister Santa" (a version of the 1950s song Mister Sandman with super dorky new lyrics) was also a major offender. The upsetting thing is that I can STILL remember all those lyrics, even though I've started forgetting memories of fun times spent with friends, etc. If only my brain were like a hard drive where I could actually choose what to erase. My least favorite Christmas song of all time, though, is "Little Drummer Boy." Sing it reverently, sing it in eight-part harmony, sing it R&B-style...you can't make it sound good. Trust me on this one.

Then, of course, there would be a token Hanukkah song in the Christmas medley...and by Hanukkah song, I mean a random Jewish tune like "Shalom Rav" that has nothing to do with Hanukkah, anyway. Yes, I had the 'privilege' of singing the solo on "Shalom Rav" at our Christmas shows, which I guess was better than no solo at all, but really sort of a thankless task. The audience was just suffering politely, waiting until they could hear our signature number, "Leroy the Redneck Reindeer." This is what happens when you grow up in the Midwest, okay?

The chamber choirs and honors choirs were far less painful, but boring at Christmastime. I like "Angels We Have Heard on High" a lot--especially the way the harmonies change as the song progresses--but dang, how many times can you sing it?

Aaaaaanyway, given my sordid past, I've been soured on most standard Christmas tunes. There are two Christmas songs I like a lot, though, which I will share with you. They're both kind of dorky, but I come by that honestly. I just really like the way they sound. These versions are fine--they're both listed as being sung by the Robert Shaw Chamber Singers, but since I downloaded them in the long-ago age of Napster, who knows if that's accurate.

Touro-louro-louro!
Fum Fum Fum (English version since I don't have the original, which is in Catalan. I tend to prefer singing Christmas songs in languages I don't speak, because it's harder to tell when they have awful lyrics)
Angels We Have Heard on High (right, decided to add this one, too, because let's be honest--I haven't been forced to sing this in over 10 years and I'm no longer sick of it)

In further holiday news, I'm really looking forward reading my Yuletide fic and having other people read what I wrote. (I hope people read it!) Actually, though, the best part of Yuletide for me is usually stumbling upon those rare works of genius that never would have been written if not for Yuletide. So here's to that.

PS hope everyone is emotionally prepared for the next installment of Jane Eyre reviews! 1996! Ciaran Hinds! There's gonna be an audience participation portion! And an enormous, hideous music box! You won't believe how big or how hideous.

In which I can’t stop howling at Rochester, can’t stop staring at Jane, and--nope, still can’t stop howling at Rochester...

Hey, it’s my birthday! And what better present can I give myself than another mile-long self-indulgent post about my favorite novel?

( Back of the Box )

( Characters )

( Key Scenes )

( Relationship to the Text )

( Miscellaneous Considerations )

( Ultimate Judgments )

Previously in Jane Eyre:

1983: Why don't you tremble?
1944: On the shore of a darker stream
2006: At once intemperate and unchaste

In which I am distressed by biology, inundated with bird metaphors, and alarmed at Grace Poole's subsequent career choice...

I haven't yet seen the new Jane Eyre movie due to a scheduling conflict, so I'm taking this opportunity to make a new Jane Eyre post instead. This installment covers the 2006 miniseries, loved by many, though not particularly by me.

( Back of the Box )

( Characters )

( Key Scenes )

( Relationship to the text )

( Miscellaneous Considerations )

( Ultimate Judgments )


Previous posts in this series:

1983: Why don't you tremble?
1944: On the shore of a darker stream

Also, glockgal drew an amazing Jane Eyre drawble for me, of the scene at the end where they're reunited at Ferndean. It's perfect. I love their expressions; I love the glow of the firelight. You can see it and leave adoring comments for her at this post.

In which I become mesmerized by Orson Welles, confused by clothes irons, and covetous of a sparkly black wedding dress...

I really need to step up the pace to have any hope of finishing these write-ups by the time the new movie comes out. This entry covers the 1944 film.

Before we go too deep, I'd like to draw your attention to the tagline of the film ("A Love Story Every Woman would Die a Thousand Deaths to Live!") and the amazing poster, where Orson Welles looks just as likely to throttle Joan Fontaine as to embrace her. It's a dark place, but that's where we're headed this morning.




( Back of the Box )

( Characters )

( Key Scenes )

( Relationship to the Text )

( Miscellaneous Considerations )

( Ultimate Judgments )

If you missed my post about the 1983 miniseries, you can find it (and an explanation of what I’m doing) here.

And if you missed my post about Yuletide, one of the stories I wrote this year was about Jane Eyre: Were We Not Four?