Literary Heroine Blog Party!

Hello Everybody! 
     It is apparently that time of year again. Kelly from Accordion To Kelly is hosting the Literary Heroine Blog Party. I have seen blog posts and Pinterest pins about this event in the years past, but as I did not have a blog or did not see it in time, I have never participated before. 

Go here to see all the details concerning the party.

    Kelly is one of those girls whose blog I thought I disliked, but as I started going through her posts I realized something: I really, really like this person! Even though we have never met and she does not know that I exist, I am inspired by the lady she is. Someday I hope that I can exude her ladylike elegance and friendliness!

Here are the questions!

    ~ The Questions ~

1. Introduce yourself! Divulge your life's vision, likes, dislikes, aspirations, or something completely random!

My name is Emily Beaty. I am a nineteen year old "seamstress." I have a wide variety of hobbies: knitting, crocheting, sewing, watercolor painting (occasionally), reading, and playing piano.
Random Fact: I really like super hero movies because they (usually) have very little swearing, inappropriate scenes, or general crudity while promoting the ideas of heroism and being different than what the world expects.

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2. What, to you, forms the essence of a true heroine? 

A heroine-in-the-making is a girl or woman who desires to be the best person she can. She needs to have that ladylike elegance that displays itself even when she is exposed to awkward, difficult, or downright nasty situations. (That isn't to say that she cannot make mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes and without all this lovely mistake making, none of us would be who we are now.) She needs to be able to admit it when she is wrong. She should be able to not only ask for forgiveness, but also be capable of receiving it. She ought to be a lady in every sense of the word. Not stuck up and snobby, or coarse and man-like, but a true woman who does not feel like she has to be a man to be worth something. Although she may be young, inexperienced, prone to foolishness, and quite childlike in behavior; she ought to work towards improvement, growth, and maturity.

3. Share (up to) four heroines of literature that you most admire and relate to. 

a. Anne Elliot from Persuasion: Of the Jane Austen books I have read, Persuasion is definitely my favorite. I could relate very well to Anne even though there is nothing about me that is like her. She was good; not in a wishy-washy way, but in a sincere and honest fashion.

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b. Jane Eyre from Jane Eyre: Jane went through so much. She was abused and hated when she was little, and then. . . I shall not spoil the book for those of you who have not perused it, but suffice it to say that she was an admirable person.

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One of my favorite scenes!

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c. Eowyn from The Lord of the Rings: Eowyn is not your typical heroine. She rather resents her life and does not wish to do that which is expected of her. She is strong in a good way. She is fiercely loyal, slow to give her heart away, and even though she does some foolish things she remains a lady through it all.

d. Katherine from Stepping Heavenward: Katie is so relatable! I first read the book when I was about sixteen and when I realized that I was the same age as Katie, it suddenly felt much more applicable to me. She is foolish and childish. She does not like being told what to do. She acts her age in a not so good way. But, then she starts to grow up. She learns, and matures. She grows into such an admirable lady that it makes me quite jealous of her character! If you have not read Stepping Heavenward, you should. I doubt that you will regret it.

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4. Five of your favorite historical novels? 

Persuasion, Jane Eyre, The Lord of the Rings (this is definitely a historical novel!), Stepping Heavenward, North and South.

5. Out of those five books who is your favorite major character and why? 
My favorite major character would probably be either Margaret Hale from North and South, or Katie from Stepping Heavenward. There are several similarities between these two characters, which is what make it hard to choose between them. They are both young, inexperienced girls who try so hard to do what is right. They fail and get it wrong so many times, but they get up each time and try again. They have a resilience of character that is quite admirable! They both go through some exceedingly tough experiences, but still manage to come out with flying colors.

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6. Out of those five books who is your favorite secondary character and why? 

Faramir from The Lord of the Rings is probably my favorite secondary character of all time. He is such a man. There is no foolishness or immaturity in him and he withstands temptation admirably . I think he is often left in the shadows of the more "important" characters that surround him. I admit, there are some pretty amazing people in that book, but Faramir stands out to me. He is the kind of man that I hope to marry someday.

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7. If you were to plan out your dream vacation, where would you travel to - and what would you plan to do there? 

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I would go to Scotland. I am not really sure what I would do while I was there, but I would love to visit a Scottish farm. Maybe the owners would permit me to help a bit with the farm chores. I would breathe deeply of the mountain air and stand in awe of the unspeakably beautiful scenery.

8. What is your favorite time period and culture to read about?

I am not really sure about this question. I really like reading about anywhere in the 19th and 20th century, but I also like fantasy places like Middle Earth. 

9. You have been invited to perform at the local charity concert. Singing, comedy, recitation, tap dancing… what is your act comprised of? 

Singing. I sing for my church and it is one of my favorite things to do. I am so glad that I was permitted to participate!

10. If you were to attend a party where each guest was to portray a heroine of literature, who would you select to represent? 

Eowyn from The Lord Of The Rings

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11. Favorite author(s)? 

J. R. R. Tolkien, Elizabeth Prentiss, Louisa May Alcott, Jane Austen, Baroness Ozcry (I just started The Scarlet Pimpernel and so far am enjoying it. Update: I finished it and it was amazing. I have another man that I want my future husband to be like. . . The list just keeps getting longer.), Louis L'Amour (Anyone for westerns and manly men? His books do have the occasional swear word, but, as they are all about cowboys and the old west, I imagine that they are close to what it was really like.), Martha Finley, Charlotte Bronte, Arthur Conan Doyle, C. S. Lewis, Daniel Defoe, Herman Melville, Robin McKinley (I only like a few of her books. Probably half of them contain questionable content, but her fairytale retellings are rather nice.), Brian Jacques, Gene Stratton-Porter (Her books are the best!), Catherine Marshall, and Elizabeth Gaskell.

12. In which century were most of the books you read written? 
Most of the books I read are from the 19th and 20th centuries. I dislike ninety percent of the books written in the 21st century.

13. In your opinion, the ultimate hero in all literature is… 
Instead of naming a single hero, I am going to cheat and list a few that I consider to be equal in their heroic status: 
Faramir ~ The Lord Of The Rings

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Captain Wentworth ~ Persuasion

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Doctor Neill MacNeill ~ Christy
Mr. Travilla ~ The (Original) Elsie Dinsmore Series
Sir Percival Blakeney ~ The Scarlet Pimpernel

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These are just the few that I can think of off the top of my head. 

14. In your opinion, the most dastardly villain of all literature is… 

Hmmm. . . This is a hard question because I do not usually dwell on the bad people in books, but rather remember only the good ones. I can only think of Sauron and Saruman from The Lord Of The Rings, so they will have to do.

15. Describe your ideal dwelling place. 

A small cottage nestled amongst the Scottish highlands; surrounded by heather, mountains, wooly sheep, and the lonely moors where I could breathe deeply and listen to the silence.

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16. Sum up your fashion style in a short sentence. 

My fashion style is feminine, vintage-inspired with a dash of sensibility.

17. Three favorite Non-fiction books? 

Three of my favorite non-fiction books are: 

The Redwall Cookbook by Brian Jacques

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Gertie Sews Vintage Casual by Gretchen Hirsch

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 and The Pattern Making Primer by Jo Barnfield and Andrew Richards

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18. Your duties met for the day, how would you choose to spend a carefree summer afternoon?

Sewing on some project that has finally worked its way to the top of my queue; or, if I was out in the country, either in my bed reading with the window wide open to let in all the delicious breezes, or outside walking.

19. Create a verbal sketch of your dream hat - in such a way as will best portray your true character. 

A practical straw hat that would stay on my head.

20. Share the most significant event(s) that have marked your life in the past year. 

I have not had any significant happenstance this past year. My life is pretty much the same old same old. It is filled with a million little things that all add up to the big thing called "growing up".

21. Share the Bible passage(s) that have been most inspiring to you recently.

"For the Lord knows the ways of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish"  Psalm 1:6

"The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord, but gracious words are pure."
Proverbs 15:26

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
Psalm 19:14

Thank you Kelly! This was rather fun.

~Emily