Friday, February 27, 2015

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

14 comments:

  1. LOVE the Captain America quote!

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  2. this post makes me so happy I don't even know where to begin! :) if I did a blog party where each blogger does a post about/ from the pov of a literary would you want to participate?

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    1. That sounds like fun! I would like to participate if time permits. I have a very busy schedule, but I would definitely take it into serious consideration. Thank you for asking!

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    2. ok cool! It won't be too time consuming. If I end up doing one, I'll let you know:)

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  3. YES! The Lord of the Rings is a historical novel. Thank you.

    So many of my favorites here! LOTR, Jane Eyre, Persuasion, A. Conan Doyle... very cool :-)

    I own a practical straw hat that stays on my head. It rules.

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    1. Practical straw hats are some of the most intelligent fashion creations. You could dress them up with flowers, feathers, or beads, leave them plain, or tie a pretty ribbon on it for that lovely elegant look that just proclaims simple innocence. I shall forthwith envy you your fabulous possession!

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  4. Wow, we have a lot of common favorites!!! Jane Eyre and Persuasion and N&S and Scarlet Pimpernel....and all those different authors? Not to mention the Redwall Cookbook ;) and LOTR! Speaking of LOTR and Faramir I actually listed him as one of my favorite heroes last year. And it's so true. A husband like Faramir would be incredible. I love him so much I actually wrote a post up about him a while ago (for dear Hamlette's lovely blog *nods up above in the comment section here ;) *) -- and since we seem to have so many mutual sentiments I thought you might enjoy checking it out! Here's the link to my original "link post" (going over to Hamlette's): http://ladyofanorien.blogspot.com/2014/04/matters-of-greater-and-lesser-importance.html

    So long story short, I greatly enjoyed your answers! :)

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    1. I just read your post on Faramir. It was good. Quite good. I agree with everything you had to say about him! It makes me want to go and read The Lord of the Rings again so that I can pay more attention to just Faramir!

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  5. You won me over when you mentioned Faramir as a favorite secondary character!!:D

    'T'was such fun to read you answers: I can relate to your favorite authors, and I like the books you chose!

    Also, I love the book "Stepping Heavenward." It's so inspirational and encouraging:)

    Again, great answers!

    (P.S. And you have the Redwall Cookbook?!?!)

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    1. It is really nice to "meet" other people who like Faramir as much as I do. My younger sister and I regularly have a friendly (ahem. loud.) debate over who is better: Aragorn and Arwen or Faramir and Eowyn. She is of the opinion that Aragorn and Arwen are the coolest couple in the entirety of the Middle Earth books and movies; whereas, I liked them tremendously in the books and considering the fact that there was more of their story therein than there was about Aragorn and Arwen, I think that Faramir and Eowyn ought to have been featured just as much if not more than Aragorn and Arwen in the movies instead of being quite so neglected and ignored. One of my least favourite parts in the movie is where they destroy Faramir's character by making him weak and prone to the ring's temptation while being a cheat who is more concerned with pleasing his father and saving his own skin then doing what is right. It is so aggravating!
      Unfortunately no, I do not actually own the Redwall Cookbook. I borrowed it from our local library. I was really excited about it when I originally discovered it, but I had forgotten about it until recently. I ended up getting it along with Tasha Tudor's cookbook and a Secret Garden inspired cookbook on a whim. And I am so glad I did. We just made the scones out of the Redwall Cookbook. They were quite plain (i.e. not sweet or overpoweringly flavourful) but delicious in their simplicity. I am looking forward to making a few more things out of these cookbooks!

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    2. Yes, it certainly is! Haha, I sympathize with that debate. Aragorn and Arwen are wonderful and beautiful, but…Faramir and Eowyn are, well, Faramir and Eowyn. (Or Farawyn, I suppose I should say.) Yes! Since I watched the movies before I read the books, I don't mind all the development of Aragorn/Arwen's relationship, BUT I really, REALLY wish they'd also paid more attention to Farawyn. I mean, really? Those beautiful sections in the book The Return of the King, and then we get all of forty-five seconds (and that's in the extended version!) of them in the movies?! Seriously?! Ugh, I KNOW. That scene didn't necessarily make me like Faramir less in the movies, because I pinned everything wrong he does down on his father's neglect, but now that I've read the books, AND seen how that scene causes so many people to dislike movie Faramir, it REALLY frustrates me. I mean…why?! There's no reason…
      Ahh, I see. I'll have to check that out! Are the recipes fairly simple?

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    3. And I did not realize that my reply to you was so novel-like! My apologies for being so verbose. :)

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    4. I know! It was completely unnecessary! They could have just left that bit out if they didn't want him to be an important secondary character. Yes, it would have meant having less of Faramir, but at least he would have stayed in character.
      I have only made the scones, but I read through the entire book first. There is a story that goes along with the recipes which makes it a fun read. All the recipes look really simple and it isn't a bunch of super sugary foods. I don't know about you, but I have several younger brothers and when they have lots of sweets they tend to be either wild or cranky, so it was a relief to see that most of the food appears to be simple to make, but should taste fantastic.

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