Tag part One: The Literary Heroine Blog Party

     Annnd here's part one of the tag for the "Literary Heroine Blog Party" at Accordion to Kellie!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1)   Introduce yourself!  Divulge your life's vision, likes, dislikes, aspirations, or something completely random!
     How-de-doo,  I'm Ruby!  I first became acquainted with the blogosphere around three years ago, and started blogging March of last year.  I'm still working toward a concrete life vision, maybe something involving psychology or animal behavior.  But until then, my family and I continue to enjoy baking Pinterest recipes to 80's music, consuming all things Jane Austen, and comparing Gilbert and Sullivan operetta productions.

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

     I think in literature we very often see heroes or heroines that are dissatisfied with their situation and would rather seek adventure or change than seek to be contented with where they find themselves.  Maybe it's more applicable to my own sensibilities than the true essence of a heroine, but I really appreciate seeing heroines that adapt and find contentment in the here and now.  Situations can change so rapidly and suddenly, so I think that kind of adaptability makes for a very strong character and does a lot for that character in the long haul.  Kind of beautiful to see.

3)   Share (up to) four heroines of literature that you most admire and relate to.
     I know I've mentioned this before, but Fanny Price has been my favorite literary heroine for years.  Though she struggles with her bad health and timidity, she has a solid, unphased sense of what is right.  Despite pressures to the contrary from her family and dearest friends, she grows to stick by her morals and her convictions whatever the cost, and manages to survive some of the worst societal trials of any Austen heroine.  Beyond Fanny, Lucy Pevensie (for her pure faith in Aslan,) Helena from All's Well That Ends Well, and Amy Dorrit.

4)   Five of your favorite historical novels?

     1) Mansfield Park - Jane Austen
     2) Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen
     3) The Bronze Bow - Elizabeth George Speare
     4) A Peep Behind the Scenes - Amy Catherine Walton
     5) Any one of the Little House Series - Laura Ingalls Wilder

5)   Out of those five books, who is your favorite major character and why? 
     Jesus is featured in The Bronze Bow.  How can you beat that?

6)   Out of those five books, who is your favorite secondary character and why?
     Henry Tilney hands down.  He's a true gentleman with a great sense of humor (a very kindhearted one, at that.)  Even though he enjoys trashy novels for their cheese, he readily recognizes how much they've messed with Katherine's weak mind.  With that understanding, he deals with the aftermath of that obsession very generously.

Disclaimer: I realize Mr. Tilney's character may not be entirely secondary.... we'll call him secondary anyway.  Secondary to Katherine as the main character, yes?....  Yes, that'll do.  Mhm.

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

     Well, this is turning into an Austen fest, isn't it?  I'd probably take that long trip to the UK, to see The Jane Austen museum (of course,) Chawton House, Lyme Park, Chatsworth House, The Grand Pump Room, Cassandra's Cup Tea Room, Winchester Cathedral, The "Cobb" at Lyme, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, The National Gallery, Dickens and Darwin's graves at Westminster, Stonehenge, Hadrian's wall, every. other. historical site I can possibly visit, The Phantom of the Opera at West End, and the Dover cliffs.

My list is much, much, longer, but I'll spare readers the details.  I'm always open to suggestions from those that have been, too!  (..and then there's Zakynthos, Greece...)

6)   What is your favorite time period and culture to read about?
     I really enjoy the history of England, especially during the War of the Roses and the Regency period. (surprised?)

7)   You have been invited to perform at the local charity concert. Singing, comedy, recitation - what is your act comprised of?
     "Indeed you must excuse me.  I could not act anything if you were to give me the world.  No, indeed, I cannot act."  Anything involving standing in front of a group of people gives me mental hives and panic attacks.  But I'd gladly help organize someone else's act.  Give me an assignment behind the scenes and I'm a very happy girl.

8)   If you were to attend a party where each guest was to portray a heroine of literature, who would you select to represent?
     Hmm.... I've always wanted a reason to dress up as Arwen, from The Lord of the Rings, but... I would probably try to come up with something more exciting if I had to think more seriously about it.

9)   What are your sentiments on the subject of chocolate?
     The darker the better.  I especially like those bars with orange, and cayenne pepper too (totally underrated.)

10)  Favorite author(s)?
     Jane Austen, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and William Shakespeare are the four I love and read the most.  But I've also thoroughly enjoyed Robert Louis Stevenson (for a long time now,) G.K. Chesterton, George MacDonald, and Charles Dickens.  I may not be as familiar with their works as I would like to be, but it's really a treat when I do get the chance to read them.

11)  Besides essentials, what would you take on a visiting voyage to a foreign land?

     I'm counting a camera as an essential here; besides that I'd definitely take a journal (really underrated, those things,) and a little glass bottle.  Sort of a family tradition my dad started when he went to Israel once.  When he asked my mom if she wanted him to bring anything back, she replied that she'd like a rock, so she can see a piece of the Promised Land.  Since customs might not have appreciated such a dangerous piece of geology on board an airplane, he instead brought back a pocketful of sand, which we then deposited into a little glass jar.  (Then again, customs might not appreciate a glass jar full of an unknown substance, either... a technicality that will need to be remedied if such a situation arises.)

12)  In which century were most of the books you read written?   
     It's across the board, but I'll say 20th.

13)  In your opinion, the ultimate hero in literature is…

Frodo Baggins!

It's interesting to see how marvelously Frodo's story fits into this article's literary formula for a hero's journey (very interesting read.)  Shouldn't be surprising, though, since the article cites a lot of mythologies as examples, and J.R.R. Tolkien loved himself a mythology.  I seem to recall reading somewhere that Tolkien intended to create a truly English mythology when he wrote LOTR.  Consequently, The Lord of the Rings reads like a true, blue epic, as it should.  And its main hobbit reads like a true, blue, remarkably epic hero, as he should.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Part two of this tag can be found here.  I've done it in reverse order, for.... fun? Yes, fun.  This was a blast!