Cassandra used "speed writing" in her diaries so that no one else could read them. I liked that because it meant she didn't have an audience, not even an accidental or prying one. She was writing for herself only, without regard to what anyone else — family or posterity — would think. This produced a wonderful candor.
Early on, she writes: I am surprised to see how much I have written; with stories even a page can take me hours, but the truth seems to flow out as fast as I can get it down.
Here are some truths that flowed out in "The Sixpenny Book" that I found delightful: (Erin, we talked about the time span of this book. I just noticed that the notebooks she fills are labeled with months. The first one is March. And the last one is June to October. So it's less than a year, and there's no winter).
I have decided that my poetry is so bad that I musn't write any more of it.
As she only cries about once a year I really ought to have gone over and comforted her, but I wanted to set it all down here. I begin to see that writers are liable to become callous.
... but she soon made herself take an interest in country things, and now she tries to make the country people interested in them too.
I shall go down and be very kind to everyone. Noble deeds and hot baths are the best cures for depression.
There is something revolting about the way girls' minds so often jump to marriage long before they jump to love. And most of those minds are shut to what marriage really means.
Now I come to think of it, I am judging from books mostly ... But some characters in books are very real — Jane Austen's are; and I know those five Bennets at the opening of "Pride and Prejudice," simply waiting to raven the young men at Netherfield Park, are not giving one thought to the real facts of marriage.
I like seeing people when they can't see me.
Rose's exuberance has risen higher and higher. I regret to say that she is now whistling.
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4 comments:
It just occurred to me that a fantastic way to market this book would be to sell it as notebooks — a sixpenny notebook, the shilling notebook (given to her by Stephen), the two guinea notebook (given to her by Simon), that look exactly how she describes them, and printed in a font, for example, that mimics the fountain pen that Simon gave her in the third notebook. Wouldn't that be fantastic? (Like how Erin's kid journals are all in different decorated notebooks that are sprinkled with things like Cassandra's "The End: Slam the Book Shut" and the joy of having a new pen and a blank slate and myriad catty truisms to report about all the silly people around you!
That's a fantastic idea. Not surprisingly, I loved Cassandra's description of each new notebook, its paper and bindings.
Those are great lines! I marked a few myself -- I'll post when I have the book in front of me.
OK, here we go:
Rose doesn't like the flat country but I always did -- flat country seems to give the sky such a chance. (This should be a state motto.)
"There's no need to go, of course. Won't you sit down? I'm sure I've no desire to appear inhospitable" -- and that stuck me as the most pompous speech of my life.
I would rather die than marry either of those quite nice men. Nonsense! I'd rather marry both of them than die.
And I regret to say that there were moments when my deep and loving pity for her merged into a desire to kick her fairly hard.
Topaz was wonderfully patient -- but I sometimes wonder if it is not only patience, but also a faint resemblance to cows.
She was wearing her hand-woven dress which is first cousin to a sack...
The last one she sent had bed socks in it, most hideous but not to be sneezed at on winter nights.
I am not so sure I should like the facts of life, but I have got over the bitter disappointment I felt when I first heard about them, and one obviously has to try them sooner or later.
kc said...
Ooh, that should be a state motto. I underlined that, too.
And the facts of life stuff and all the Topaz observations! Delightful.
You didn't mention the Jane Austen/limits remark. Hehe. Wasn't that in the first book?
And we haven't mentioned Miss Blossom yet. I LOVED when Cassandra would give her voice. Girlies. Hehe
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