2 north & south wallpapers

As promised last week, here are two wallpapers featuring the Marlborough Mills logos. Click on the image to download the full-size version. Enjoy!

marlborough mills

It's been gloomy around Lancaster lately, with all the snow and grey skies. And often the weather outside reminds me of Gaskell's North & South. So with a few extra hours at my disposal - thank you Jack Frost for the snow - I decided to indulge a little with my favorite adaptation. As Mr. Thornton talked in my ear about cotton clothes and fair masters, I crafted some logos for our favorite mill.

For these logos I focused on the traits of Thornton - traditional, hard working, simple and clear - and researched Victoria Era type as support. Thus, the strong favoring of serifs. Thus, the decided tagline of "English-Made Cotton". In our adaptation, Thornton doesn't use words like "fine" or "regal" to talk about his cotton; it is good, and good is the appropriate word to him. "Good Cotton" wouldn't sell, but English-made would. Let's just say Mr. Bell had his say.

Wallpapers to come next week.

North and South episode 4

First please forgive me if there are some horrible typos...but I wanted this post posted before the New Year and find very little time to proof it.

Here we are, dear reader, at the wrap up of North and South. And while much has happened through the last episodes, this last hour is full of character arches and resolutions. Margaret has not only learned Milton ways, but begun to think more like an adult. And of course, we get to see a very happy ever after.

Brains to Work 

The strike is over, and what's worse, Nicholas is struggling to find work. As a leader of the strike, and as one of the union's strongest advocates, none of the mill owners will take him on. Compounded by the fact that Nicholas has taken on all of Boucher's children -- he's in a very tough place. Margaret urges him to take another chance on asking Thornton, reminding him that Thornton is a steady and reasonable man who would value Nicholas' work ethic and honesty over everything. When Nicholas goes to see Thornton, waiting all day for the chance to speak with him, Thornton throws him out. Nicholas finishes the meeting with this final line, "I was told to ask you by a woman who thought you had a kindness about you." Thornton knows exactly who that woman is.

After investigating Higgin's situation, Thornton does give him a job and the two men, though walking in very different "worlds" form a strong friendship based on honesty and even, dare I say it?, humor. The good of the worker is good for the mill and based on this principle, the two make a dynamic pair.

I LOVE the scenes with Thornton and Higgins. They are fantastic. Simply put. What you see, are two men who actually think a great deal alike, and they are just looking at situations from difference perspectives. Higgins begins to fulfill an older brother role for John and their mutual respect for each other is refreshing to see.

Goodbye, I love you

Mr. Hale never recovered from the death of his wife. And when he goes on holiday with Mr. Bell to his old college stomping grounds, we soon fear his fate. He never returns to Milton, and Margaret is left completely alone. Her aunt comes from London to take her back "home" and Margaret has no real other choice. Mr. Bell, her new guardian in name, doesn't live in Milton either. But before she goes, she wants to say goodbye to her friends.

As she says goodbye to the Thorntons you can feel her longing not to leave. And in seeing her eyes, John's cold heart melts towards her. Again she is the love of his life, and again he will loose her. But this time, it's not because she is rejecting him. As she leaves in the carriage, John utters the most memorable lines in the whole mini-series: "Look back, look back at me."

This might just be me, but I truly believe that if Margaret said, "I don't want to go." Thornton would have proposed again on the spot. Literally, the only thing keeping these two apart at the moment is their belief in the other's indifference. They both long to say they love one another, but pride and impressions make it impossible. I cry every time I see this scene. It's just so sadly lovely.

Despite hard Work, it all comes crashing down

The strike might not have helped the workers, but it sure didn't help the mill owners either. Thornton can't fill the orders he has on time, and he can't receive payment for them till they are filled. Long story short - he has a huge cash flow problem. It might, perhaps, be solved by a 100 to 1 speculation, but John refused to play with the money he's fought so hard to make, or the money to be paid the workers. And despite everything, John looses the mill he strove so hard to make prosperous.

Watching John slowly loose the mill, is heartbreaking. What's worse, is seeing the lives of the workers improve thanks to he and Higgins' ideas, only to know that soon none of it will matter.

Home Again

Mr. Bell comes to visit Margaret, give over all his fortune, and cheer her up with a walk down memory lane. They return to Hellstone for the day and Margaret realizes that her childhood home is not what she remembers now that her mother and father are gone. She returns with an adjusted sense of reality and a new maturity.

Returning to Hellstone makes the story come full circle for me. Margaret sees her home differently because it is no longer her home. I feel this is her last step to knowing she belongs with Thornton. It wouldn't matter if the North was the South or the South was London, so long as she could call living with John home. Margaret learns, what we have always heard, home is were the heart it.

You can Explain

Hearing that Thornton's mill has closed, Margaret rushes to see what she can do to help -- she is in love with him, after all. And Thornton, free for a moment of responsibility, ventures to the South to see the beauty which is bred into Margaret's soul. On their respective ways home, they cross each other's path at the train station. Somehow, after months apart, even thing that they couldn't say at their last meeting is implied and there is no pretense left. Margaret tells John of her business proposition, which will enable him to run the mill again. John knows she would not offer such a generous deal if she still thought of him as a cold businessman. Margaret, after offering fifteen thousand pounds and her love, returns home with John on the North-bound train.

This scene is not in the book. Well, it is, but it is done very differently. I adore the new version and its the HUGE payoff everyone dreams for in a costume drama. With the kiss between John and Margaret (and the reveal of Richard Armitage throat) costume drama is revived. Ask anyone -- there hadn't been a strong, beautifully adapted or filmed costume drama since 1995. And it was with this single, and final, scene we are given a new milestone in mini-series and hero to adore. It really is the best kiss in --I'm going to be 12 for a second -- forever, like completely forever.

North and South changed the BBC landscape. It proved you didn't have to have an Austen or Dickens attached to the title for it to be a runaway hit. North and South wasn't expected to do anything the season it aired and it has become a herald of the genre and a classic in its own right.

And now, with my winter rewatch complete, I can look to the spring and all the new films and seasons coming soon.

North and South Episode 3

Hello dear reader! After a whole week of insaneness at work, I've finally been able to get to my own computer for a few moments -- that is, until I get rushed out to Christmas shop in a few hours. But fighting the crazy crowds of Park City Center is not why you're here. You're here to read about our 3rd installment in my North and South rewatch.

Uneasy Relations

Thornton leaves the Hale household rejected and Margaret's words injure him more deeply than we thought possible. He walks Milton, not in anger, but in desperation. How is to forget the woman he loves? Even if she will never love him back. As episode three continues, We come to see that Margaret's impulsive actions to reject him may not have been her own true feelings. Many times throughout the episode we see Margaret and John orbit closely towards each other, a closeness binding them no one else can name. Even though Margaret refused John's hand, she defends him viciously to others and (since we know better) we see where she begins to love him and aknowledge that love. Personally, I love these tense and akward moments between John and Margaret. They begin to see each other differently, and that look is colored by quiet love. 

Margaret and Bessie

Bessie is Margaret's only confidant in Milton. Despite their social differences, they are both young women who are looking at the world, desperate to change it; and they are both the anchors of their family. Bessie suffers from fluff in her lung, an ailment that will take her life before she truly has a chance to live it. And in episode three we see Bessie pass quietly away. Bessie's friendship and the open-hearted welcome Margaret receives from her family, is a bright spot throughout the entire series. When Bessie dies it is like Margaret has lost another sibling. Seeing Bessie's passing Margaret's experience in Milton comes full circle and it maarks the death of her northern innocence.

Fredrick who?

Margaret has a brother...did we remember that? With her mother do I'll, Margaret sends of Fredick who is hiding in Spain. Fred's arrivals and stay. Use be Mel silent - he is wanted for mutiny and his presence in Milton, if known, would only cause more heartache for the Hale family. I love Fredrick. Not more than Thornton, but as much in a different way. He's passionate, loyal, and loving and you can tell that the only thing between him and his family in the world is the law. When he arrives, the family feels whole again and Margaret is able to breathe. Their closeness is refreshing and, even though it is a sad time, their time together is sweet. 

The Great Exhibition

Just before the turn of the century, Prince Albert commissioned a great exhibition from acrossed the empire to show England the vast reach of its people. Margaret is invited by her aunt to join her in London for it, and her mother encourages her to go. At the exhibition Margaret sees John, Fanny, and Miss Linton and defends the Milton men to London onloookers. John also meets Henry Lenox and knows exactly why he has joined Margaret' s party for the day. The great exhibition is the highlight of episode three. Margaret gives John hope and John stares done Henry fiercely. The new, lighter, setting of the scene is lovely and brings a brightness to the very heavy episode. We also get to see a sincerely emotionally tense moment between Margaret and John that is just too good to pass up. 

Mrs. Hale requests a favor 

While Margaret is in London, Mrs. Hale requests a favor from Mrs. Thornton - the irony of this does not escape the viewer. Mrs. Hale is dying and she wants Mrs. Thornton to help guide her daughter in her absence. Mrs. Thornton hesitantly agrees, her own feelings swallowed for the sake of the dying women. Here we see how differently life have treated these women. Mrs. Thornton really has no patience for Mrs. Hale and this emotion compounded with her anger towards Margaret, makes her agreement an even more honorable testament to her character. We start to realize there is more to these mothers than meeting the eye - there has to be, haven't you seen their children? 

All we have left is episode 4! Are you excited?

Episode 2, North and South

I was so excited for the four-day weekend, dear reader, because it meant even more time to watch North and South. But I've been good! And am determined to watch the episode then blog, the watch the next one. It's actually rather refreshing, I must say. I have for you the second post in this mini-series of four. I wonder what made this episode's cut?

Mother and Son

The second episode opens with a strike looming. While everything seems to be shaking around John, his mother is a powerful moor of strength.  We begin to see the everyday life of the people of Milton and learn much more of the Hale's history.

Throughout the second episode we get to see the amazing relationship John has with his mother. Her unflinching outlook on life, and her fierce determination to see John succeed, bolsters his own confidence. In many ways, Mrs. Thornton is John's only ally in his life. When seen with Mrs. Thornton, John is allowed to show his humorous side, his thoughtful side, he's able to be a bit of a dreamer. It's two actors acting brilliantly opposite each other. For example, John's conversation with Mrs. Thornton before he goes to propose to Margaret is stunning.

The Strike is Brewing

As word of a strike flows through Milton, Margaret is interested to learn more -- not so much the how, but why. On a errand for her mother, she ends up at Thornton's mill and has her first real conversation with him.Still struggling with the customs of Milton, Margaret is eager to learn as much as she can so that she knows how to help. And when the strike finally does occur, she stands her ground that helping those who need help is the only way to live.

Episode 2 is full of lovely Thornton and Margaret moments and many of them have an intense spark of emotion connected to them. I mean, come on -- those looks John gives with his eyes? SO delicious. 

The Dinner Party

The Thorntons always have an annual dinner on the same day, and -- even with the strike -- it brings out the best of Milton Society. And the key topic during dinner?  The strike. While Margaret is forced to defend her ideals, the rest of the party looks on, surprised and unsure. When she gets home, Margaret discovers that her mother is very unwell. Desperate to grant her mother's dying wish Margaret writes to her brother, living in hiding in Spain, hoping he will return home to see Mrs. Hale one last time. 

The dinner party has to be one of my favorite scenes in the whole mini-series. The coloring of the whole scene is beautiful and refreshing and the dialogue is crafted in such a way that tension builds ferociously, but is unable to climax due to the harsh demands of polite society. 

Strike breakers

The strike has continued on long past the Thornton's dinner party and everyone is becoming desperate. Nicholas struggles to help those union men who need more help to feed their families without work. John refuses to go quietly and enlists workers from Ireland. When some of the strikers get wind of the plot, they raid Thornton's mill, hungry for blood. Margaret happens to be there at the time and in rushes to help John against the mob after she pressures him to go and talk to them. Aiming for John, a rock hits Margaret and knocks her unconscious. Once Margaret falls, the strike is broken.

Margaret challenges John's outlook on the strikers directly during this scene, and faced with an angry mob and the openness of her convictions, he takes her advice. John trusts Margaret completely, is what we see; and afterwards, he's humbled that Margaret would defend him. He wants to marry her afterward because he can't imagine not being with her any longer. 

The Proposal 

After Margaret's injury at the mill, John wants to make sure she's alright -- and wants to marry her desperately -- Mrs. Thornton, however, doesn't see John desire as much as she sees his sense of propriety. Margaret's actions during the strike were VERY indelicate and imply that her and John have a more intimate relationship. To end gossip, it would only be proper for John to propose marriage. But then he goes to see Margaret the next day and she flatly refuses his advances and proposal.

Proposal scenes in general are cringe worthy for me. P&P - can't watch it. This was the first time ever I sat through the entire North and South proposal riveted. Richard Armitage is able to so brilliantly show his emotions subtly on his face that your heart breaks with his own when Margaret refuses him. Margaret blunders more, because she's trying to convince herself that she does not love him. Thus, she doesn't even consider his feelings in her remarks. 

At the end of episode 2, we've been in Milton almost a year with Margaret and John; we've been through the rise and fall of a strike; we're dealing with the harsh refusal of a hopeful proposal. Good lord, it can't get and worse.

Its a North and South thing, Ep 1

I remember the day I went to buy North and South at the bookstore, dear reader. I scavenged the movie section in vain for 30 minutes, only to be hopelessly disappointed when I couldn't find it. Then, in a delusion of desperation, I went to the clerk and asked if they had a copy of "North and South" in stock. Her reply, "Why would you want THAT movie." I gushed, "because it's a beautiful story with lovely scenery and John Thornton." She sneered, and said she was affronted I could think a movie about the horrors of the Civil War was beautiful. I stammered, shocked, we were not thinking of the same North and South, and before I could clarify it was a BBC miniseries about the industrial revolution and that I wasn't oogling 80's hair, the clerk was gone.

I left the store that day, embarrassed and without a purchase. Instead, I bought North and South 2 weeks later online and never looked back. Sometimes loving a little known movie here in the states can lead you to very strange conversations, or some shocking customer service. Its why only my really good friends, and you reader, know how much I love these classic stories turned into film.

And I must say, North and South is in a continual struggle with Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre for my top affections. However, around Thanksgiving the DVD begins calling me to watch it, begging me to return to the world of mills and trains and cravats. And I always give in. This year though, I thought you'd like to join me. 

Now I won't be summarizing N&S like I've done with The Borgias, I'll leave you a little mystery if you haven't seen it, but I thought over the next 4 weeks I would share my favorite moments from each hour-long episode -- with photos. 

The refusal of Henry Linton

When Margaret Hale gets married, she would like to just wake up one morning and walk to the church. Or so she tells the enamored Henry Linton at her cousin's wedding. And as Margaret leaves London to return to her home in the South, Henry follows--hoping that she will walk to the church with him one day. However, Margaret  is shocked by his proposal and stammers through a graceless refusal of his hand. 

I love the scenes between Henry and Margaret because you can see how dearly Henry does love the idea of marrying Margaret. She radiates strength and determination, kindness and an open heart that is as powerful an allure as hear beauty.  Margaret would make a man of Henry. Her refusal is painful, more so for Margaret than for Henry, because she's the one so horrified at breaking his heart. 

Furthermore, the lush green and gold of the scenes shot in Helstone provide a stunning contrast to the cool blues and purples we will face in Milton.

Coming to Milton

Mr. Hale is a man of his convictions. It is his quiet strength that his children have learned from. When he is challenged to reaffirm his faith in the Church and finds he is unable to, he takes his family to Milton for a fresh start. While Margaret is heartbroken to leave her life, she rises to the occasion, knowing despair and disappointment will help no one in this new place. While looking for a home in this new world of machines and dirt, Margaret meets Mr. Thornton, a wealthy mill owner whose hard life has taught him the virtues of perseverance and honestly; that doesn't mean his isn't still a little rough around the edges. 

The whole point of these first scenes with Margaret and Thornton is to highlight the clashing nature of their willful personalities. North and South and all their values monstrously collide in their first--and subsequent--meeting.
 

And that face. You get to see Richard Armitage taking the title of sexiest costume drama male lead away from Colin Firth from the very first moment he's onscreen, overlooking a room dancing with warm snow. 

They do things Differently Here

Milton, despite Margaret's best efforts, is not Helstone, and her first months are spent struggling with Northern custom, speech, and social protocol. She struggles to befriend Mrs. Thronton and her daughter, understandably, and is surprised to learn Nicholas Higgins and his daughter Bessie tend to agree with the austere and ungentlemanly John Thornton.  As fall sets in, Margaret finds herself unknowingly drawing and severing lines of friendship she'd be better off not to test.

Margaret is a stranger in Milton almost her entire time in the industrial town. She pays the counter revolutionary in their industrial revolution many times because their logic affronts her own. It is in these scenes she realizes her first impression of Thornton was very extreme and that her convictions are not so shining anymore in this smokey town.

Going to tea with a gentleman and his daughter

Mr. Hale must find work in Milton, and he does so as a tutor and speaker. One of his first pupils is Mr. Thornton, who soon after his first lesson comes to tea. Margaret may look tired, but John sees only the sweetness of a Southern gentlewoman in her movements, and worries that he is the one boring her. 

Does John Thornton love Margaret from the first moment he sees her? I argue yes. And the fact that she speaks her mind and is not afraid of him, only flames his love hotter. Margaret needs someone to embody all she hates about Milton, and -- unfortunately -- she chooses John to take her anger out on. She challenges his way of life as Milton itself challenges hers and he respond with abrupt honesty; as much as he would like to comfort her with sweet words, he knows no other way.

I've seen Hell, and its Snow White

The first episode closes with Margaret writing her cousin and lamenting how lost she feels in Milton, and the industrial workers meeting - a strike of the union imminent. If heaven was Helstone, than Milton is hell and Margaret, strong as she may be, and try as she might, feels the powerful despair or her displacement.

The final moments of the first episode are striking. You see the overwhelming wonder that is the mill spinning cotton with what looks like snow falling all around. It is at this moment we realize the next 3 hours of our journey with Margaret is not going to be easy or simple. It is at this moment we're dealing with more than just a hate-love love story. And its going to be brilliant.

Snow?! 5 scene that'll make you forget it's October

Did you hear it on the news dear reader? They're saying this is Nor'easter. And its not even Halloween yet! And since this freakish weather has me down in the dumps (If you haven't been with us long, I hate snow. With a passion. It's only good on Christmas Eve.), I've decided to bundle myself up in my favorite warm blanket, put on some hot coco and watch a little drama. And in a desperate attempt to find joy in this snow-trastrophy, I'm counting down my top 5 snow scenes in a costume drama.

5. Opening and Closing of Frankenstein

Despite the weather and foolishness going on outside, it is still Halloween season. And what better movie to mix both than Frankenstein? (It makes me start to think snow is appropriate on Halloween -- oh wait...) Frankenstein opens and closed with Victor Frankenstein scouring the North Pole for his creature. My fingers already feel numb just thinking about it.

4. Kiss Scene in Angel
Have you seen this scene? Well, now you have(assuming you watched the youtube video above) and don't you feel much happier about snow fall? The movie may be pretty horrible, but Michael Fassbender tries valiantly to save it and turns in a pretty stellar kiss mid-movie.
3. Your first look at Narnia

Admit is dear reader, if snow has to fall, it could at least look like the winter wonderland from Narnia while it does. And don't you wish you could go out in it with limited clothing on and a nice warm red scarf too? 

2. Final moments of Pride and Prejudice 1995

In many classic novels, marriages take place in the spring -- a complimentary allusion to renewal and fresh beginning, but in the 1995 version of Pride and Prejudice Darcy and Elizabeth get married with snow all around. (And I can get cheesy here too - the snow would represent the purity of their love and the honesty they will share.) Even though it looks freezing, everyone is so cheerful about Lizzy and Jane's marriages that they don't even feel the cold.  

1. "Look back at me," North and South

I don't even have to type an explanation, do I?I hope I made your little snow day a little more cheery. I sure did mine!

Anatomy of a Scene: Proposals

I'm a sucker for a good scene, dear reader; so much so, I always end up spending hours thinking about just one really fantastic scene in a movie or video. I was doing this just a few days ago about the first proposal scene in Pride and Prejudice. For me, its the pinnacle of cringe-worthy. I still don't think I've ever seen the full scene because I have to look away; its just too much like a car crash you can't take your eyes off, but you have to. And then I got to thinking...almost all the costume dramas with two proposals from the same man look alike: not just in color and tone, but also in composition and theme. The men are tortured, they shock the women they love with a proposal, and (other than Jane Eyre) end really badly. And that's not all.

Now of course, I'm going back to my old favorites with two proposal scenes: Pride and Prejudice, North and South, and Jane Eyre; and I'm also looking at both versions of Pride and Prejudice. What are the similarities? Well let's get started.

First, the individuals are always alone (which is appropriate considering the time in which the story was written). Furthermore, the men always come to the women and initiate the proposal (not a big surprise, I know); in other words, the men enter the female's world: Thornton goes to the Hale's, Darcy goes to Mr. Collin's vicarage where Lizzy is staying, and Rochester meets Jane in Nature by the chestnut tree. When alone, the characters are no longer bound to society's standards and are free to express their true feelings. This similarity is more thematic as an attribute of the novels; however, the translation to film is also powerful. You can sense the freedom the actors feel in these scenes. Having just two actors in the scene, emotionally focused and present, electrifies the tension in the scene.

Second, the heroine is always under a misapprehension. Lizzy is completely blindsided by Darcy's proposal; Margaret is the same; and Jane thinks Rochester is sending her to Ireland and marrying another woman (so SO the same). This remarkably stubborn streak of in-the-dark heroines has always been a theme of costume dramas. And its their lack of consciousness which fuels the resolution of the story and second proposal. AND makes for an insanely awkward first proposal.

Third, the main characters are always facing each other. This staging is for more than just dramatic camera angles; it is a physical representation of character opposition, a visible extension of their opposing view points. Picture: metaphorically butting heads. During the first proposal both sides are ready for a fight. For example, Thornton proposes already defending his actions, and at Margaret's pressing defends his very love for her. Darcy does the same thing. And while Lizzy is able to articulate her argument much more eloquently than Margaret, her shock is still the same as is her physical placement opposite of Darcy.

Cinematically, the first proposal is often edited full of short close-ups, highlighting how far apart emotionally and physically the two characters are from each other. The scenes rarely have the two character's in the same shot together, and if they are, their body language clearly closes them off to one another.

We can truly focus on this staging of opposition if we look at the second proposal scenes. In those, the characters are set side-by-side in bright settings, their demeanor much softer and much more calm.

Darcy and Lizzy walk slowly in the 1995 version of Pride and Prejudice, neither leading each other towards Meryton, but both know where they are going. And while they do not touch, this walk together highlights their growth into mutual respect and equality. It's a vastly different scene than there cringe-worthy proposal.

John Thornton and Margaret do not walk during their second proposal, but sit together at a train station (this is one of the few major scenes from a book that the BBC changed during the adaptation process). The train station is halfway between Milton and London, and so it is neutral ground for both characters. They sit together, but are angled towards each other; most importantly, they are filmed up close with the other always in the shot as well. Their nearness is in large contrast to Thornton's first proposal where a whole table and room where in between them.

The 1988 version of Jane Eyre also follows this second proposal format, and it can be seen in the 2008 version as well. Like in Pride and Prejudice and North and South, Jane and Rochester sit side-by-side, and combined with the longer camera shots, this staging helps to empower the sense of equality and mutual determination both characters share moving forward. By having both characters sit towards a common direction and be close physically, they parallel their new outlooks towards common goals and common futures. In comparison, Rochester's first proposal may have seemed like a shared goal for Jane; however, it is not. Jane's goal is to have a loving, yet socially questionable marriage with the man she loves; Rochester's goal is to posses the women he loves, but lie to her to gain her trust.

Now I'm sure dear reader, you're sitting at your computer thinking I have WAY too much time on my hands, and you're right. I think I do too. BUT, I also think these themes are a really remarkable continuity between our favorite costume drama adaptations. We always say we love the second proposals, but can we say why? Yes we love them on screen for the same reasons we love them in print, but we shouldn't downplay the power of the cinematic set-up. Clearly, its a formula that works well, even with all the unique variations, because if we find it in our classic three favorites, I'm sure its in many more adaptations as well.

Happy Mother's Day

It's Mother's Day here in the States and as a celebration, literary style--well mostly literary style, I thought I would share with you my favorite on screen mothers.

When I started to think about the blog post, I wondered what indeed I would do. Jane Austen's mothers are mostly foolish or mean, and Bronte's mothers are either non-existent or half mad. Mrs. Dashwood, however, was an easy and foundational choice for me. Fearless and proud, she endures the loss of her husband, house, and lifestyle to undeserved and ruthless relatives, and moves her family away from everything they know for a better chance at happiness within their constraints. While Elinor is her voice of reason, it takes a powerful woman to allow her daughter that kind of control and still be the adult head of the family. She is loving, she is kind, and--above all--she reminds her daughters to enjoy life as it comes, without grasping, scheming, or loathing.

Dear reader, you may not like old battle axe Thornton for Margaret's sake, but if you think about it, Mrs. Thornton is a thoroughly stand-up and modern mother. After the suicide of her husband, she took her two young children and raised them with economy and strict focus; she managed John's money so well he was able to lease the mill, and she continues to run it with him on a day-to-day basis. Even though she hates Margaret, she promises to learn to like her when she realizes John is in love with her; and then when John can't hate Margaret even after she's rejected him, Mrs. Thornton vows to in his stead. As a mother, Mrs. Thorton is like a tiger: fierce on the outside, but loving and protective when no one is looking.

When thinking of my featured mothers, Mrs. Bennet was not first on my list. She wasn't even on my list. At a glance, Mrs. Bennet seems like one of the least qualified women to be a mother of five daughters. She's immature, frivolous, and simply wants to get all her girls married off to the first men she can find. And then I took a second look at Mrs. Bennet, because Jane Austen is far more introspective than that. Mrs. Bennet is able to be frivolous because she has (at least) two very level-headed daughters and seeing as how she's raised them well, why should she change her style for the other three? Her immaturity can be likened to the gossip addicts of today's society. And she wants to get her daughters married so that they will be provided for, knowing she has not saved for them on her own. Really, all the Mrs. Bennet is guilty of is a melodramatic disposition and social butterfly syndrome. She is a well meaning mother, who puts her family first, and for tha she's been added to my list.

Lady Crawley is one fierce women. She is unwavering in her modern ideas, while despising shifts in modern society. Above all, she is willing to do anything to protect her granddaughter's inheritance. She holds that quiet type of motherhood: the type where her children think she expects everything of them, when really she simply wants to see them do well and be happy. Lady Crawley is continually surprised by how people see her, and can't seem to understand why one must make way for impolite society in an entrenched history. I love Violet because she is the determined matriarch, the women you think of one way when really she's another, a class act all the way. Considering how wonderful her son is, I'd say she definately nears the top of my favorite mothers list.

While all these characters are wonderful examples of literary mothers, I want to finish this blog post by saying happy mother's day to all the truly wonderful mothers celebrating. You do not just deserve today, but every day to be mother's day. We never appreciate you as much as we should, and I wish this day was more like Christmas, then you may properly feel the love and awe we give to you.