Ranting about classic lit

[dangermousie]

You know how I am the ultimate canon hor, right? If it's in canon, I'll like it OK, shipwise.

EXCEPT.

WTF.

lesbiassparrow reminded me. WTF. Little Women. Why on earth did Jo and Laurie not end up together? Is there anyone out there who ships Jo/Bauer? Seriously. A friend of mine literally threw her book across the room when she got to that point.

Also, Mansfield Park. When I was younger, I even wrote Henry/Fanny fic. Edmund+Fanny are total priggish incest. Though they can preach at each other all day long. Yikes. Come on, Henry is the only one with a sense of humor in that book. I sort of get how Spike/Buffy shippers felt now.

Comments

[calixa.livejournal.com]

I still ship Elinor and Colonel Brandon.

[autumnflame.livejournal.com]

Hah! I'm glad to see I'm not alone!

All throughout Sense and Sensibility, I kept getting the persistent feeling of, "Dagnabbit, Colonel Brandon, Marianne's far too flighty for you. Look at Elinor, so wonderful and steady and appreciative!" And then I wondered if I was letting shipping go too far.

The author was being perverse

[ficchica.livejournal.com]

"Later Alcott wrote to a friend about Jo's marriage: "Jo should have remained a literary spinster but so many enthusiastic young ladies wrote to me clamorously demanding that she should marry Laurie, or somebody, that I didn't dare to refuse and out of perversity went and made a funny match for her."

She might have found it funny but I certainly didn't. I threw down the book in disgust and have never been able to read or watch Little Women & the sequel again.

Re: The author was being perverse

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Argh. So annoying. And that is why an author should never engage with the fans :)

[janlake83.livejournal.com]

yeah i never got how fanny married her cousin its a little too close to the family tree since they also grew up together.... but yeah i was totally rooting for jo and laurie in little women.... it was a bummer that he settled for second best by marrying amy * is it wrong to think that???*

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I don't think it's wrong because I feel the same way :)

Re: Fanny. Cousin part I don't mind (read too much Vic lit) but Edmund part I do!

[kitsune714.livejournal.com]

Don't even get me started on Laurie/Jo. I was ten years old and it was probably my first literary OTP ever and I'm STILL pissed about it.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, now I have to think who was my first literary OTP. Too far ago, can't remember :) Hmmm, maybe Morris/Lu from 'Headless Horseman' by Mein Reid.

[muffinkath7.livejournal.com]

Jo not ending up with Laurie is the biggest travesty of literature. It's like if Anne hadn't ended up with Gilbert. Crazy. I still get pissed off about it when I think about it.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Seriously. Argh. *annoyed*

Btw, gorgeous icon!

[lydzi.livejournal.com]

OMG!! Someone who also ships Henry/Fanny! *hugs* You know, I was kinda surprised by the ending of Mansfield Park. I was so sure that Fanny could change and actually make a better man out of Henry. I still believe his will to settle was genuine and quite strong. Oddly enough, Mansfield Park is my favourite novel along Northanger Abbey from Austen.

And I still can't get the fact that Laurie ends up with the tiny annoying brat. I just can't. Total denial.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I was so sure that Fanny could change and actually make a better man out of Henry.

She would have in Bronte but not in Austen (one of the reasons I prefer Charlotte)

[eccequambonum.livejournal.com]

gosh it has ben so long since i read MP, but i remember rooting for Edmund. the whole cousin thing didn't squick me -- i always had my nose in a history or period book to the point i was rather dissappointd my cousins were all such lame-asses and terrible marriage prospects. . . . i should probably pick it up again and see if ::coughcough:: 20+yearsdownthepike ::coughcough:: my sentiments on ships in that one change. mmm, most likely.

do NOT get me started on Louisa May Alcott. i practically threw i riot when after slogging through that thing i don't even get the bloody satisfaction of Jo/Laurie. furious! enraged! and have never, ever read a LMA book again, never will, and refuse to watch the movie version though i did sneak a peak at the most recent one because hello! Christian Bale! but ew, Winnona Ryder? kill me now. she needed to stop at Heathers)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I don't mind the cousin bit, but Edmund struck me as so prosy. And preachy. Fanny was entitled to some fun :)

[summertea.livejournal.com]

My first true literature book and LMA ruined me with Laurie marrying Amy and not Jo. They were goddamn perfect for each other.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yup. *stabs*

[smartylibrarian.livejournal.com]

Is there anyone out there who ships Jo/Bauer? Seriously. A friend of mine literally threw her book across the room when she got to that point.
Make that two friends who threw their books across the room :P I never could finish that book after that awful Professor made his entry.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Heeee. Seriously, I can tolerate the most blah ships as long as it's canon (heck, I don't even mind Ivanhoe/Rowena) but this? ARGH.

[morwen_peredhil]

I'm still bitter that Louisa May Alcott destroyed my Jo/Laurie OTP. VERY BITTER.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Maybe we should be like HP fans and demand a rewrite? :P

[aoimidori.livejournal.com]

it's not even just that jo and laurie didn't end up together, which already sucks to beging with, it's that LAURIE ENDED UP WITH AMY and jo ended up with some guy introduced at whichever part of the book WTF.

my friends and i were just talking about this recently, actually. :p

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yeah, exactly, narratively it made no sense.

[tatterpunk.livejournal.com]

Er. I liked Jo/Bauer? Laurie was too much of a brat for me. I was upset when Jo dumped him, yeah, but I thought he proved her right by his idiotic behavior afterward.

I like the idea of Henry/Fanny, but I like the fact that in the actual book he's all, "Fanny, only you can save me and make me a good man!" And she delivers the ultimate beatdown in "If you're really a good man, you can save yourself."

Austen just rocks that way.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I like the idea of Henry/Fanny, but I like the fact that in the actual book he's all, "Fanny, only you can save me and make me a good man!" And she delivers the ultimate beatdown in "If you're really a good man, you can save yourself."


True, but the thing is, I like Henry and don't like Edmund :)

Re: Laurie. But come on, he just got dumped when he assumed, by weight of literary conventions, he was going to end up with Jo :P

[missmarch.livejournal.com]

Ha, I remember ranting about that in my LJ before too. Bauer is okay in the movie because he's played by Gabriel Byrne(yum, but otherwise NO. Jo/Laurie-still original OTP. They belonged together.

It did teach me my first (painful) lesson about fictional couples-I shouldn't expect them to go the way I want them to-they rarely do.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the movie made it more tolerable. GB=YUM definitely.

still. bitter. about. jo. and. laurie.

[calledinvain.livejournal.com]

and then he was played by christian bale in the movie and it was like, well, LOUISA MAY ALCOTT, FUCK YOU.

Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.

Re: still. bitter. about. jo. and. laurie.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

LOL.

Yes.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

No, no one on Earth ships anything in Little Women but Jo and Laurie. In fact all I really, clearly recall about the books is "WTF???? Whay aren't they hooking up?"

Fanny and Edmund are ok as individuals, but together...*shudders* Fanny/Henry had such potential...all he needed to completely reform was to be thrown a bone. I mean...she had the guy willing to chase her over England and change who he was and defy social strictures for her...and she had the guy who did nothing because daddy said "no," and WHO does she choose?

*sigh*

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I mean...she had the guy willing to chase her over England and change who he was and defy social strictures for her...and she had the guy who did nothing because daddy said "no," and WHO does she choose?


That's the thing. I'd be OK with her ditching Henry is Edmund was this awesome guy, but he is whiny and preachy and lame. Actually, Mary and Henry are the only ones I really like in that book.

[elvensapphire.livejournal.com]

This has been said, but to re-iterate it: He EFFING ends up with AMY. Amy and her nose. Why?!?!

It's got to be the worst canon ship decision ever that Laurie and Jo don't end up together, because it's so clear they belong together. Ugh.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Word. word. WORD.

[kittykatz.livejournal.com]

I guess for me, Jo and Laurie grew up together, he was more like a brother to her than anything. That's how I saw it. I didn't adore Jo/Bauer, but I didn't hate them either.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

But growing up together can lead to love. See dramas :)

Seriously though, I really wanted them together. Oh well...

[outof-focus.livejournal.com]

Is there anyone out there who ships Jo/Bauer
MOST DEFINITELY NOT MEEEE. I love love loved Laurie, loved him even more in the movie (Christian Bale <3 <3 <3). I get pissed whenever I think about it. IDK if I were Jo I'd never be OK with Laurie being married to her sister.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yessss.

Another person agrees :)

[carviangli.livejournal.com]

Lol...yess!! The little women ahem "OTP" ship never worked for me...personally Laurie seemed like a MUCH smarter choice. Childhood friend? Cute(much more than that Spanish professor) and very sweet PLUS someone you get along with like a house on fire...OK WTF?! I swear that was THE most screwed up thing ever...!!!

My friend literally started screaming in the middle of movie and was soo in hysterics when she saw it...I didn't show as much err...enthusiam but it was just as heart-shattering for me....

I think the best way to explain is that episode of Friends when Joey reads the book and is so shocked at the ending that he puts it in the freezer...best episode ever! It was so funny....but so true! That's exactly how 99% of people felt about that.

*sigh*

It could have been this great love story and it totally has all my favourite cliches/kinks. I mean I literally fall HEAD OVER HEALS in love with childhood love stories(because I have one myself:P:P) so I MUCH more prone to liking them if it has that.

Except those weird doramas where they met just once when they were children...I mean FULL FLEDGED best friends who liked spent every waking moment together(hehe:P)...I think Tokyo Juliet and Millionaire's first love were two were, although I liked the OTP's I didn't find the "childhood love" aspect as glee-inducing because it was just one or two meetings.

I think Proposal Daisukusen would be the primary example. I fell COMPLETELY in love with it because of that reason(and because that romance/relationship basically mirrors the one I had with a close guyfriend) so yeah, pluaible childhood romance=total kink for me:P

Yet to read Mansfield Park...but will get on when my sister buys Jane Austen's entire collection this weekend:P

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Childhood friend? Cute(much more than that Spanish professor) and very sweet PLUS someone you get along with like a house on fire...OK WTF?!

Exactly. And it's not as if she was swept off her feet by the sexy that is Bauer.

I think Proposal Daisukusen would be the primary example. I fell COMPLETELY in love with it because of that reason(and because that romance/relationship basically mirrors the one I had with a close guyfriend) so yeah, pluaible childhood romance=total kink for me:P

Oh yes, I love that too!

[ladysaotome.livejournal.com]

It's been so long since I've read Little Women I'd almost forgotten how much I disliked that pairing. Bauer seemed sweet - but it was like marrying her grandfather or something. And I cryed for poor dumped Teddy. If she had written it differently I might not have minded - made it a mutual love-you-but-not-in-that-way kind of thing (like Yuki & Tohru). But having Teddy heartbroken just pissed me off to no end.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

If she had written it differently I might not have minded - made it a mutual love-you-but-not-in-that-way kind of thing (like Yuki & Tohru). But having Teddy heartbroken just pissed me off to no end.


Oh, exactly. (The Yuki/Tohru comparison is spot on). Just the way she did it. *flails*

[fluffyfledgling.livejournal.com]

Jo/Bauer was... new to me at the time but I didn't mind it. And now that I think about it, in a way it makes sense, because Jo is too... Jo to want to stick with someone exactly like herself. Someone so dreamy would go for something beyond her comfort zone, don't you think?

But maybe that's just ramble.

Laurie/Amy was just GROSS, though.

[fivil.livejournal.com]

That book is dead to me for Laurie and Jo not ending up together. :( I mean, seriously, I'm such a batshit shipper, I read the book when like 11 years old and totally hated the way it ended. Then I watched the movie and shipped them even harder, mainly because Laurie was played by somebody my 11 year old self found hot. :D

[thinking-lotus.livejournal.com]

wow, it's been so long since I read Little Women. I can't work up the passion for it that others share. But I think if you read Little Men it all makes more sense.

However, I still feel sorry for Marianne!

[hope-fuleigh.livejournal.com]

Curious... Sifting through the comments, I keep seeing the name Bauer and references to a Spanish professor... in my copy, his name was definitely Bhaer and he was definitely German. Is this just me?

Little Women is a book I've probably read about 1,000 times. I adored Jo/Laurie until I didn't. I wasn't entirely sold on the professor, but then I kinda realized that it is just so LIKE Jo to fall for the poor academic with two adopted nephews he's trying to support on his meagre salary. She's got one of those temperaments that adores the tragic and finds that type of thing the epitome of romance. Laurie was too privileged and spoiled and there wasn't enough of the tragic about him (when he was all broody over his relationship with his grandfather, and the battle between becoming a business man and playing the piano - which reminded the grandfather of Laurie's mother who the grandfather didn't like, and the lost granddaughter who broke his heart when he died? THAT'S when he had his chance for Jo, but then he became far too normal for her).

But, I was eventually completely sold on the Laurie/Amy. I know!! It seems so wrong, but the more I thought about it, the more I could just see it... You know, the pretty little sister that everyone seems to adore and prefer to clumsy tom-boyish Jo, except for the handsome rich neighbor who becomes Jo's best friend and seems so very in love with her that Amy gets overlooked for the first time... And she often gets left out of their fun (the skating incident!) And then she goes to Europe and Jo breaks his heart, and Amy is all alone and they meet up and he's all impressed with her and she's not at all with him and gives him that big speech about how disappointing he is, and he goes away. And returns immediately when he finds out about Beth, knowing that she's all alone and her family is so far away, and... dude. I just got sold on Laurie/Amy, what can I say? Well, only so long as I can convince myself that she was secretly in love with him all alone. Only then can I truly embrace it.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yay, I am not the only one!