#Abbey Brandon

[curiousb]

The Brandon Family Album: Volume VII

Family man Christopher's concern extends just as much to his pets Pixie...

...and Weeble,...

...as to his grandchildren. He and Giles in particular have bonded over a shared love of music, and Christopher is more than happy to pass on his extensive knowledge of the topic.

He and Marianne are united in their determination to keep up their fitness levels, even in their elder years.

I think they need to be more conscious of not overdoing it though!

Youngest daughter Joanna is still at home with them, and has other plans for this hot, summer's afternoon.

Although in the past she and Hester were an item for a while, Louie seems to have finally captured her heart like no other.

She wastes no time in making her long-term intentions clear.

But Louie is left cold by the proposition of a more fixed commitment. What is it with everyone wanting to tie them down, just when life is beginning to open up for them?!

Joanna has little option but to divert her energies into her own career, with positive results!

As autumn draws in, it's time to say goodbye to Merybury's most preposterous pooch. For now, she's laid to rest in the peaceful back garden.

The Brandons can't bear to be without a dog for long though, and new friend Abbey is soon welcomed to the family!

She's friendly and affectionate...

...if a little high-spirited.

But they're all sure she will fit in just fine, with a little patience, and firm but kind training.

~ Aries

~ Genius / Friendly / Aggressive

[bethanydelleman]

People who want female characters to cry less? No. Stop it. You're doing it the wrong way. Make male characters cry. Make those beautiful men sob on their knees. Down with all this stupid emotional constipation! Here, I can fix it:

Colonel Brandon after he tells Elinor about his lost love Eliza? Stumbles out of the room, finds somewhere private, and bawls. Edward after leaving Barton Cottage thinking he'll never be able to marry Elinor? Make him weep! Mr. Knightley was glad it was raining when he rode back to Hartfield after learning about Frank's engagement because it gave his tears plausible deniability! Wentworth thinks Anne will marry her cousin? Sobbing mess of a man. Bingley can cry during the proposal when he thinks about all the time he lost not being with Jane. Edmund cries alone in his room after Mary calls clergymen "nothing". Henry Tilney cries without realizing it when Catherine accepts his proposal because he's so glad that no one is angry with him and confronting his father was way more emotionally taxing than he let himself acknowledge at the time. Henry Crawford feeling wretched and alone after the affair and sobbing into his hands. Show us post wedding and make Darcy cry after the birth of his first child.

Make them cry! MAKE THEM ALL CRY

[elsyrel]

I've been reading Jane Austen lately. She has become one of my favourite writers, so I've drawn some of her male protagonists :D (in order: Mr. Darcy, Captain Wentworth, Colonel Brandon and Edward Ferrars)

[thatscarletflycatcher]

Thinking again about the darknesses that lurk underneath the surface of Sense and Sensibility (I have talked before about how Edward despite being the eldest is subjected to what we can argue is emotional and financial abuse by his family for years, and how the Dashwood women are disinherited on a whim of their great uncle), and this time specifically about the Brandons.

We get so little about them, and what we do get about them is all bad:

This lady was one of my nearest relations, an orphan from her infancy, and under the guardianship of my father... At seventeen she was lost to me for ever. She was married—married against her inclination to my brother. Her fortune was large, and our family estate much encumbered. And this, I fear, is all that can be said for the conduct of one, who was at once her uncle and guardian. My brother did not deserve her; he did not even love her... I have never told you how this was brought on. We were within a few hours of eloping together for Scotland. The treachery, or the folly, of my cousin’s maid betrayed us. I was banished to the house of a relation far distant, and she was allowed no liberty, no society, no amusement, till my father’s point was gained... My brother had no regard for her; his pleasures were not what they ought to have been, and from the first he treated her unkindly.

Mr Brandon Sr is shown to us as being a greedy man, a bad administrator of his estate, and a cruel father. His first son seems cut of the same cloth, and his pleasures were not what they ought to have been is one of the most, if not the most sinister line between all the Austen novels. But there's more about him!:

Her legal allowance was not adequate to her fortune, nor sufficient for her comfortable maintenance, and I learnt from my brother that the power of receiving it had been made over some months before to another person. He imagined, and calmly could he imagine it, that her extravagance, and consequent distress, had obliged her to dispose of it for some immediate relief.

The Brandons were married for two years; the colonel returns to England and starts looking for her 3 years later. Young Eliza was then a 3 year old toddler. We are obliquely told that Brandon cut all ties with his brother:

It was a valued, a precious trust to me; and gladly would I have discharged it in the strictest sense, by watching over her education myself, had the nature of our situations allowed it; but I had no family, no home; and my little Eliza was therefore placed at school. I saw her there whenever I could, and after the death of my brother, (which happened about five years ago, and which left to me the possession of the family property,) she visited me at Delaford.

Eliza is now 17, so the eldest brother died when she was 14, which is 16 years after his marriage with the older Eliza. In that period of time, he managed to squander the whole of her fortune, and put the estate in debt again, as we are told earlier on by Mrs Jennings:

Poor man! I am afraid his circumstances may be bad. The estate at Delaford was never reckoned more than two thousand a year, and his brother left everything sadly involved. I do think he must have been sent for about money matters, for what else can it be? I wonder whether it is so. I would give anything to know the truth of it. Perhaps it is about Miss Williams and, by the bye, I dare say it is, because he looked so conscious when I mentioned her. May be she is ill in town; nothing in the world more likely, for I have a notion she is always rather sickly. I would lay any wager it is about Miss Williams. It is not so very likely he should be distressed in his circumstances now, for he is a very prudent man, and to be sure must have cleared the estate by this time. I wonder what it can be! May be his sister is worse at Avignon, and has sent for him over. His setting off in such a hurry seems very like it. Well, I wish him out of all his trouble with all my heart, and a good wife into the bargain.”

We know the Bennets, with five daughters, and without a saving mindset, still manage to live very comfortably with 2000 a year, and if they had had any mind to save money, they could have provided all five of them with decent dowries/money enough to keep them out of poverty when their father died if they were single. It is clearly not that the money isn't enough, or that Delaford is an unproductive estate; in fact, it is described to us as almost paradisiac:

Delaford is a nice place, I can tell you; exactly what I call a nice old fashioned place, full of comforts and conveniences; quite shut in with great garden walls that are covered with the best fruit-trees in the country; and such a mulberry tree in one corner! Lord! how Charlotte and I did stuff the only time we were there! Then, there is a dove-cote, some delightful stew-ponds, and a very pretty canal; and every thing, in short, that one could wish for; and, moreover, it is close to the church, and only a quarter of a mile from the turnpike-road, so ’tis never dull, for if you only go and sit up in an old yew arbour behind the house, you may see all the carriages that pass along. Oh! ’tis a nice place! A butcher hard by in the village, and the parsonage-house within a stone’s throw. To my fancy, a thousand times prettier than Barton Park, where they are forced to send three miles for their meat, and have not a neighbour nearer than your mother.

One interesting character, though forgotten because only mentioned in passing, is the Brandon sister. On one of the quotes above we get that she's in Avignon for her health, and we know her husband is wealthy (and probably abroad with her) because it is his estate that the planned picnic is for:

A party was formed this evening for going on the following day to see a very fine place about twelve miles from Barton, belonging to a brother-in-law of Colonel Brandon, without whose interest it could not be seen, as the proprietor, who was then abroad, had left strict orders on that head. The grounds were declared to be highly beautiful, and Sir John, who was particularly warm in their praise, might be allowed to be a tolerable judge, for he had formed parties to visit them, at least, twice every summer for the last ten years. They contained a noble piece of water; a sail on which was to form a great part of the morning’s amusement; cold provisions were to be taken, open carriages only to be employed, and every thing conducted in the usual style of a complete party of pleasure.

It is implied that Brandon and his BIL are in very good terms (and we know he's not afraid of cutting ties with bad relatives), and one can safely guess that at the very least he cares enough about his wife as to have her travel for her health. Another guess can be made about her getting married about 10 years before the events of the book. Whether she lived at home before that, or was at school or somewhere else, it isn't said.

But this way you can feel there's a parallel in a way, between the Brandons and the Tilneys: a greedy, cruel father, a son that follows on his steps, and a younger brother and sister managing the toxicity as best they can. Talking about this with @bad-at-names-and-faces, she brought up the idea that in that scheme, Cathy would be Eliza (if it wasn't her not being an orphan, or a rich heiress, and how that connects with Austen's line about Cathy not being born to be a heroine at the beginning of Northanger Abbey). Certainly part of it is the romantic gothicness of the Brandon backstory, united with NA's commentary on Gothic tropes, but to me it drove home with even greater force how such a situation would break a man; losing Cathy that way would have definitely broken Tilney, and if we had met him 14 years down the line, would he have appeared to the unacquainted much different than Brandon appeared to the Dashwood sisters?

[regency-monster-love]

Austen heroes as monsters

In honor of Halloween (and just because monsters are hot), let's imagine what kind of monster/mythological creature each Austen hero would be.

Captain Wentworth: minotaur

He's bull-headed, I mean, what more do you need? But he's also strong and solid and sexy and will fiercely fight off whoever fucks around with someone he cares about.

Colonel Brandon: orc

I like imagining Brandon as this gentle giant type orc, who doesn't seem appealing at first, because he's just this big ugly oafish orc, but hidden under all that is a passionate soul who will protect who he loves, with his very life if he has to.

Henry Tilney: satyr

Satyrs aren't necessarily the most sexy monsters, just like Henry is not super attractive physically, but they more than make up for this by how fun and playful and irreverent they are. Satyrs are just a damn good time.

Edmund Bertram: vampire

I'm not talking about the modern sexy suave playboy vampire. I'm talking about a guy who just sucks the life out of you. And yeah, maybe he's physically very beautiful and refined and intelligent, but god, he just sucks so much, it's exhausting. That's Edmund.

Edward Ferrars: elf

I don't know, he just seems like the most delicate of all the heroes, you know? Not weak at all, just not beefy or energetic. Quiet, calm, mostly serious. A kind of LOTR type elf.

Mr. Knightley: dragon

This one was hard for me to decide. I went with dragon because dragons are old souls, strong and serious. And both dragons and Mr. Knightley have kind of this caretaker vibe: yes, the dragon's version of it can be more possessive and greedy, but it doesn't have to be, and Mr. Knightley I feel like has this air of looking over and out for all the people who he feels a responsibility for, including his tenants but also his neighbors, family, and friends.

Mr. Bingley: werewolf

Hear me out: not a snarling ferocious werewolf but one who is like an overgrown dog that wants to run around and play all the time. A happy werewolf with his tongue lolling out of his muzzle who gets the zoomies and likes scritchey scratches behind his ears. Plus he's a loyal pack animal who obediently listens to his alpha.

Mr. Darcy: gargoyle

Seems kind of stony and intimidating, but can transform into something that is really soft and wonderful. Another monster who is serious and strong and a great protector. Plus, if we ignore the goofy-faced gargoyles, many gargoyles can look very impressive and rather noble.

[delsheart]

i love reading jane austen on rainy or cloudy days while drinking something warm. it makes me feel at home and completely immerse in the story ☆

[tales-from-the-abbey]

Your favorite Northanger Abbey or S&S OT3 isn't there ? Tell me and I'll make a poll with them later

[thewickedmerman]

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Credit for my character stills goes to my good friend, @gem-among-gems. If you would like some stills for yourself, she can make some for you and can do it in any style.

[bethanydelleman]

First Kiss for each Austen Heroine Couple

Fitzwilliam Darcy & Elizabeth Bennet: after they were married, when no one else was around. Mr. Darcy does not do PDA.

Charles Bingley & Jane Bennet: they were making out behind a bush while Lady Catherine was scolding Elizabeth. Charles was just hoping for a single kiss, he modestly hadn't expected Jane to be so excited about it.

Anne Elliot & Captain Frederick Wentworth: there was smooching at 19 and 23, you cannot convince me there was not. At 27 and 31, they really thought they would be more mature, but honestly if they hadn't been married as rapidly as possible there would have been serious canoodling.

Catherine Morland & Henry Tilney: Catherine ran after Henry when he was about to leave Fullerton and very dramatically kissed him before he mounted his horse. Then they had to wait about six months to do it again. It was torment.

Emma Woodhouse & George Knightley: They kissed in the garden around Hartfield after getting engaged. No one knows who initiated it, but on reflection it was probably Emma.

Elinor Dashwood & Edward Ferrars: Marianne was trying to leave them in corners and behind trees the whole time Edward was staying at the cottage, which they found very amusing and took advantage of fully. The first kiss was out of doors, after their engagement.

Marianne Dashwood & Colonel Brandon: You know that Colonel Brandon was attempting to be a perfect gentleman and Marianne was trying to to be anything but a modest lady.

Fanny Price & Edmund Bertram: Despite ample opportunity and the feelings of the lady, not until they were in the bedroom after the wedding.

Bonus! Jane Fairfax & Frank Churchill: There was pre-engagement making out and Jane felt so bad about it, but couldn't help herself.

Bonus! Bonus! I would bet my bonnet that Jane Bennet was born not quite nine respectable months after her parent's marriage.

[maysshortmoviereviews]

1923 (2022-)

The Duttons face a new set of challenges in the early 20th century, including the rise of Western expansion, Prohibition and the Great Depression.

This is the prequel to 'Yellowstone' and a sequel to 1883. It's really really very good. I love the new characters and the scenery. Really interesting characters. I have only watched the four episodes available in UK and it's brilliant. I have tried to watch 1883 but for some reason I cannot get into it. Has anyone seen it, does it get better?

If you haven't seen 'Yellowstone' then I highly recommend it, follow it by watching 1923! Is it just me, or does '1923' feels like an American version of the Downton Abbey (but Western Style!)?

[obstinatecondolement]

Trying to think which of Austen's romantic leads is the most like me and, um:

Edward Ferrars was not recommended to their good opinion by any peculiar graces of person or address. He was not handsome, and his manners required intimacy to make them pleasing. He was too diffident to do justice to himself; but when his natural shyness was overcome, his behaviour gave every indication of an open, affectionate heart. His understanding was good, and his education had given it solid improvement. But he was neither fitted by abilities nor disposition to answer the wishes of his mother and sister, who longed to see him distinguished—as—they hardly knew what

... yeah.

[the-girl-from-another-time]

Actors Who Should Play Jane Austen Heroes

So with Emma (2020) and both 2022 Persuasion movies, we’re in the new wave of Jane Austen adaptations. I have suggestions.

Henry Cavill

Especially after the Enola Holmes movies, he feels like a natural in period dramas. He definitely has the tenderness to play an Austen hero, plus he’s good as a romantic lead.

Ideal character(s): Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, Colonel Brandon in Sense and Sensibility, or Captain Wentworth in Persuasion

Brandon Routh

Sure, he’s American, but this wholesome sunflower is SO good at playing Kind And Respectful Sweethearts. While we’re at it, I want his wife Courtney Ford to star alongside him.

Ideal character: Colonel Brandon in Sense and Sensibility

Grant Gustin

Okay, I KNOW he will always be the Flash first and foremost, BUT this adorable sunbeam would be perfect for one of Austen’s more light-hearted heroes.

Ideal character(s): Mr. Bingley in Pride and Prejudice or Mr. Tilney in Northanger Abbey

Sam Claflin

I don’t have a specific character in mind for him, but I like him in period films and he gives me Austen vibes.

Feel free to add more!

[rivusaficrecs]

"Freudian Slip" By @easilydistractedbyfanfic