Jo March=Louisa May Alcott

we all have our favorite authors {well if you're an avid reader you do} and often our favorite authors in adulthood are the same we idolized as children.

even though my literary tastes have significantly widen since i was a kid, i still have a special place in my heart for the authors that first mesmerized my literary imagination when i was young.

{via}

Louisa May Alcott, best known for her novel, "Little Women," has held a special place in my heart ever since i read her beloved book.

i saw myself in Jo, i sympathized with Beth, i envied Meg, and i wanted to smack Amy...until she married Laurie THEN i envied her ;)

{via}

While my initial love for Louisa stemmed from the characters it grew into an appreciation and a recognition of her creation especially when i found out that the novel was loosely based upon Louisa's own childhood, and that the character Jo was basically Louisa's alternate ego.

i unknowingly made the conclusion that if Louisa 'was' Jo and i 'knew' Jo than in essence i 'knew' Louisa {and to take it a step further} if i wanted to be like Jo then i wanted to be like Louisa.

{via from the 1994 film 'Little Women' staring Winona Ryder}

my mom calls me 'her Jo.'--i'm wild, stubborn, i love to read and write, but in the end it's all about my family and friends...like myself, Jo {Louisa} had a passion for life and everyone who knew her could see it.

maybe that's why Alcott is one of my favorite authors not just because of what she wrote, but because i can see myself in her.

i think that's one of the reasons we read in the first place...one of the reasons we have favorite authors and favorite characters--it's because we see a piece of who we are or who we want to be and by reading we feel we can grasp something deeper about ourselves and grow into something more of who we're supposed to be.

so i challenge you to never stop discovering through the written word, go ahead read a favorite book from when you were young, AND never let your imagination fade away--let it grow and let it grow you into a better you :)

{if you would like to know more about Louisa this is an excellent biography--wonderfully written, easy to read, and extremely insightful especially for Alcott fans}

with love,

scribbler

"Language is the armory of the human mind..." --Coleridge

Language.

{via: an acomplished lady always knows how to express herself through writing. and yet another way to communicate through language}

I think that the structure and subtleties of language, any language, is fascinating. {obviously i'm wired to favor English since it is "mine"}

It is so strange, when you sit back and think:

-who decided the Spanish should roll the 'R' sound while the French hawk it?
-what is the deal with the English spelling of words {they're, their, there}?
-when did certain accents or phrases come into existence?
-where did the idea that people with a British-English accents are automatically smarter than the rest of the world come from?
-why are there literally dozens of languages in a single isolated area on the continent of Africa? and
-HOW in the world did we end up with all of these different languages anyways?---

i must confess my love of the English accent is what prompted this post {not as intellectually motivated as you might have supposed}:

“Hallo, Hallo? Oh yeah I can hear you now.”

-—now imagine a tall English guy saying this as he walks through the grocery store on his phone...this is my life. this is the reason i've been spurred to talk about my love of languages.


{via: college chaps discussing intellectual literary things i'm sure}

I have a degree in English Language and Literature--now before you start 'oohing' and 'awing' ;) let me confess that while i'm extremely proud of my degree it is focused on literature more than language--so while i love to talk about language my depth of knowledge only goes so far...

However my passion for language goes very deep--i tend to be one who is obsessed with words and how they can truly change the world--how the right amount of dedication, talent and wisdom can be filtered through a love of writing to produce something not only beautiful but also influential.

aside from the written word i also have a fondness for accents in general---i can do a pretty good French, British (Londoner), Spanish (Barcelona), Southern Belle, Southern Hick, and New Jersey accent--they've for sure been years in the making ;)

I love the life and the vivacity that words have when they pop out of a person's mouth in a different accent than what i'm used to...in general different accents or languages have this affect on me aesthetically, not only because of the sounds but because a language is a door into a person's culture, a window into the dealings and perspectives of the world this person's culture holds.

never thought of it that way huh? ;)


{via: British politicians discussing well politics...one of the ways language is used to influence and sometimes manipulate...}

so the next time you run into somebody with a different accent or someone who speaks a different language--let your mind wander to all of the history, power, beauty, and possibilities that lie behind the words they are speaking.

{via: another Parisian coffee talk--i love a good cup of coffee and a good friend to discus things such as language with :) and i just think this photograph is beautiful}

cheers,
scribbler

birthdays and clever boasts

today is my birthday.



via {Salisbury cathedral}

and one friend lovingly expressed her birthday sentiments via the phrase, "i'm depressed for you." {this of course being in reference to my age and not the glorious fact that today is my birthday.}

getting older is interesting. and to tell you the truth i am not that old...i just turned 23.

yeah i know right?

all of the 'older' ladies sigh with a "you have no idea; you're so young."

while all of my girls from youth group get big puppy eyes and sigh, "i can't wait to be as old as you; you're so cool." {i guess that last part is an embellishment but whatever; my mom and my roommate both think i'm cool so that's enough evidence for me}

all of this birthday/age talk is to say that i'm really excited to be 23. i'm really excited to be living in England right now. i'm really excited to be experiencing new things and living in the life and season God has placed me in now.

this has taken a while to accept.

and has taken years to actually put into practice. but each year i'm sure i will gain more insight and more wisdom and obviously more candles to my cake.



via {amazing birthday cake thank you lbk}

so happy birthday to me and to all of the other lovelies born on November the 2nd.

and i know you're out there BECAUSE i met one of them today--his name is Vince. and He turned 42 today. He was celebrating at the pub where we ate lunch.


via

He wished me a happy birthday, kissed my hand, offered me a drink {i declined} and then proceed to have me read a text message he had received from his son earlier that morning--it read:

"Happy Birthday Fatboy"


He laughed heartily, patted his stomach, and said something to the effect of "I guess I am a bit of a fat boy round the middle..."

oh how i do love the English. :)


via


cheers,

scribbler