Don't Knock It Till You Try It Tuesdays: The Classics (Heroines and Romance)

I'm a sucker for romantic books (not the ones with the shirtless men on the covers, but I did try to read one of those once and blushed down to my toes), romantic comedies (preferably ones without Ashton Kutcher- You've Got Mail, Love Actually, Shakespeare In Love, etc.) and fate and destiny and all of that.  Let me also be clear, all of these are better with a strong female character (Bella Swan you are an awful role model).

So while we all love contemporary things like The Hunger Games, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and Harry Potter (not necessarily categorized as romance, but there is a nod to it), there is awesome romance and strong female characters in classics!  I'd like you to meet my friends Scarlett, Jane and Elizabeth.  They rock.

Scarlett- Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell.  I'm guessing when one thinks of this book, one of the first things that comes to mind is LONG.  Yes, duh, get over it- the Harry Potter books were each the length of a bible and you don't see people complaining about them.  Now lets start with the fact Rhett and Scarlett are infuriatingly obnoxious characters.  You just want to punch them sometimes (speaking of punching couples, Wuthering Heights is also awesome), but that's what makes the two of them so perfect for each other.  Scarlett is a fussy spoiled brat, but she has the determination every girl of today should admire.  She didn't let being poor bring her down, she used drapes to flounce about town.  Now that's innovative.    

PS I learned a lot about the civil war from this book and it was especially interesting seeing it through a Confederate woman's perspective.  Warning: everyone says the N word a lot, as they did during that time period (that means no excuses for you Paula Deen).

Jane Eyre- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.  This book is one of my favorite books ever.  Her sass and spirit remind me of one of my best friends and I feel her character is really uncommon for books of the period... and arguably for books in general now.  Jane is smart, but also poor and admittedly (by herself and others) ugly.  Katniss, Bella, Hermione and Lisbeth all claim to not be beautiful but they all still have men/women crawling all over them.  An ugly heroine?  How unconventional!  Very Brienne of Tarth (I need to cool it on all of these book references otherwise we will all get confused).  Everyone is rooting for Jane because she takes initiative when her step brother is being a brat, sticks up for herself  when they call her a liar and tells it like it is.  Also, like Scarlett, she makes the best out of her meager circumstances.  Again, when people think classics they also probably think SLOW.  Not true, especially with this book.  Bronte wrote a page turner before the concept even existed. 

PS The most current movie with Michael Fassbender (swoon) is a lovely take on the story.

Elizabeth Bennett- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.  I actually saw the movie for this one before I read the book.  As per usual, the book is 800 times better.   I relate to Elizabeth Bennett for a few reasons- my mother is Mrs. Bennett, I have younger sisters and I say mostly what's on my mind even if it gets me in trouble.  I'm also a big J (J for judgmental).  So that said, Austen rocks at dialogue.  These characters don't have much to do all day so the book revolves around social meetings and witty banter and flirting and so on.  All of Austen's heroines are fantastic role models because they stick up for themselves (Scarlett and Jane again) and the ones they love (don't you pick on my family you dumb rich people), but they also speak their mind and admit when they are wrong (eventually).  

PS I also especially enjoyed Emma.