Light, Bright, and Sparkling

I am calling my blog Light, Bright, and Sparkling, a quote from Jane Austen. She wrote about her novel, Pride and Prejudice: "The work is rather too light, and bright, and sparkling; it wants shade; it wants to be stretched out here and there with a long chapter of sense, if it could be had; if not, of solemn specious nonsense, about something unconnected with the story: an essay on writing, a critique on Walter Scott, or the history of Buonaparté, or anything that would form a contrast and bring the reader with increased delight to the playfulness and general epigrammatism of the general style."

I intend the Light part of my blog to represent my writing, which certainly wants shade, if not sense. The quotation to represent this section is from Mansfield Park: "To give way to gaiety, to speak with lightness, and to you!"

Bright...would be a smattering of book reviews and book talk, about other people's books and the ones I write. My Mrs. Darcy's Dilemma has just been published, and Mrs. Elton in America and Onoto Watanna are still available. And the Jane Austen quote is: "The same books, the same passages were idolised by each; or if any difference appeared, any objection arose, it lasted no longer than till the force of her arguments and the brightness of her eyes could be displayed." This is from Sense and Sensibility.

And Sparkling...would be pictures and musings about Venice and the Venetian glass beads that I like to design. "The balmy air, the sparkling sea..." a quotation from Mansfield Park.

As to who and what I am, that remains to be discovered; but the reader is directed to the solid information that can be found on my website: http://www.dianabirchall.net/

I shall now probably not write another post for a fortnight; but at least a technical beginning has been made. Now how do I link things? And put pictures on? Oh, help. All very well to be light, bright, and sparkling if you can't use a bloody computer.

Diana Birchall