The Secret (1979, etching) - Barbara Rosiak

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The Secret (1979, etching) - Barbara Rosiak

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went on a little trip to the south of Portugal last week, enjoy some of my favourite views 🏰🏞️🦑🍻🩷
Marvão, Évora, Tomar, Zambujeira do Mar, Óbidos, Portugal 📍
Best investment for my photography was my mini2 also living in the most remote and beautiful county helps #woods #northumberland #djidrone #drone #dronephotography #photography #forest #northumbrian #landscape #aerialphotography #rothbury #photography #nationaltrust #rothbury #simonsidehills #explore #nland250 #nland #djimini2 #borderlands #photooftheday (at Simonside Hills Rothbury) https://www.instagram.com/p/CcQdfbEsHku/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
Entrance of the St. Mary's Church in Morpeth, Northumberland, England
British vintage postcard
Very late to the party, but that MA thesis on Jonathan and Mina's gender presentation that circulated on Tumblr some time ago (Jonathan, Mina, and the Holiest Love: Intimations of a virtuous queerness in Dracula (1897) by Viktor Karlsen Hessen) really is so, so good. From a deep dive into Jonathan as a Gothic heroine, complete with step-by-step comparisons with an actual Ann Radcliffe's heroine as well as the other female characters he's paralleled with in the text - Scheherazade and Lenore - to an exploration of how Mina's masculine traits are treated as positive throughout the novel and survive into the ending. Also, the author is very careful and rational when talking about Stoker's personal views and sexuality, neither jumping to conclusions based on a few facts nor disregarding those facts at all.
Also, there's a section comparing Mina to other female characters in Gothic literature who do not act in accordance with the Victorian gender norms but are punished for that - Helen Vaughan from The Great God Pan and Marjorie Lindon from The Beetle, and I personally am 1) always there for some The Great God Pan talk, 2) always there for dragging The Beetle.

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Daily Spanish Vocabulary
ser = to be (description/permanent things/identification) el ser = a being un ser viviente = a living being los seres queridos = "loved ones" [lit. "dear beings" or "cherished beings"]
cundir = to spread [the more common words are difundir or propagar but this verb is special - by far the most common use of this is cundir el pánico which is "for panic to spread" - you're almost always going to see this as que no cunda el pánico "don't panic" which is "don't spread panic" in a subjunctive sense........ you will also see the humorous que no panda el cúnico which is from a sketch show but it caught on; the joke is the guy is panicking so much that he mixes up the words, so sarcastically you can say que no panda el cúnico like "alright nobody panic!"]
la contabilidad = accounting, bookkeeping/financial records el/la contable = accountant [almost always used in finances; related directly to contar "to count" or la cuenta "account"]
el hueco = (empty) slot, an opening / a gap / elevator shaft / a hollow hueco/a = hollow
la nariz = nose
el hocico = snout (of an animal; or a sarcastic/mean way of saying la nariz "nose" for a person)
la máquina = machine
el codo = elbow [also another word for the end piece of bread in some countries - there are a handful of these words] codo a codo = "shoulder to shoulder", "side by side" [lit. "elbow to elbow"]
el codazo = a nudge (with the elbow), a strike with the elbow, "an elbow (blow)"
la mancha = stain
sonar = to sound, to make a sound / to ring (phones) / to seem, to sound like sonar(le) = "to ring a bell" [me suena for example can be "it's familiar to me" or "it rings a bell"]
difundir = to spread, "to spread the word" difundir(se) = (for gas) to diffuse
untar = to spread (food) / to slather / to smear (something onto something) [untar is the word used for food - this is the word for spreading butter, jam, jelly, cream cheese, etc onto something, and it usually gets used with something food-related...... or oil, grease, mud or something slick]
según = according to [used like según mi amigo "according to my friend" or según mi abuela "according to my grandmother", or según el libro "according to the book" - very handy to know]
la manzana = apple [or in some contexts means "city block"] el manzano = apple tree el manzanar = apple orchard
el truco = trick, ruse
invertir = to invest / to invert, to reverse, to turn upside down / inside out
la inversión = investment / inversion, reversal
la vaca = cow
el vaquero, la vaquera = cowboy, cowgirl / cowherder los vaqueros = "jeans" [in Spain; because cowboy pants were denim]
el juzgado = courtroom, tribunal [from juzgar " to judge" - you might know this word from cowboy lingo, it's "hoosegow" which is a transliteration of juzgado from people in the southwest of the US near the Mexican border; it meant something like "jail" or "police station" - same general idea of a place where the Law is]
la cárcel = jail
encarcelar = to jail, to incarcerat
la magia = magic
el hechizo (mágico) = (magic) spell
el hechicero, la hechicera = sorcerer
la hechicería = sorcery
el brujo, la bruja = "warlock" [male], "witch" [female] [brujo/a is also the term for "warlock" in DND settings while mago/a is "wizard" and hechicero/a is "sorcerer" - fitting because brujos/brujas were said to make pacts with the devil]
la brujería = witchcraft
el sortilegio = magic, spells/spellcraft [a fancier term for hechizo]
el bosque = woods / forest
la selva = forest / jungle [la selva is also used for la jungla "jungle", but in general you can usually use el bosque or la selva for a regular forest interchangeably... but la selva gets used for terms like la Selva Amazónica "Amazon Rainforest"]
el avestruz = ostrich
el/la atleta = athlete [always atleta with the A]
(la) prisa = hurry, haste, rush dar prisa = to hurry, to rush con prisa = "hastily", rushing a toda prisa = "as fast as (someone) can", "with all haste"
el conejo = rabbit, bunny la liebre = hare (large rabbit)
la cobaya / el conejillo de Indias = guinea pig [used exactly like English; both the animal and "test subject" meaning... la cobaya is the shorter one so it is sometimes preferred, el conejillo de Indias means "the little rabbit from the Indies"; you'll also see el cuy in some countries - it's from Quechua so you can assume South America, primarily Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador etc.]
el vendaval = strong wind, gale
la borrasca = squall / wind and rainstorm
el ladrón, la ladrona = thief, burglar
el caco = thief, burglar [the standard word is ladrón or ladrona - el caco is a reference to Greek mythology, Cacus stole cattle from Hercules in Hercules's labors, so now calling someone a caco is calling them a thief]
cuanto antes = as soon as possible lo antes posible = as soon as possible
de antemano = beforehand
veloz = fast, swift
mordaz = sharp-tongued, cutting, biting, scathing [lit - from morder "to bite", said of remarks or criticisms etc]
feroz = ferocious
el polvo = dust
el moho = mold
borroso/a = blurry / smudged (writing) / fuzzy (memory) [or un recuerdo borroso is "a hazy memory / vague recollection (of something)" - it's the same idea, of vague or indistinct, but English says "fuzzy" for memories - the general word for "fuzzy" like texture is peludo/a or velloso/a which are related to fur/fuzz]
la estrella = star la estrella fugaz = shooting star
la ceniza = ash
la ira = wrath, rage, anger
el cambio = a change a cambio (de) = in exchange for, in return for
el trueno = thunder
el rayo = bolt of lightning
los escombros = debris, wreckage [often used in plural, but el escombro does exist]
el estrago, los estragos = "chaos", "havoc", devastation causar / hacer estragos = to wreak havoc, to ravage, to run amok [usually hacer estragos but causar is fine too]
la torre = tower
el daltonismo = color blindness daltónico/a = colorblind
el imperio = empire el imperio otomano = Ottoman Empire el imperio Inca / el imperio incaíco = Inca Empire el imperio español = Spanish Empire el Sacro Imperio Romano = Holy Roman Empire
la somnambulancia = sleepwalking
somnoliento/a = drowsy [somnoliento/a can be "sleepy" but it usually implies a sleep-inducing effect, so you normally see somnoliento used in the context of medicine or alcohol, things that "cause drowsiness" so it's not the same as being cansado/a "tired"]
el somnífero = sleeping pill, a sleep inducing drug [somnífero/a as an adjective means "sleep-inducing" or "soporific", from somn- related to "sleep" and "dreams", and the suffix is like "causing" or "carrying"]
fuerte = strong / loud (music) ["loud" is the one that will throw you off - más fuerte can be "stronger" or "louder", so la música fuerte means "loud music"]
la carnicería = butcher's shop / carnage [just like the root of "carnage", carnicero/a or "butcher" comes from la carne "meat" - a carnicería is a place where "meat is sold", but also means "carnage" or "bloodshed"]
matricular(se) = to sign up, to enroll, to register (school, vehicles, etc.)
la beca = scholarship, grant
el pelo = hair [all hair]
el cabello = hair [specifically for the head]
el moco = snot, booger no ser moco de pavo = "nothing to sneeze at", "no mean feat" [more common in Spain as far as I know, here el moco de pavo refers to a turkey "wattle" or "snood" - that red part of the turkey, in Spanish they call it moco which is "snot" so it makes more sense in Spanish imo]
mocoso/a = snotty el mocoso, la mocosa = "brat" [something you'd call a little kid, "brat" or "snot-nosed brat" etc.]
ciego/a = blind
sordo/a = deaf
mudo/a = mute, quiet
la ola = wave [water-related or something with more physical motion] la ola de calor = heatwave el oleaje = surf, a swell, the motion of waves
la onda = wave [radiation, soundwaves, "vibes" etc. - think el microondas which is "the microwave"]
la hormiga = ant el hormiguero = anthill
el hormigueo = "pins and needles", "tingling sensation" [el hormigueo is sometimes understood as "prickly sensation" but it's like what we'd call "pins and needles" - as you can see by this list, it's related to la hormiga "ant"; the best way to explain it is that this feeling is likened to having ants crawling on you]
sencillo/a = simple, easy
crujiente = crunchy
la canícula = midsummer heat, the hottest days of summer [lit. canícula refers to the star Canis Major or the star Sirius - the "dog star", and this is related to "canine"... the star is the most visible during the hottest months in Europe, so la canícula came to mean "the hottest days when the star Sirius appears" - it does mean "the dog days of summer" in English for the same reason; some countries use la canícula as "drought" related to heat or a dry season]
la sequía = drought
la estación = season (of the year) / station (as in a train station or police station etc.)
la temporada = time period / season / "season (for a TV show)"
la estación de lluvias = rainy season la temporada de lluvias = rainy season
tragar = to swallow / "to eat fast", "to inhale food"
tragón, tragona = "big eater", "glutton"
el enjambre = swarm (of insects)
el muérdago = mistletoe
a sabiendas = "knowing full well", "knowingly"
esconder = to hide
a escondidas = "secretly", "in secret" escuchar a escondidas = "to eavesdrop" [lit. "to listen secretly" or "to listen in secretly"]
la misericordia = mercy
la fe = faith
el escudo = shield
fallecer(se) = to pass away [a more polite way to say morir "to die"]
fallecido/a = deceased
nonato/a = unborn [sometimes also the term used for someone born by Cesarean/C-section]
muerto/a = dead estar muerto/a = to be dead
vivo/a = alive estar vivo/a = to be alive
(el) muerto viviente, (los) muertos vivientes = (the) undead
ejemplar = exemplary el ejemplar = a prototype, the original el ejemplar = copy of a book
el bigote = mustache / whiskers (like on a cat)
la calabaza = pumpkin el calabacín = zucchini, courgette / squash, gourd [lit. "little pumpkin", so any kind of gourd is calabacín ... other regional variations include la calabacita which is another diminutive, and in some countries the word is el zapallo or el zapallito... same words, "pumpkin" and "gourd" - just that zapallo comes from Quechua, so it's more commonly used in South America than anywhere else]
el calabozo = "cells", holding cells / dungeon [a place where prisoners are kept and guarded - the other word for a "dungeon" usually in the fantasy sense is la mazmorra... basically, el calabozo is a place you'd find in a police station, and la mazmorra is now what you'd use for fantasy, castles, or dungeons in video games]
el lunar = birthmark (tela) a lunares = polkadot, spotted [lit. "(fabric) with dots"... related to luna "moon" as you'd expect, but a lunares is a typical pattern or design to see for clothes and accessories]
la tierra = dirt, earth, soil la Tierra = Earth (the planet)
al revés = upside down [lit. "to the reverse", but used literally and euphemistically the way English uses "upside down"... meaning you could literally turn something upside down, or it could mean "everything's crazy now" or "topsy turvy"]
la semilla = seed
el hoyuelo = dimple [diminutive of el hoyo "hole"]
la coraza = breastplate, cuirass / "shielding"
el acorazado = dreadnought [warship] acorazado/a = covered in armor la cámara acorazada = vault [lit. "armored chamber/vault" - this is something like a bank vault, but it can also be "safe" like caja fuerte, though to me cámara implies a larger room or "vault" rather than caja fuerte which means "strong box"]
el/la cambiaformas = shapeshifter [lit. "changes-form"]
la amapola = poppy
el grano = a grain (of something) / pimple (ir) al grano = "(to get) to the point", "to cut to the chase"
el barro / el fango / el lodo = mud [all three words are okay to use - they can also mean "slime" or "sludge", the idea is something that is basically dirt and water, or a goopy mixture of something]
don nadie / doña nadie = "a nobody", no one of importance [literally "Sir/Mr. Nobody" and "Lady/Mrs. Nobody" - don/doña used to be a more polite term of address for someone of noble blood; today it's like "sir" or "ma'am" when you have in front of someone's name.... but for the purposes of this don/doña nadie is a sarcastic way of calling someone a nobody or saying they're completely unremarkable, or to say someone is unknown]
Quinta da Regaleira Sintra, Portugal
these methods are what are helping me the most to learn spanish:
1. Label Your Household Items: Place labels with Spanish names on objects around your home. This constant exposure helps reinforce vocabulary in a practical context.
2. Create a “Spanish Only” Zone: Designate a specific area or time each day where you only use Spanish. This could be a room or a period during which you read, watch TV, or speak only in Spanish.
3. Use a Spaced Repetition System (SRS) for Vocabulary: Instead of traditional flashcards, use an SRS app to review words and phrases at increasing intervals. This method helps improve long-term retention of vocabulary.
4. Write a Diary in Spanish: Keep a daily journal in Spanish. This practice helps you think in the language and improve writing skills while reflecting on your day.
5. Sing Along with Spanish Music: Choose songs in Spanish and sing along, paying attention to the lyrics. This helps with pronunciation, rhythm, and understanding colloquial expressions.
6. Learn Through Role-Playing: Act out scenarios in Spanish, such as ordering food in a restaurant or asking for directions. This method helps you practice practical language use in a fun and interactive way.
Important: Methods can change depending on what works for you, so try everything you can. Methods can also turn out to be less effective as you gain more knowledge.
obs: Spanish is my priority right now because I’m no longer learning it as a hobby but as a necessity. You are free to correct me.
Crow from Warsaw / analog collage
ig: siliakova_m
Since beber means "to drink," but tomar can also be used for drinking (e.g. tomar café), in which circumstances are either more common? or are they more or less interchangeable?
Yes and no
beber comes across as more formal or textbook correct than tomar in some cases but it's more about the vibes
People will use tomar in place of beber a lot of times for "to drink", but both are acceptable
The vibes part can be difficult to explain because this is when your intention is changing what verb you use
...
Also I'll explain at the bottom, but tomar has other meanings that apply outside of drinks; and not just that it's the verb "to take"
-
Please note that in regular Spanish no one minds if you use beber or tomar for "to drink"
There is however a difference in some contexts with the vibes. And again, in general this is subtle, and both are fine. I think tomar is more common in a lot of contexts [minus health things like es importante beber agua "it's important to drink water" but even then]
...
The vibes thing can be important though, and that's harder to translate. So please assume that for these examples that the vibes are different lol
The best way to explain it is this:
beber (el/un) café = to drink coffee tomar (el/un) café = to have a cup of coffee
Does that make sense?
-
But tomar is used with drinks particularly translated as "to have"
The verb beber is used to describe the mechanics of it, physically drinking... while tomar expresses the feeling of "for enjoyment/relaxation" or that it holds some kind of benefit emotionally or for the soul in some way?
Maybe better expressed as beber té "to drink tea" vs tomar té "to have a cup of tea" or "to have a cuppa" if that makes sense
You may command someone to "drink water" because it keeps them hydrated and use beber, but if someone is anxious or on edge you could instead use tomar as "have a glass of water"
-
beber as a verb is super common and is directly related to la bebida "drink" or "beverage" [the word "beverage" is literally "drink-age/ness]
It can be used as "to drink" used in a very neutral way, or to describe "drinking" as in alcohol - so you might see beber/bebida used when discussing alcoholism or drunkenness
beber is also primarily used with liquids
And beber is directly related to embeber(se) which is "to imbibe" or "to soak in", which is generally a bit more formal but it's like "to saturate" or "to become saturated"; if it's just "to drink" then it's beber
English has this thing where a lot of the standard words tend to be Germanic [drink from trinken in German], while the fancier words tend to be Latin by way of French [imbibe from bibere in Latin]
...
tomar is a bit of a special case because it means "to take"
Otherwise it comes across as "to have" or "to take in" - and with this context it can also come across as "to ingest"; so you see it with liquids, medicine (even just pills), and other things so I'll explain:
tomar agua = to drink/have water
tomar café = to drink/have coffee tomar un café / tomar un cafecito = "to have a cup of coffee"
tomar té = to drink/have tea
tomar medicina = to have/ingest medicine
tomar un descanso = to take a break, to have a rest tomar un recreo = to take a break
tomar un respiro = to take a breath / to take a break tomarse un respiro = "to catch one's breath", "to have a rest"
tomar el aire = "to get some fresh air" [lit. "to take (in) the air"; English uses "fresh air" for this or "to get some air", like going outside or leaving a situation temporarily; sometimes idiomatically people use it as "to clear one's head"; some countries use coger instead so in Spain you might see coger el aire as "to get some air"... a lot of countries don't use coger because it would be vulgar; it would be like "to fuck the air"... so bit of regionalisms there]
tomar el sol = to sunbathe [you also see lagartear which is literally "to lizard" but it means "to bask in the sun"; tomar el sol is just the universal way to say "to sunbathe", literally "to take in the sun"]
You also use tomar with reflexives sometimes, particularly with commands as in "to take (for one's self)" or "to have (for one's own good)"
Tómate tu tiempo. = Take your time. Tómate un respiro. = Take a breath. / Catch your breath. Tómate un cafecito. = "Have yourself a nice cup of coffee."
-
With drinks though, largely interchangeable; beber is the standard and more limited, sometimes more clinical word "to drink"... and tomar the one that requires extra paragraphs to explain lol

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Annotation Day
Here, the wind was in her face, soft, dew-wet, cool, blowing along the grassy roads. Oh, she loved the wind! The robins were whistling sleepily in the firs along the way and the moist air was fragrant with the tang of basalm.
The Blue Castle (1926), L.M. Montgomery
The Royal Portuguese Cabinet of Reading
Today I woke up really loving my country, my language, my people and our culture, so I decided to make a few posts about it, bear with me
The first thing I'd like to talk about is one of my favorite saying (dictation?) in portuguese: Agora Inês é morta ou Agora é tarde, Inês é morta
Translating it literally to English it would be: Now Inês is dead or Now it's too late, Inês is dead. This saying mean that doing something is futile, useless, it's too late now.
I grew up with my parents (especially my dad) saying this, so I say it often, but I decided to talk about this saying in specific instead of so many other popular saying because of the history behind it:
So, Inês de Castro was a Galician noblewoman, who was very loved by D. Pedro I, Portugal's future king. She was also Constança Manuel's lady-in-waiting, who was married with D. Pedro I. His father disapproved their relationship and ordered the exiled of Inês to the Albuquerque Castle. But their love was too strong, so they continued to correspond each other and had four children together. When D. Constança died, D. Pedro ordered, without his father's permission, that Inês de Castro returned and they started to live together. His father, D. Afonso IV, afraid of the repercussions, ordered Inês's death when D. Pedro was away. D. Pedro I was furious and after D. Afonso IV's death, he is declared the eighth king of Portugal. After this, he persecuted and killed cruelly two of the men responsible for Inês's death. He revealead that he and Inês secrectly married before her death, which legitimized their four children. D. Pedro I granted Inês de Castro the posthumous title of queen of Portugal and he certainly would like to have reigned alongside his beloved, but that is no longer possible, because now Inês is dead.
Some Brazilian words that express actions of affection, fondness and love
Cafuné (m) = there isn't a translation for this word, but it's the act of fondle someone's scalp to make them sleep or relax
Meu bem = my dear
I really love this way of calling someone, even more than "meu amor" (my love). I can't explain it, but for me, sounds so affectionate, tão carinhoso e amoroso.
Um cheiro = translate it literally it would be like "a smell" lol, but I love this expression. It's a northeastern expression that means the act of kissing, smelling first, affectionately, someone. We often say it like "Dar um cheiro (xerô) no cangote". Cangote (m) means nape, but it's more informal, we use more (a least from where I come from) nuca (f)
Dormir de conchinha or just conchinha = spooning
Meu xodó = my darling
It's similar to "meu bem", "meu amor", etc. It's used in an informal context to demonstrate affection for someone or something. We often use it if we want to say that something or someone are our favorite.
Some examples:
"Esse carro é meu xodó, cuido dele com carinho!" - “This car is my favorite, I take care of it with love!”
"Essa roupa é meu xodó! Adoro usar ela!" - "This outfit is my favorite! I love wearing it!"
"Minha sobrinha é meu xodó! Não consigo dizer não a ela." - "My niece is my favorite! I can't say no to her." (although saying it in English not sound so good lol)
Also, a song that might help contextualize this word (that's a excuse to recommend a Brazilian song)
Saudade (f) = although it is often translated as "I miss you", I think that longing better conveys its meaning and feeling
note: I miss you in Portuguese it's better to translate as "Sinto sua falta"
There are many more, of course, but these are some of my favorites. Some of them are more used depending on the region or the people.

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Genuine question: why do so many people talk about Meg like she's vain? Like, how is wanting nice things and wanting to fit in 'vain'? I can understand people saying that about Amy, especially when she's a kid, but Meg is the sweetest of the four sisters next to Beth? And isn't vanity being too self-important? Am I missing something? (Sorry for all the questions, but I just do not understand)
Some words can be hard to define.
I agree that in general, "vanity" means arrogance or self-importance, especially about appearance. But sometimes it can just mean being too concerned with appearance and image, even if you're not arrogant about it, and that's how it seems to be applied to Meg.
I'm also not sure that I fully agree with the book's conceit that Meg's biggest vice is "vanity" while Amy's is "selfishness," because Amy, especially as a child, can be very vain. Of course Alcott knew her sisters and knew what she meant to say better than I do, but I almost wish that Amy had been the one to name vanity as her "burden" and that Meg's "burden" had been "desire for wealth and status," or something like that. That change might ring slightly more true.
I wonder if maybe the fact that Meg's biggest issue is that because she isn't appreciative of what she already has, to the point where she sometimes is a little forgetful of priorities, such as the case with her buying the silk when she knew she couldn't afford it (though this is where she learns her lesson), and it hurts the people she loves in the process, feeling as if what they offer her isn't enough.
I recall that in the 1933 film she makes a comment of despising having to tell another girl on pretty she looks when Meg knows she would look just as pretty in the same dress, in the BBC 70s version, she describes her castle full of pretty people and things, and makes some sort of comment that leaves John thinking that she could never love someone as poor as him since he can't give her what she dreams. And then there is the chapter "Meg Goes to Vanity Fair" and here's what I observed.
She is given a few nice things from the chest that she could take to Annie Moffat's party, but she could only focus on how she couldn't get the violet silk, and when Marmee get's Meg an umbrella, she complained it wasn't like how she wanted it to be, and says "I ought not to complain, but I know that I shall feel ashamed of it beside Annie's silk one, with a gold top". While she does decline Jo's suggestion at changing the umbrella, fear of hurting Marmee's feelings, it doesn't quite stop her from complaining further about how she is poor in front of her sisters.
"I wonder if I shall ever be happy enough to have real lace on my clothes, and bows on my caps?" said Meg, impatiently.
"You said the other day that you'd be perfectly happy if you could only go to Annie Moffat's'' observed Beth, in her quiet way.
"So I did! Well, I am happy, and I won't fret; but it does seem as if the more one gets the more one wants, does it?"
When she gets to the Moffat household, she is envious of her friend, tries to act like the Moffat's rather than being herself, and even saw her home as "bare and dismal". And when the Moffat's dress her up, she gets lost in the part, and at one point overhears a gentleman say to his mother how upset he was that they spoiled her and made her nothing like a doll, to which Meg regrets she wasn't sensible enough to stand her ground and wear her own dress. But then she went on to act as much of the "doll" despite her realizing how foolish she was acting, saying she's ready to pay the consequences the next day and confess everything to Marmee when she gets back.
I do think that some criticisms of Meg, or any of the sisters as a matter of fact, can be a bit harsh, especially when we have to consider that they are all kids in the first part of the story. We are much more forgiving today because of this, but back in the 19th century, they were a bit more, let's say, harsh with their criticisms of people, but I do agree that Meg's issue is more of being selfish in wanting richer things when she is lucky to have what she does.
My hot take is that Meg's biggest issue is none of these things. It's perfectionism and a tendency to put too much stock in what other people say makes the perfect lady or wife or mother. Vanity Fair and the $50 silk are the two scenes that tend to get analyzed most, but they are just a part of a bigger whole.
Domestic Experiences opens up by telling us how Meg has sky-high expectations for the perfect household she will run where John will never know so much as the loss of a button. Later in the chapter, there's the situation with the jelly. Girl straight up has a breakdown and collapses on the kitchen floor sobbing with an apron over her head all because she feels like she can't ask for help and she can't figure out how to do it on her own. On the Shelf is a similar story. Meg pushes John out of the nursery because she wants to do everything herself until she's incredibly burnt out.
I think this does a lot to recontextualize the other scenes. Both Vanity Fair and the silk incident feature elements of peer pressure, which I think supports my argument that Meg is very vulnerable to the opinions of others as to what and who she should be.
As for why that isn't what Meg herself says her struggle is, either Alcott didn't realize that she wrote an incredibly relatable depiction of womanhood where you are frequently pulled in many different directions at once and constantly buffeted by the negative opinions of those around you, or Meg herself doesn't have a clear view of what her own greatest struggles and faults are. And if it's the latter, fair enough. It's hard to know yourself, especially at 16, and I think something like perfectionism is a lot more subtle than a terrible temper or extreme shyness. I think a lot of people don't realize how hard they are pushing themselves until they are already burnt out.
Maybe Alcott just didn't have the right word to describe Meg's perfectionism, especially in a didactic novel aimed at young girls, because "perfectionism" wasn't typically cited as a fault for young ladies to correct in the 19th century.
But even though she used the not-quite-fitting word "vanity" to describe it, she still captured the struggle with perfectionism and with self-comparison to other people that so many women and girls can relate to. Probably because she modeled Meg after her own sister – she saw Anna's struggle with perfectionism and she brought it to life on the page.
Yeah! Once I figured this out about Meg, it really changed the way I looked at her because even though her personality and the things she wants are very different from me, I suddenly felt like I understood her in a way I never had before because her struggles felt universal and perhaps even more relevant now than when Alcott wrote them with the rise of social media.
It's so well-done and realistically painted. It makes me wish the fandom in general appreciated her more. Because who among us can't relate to wanting to respond to a bad day by curling up on the floor and crying? And yet it basically never gets talked about! Maybe it's because those aspects of her story are not generally the ones to get adapted.
I was so excited when they actually had the jelly show up in 2017, you have no idea. I'm not sure there's a perfect Little Women adaptation much as I love 1978, but I think 2017 gets Meg in a way no other adaptation does except, perhaps, for the very confusing March Sisters at Christmas, which is a mess that combines some of the worst adaptational choices I have ever seen with some brilliant ones like Meg being a type-A aspiring lawyer who loves organization.
There's a storyline between Meg and Beth involving a vision board with a five year plan for Beth's life (I believe this is the only adaptation where Beth doesn't die) all meticulously planned out by Meg, and all Beth has to do is color in the steps as she finishes them. Meg goes through an arc of realizing how much pressure she's putting on Beth and that the things she's planned for Beth might not actually be right for Beth. In the end, she creates a new vision board for Beth where all the squares are blank and it's up to Beth to decide what she wants to put in them. It's an extremely lovely part of what is otherwise kind of a trash fire of an adaptation (but one I would still recommend watching at least once if only because it's absolutely wild.)
Anyway, I have gotten off track because the March Sisters at Christmas is a bit of a Roman Empire of mine, but I would love to see the fandom as a whole get a better understanding of Meg and what makes her tick because I think there's still a lot about her that resonates with a modern audience.
same park but winter, film! 🖤