Susan, JA and black bears, oh my! 1) I agree about lengthy over-analyzed introductions to classics. They’re not classics for nothing, and I want my own personal journey through them. That said, MP is an outlier, but Austin is Austin. 2) My exposure to wild animals has been very limited. But each of my dog(s) and I have bonded in personal, mutual, and often, say, “supernatural” ways. I’d look in his (later her) eyes, and the connection was unmistakable. Thanks again for the fun read. ~ Dick
Thank *you* for reading, Dick! I appreciated your thoughts on MP—I’d avoided it for years, but then a few months ago I saw the title on a well-known author’s “best books” list. So of course I had to see what the fuss was all about!
In any event, I too would say that the novel is a bit of an Austen outlier. There’s a certain lack of her usual “spriteliness” (is that a word?)!
How fortunate you’ve been to have a special bond with each of your dogs. They may not be wild animals, but those meaningful relationships with “non-humans” can connect us to what’s beyond our usual day-to-day existence, yes? Take good care, Dick!
Susan, fantastic post. How interesting that two animals presented themselves to you as spirit animals - Coyote and Bear.
Interesting too the minute we approach our interaction with wild creatures with calm, that things change. I think you would enjoy reading Tom Ryan's two books so much, as he and his dogs had such enlightened interactions with a bear he called Aragorn and who arrived frequently in their garden and often slept on their porch. No angst or animosity - just sharing gentle moments.
I think you and your husband are amazing to continue to live and love life in the country with all its challenges. We've been watching Alone USA and my heaven, the bears, mountain lions and wolves that the contestants encounter are terrifying!
I also enjoyed your comments on Jane Austen. I haven't read Mansfield Park and you've encouraged me to seek it out. If I can find the right narrator, I may listen to it in audio.
Thank you for writing and for your support for my little account. XXXX
Thank you Prue for this absolutely lovely and thoughtful comment!
“Interesting too the minute we approach our interaction with wild creatures with calm, that things change.” I hadn’t thought of it before, but this is so TRUE. And profound. When I started to see the bears as just another living creature sharing the same world I do, that’s when I lost my apprehension about them.
And thanks to your wise words, I feel a new calm about all these critters sharing our woods.
I will check out Tom Ryan’s books—anyone who names his neighborhood bear Aragorn is someone I want to know! “Alone USA” sounds very intriguing too. I’ll look that up.
I read the Introduction to Mansfield Park after reading the book, and all the socio-political analysis sorta took the fun out of the story. I think I’ll stop reading Intros to the classic literary works! I look forward to your thoughts about the novel!
Many thanks to *you* for writing—I look forward to your essays each week! These last few weeks, just reading between the lines, as it were, I sense that your usual energy is swiftly returning. I’m so grateful for your support here!
The bear definitely chose you! and IMHO, far superior to a coyote.
I like Mansfield Park, there are some very funny character sketches despite its preachy tones. For the modern reader, I think it's difficult to get beyond the 1st-cousins-in-love plotline. Of all the JA rakes & villains, I thought Henry Crawford was the most tempting to root for. The 1999 movie adaptation is my favorite, despite the usual decision to portray Fanny as spunky & independent...no one knows what to do with a meek heroine these days.
Oh, a fellow reader of Mansfield Park!!! Yay! Yep, wasn’t that Aunt Norris a Piece. Of. Work.! No wonder poor Fanny had zero confidence. As much as I would love to see a brand-new film adaptation of MP, I completely agree with you about the 1st-cousins-in-love issue. Common, I know, in that era, but still! Adding in that they were raised as brother and sister, well, there’s no getting around *that*.
I’ll have to rewatch the 1999 movie. It’s funny, I thought Henry really had reformed…but apparently once a rake, always a rake! Thanks for your fun comments!
So many problematic themes in MP for the modern reader. 😄I completely fell for Henry's "reformed" act, too.
I wanted to give Aunt Norris a piece of my mind-- such a well-written character. My other favorite character was the rich dullard that Maria married; I really felt sorry for him.
Re a spirit animal, I’m glad you saw it too! Though I wonder if coyotes sometimes get a bad rap…Barbara Kingsolver made them heroic in Prodigal Summer, and that always sticks with me.
I should give the coyotes more credit. They need a large range to roam and humans make that difficult for them. I heard somewhere that there are coyotes in every American city now! I saw one loping down our suburban road at dusk earlier this summer.
Wow, two great articles! Black Bears are generally shy creatures and mostly herbivores….they eat grass but love berries and other fruit when they can get it. The big problem is that they’re not particularly gentle with harvesting from trees and shrubs. The main thing is to watch your P’s & Q’s around Black Bears is when cubs are with Mamma Bear. Three things to keep in mind; be noisy (sing, hum, talk to yourself or the trees & birds); be tall and don’t turn and run (that causes Bears & Mt. Lions to think you’re prey trying to flee) and do not corner wild creatures (make sure they have a way to exit). Also you may exit by facing them but slowly backing away giving them room.
Sue, thanks for your wonderful advice and insights into the literary world and homestead life!
This is wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge 😊 Yes, I think keeping your distance from a large wild animal is the wisest course. Sadly, many of the people you hear about who got mauled were trying to get close to the animal to get a photo.
Oh, and there’s also knowing what you’re dealing with! Like the time I yelled at and approached what I thought was a bobcat…which turned out to be a mountain lion! I was very lucky it retreated…instead of taking offense!
Susan, JA and black bears, oh my! 1) I agree about lengthy over-analyzed introductions to classics. They’re not classics for nothing, and I want my own personal journey through them. That said, MP is an outlier, but Austin is Austin. 2) My exposure to wild animals has been very limited. But each of my dog(s) and I have bonded in personal, mutual, and often, say, “supernatural” ways. I’d look in his (later her) eyes, and the connection was unmistakable. Thanks again for the fun read. ~ Dick
Thank *you* for reading, Dick! I appreciated your thoughts on MP—I’d avoided it for years, but then a few months ago I saw the title on a well-known author’s “best books” list. So of course I had to see what the fuss was all about!
In any event, I too would say that the novel is a bit of an Austen outlier. There’s a certain lack of her usual “spriteliness” (is that a word?)!
How fortunate you’ve been to have a special bond with each of your dogs. They may not be wild animals, but those meaningful relationships with “non-humans” can connect us to what’s beyond our usual day-to-day existence, yes? Take good care, Dick!
Susan, fantastic post. How interesting that two animals presented themselves to you as spirit animals - Coyote and Bear.
Interesting too the minute we approach our interaction with wild creatures with calm, that things change. I think you would enjoy reading Tom Ryan's two books so much, as he and his dogs had such enlightened interactions with a bear he called Aragorn and who arrived frequently in their garden and often slept on their porch. No angst or animosity - just sharing gentle moments.
I think you and your husband are amazing to continue to live and love life in the country with all its challenges. We've been watching Alone USA and my heaven, the bears, mountain lions and wolves that the contestants encounter are terrifying!
I also enjoyed your comments on Jane Austen. I haven't read Mansfield Park and you've encouraged me to seek it out. If I can find the right narrator, I may listen to it in audio.
Thank you for writing and for your support for my little account. XXXX
Thank you Prue for this absolutely lovely and thoughtful comment!
“Interesting too the minute we approach our interaction with wild creatures with calm, that things change.” I hadn’t thought of it before, but this is so TRUE. And profound. When I started to see the bears as just another living creature sharing the same world I do, that’s when I lost my apprehension about them.
And thanks to your wise words, I feel a new calm about all these critters sharing our woods.
I will check out Tom Ryan’s books—anyone who names his neighborhood bear Aragorn is someone I want to know! “Alone USA” sounds very intriguing too. I’ll look that up.
I read the Introduction to Mansfield Park after reading the book, and all the socio-political analysis sorta took the fun out of the story. I think I’ll stop reading Intros to the classic literary works! I look forward to your thoughts about the novel!
Many thanks to *you* for writing—I look forward to your essays each week! These last few weeks, just reading between the lines, as it were, I sense that your usual energy is swiftly returning. I’m so grateful for your support here!
The bear definitely chose you! and IMHO, far superior to a coyote.
I like Mansfield Park, there are some very funny character sketches despite its preachy tones. For the modern reader, I think it's difficult to get beyond the 1st-cousins-in-love plotline. Of all the JA rakes & villains, I thought Henry Crawford was the most tempting to root for. The 1999 movie adaptation is my favorite, despite the usual decision to portray Fanny as spunky & independent...no one knows what to do with a meek heroine these days.
Oh, a fellow reader of Mansfield Park!!! Yay! Yep, wasn’t that Aunt Norris a Piece. Of. Work.! No wonder poor Fanny had zero confidence. As much as I would love to see a brand-new film adaptation of MP, I completely agree with you about the 1st-cousins-in-love issue. Common, I know, in that era, but still! Adding in that they were raised as brother and sister, well, there’s no getting around *that*.
I’ll have to rewatch the 1999 movie. It’s funny, I thought Henry really had reformed…but apparently once a rake, always a rake! Thanks for your fun comments!
So many problematic themes in MP for the modern reader. 😄I completely fell for Henry's "reformed" act, too.
I wanted to give Aunt Norris a piece of my mind-- such a well-written character. My other favorite character was the rich dullard that Maria married; I really felt sorry for him.
Totally agree about Aunt Norris! Austen created a perfect blend of a mean and conniving person, yet with such humor and subtlety!
Re a spirit animal, I’m glad you saw it too! Though I wonder if coyotes sometimes get a bad rap…Barbara Kingsolver made them heroic in Prodigal Summer, and that always sticks with me.
I should give the coyotes more credit. They need a large range to roam and humans make that difficult for them. I heard somewhere that there are coyotes in every American city now! I saw one loping down our suburban road at dusk earlier this summer.
This is so interesting! It makes sense, though, that as humans move into wilder areas, the wildlife move into human places!
Wow, two great articles! Black Bears are generally shy creatures and mostly herbivores….they eat grass but love berries and other fruit when they can get it. The big problem is that they’re not particularly gentle with harvesting from trees and shrubs. The main thing is to watch your P’s & Q’s around Black Bears is when cubs are with Mamma Bear. Three things to keep in mind; be noisy (sing, hum, talk to yourself or the trees & birds); be tall and don’t turn and run (that causes Bears & Mt. Lions to think you’re prey trying to flee) and do not corner wild creatures (make sure they have a way to exit). Also you may exit by facing them but slowly backing away giving them room.
Sue, thanks for your wonderful advice and insights into the literary world and homestead life!
This is wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge 😊 Yes, I think keeping your distance from a large wild animal is the wisest course. Sadly, many of the people you hear about who got mauled were trying to get close to the animal to get a photo.
Oh, and there’s also knowing what you’re dealing with! Like the time I yelled at and approached what I thought was a bobcat…which turned out to be a mountain lion! I was very lucky it retreated…instead of taking offense!