Out and About Austen Women

"In the fifteen years of my marriage; though many women have done more, I have crossed the Atlantic four times, and have been once to the East Indies and back again, and only once; besides being in different places about home: Cork, and Lisbon, and Gibraltar. But I never went beyond the Streights, and never was in the West Indies." (Chapter 8)

A friend once commented that Austen was frustrating to read because the females sat inside all day and never did anything interesting. She said it would be more interesting if they went outside the house more often. Maybe she should read Persuasion. The women in this novel walk a lot; along the seashore, in the country, around the Pump-room in Bath. Makes me want to be outside. I know that the rain makes everything green and sparkling, but does it have to all fall now? I'll have to spend my time indoors reading about Austen's adventurers instead.

Here is a active character that I love: Mrs Croft. She is adventurous, active, and a stylish role model for other women. She is the wife of Admiral Croft, and she went on all the trips abroad while he was at sea. She loves to be out and about, as one might say. She endears herself to people, and is always cheerful. In the movies, she wears colourful shawls and pretty turbans, which is kind of off the beaten path for fashion of the time. I think she is wonderful, and of the minor personages in Austen's works, she is one of my favourites. Like the sea breeze that she loves, Mrs Croft is a breath of fresh air.