Literary Heroine Blog Party 2013

This is a kind of unfinished, dirty version I'm putting up so that it's still on time... I'll hopefully clean it up tomorrow evening, add pictures, add things to some answers and so on. School and other duties, you know the drill... Questions unanswered have been answered before.

1. Introduce yourself! Divulge your life's vision, likes, dislikes, aspirations, or something completely random!


I would like to be a translator. Maybe an interpreter, too: I enjoy interpreting, but it leaves me completely exhausted. Which, I’m told, is normal. I love languages, and I want to have that contact with people; when I’m lost in myself, bad things happen.

2. What, to you, forms the essence of a true heroine?

3. Share (up to) four heroines of literature that you most admire and relate to.

4. Five of your favourite historical novels?

5. Out of those five books who is your favourite main character and why?

6. Out of those five books who is your favourite secondary character and why?

7. If you were to plan out your dream vacation, where would you travel to - and what would you plan to do there?

8. What is your favourite time period and culture to read about?

9. You have been invited to perform at the local charity concert. Singing, comedy, recitation - what is your act comprised of?

10. If you were to attend a party where each guest was to portray a heroine of literature, who would you select to represent?

11. What are your sentiments on the subject of chocolate?

12. Favourite author(s)?

C.S. Lewis.

J.R.R. Tolkien

Neil Gaiman (with some reservations)

Adam Mickiewicz (though I like his other works less than Pan Tadeusz)

Astrid Lindgren

13. Besides essentials, what would you take on a visiting voyage to a foreign land?

Besides essentials, and my old panda teddy... My camera, rather obviously, and many memory cards (I’ve run out of memory during my 2011 trip to the Baltic countries and we had to buy a new one...) and many spare batteries for it (I’ve ran out of batteries at some of the most interesting spots during my 2007 journey to the USA – the Statue of Liberty and the Baltimore Railway Museum, aaargh!). And a notebook. I’m not very likely to keep a diary (I’ve tried), but it’s good to take notes when something strikes my imagination.

14. In which century were most of the books you read written?

The 20th century: just look at my favourite authors, the majority of them wrote then.

15. In your opinion, the ultimate hero in literature is…

16. Describe your ideal dwelling place.

An early 20th century house somewhere in the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands, with easy access to the railway, with a forest nearby, with a small flower garden in the front (phloxes are imperative, the rest is up for debate) and a somewhat messy vegetable and fruit garden in the back. Tart green summer apple trees. A cherry tree. Maybe more. Green beans! Um, hopefully.

Oh, and clotheslines in the garden.

Early 20th century, because it will have large enough windows to allow lots of light, but still thick enough walls to keep the heat out in summer or the warmth in in winter.

A light kitchen. A cool pantry. A library. A sewing room. An attic bedroom (blue and white). An orange and green bathroom, because I’ve found out, by experience with various kinds of bathrooms, that that’s the only colourway that does not make me feel cold in a bathroom.

17. Sum up your fashion style in a short sentence.

18. Have you ever wanted to change a character’s name?

Like I said: A.C. Doyle naming a semi-villain “A. Dvorak” was really, really stupid. At least he could have used a different initial, right? Right. In my head-canon, he’s really F. Liska and comes from Vienna (where there were many Czechs at that time). :D

19. In your opinion, the most dastardly villain of all literature is...

Iago still reigns supreme. As Lisa said back then, he’s properly diabolical...

20. Three favourite Non-fiction books?

Aside from those already mentioned...

The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis. I’ve just used it in an essay. And it’s not the first time I used it for school, either. It’s a very useful book overall, not just for school.

21. Your duties met for the day, how would you choose to spend a carefree summer afternoon?

22. Create a verbal sketch of your dream hat - in such a way as will best portray your true character.

There’s that straw hat I still have not made...

Then there’s the Madeline hat: a classic felt number, wide-brimmed, that goes with my Little Black Dress, and is a bit whimsy for everyday wear, which is precisely why I love wearing it in an everyday setting from time to time.

And then there’s my newest acquisition, which I never dreamed of, but is absolutely perfect: a beige felt cloche with a self-fabric bow at a side, a classic number that can be worn every day and add a touch of class to my everyday clothing: just what I’ve always wanted to be like, and always rather struggled with.

23. Share the most significant event(s) that have marked your life in the past year.

Helping out an elderly couple; the lady is handicapped. Especially staying with them for several days on a vacation in my church’s camp. It stretched my abilities in some ways, showed me what I was (and wasn’t) capable of.

Visiting Finland (interpreting on an international workshop), which is something I wanted to post about and did not get around to, in part because I got a terrible flu right afterwards and then, because of school, didn’t get around to going through the photos until recently. But, yes: I’ve been to Finland! I picked blueberries in September! :D

14. Share the Bible passage(s) that have been most inspiring to you recently.