Confession Saturday: The You Had Me At 'It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife' Edition

"The Gentleman offered his services,
took her up in his arms,
and carried her down the hill."

I confess, January gets me down.

I confess, the first stanza of In the Bleak Midwinter by Christina Rossetti is playing on 'loop' in my mind.

I confess, I feel I ought to be more forbearing about winter considering where I live.  However, instead of pulling myself up by my bootstraps, I cope through escapism.

I confess, last night when Husband asked what I was reading all I said was, "Guess."  "Mr. Darcy?" he said, laughing.

I confess, it's true.  January always sends me straight to Jane Austen and also to Masterpiece Classic.  Also to hot tea and lots of dark chocolate.

I confess, I want to be the young maiden sitting in a window seat with a prospect of the gah-den, opening the wax seal of a hand-written letter, calling to the servant for tea.  (However, I always remind myself, they didn't have central heat or flush toilets back then.  There is that.)

I confess, I was glad to see on Facebook yesterday that another friend is escaping with Jane Austen, too.  It's nice to know I'm not alone.

I confess, I have an "I heart Mr. Darcy" bumper sticker on my mini-van.  It's true.

I confess, Reader, on the next four Sunday evenings you will find me glued to the TV watching Downton Abbey (which is set much later than Austen's novels, but alas, Masterpiece has no Austen on the schedule this year from what I can tell).  At night, I will be in bed early reading Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Sense & Sensibility, and Persuasion.  Next I will move on the Bronte Sisters.  Next maybe A Room With a View.  After that perhaps I will stoop to Austen fan lit.  I confess, I'm not above it.  By then it will be, I hope, March, and I might imagine that winter will end after all.

I confess, I'd love to know if you have favorite books/movies that you escape into during the bleak midwinter.


P.S. Image above is public domain via Liam's Pictures From Old Books.  I'm quite sure the scene is from Sense & Sensibility, when Marianne falls on the downs and Willoughby finds her and carries her to safety, sparking their romance (oh, the drama!).  And my long and rambling title comes from the first line of Pride and Prejudice.