JANE AUSTEN BOOK CLUB

"You ought, perhaps to include a larger allowance of prose in your daily study." J. Austen

"My idea of good company, is the company of clever, well-informed people who have a great deal of conversation."  J. Austen

This summer our book club will be starting with Mansfield Park.  But I noticed this little tid-bit from Emma.  See if you can guess the one word phrase from a series of clues in an original Austen Charades game:

"My first doth affliction denote

Which my second is destin'd to feel.

And my whole is the best antidote 

That affection to soften & heal.

To solve the charade, you must break down the riddle into parts. 'My first' is the hint to the first syllable of the word to be guessed. 'My second' hints at the second syllable of the word, and 'My whole' is the hint for the whole word. The first syllable of the word woe, the second syllable is man, which creates woe-man. The answer to the charade is woman."  

-John Lithgow, A Lithgow Palooza 101 Ways to entertain and Inspire your Kids. (A MUST HAVE FOR MOMS)