] Well, what think you this week of General Tilney? Dying to hear.... ;-)

Goodness gracious me! The fourth week is upon us and I still haven't got around to writing the post on this subject I've been meaning to. Holy Week has made me much to busy at church (and I haven't even finished reading for the fourth week yet, either). Well, better a bit late than never, I guess.

In the second week's reading I was entirely neutral to the General. He seemed very polite and generally nice, although I did think that his particular comment to Catherine was a bit odd. I'm not sure he'd get away with saying something like that today (or maybe we just understand such a comment about here elastic walk differently today). That he had ordered Catherine to be turned away when she had called on Elinore I thought a bit rude but possibly understandable. Maybe they had an appointment that they had to keep and could not be delayed for good reason.

In the third week's reading, my opinion of the General was still fairly neutral, but soured just a bit. He certainly had a chilling effect on his children, but he remains quite polite to Catherine. He seems a good natured person, but his profession shows through. As a general, he'd be used to having his orders followed, quickly and without question. That certainly seems to have an effect upon how his house is run and the expected punctuality and the relationship between he and his children. He becomes a very odd mix, actually, between harsh and politeness. I also wonder if there is a bit of a Captain von Trapp syndrome going on here (noting his wife is dead, and the way that his military career seems to effect how his house is run and how he relates to his children).