{"id":1403824,"date":"2024-12-03T10:10:05","date_gmt":"2024-12-03T15:10:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/community.sparknotes.com\/?p=1403824"},"modified":"2024-12-03T10:10:06","modified_gmt":"2024-12-03T15:10:06","slug":"jane-austens-guide-to-answering-awkward-questions-at-holiday-parties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/blog\/jane-austens-guide-to-answering-awkward-questions-at-holiday-parties\/","title":{"rendered":"Jane Austen’s Guide to Answering Awkward Questions at Holiday Parties"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Ah, the holidays! A time for family, food, and awkward questions about your personal life that will send the conversation careening into deeply uncomfortable territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are like me, you’re anticipating these questions and will plan accordingly. However, if you haven’t planned for this at all, don’t worry! We’ve got your back\u2014or at least, Jane Austen does. Here are some careful, poised responses to the questions your nosy relatives are most likely to ask this holiday season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The question: \u201cWhen are you going to bring a boyfriend around?\u201d<\/strong>
The answer:<\/strong> \u201cDo not you know that, of all things upon earth, that is the least likely to happen?\u201d \u2014 Mansfield Park<\/a> (1814)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The question: \u201cIs that your fourth helping of mashed potatoes?\u201d<\/strong>
The answer:<\/strong> \u00a0\u201cIt is well to have as many holds upon happiness as possible.\u201d \u2014 \u00a0Northanger Abbey<\/a> \u00a0(1817)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The question: \u201cHow’s the job search going?\u201d<\/strong>
The answer:<\/strong> \u00a0\u201cI am half agony, half hope.\u201d \u2014 \u00a0Persuasion<\/a> \u00a0(1818)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The question: \u201cAre you dating anyone?\u201d<\/strong>
The answer:<\/strong> \u201cThe more I know of the world, the more I am convinced that I shall never see a man whom I can really love.\u201d \u2014 Sense and Sensibility<\/a> (1811)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The question: \u201cWhy aren’t you dating anyone?\u201d<\/strong>
The answer:<\/strong> \u00a0\u201cI have not nerves for the sort of thing.\u201d \u2014 \u00a0Persuasion<\/a>(1818)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The question, posed by your cousin Trisha, who brought her new boyfriend Kevin: \u201cWhat do you guys think of Kevin?\u201d<\/strong>
The answer:<\/strong> \u00a0\u201cWe all know him to be a proud, unpleasant sort of man; but this would be nothing if you really liked him.\u201d \u2014 \u00a0Pride and Prejudice<\/a> (1813)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The question: \u201cSo, what do you want to do with your life?\u201d<\/strong>
The answer:<\/strong> \u201cTime will explain.\u201d \u2014 Persuasion<\/a> (1818)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The question: \u201cNo, but really. What are your plans?\u201d<\/strong>
The answer:<\/strong> \u201cI do not pretend to possess equal frankness with your ladyship. You may ask questions which I shall not choose to answer.\u201d \u2014 Pride and Prejudice<\/a> (1813)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The question: \u201cHow’s school going?\u201d<\/strong>
The answer:<\/strong> \u201cYou are much mistaken if you expect to influence me by such a paltry attack as this.\u201d \u2014 Pride and Prejudice<\/a> (1813)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The question: \u201cWhatever happened to [name of your ex]? Do you guys still talk?\u201d<\/strong>
The answer:<\/strong> \u201cI do suspect that he is not really necessary to my happiness.\u201d \u2014 Emma<\/a> (1815)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The question: \u201cWhat are you planning on doing after graduation?\u201d<\/strong>
The answer:<\/strong> \u201cAh! there is nothing like staying at home for real comfort.\u201d \u2014 Emma<\/a> (1815)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The question: \u201cWhy would you major in [field of study]? How are you going to use that in the real world?\u201d<\/strong>
The answer:<\/strong> \u00a0\u201cNone of us want to be in calm waters all our lives.\u201d \u2014 \u00a0Persuasion<\/a> \u00a0(1818)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The question: \u201cCould you stop posting on social during dinner?\u201d<\/strong>
The answer:<\/strong> \u00a0\u201cThose who do not complain are never pitied.\u201d \u2014 \u00a0Pride and Prejudice<\/a> \u00a0(1813)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The question: \u201cWait, you actually enjoyed \u00a0Hot Frosty<\/em>? That movie was objectively terrible.\u201d<\/strong>
The answer:<\/strong> \u00a0\u201cLaugh as much as you choose, but you will not laugh me out of my opinion.\u201d \u2014 \u00a0Pride and Prejudice<\/a> \u00a0(1813)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The question: \u201cWhy do you think you’re still single?\u201d<\/strong>
The answer:<\/strong> \u201cI am determined that only the deepest love will induce me into matrimony.\u201d \u2014 Pride and Prejudice<\/a> (2005)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The question: \u201cDo you think you’ll EVER find a boyfriend?\u201d<\/strong>
The answer:<\/strong> \u201cDo not give way to useless alarm; though it is right to be prepared for the worst, there is no occasion to look on it as certain.\u201d \u2014 Pride and Prejudice<\/a> (1813)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The question: \u201cMaybe if you weren’t always doing your homework the night before it’s due, you wouldn’t be so stressed out all the time. Have you considered that?<\/strong>\u201d<\/strong>
The answer:<\/strong> \u00a0\u201cNow I must give one smirk and then we may be rational again.\u201d \u2014 \u00a0Northanger Abbey<\/a> \u00a0(1817)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ah, the holidays! A time for family, food, and awkward questions about your personal life that will send the conversation careening into deeply uncomfortable territory. If you are like me, you’re anticipating these questions and continue reading<\/span>\n <\/path>\n <\/svg><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":182,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7],"tags":[2593,628,8959,1393,756],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1403824"}],"collection":[{"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/182"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1403824"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1403824\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1449832,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1403824\/revisions\/1449832"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1403824"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1403824"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1403824"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}