Laura

“I get such fun out of thinking that I don't want to destroy this most pleasant machine that makes life such a big kick.”

Crazy. Flat-out insane, in fact.

“The real evils indeed of Emma's situation were the power of having rather too much her own way, and a disposition to think a little too well of herself; these were the disadvantages which threatened alloy to her many enjoyments.”

“Anything that happens, happens. Anything that, in happening, causes something else to happen, causes something else to happen. Anything that, in happening, causes itself to happen again, happens again. It doesn‰ЫЄt necessarily do it in chronological order, though.”

Re-read in May 2013.
—

“‘Thwarted of one fair charmer, why should I not take another?' shouted Sir Edward with a savage laugh.”

Completed in a fashion Jane Austen would have never even considered (perhaps), but still a decent read.

The shadow had followed behind them, clinging to their steps; and the two children little suspected its presence when they at last sat down, trustingly, under the mighty protection of Apollo, who, with a great bronze gesture, lifted his huge lyre to the heart of a crimson sky.

“After all, life is just a play. Or an opera. It would be easier for all of us if we could watch only the highlights. Instead, we must endure convoluted plot twists and excruciating moments of suspense. We sit in the dark, threatened by vague menaces. Of course, those of us in the audience can always walk out; but the players have no choice. Once the curtain goes up they have to perform the play from beginning to end. They have nowhere to hide.”

“No sooner had he made it clear to himself and and his friends that she had hardly a good feature in her face, than he began to find it was rendered uncommonly intelligent by the beautiful expression of her dark eyes. To this discovery succeeded some others equally mortifying. ... Of this she was perfectly unaware; ‰ЫУ to her he was only the man who made himself agreeable no where, and who had not thought her handsome enough to dance with.”

“‘La! sir,' said Sir Percy at last, putting up his eye-glass and surveying the young Frenchman with undisguised wonderment. ‘Where in the cuckoo‰ЫЄs name did you learn to speak English?'”

I spent months trying to read the unabridged version after completing this, but decided to give up about two thirds of the way through. This was at age thirteen; I will most likely pick it up again at some point in my life.

“It was all over with him. Marius was in love with a woman.”