I have a confession.

I don't really care much for Jane Austin.

By saying this I feel as though I am alienating myself from my own gender. Of course, I also have to qualify my statement by adding that I have seen, and enjoyed, the six-hour version of Pride and Prejudice several times (never straight through however), and that I am every bit as in love with Mr. Darcy/Colin Firth as the next girl. I own my own copy of the newer version of Pride and Prejudice - it was a gift, but a very welcome gift. And I have read Pride and Prejudice twice through, once with my mom and once on my own. I do like Pride and Prejudice. A lot.

But I have never had much desire to extend my Jane Austin horizons much beyond Pride and Prejudice. I cannot make it through Sense and Sensibility for the life of me, although I keep my copy of the book that my mother bought me many, many, many years ago, because when she bought it for me she made me promise that I would actually read it. As long as it sits on my shelf I can believe that I haven't actually failed to fulfill my end of the bargain - I just haven't gotten around to it. And I just simply don't get that excited about Jane Austin books or movies.

It's sort of like shrimp. I feel like I ought to like shrimp. So many people do, people whose tastes I respect, people who are my friends. And so every once in awhile I decide to try shrimp - a bite here, a bite there. And every time I do, I remember why I don't eat shrimp. I just don't like it. I don't like the taste, I don't like the texture, I don't like the fact that it looks like the animal it came from. (Well, it basically is the animal it came from.) And so it is with Jane Austin. I am a girl and therefore I think I ought to get excited about Jane Austin, and to be able to participate eagerly in Jane Austin conversations. And yet, every time I try Jane Austin I remember why I haven't delved in yet. It just doesn't really do it for me. At some point it just makes sense to stop trying and go back to enjoying what I know I already like.

I bring this up because a friend in the ward has been talking for months about getting a group of people together to go to what is essentially a Jane Austin ball up in Lansing. And the truth is (sorry Kara!) I just haven't been feeling all that excited about it. The somewhat daunting task of trying to find suitable period clothing just didn't seem worth it to me. So I never said I wouldn't come, but I also never said I would.

But when I received my "official" invitation this last week, and went on the website to watch the "How to get a proper regency look from a thrift store" video, I started to think that it looked...fun. Actually, kind of a lot of fun. I may not care much about Jane Austin society, but I like getting dressed up and doing my hair for an out-of-the-ordinary event, I like dancing if it's real, learn-the-steps dancing (as opposed to the sway-to-the-music dancing I've experienced in all the youth and young adult dances I've tolerated over the years), and I like learning to dance (lessons are included). And because there was pressure to make a decision before they stopped selling online tickets and before I even knew who else was going, I decided I might as well just commit. I am much less likely to regret doing this than to regret not doing it.

Maybe this will help me appreciate Jane Austin a little better. Maybe I'll give Sense and Sensibility another try this summer. Maybe I'll try watching Emma all the way through, or rent Becoming Jane.

Maybe.