I guess we all are in probably more ways than one. Which, of course means that if you are more than one stereotype, you are probably not stereotypical as two conflicting stereotype characteristics would cancel each other out. Right?
But I ramble. So sue me. It’s early and I haven’t had coffee yet.
In the last couple of days, one of my own stereotypes has become very clear to me. Oh it has always lurked at the back of my mind, knowledge that I was disinclined to acknowledge (ha! that’s funny- knowledge I don’t want to acknowledge) but there it is. The undeniable fact. I am a Jane Austen Comfort Reader/Watcher.
Now, this is pretty funny given the fact that I normally don’t like to watch anything that doesn’t have several explosions in it. But around this time of year, when the light is bright and cold like the fluorescent light in a Walmart and the world looks mean and barren, when I am tired and because I am tired everything is harder and because it is harder it is deeply irritating, when there are some days when something that should have taken me an hour takes four and spills into the next day, because of all this, I just want to sink into something quiet, with exquisite manners and courtesy, something with humour.
In short, I only want to watch and read Jane Austen movies. I love the language of her books, the eloquent rebuffs. God help me, I love how all the characters in her books are threaded nicely into one big marital handkerchief. I love her light satire. (Okay, maybe not so light- I wouldn’t have wanted to be on the sharp side of Miss Austen’s pen.) Everybody who deserves it gets their comeuppance and everybody who doesn’t gets the person they love.
In other words, it is fantasy. Or happy ending porn. Whatever you want to call it, it cheers me up.
My oldest daughter has discovered my copy of the BBC Pride and Prejudice and loves it so much she wants to learn to sew so she can make herself a dress and bonnet à la Elizabeth Bennett. My youngest daughter? Well, let’s just say that her comfort stories involve more Buffy than Jane.
What is your comfort story/movie/TV? What is getting you through the dire month of February?
Lina Branter 
I am so with you! Jane Austen is just the right remedy for the winter blahs. My room-mate Sara is the same and she is also usually into the explosion type of movies. (Blood, too. So not me) We watched Emma two weekends in row. For comfort movies, I also like Miss Potter and Benny and Joon. If I want something funny, I watch episodes of The Vicar of Dibley.
For comfort books, I also like Jane Austen and also a series of books about an Anglican priest in a lovely small town called Mitford. The author is Jan Karon. It's very light reading.
Two very different questions you are asking. My list for both questions is much too long, so I'll condense:
1. Buffy kicks it over Austen any day.
2. Pot.
Wow, well I obsessively love both Buffy AND Jane Austen (esp. the excellent 6-part BBC P&P), so it's definitely not an either/or scenario!
But you're right…something about this time of year. I rewatched the Kate Beckinsale Emma (apparently there's a new, excellent BBC Emma I have yet to get ahold of..) a couple of weekends ago.
The first few seasons of Gilmore Girls are also high on the go-to DVD list…