Jane Austen Fans

[RCIA ~ Class of 09]

ALTHOUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My favorite Jane Austen hunk is from Northeranger Abbey. Henry Tilney forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Say it ain't so!!! Mr. Darcy is rolling over in his grave!

[HisChildForever]

1. Read Sense and Sensibility first. It's another comparison & contrast novel, like Pride and Prejudice and focuses on the relationship between sisters (as well as beaux). One sister represents a more intellectual approach to life and the other is more self-indulgent of her own whims; she suffers for her lack of sense, although the sensible one also suffers from doing the right thing. 

 

2. Then read Emma. Like the women in Pride and Prejudice and in Sense and Sensibility, Emma is young; her heart is in the right place, but she doesn't have much consideration for people. In the course of the novel, she learns to be less judgmental & manipulative and more supportive. 

 

3. Then read Persuasion. The heroine is still a single woman, but she's older - almost beyond marriageable age. She seems to be somewhat weak because she is very dutiful and puts others' needs before her own, but she's actually quite strong and knows her own mind. I consider Persuasion to be Austen's most "mature" novel.

 

4. I wasn't crazy about Northanger Abbey, but the heroine is interesting because she's a relatively poor girl who gets thrust into a higher social circle and has to figure out how things are done and where she fits in. 

 

5. Mansfield Park is my favorite Austen novel, but largely because the heroine (Fanny) reminds me of someone I used to know. Again, she's a poor girl thrust into an upper level of society, she has to figure out how things are done and where she fits in, and although she is "the least of the least" in the household she's also the only one who has any real moral compass. 

 

Keep in mind, though, that when I read literature, I read primarily for language. And I love Austen's language. Pride and Prejudice has one of the greatest opening sentences in the English language, but all of her novels open with a good sentence. Her language is also quite subtle, so modern readers often miss her nuances - tongue-in-cheek humor, polite sarcasm, and understatement. If you're not that interested in the language, your mileage may vary.

 

But she's also got the character development (in the heroines, at least) and the plot development. Some people complain of her, "I don't actually care who the girl marries." In the end, the heroine does usually marry the man of her dreams, but that's mostly a payoff for acting morally throughout the book - those who act immorally come to unhappy ends. Austen had few other happy endings except 'the good marriage' available to her in those days (although she herself never married).    

 

Awesome, thank you so much for sharing all this!! I'll read in the order you suggest. :) Would any of the 3 novels I purchased be considered romances?

[CrossCuT]

Say it ain't so!!! Mr. Darcy is rolling over in his grave!

He is my second favorite!

 

The main female in Northanger Abbey is meh, and the storyline is meh, but Henry makes it all worth it!

 

Read the book if you get a chance and if not, there is a good movie out!

 

In my imaginary perfect world, Henry Tilney and Elizabeth Bennet would be a couple!

[RCIA ~ Class of 09]

amesome, thank you so much for sharing all this!! I'll read in the order you suggest. :) Would any of the 3 novels I purchased be considered romances?

 

They're all romances. But true to Austen's upbringing by her father (who was rector of their parish) and the era in which they were written you don't have to worry about anything more than a healthy courtship.

[Luigi]

amesome, thank you so much for sharing all this!! I'll read in the order you suggest. :) Would any of the 3 novels I purchased be considered romances?

 

As RCIA says, all of them would be classified as romances since the main story line is basically girl-meets-boy and so forth, but they always include a lot more than just that. 

[CrossCuT]

Jane Austens  books are an AWESOME example of social dynamics

[filius_angelorum]

Jane Austen is certainly one of my favorite authors. What Tolkien supplies for other-world fantasy, Austen provides for this-world fantasy. In fact, I try to read one of her novels each year. This year it will be two: Northanger Abbey and Emma. I just finished Northanger Abbey and thought it hilarious. Emma is thicker, both physically and stylistically, but I still find it quite enjoyable.

[CrossCuT]

HENRY TILNEY

[Eowyn]

Brandon for the win, just saying. 

[LinaSt.Cecilia2772]

Mr. Darcy forever.....

[tinytherese]

Months ago, I bought and read a book by a woman with a phd in literature about what Jane Austen can teach us about romantic relationships called "The Jane Austen Guide to Happily Ever After" by Elizabeth Kantor.

 

I was hooked on it and highly recommend it. This isn't some over your head scholastic work, (though there are many citations,) but easy to understand. I learned about the historical context of the time period of the author and how her works can be educational to us in the modern world as well. You don't even have to have read all six novels of her's for you to understand it.

 

 

[Era Might]

Months ago, I bought and read a book by a woman with a phd in literature about what Jane Austen can teach us about romantic relationships called "The Jane Austen Guide to Happily Ever After" by Elizabeth Kantor.

 

I was hooked on it and highly recommend it. This isn't some over your head scholastic work, (though there are many citations,) but easy to understand. I learned about the historical context of the time period of the author and how her works can be educational to us in the modern world as well. You don't even have to have read all six novels of her's for you to understand it.

 

There's a book I read about a few months back about Jane Austen as game theorist.

 

edit: here it is:

 

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/businessdesk/2013/05/economics-game-theory-and-jane.html

 

Edited June 24, 2013 by Era Might

[Lil Red]

i liked the book with the zombies.