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Austen is just a great writer that everyone should read.
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I only read Sense and Sensibility 4⭐️ and Mansfield Park 3⭐️. Probably no Jane Austen for a while.
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Ok, who does not love Jane Austen's novels?! This is a collection of her stories in a nicely bound volume. I was familiar with three of her stories, but this is a collection of all her works. There is a forward that tells you about the author. Jane Austens storys are as relevent today in the relationships she builds. There is a cloth ribbon to mark your page and the cover is a pretty red and cream cloth pattern that looks lovely on your shelf. This is a nice addition to my forever book shelf. I received this volume from a goodreads giveaway, but I do recommend everyone to read Jane Austen.
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omg it took me 6 months to read all 7 of these books....even managed to turn me off reading for a good 3 weeks. Dont get me wrong, I usually enjoy these classicly written novels however reading all of them in one straight hit was a bit much. my favourite story other than pride and prejudice of course was northanger abbey....which surprised me. I think this is mainly due to the style of writing and even the plot was a bit more modern and not quite as predictable as the others.
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I have rather mixed feelings about the resurgence of Austen's popularity in the 1990s. Selfishly, I rather relished that it was my secret that "classics" of the kind that could be assigned in school could be such a pleasure to read, such a winning blend of social satire, humor and romance. I've read a lot of genre novels recently, as well as rereading Austen, and what struck me is what separates classics, why they endure, is rather than quickly feeling dated, they still feel relevant and resonate with our times. Austen's novels could be seen as formulaic. She centered her works on the courtship dance among the landed gentry. Happy endings (more or less) guaranteed and focused mostly from her heroine's point of view, her novels are seen as the forerunners and foundations of both romance and chicklit, although they certainly transcend both. All of the novels in this volume are worth reading, even if not all are favorites.
n Sense and Sensibilityn is the first novel in this volume. Sisters are usually important in Austen's novels, although they're not always close, and are usually in the background. This novel is unusual in having two contrasting heroines in Elinor and Marianne. Unlike say Elizabeth and Jane of Pride and Prejudice the two Dashwood sisters here both grow and learn from the other and are of equal importance to the story. The novel is interesting in its themes of prudence versus passion for which the sisters make perfect exemplars and foils. If this sounds dry--well, almost no Austen novel is without a large leavening of humor--just look at the second chapter where by degrees, their sister-in-law convinces their half-brother not to help them so that finally she has him convinced their needs are so modest they "will be much more able to give you something." That's typical of Austen. The sharp characterizations that are so funny because they're timeless in their illustrations of human foibles and how being scrupulously polite and socially correct can cover pettiness, cruelty while being of itself at times comic and ridiculous. I'll admit Elinor is my favorite. The one in the family who is sensible in a family of sentimental romantics. Who doesn't have much room to assert her own feelings because someone has to be the grownup. But I feel for Marianne too. I don't, like some, feel she "settled." I think she simply grew through her experiences to appreciate qualities that would have been lost on her earlier. That's the way of the Austen novels and rather why I love them. Love isn't something that solves problems and brings on the happy ending but an experience that, even when you're disappointed, widens and deepens you so you become wiser and so more capable of happiness. At least if you blend a bit of a romantic sensibility with a modicum of sense.
n Pride and Prejudicen features Austen's most sparkling and witty heroine, Elizabeth Bennet. As for Darcy, the hero, he has a reputation of the perfect romantic hero--which has even discouraged a friend of mine from reading the novel. But what I love so much in this story is that it's far from love at first sight. Darcy is rude when we first meet him and earns every bit of disdain which Elizabeth originally feels for him. And his initial opinion of her? Not pretty enough to tempt him as a dance partner. The original title of the novel is famously "First Impressions" and the way this novel credibly develops the relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth from their initial mutual contempt is a marvel. It's why this is so much more than a love story--it's a novel about perceptions, assumptions and prejudices and how they can be reversed and in the process of which cause characters to grow. That's why I see Austen as the opposite of Emily Bronte--love as a force for and as the result of growth--not destruction. Beyond the central love story this novel has so many wonderfully memorable characters. I love the relationship between Elizabeth Bennet and her father; his own marriage makes an interesting foil for the other pairings in the novel. Mr Collins is a comic marvel--as is his "patroness" Lady Catherine de Bourgh. So much of the novel is laugh-out-laugh funny, so much of the dialogue memorable and quotable.
n Mansfield Parkn is for me Austen's most problematical novel, and I rather hated it on first read--I found the heroine Fanny Price, a prig and completely unlikeable. A friend of mine who is basing her graduate thesis on the novel urged me to give it another chance, and particularly to look at Fanny's bitterness and the "carefully crafted sense of dissatisfaction in the last chapter." Although on reread I still can't count Mansfield Park a favorite, I can see what she means. Fanny is treated as an unpaid servant in her uncle's household and taught to "know her place," particularly by her aunt Mrs Norris. A very low place. As her rival Miss Crawford notes, Fanny dreads notice the way others dread being ignored. The only person who treats her with any consideration is her cousin Edmund Bertram. He is a prig. But given the circumstances, it's understandable Fanny would mold herself after him--and given her situation, her ability to speak up and act is heavily circumscribed. All in all, she's a more complex character than I first gave her credit and on reread she did gain my sympathy. Another friend of mine said we might more highly esteem Mansfield Park if it weren't by Austen, and she may be right. You can't go into this novel expecting Pride and Prejudice or Emma. There is irony and humor and even wit to be found in it--particularly in the character of Mary Crawford, but it's nevertheless Austen's darkest work--the only one where I don't really like the hero and heroine, but a fascinating study of the enduring damages of childhood and the questions of propriety and principle.
n Emman is among the lightest in tone and the most comedic of Austen's novels. No one comes close to death or is disastrously spirited away. The closest thing to a tragedy is being snubbed at a dance. I don't remember liking Emma as a character much at first, but she slowly won me over, and she has one of the more interesting arcs of any of Austen's characters. Almost all Austen protagonists grow, but I think she arguably travels the farthest as a result of her comeuppance. One delivered as a result not of her own humiliation but because of words of reproach that make her aware of having hurt someone else. I'm not sure ultimately what to make of her drifting away from Harriet Smith. I think in the end there's still plenty of social snobbery in Emma, and I'm not sure if Austen would in any case disapprove given the class roles of her time. (Although it does seem Mr Knightly, the hero of the tale has no problem having a mere farmer as a friend.) Austen makes you wonder about her characters even after you finish the novel because she creates a whole community within Emma. And so many of the people within it, like the Eltons, are great comedic characters.
n Northanger Abbeyn is notably a send-up of the popular genre fiction of its day--the Gothic novels by writers we don't generally read these days such as Matthew Lewis' and Ann Radcliffe. I've read only the (cheesy and quite fun) The Monk by Lewis of the works alluded to in Austen's novel, but I didn't feel lost. When Henry Tilney plays off the gothic works in telling a story to Catherine Morland and later Catherine's imagination runs wild in the ancient manse of Northanger Abbey, I get the jokes because we have our own successors to the Gothic tradition in slasher movies, thrillers, horror and "romantic suspense." Moreover, the characterizations still feel real and are often funny. I was particularly taken with a passage where John Thorpe, a puffed up idiot, boasts to Catherine of his horses and carriages. Change all that to automobiles--and well, one is struck the male of the species hasn't changed much in two centuries. Catherine herself is Austen's youngest heroine, only seventeen during the course of the novel. She's unsophisticated, naive, with a head full of lurid novels and away for the first time in a city and for the first time having to make sense of male attentions. Given her flights of fancy, one might be tempted to count her as a featherbrain, but somehow she escapes that. She's a rather lovable combination of tomboy and bookworm. Her romantic interest, Henry Tilney, is among the most winning of Austen heroes--playful and witty, he's very appealing. And the novel itself doesn't take itself too seriously. Naive and unsophisticated Catherine might be, the narrator isn't, and the prose is filled with wit, irony and early nineteenth century snark--but rather good humored snark. I wouldn't recommend this novel as as introduction to Austen or rank it quite as high as her mature masterpieces (Northanger Abbey was the first work she ever submitted for publication), but it's still quite fun.
n Persuasionn is my favorite of all of Austen's novels. Not the one with the wittiest or with the most appealing heroine--that would be Pride and Prejudice. Nor the funniest. That would be Emma. I do find Wentworth the most appealing of the Austen heroes though. He's a self-made man and the theme of merit versus aristocratic privilege and pride runs through the story. Which is not to say I don't feel for Anne. She's a quieter heroine than you usually see in Austen. Someone that seemingly was too easily persuaded years ago and seems destined to end her life alone. I think if for nothing else, this novel would have earned a place among my favorites because of one scene. My inner feminist cheered at Anne's defense of women, and their faithfulness in love. And truly, if you aren't melted by the letter Wentworth writes to Anne, you have no beating heart.
n Lady Susann, which finishes this volume, is actually the earliest work, and in my opinion the weakest. (Really a novella, not a novel--it's only 23,021 words.) It was written in 1794 when Austen was still in her teens. I found it hard to get into at first. Unlike the other works in this volume, this is an epistolary novel told in letters, not third-person narration. The story feels thin compared to her other works as a result, although about halfway through we got more of a sense of scenes, with actual dialogue. It's not that I don't find it worth reading. This is very different in tone than Austen's other novels--her titular heroine is a villain--a catty and malicious adulteress trying to force her daughter Frederica into a marriage of convenience. But if I weren't an Austen fan, I doubt I'd have persisted in reading it far enough for the fascination of Lady Susan's machinations to take hold, although take hold they did. The ending nevertheless feels abrupt to me. (I understand Phyllis Ann Karr did a third person narrative adaptation of the story. Particularly since she's an author I've liked, I'd love to read that. Sadly it's long out of print.)
These truly are beloved novels--witness all the professionally published fan fiction based on them. I can understand the impulse. It's hard to finish these and know there's not more Austen to read, other than letters, juvenilia and fragments of two novels never finished, Sandition and The Watsons. Both have been completed by other hands, and I might try them sometime. Other Austen sequels and pastiches I've tried have almost all been unsatisfying--they just don't rank with the originals and can't match Austen's wit and insight. I do rather like the Darcy mysteries written by Carrie Bebris--I think because she captures the personality of the beloved characters enough so you feel you're visiting old friends without trying to imitate Austen's style--which often just underlines the author is no Austen.
The Austen resurgence was based in particular on filmed adaptations made in the 1990s. I do love the BBC miniseries of Pride and Prejudice made with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle, the theatrical films of Sense and Sensibility with Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet and the Emma with Gweneth Paltrow. I thought each was faithful to spirit of their books while, especially in the case of Sense and Sensibility, wonderfully dramatizing aspects only hinted at in the narrative. The Pride and Prejudice miniseries made me laugh out loud and the film of Sense and Sensibility made me cry. I find the filmed adaptations I've watched of Persuasion, Mansfield Park and Northanger Abbey problematical. (As far as I know, no filmed adaptation of Lady Susan exists.)
And I haven't see Clueless--the modern-day adaptation of Emma--although from what a friend tells me I definitely should!
But there's nothing like the novels themselves. I envy those who will discover and enjoy them for the first time.
n Sense and Sensibilityn is the first novel in this volume. Sisters are usually important in Austen's novels, although they're not always close, and are usually in the background. This novel is unusual in having two contrasting heroines in Elinor and Marianne. Unlike say Elizabeth and Jane of Pride and Prejudice the two Dashwood sisters here both grow and learn from the other and are of equal importance to the story. The novel is interesting in its themes of prudence versus passion for which the sisters make perfect exemplars and foils. If this sounds dry--well, almost no Austen novel is without a large leavening of humor--just look at the second chapter where by degrees, their sister-in-law convinces their half-brother not to help them so that finally she has him convinced their needs are so modest they "will be much more able to give you something." That's typical of Austen. The sharp characterizations that are so funny because they're timeless in their illustrations of human foibles and how being scrupulously polite and socially correct can cover pettiness, cruelty while being of itself at times comic and ridiculous. I'll admit Elinor is my favorite. The one in the family who is sensible in a family of sentimental romantics. Who doesn't have much room to assert her own feelings because someone has to be the grownup. But I feel for Marianne too. I don't, like some, feel she "settled." I think she simply grew through her experiences to appreciate qualities that would have been lost on her earlier. That's the way of the Austen novels and rather why I love them. Love isn't something that solves problems and brings on the happy ending but an experience that, even when you're disappointed, widens and deepens you so you become wiser and so more capable of happiness. At least if you blend a bit of a romantic sensibility with a modicum of sense.
n Pride and Prejudicen features Austen's most sparkling and witty heroine, Elizabeth Bennet. As for Darcy, the hero, he has a reputation of the perfect romantic hero--which has even discouraged a friend of mine from reading the novel. But what I love so much in this story is that it's far from love at first sight. Darcy is rude when we first meet him and earns every bit of disdain which Elizabeth originally feels for him. And his initial opinion of her? Not pretty enough to tempt him as a dance partner. The original title of the novel is famously "First Impressions" and the way this novel credibly develops the relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth from their initial mutual contempt is a marvel. It's why this is so much more than a love story--it's a novel about perceptions, assumptions and prejudices and how they can be reversed and in the process of which cause characters to grow. That's why I see Austen as the opposite of Emily Bronte--love as a force for and as the result of growth--not destruction. Beyond the central love story this novel has so many wonderfully memorable characters. I love the relationship between Elizabeth Bennet and her father; his own marriage makes an interesting foil for the other pairings in the novel. Mr Collins is a comic marvel--as is his "patroness" Lady Catherine de Bourgh. So much of the novel is laugh-out-laugh funny, so much of the dialogue memorable and quotable.
n Mansfield Parkn is for me Austen's most problematical novel, and I rather hated it on first read--I found the heroine Fanny Price, a prig and completely unlikeable. A friend of mine who is basing her graduate thesis on the novel urged me to give it another chance, and particularly to look at Fanny's bitterness and the "carefully crafted sense of dissatisfaction in the last chapter." Although on reread I still can't count Mansfield Park a favorite, I can see what she means. Fanny is treated as an unpaid servant in her uncle's household and taught to "know her place," particularly by her aunt Mrs Norris. A very low place. As her rival Miss Crawford notes, Fanny dreads notice the way others dread being ignored. The only person who treats her with any consideration is her cousin Edmund Bertram. He is a prig. But given the circumstances, it's understandable Fanny would mold herself after him--and given her situation, her ability to speak up and act is heavily circumscribed. All in all, she's a more complex character than I first gave her credit and on reread she did gain my sympathy. Another friend of mine said we might more highly esteem Mansfield Park if it weren't by Austen, and she may be right. You can't go into this novel expecting Pride and Prejudice or Emma. There is irony and humor and even wit to be found in it--particularly in the character of Mary Crawford, but it's nevertheless Austen's darkest work--the only one where I don't really like the hero and heroine, but a fascinating study of the enduring damages of childhood and the questions of propriety and principle.
n Emman is among the lightest in tone and the most comedic of Austen's novels. No one comes close to death or is disastrously spirited away. The closest thing to a tragedy is being snubbed at a dance. I don't remember liking Emma as a character much at first, but she slowly won me over, and she has one of the more interesting arcs of any of Austen's characters. Almost all Austen protagonists grow, but I think she arguably travels the farthest as a result of her comeuppance. One delivered as a result not of her own humiliation but because of words of reproach that make her aware of having hurt someone else. I'm not sure ultimately what to make of her drifting away from Harriet Smith. I think in the end there's still plenty of social snobbery in Emma, and I'm not sure if Austen would in any case disapprove given the class roles of her time. (Although it does seem Mr Knightly, the hero of the tale has no problem having a mere farmer as a friend.) Austen makes you wonder about her characters even after you finish the novel because she creates a whole community within Emma. And so many of the people within it, like the Eltons, are great comedic characters.
n Northanger Abbeyn is notably a send-up of the popular genre fiction of its day--the Gothic novels by writers we don't generally read these days such as Matthew Lewis' and Ann Radcliffe. I've read only the (cheesy and quite fun) The Monk by Lewis of the works alluded to in Austen's novel, but I didn't feel lost. When Henry Tilney plays off the gothic works in telling a story to Catherine Morland and later Catherine's imagination runs wild in the ancient manse of Northanger Abbey, I get the jokes because we have our own successors to the Gothic tradition in slasher movies, thrillers, horror and "romantic suspense." Moreover, the characterizations still feel real and are often funny. I was particularly taken with a passage where John Thorpe, a puffed up idiot, boasts to Catherine of his horses and carriages. Change all that to automobiles--and well, one is struck the male of the species hasn't changed much in two centuries. Catherine herself is Austen's youngest heroine, only seventeen during the course of the novel. She's unsophisticated, naive, with a head full of lurid novels and away for the first time in a city and for the first time having to make sense of male attentions. Given her flights of fancy, one might be tempted to count her as a featherbrain, but somehow she escapes that. She's a rather lovable combination of tomboy and bookworm. Her romantic interest, Henry Tilney, is among the most winning of Austen heroes--playful and witty, he's very appealing. And the novel itself doesn't take itself too seriously. Naive and unsophisticated Catherine might be, the narrator isn't, and the prose is filled with wit, irony and early nineteenth century snark--but rather good humored snark. I wouldn't recommend this novel as as introduction to Austen or rank it quite as high as her mature masterpieces (Northanger Abbey was the first work she ever submitted for publication), but it's still quite fun.
n Persuasionn is my favorite of all of Austen's novels. Not the one with the wittiest or with the most appealing heroine--that would be Pride and Prejudice. Nor the funniest. That would be Emma. I do find Wentworth the most appealing of the Austen heroes though. He's a self-made man and the theme of merit versus aristocratic privilege and pride runs through the story. Which is not to say I don't feel for Anne. She's a quieter heroine than you usually see in Austen. Someone that seemingly was too easily persuaded years ago and seems destined to end her life alone. I think if for nothing else, this novel would have earned a place among my favorites because of one scene. My inner feminist cheered at Anne's defense of women, and their faithfulness in love. And truly, if you aren't melted by the letter Wentworth writes to Anne, you have no beating heart.
n Lady Susann, which finishes this volume, is actually the earliest work, and in my opinion the weakest. (Really a novella, not a novel--it's only 23,021 words.) It was written in 1794 when Austen was still in her teens. I found it hard to get into at first. Unlike the other works in this volume, this is an epistolary novel told in letters, not third-person narration. The story feels thin compared to her other works as a result, although about halfway through we got more of a sense of scenes, with actual dialogue. It's not that I don't find it worth reading. This is very different in tone than Austen's other novels--her titular heroine is a villain--a catty and malicious adulteress trying to force her daughter Frederica into a marriage of convenience. But if I weren't an Austen fan, I doubt I'd have persisted in reading it far enough for the fascination of Lady Susan's machinations to take hold, although take hold they did. The ending nevertheless feels abrupt to me. (I understand Phyllis Ann Karr did a third person narrative adaptation of the story. Particularly since she's an author I've liked, I'd love to read that. Sadly it's long out of print.)
These truly are beloved novels--witness all the professionally published fan fiction based on them. I can understand the impulse. It's hard to finish these and know there's not more Austen to read, other than letters, juvenilia and fragments of two novels never finished, Sandition and The Watsons. Both have been completed by other hands, and I might try them sometime. Other Austen sequels and pastiches I've tried have almost all been unsatisfying--they just don't rank with the originals and can't match Austen's wit and insight. I do rather like the Darcy mysteries written by Carrie Bebris--I think because she captures the personality of the beloved characters enough so you feel you're visiting old friends without trying to imitate Austen's style--which often just underlines the author is no Austen.
The Austen resurgence was based in particular on filmed adaptations made in the 1990s. I do love the BBC miniseries of Pride and Prejudice made with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle, the theatrical films of Sense and Sensibility with Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet and the Emma with Gweneth Paltrow. I thought each was faithful to spirit of their books while, especially in the case of Sense and Sensibility, wonderfully dramatizing aspects only hinted at in the narrative. The Pride and Prejudice miniseries made me laugh out loud and the film of Sense and Sensibility made me cry. I find the filmed adaptations I've watched of Persuasion, Mansfield Park and Northanger Abbey problematical. (As far as I know, no filmed adaptation of Lady Susan exists.)
And I haven't see Clueless--the modern-day adaptation of Emma--although from what a friend tells me I definitely should!
But there's nothing like the novels themselves. I envy those who will discover and enjoy them for the first time.
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This is my favorite book of all time. Maybe it's because Elizabeth does eventually change Darcy (I'm sorry if you didn't already know that) and maybe it's because I'm a hopeless romantic. As old as it is, Pride and Prejudice is a book we can still connect with because it's a love story. At times, the story does become a little tedious because we don't still have balls the same way they did and we don't go stay at a friend's house for three weeks, but there is always a reason for those tedious things to happen; they are always essential to the story.
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Well its only been like five years since I first started reading this! I finally finished Lady Susan. An excellent collection.
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Loving Jane Austen as I do I was thrilled when my daughter surprised me with a copy of her complete novels. If you enjoy the weight of a book in your hands, and you love Jane Austen, this is the book for you.
I must admit that I skipped Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice because I had only recently re-read them. So I skipped to Mansfield Park, read straight through that, and followed with Emma, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion and Lady Susan. I loved them all, and I believe I have a new favorite JA novel.
I was always a fan of Pride and Prejudice, but I believe I like Northanger Abbey best now. As with many Austen stories, misunderstandings and totally unfounded assumptions create tension, and story builds and feeds upon that tension. Jane's descriptive ability is on display in her word picture of Northanger Abbey, when we finally get there. The novel is more than half over before our heroine, Catherine Morland, first sets eyes on the abbey. I could see what Catherine saw, and as she explored the home of the Tilney family, my mind's eye could follow her explorations. This was something I hadn't really noticed in other Austen novels.
Re-read an Austen novel! They never get old. I seem to discover something new with each reading.
I must admit that I skipped Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice because I had only recently re-read them. So I skipped to Mansfield Park, read straight through that, and followed with Emma, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion and Lady Susan. I loved them all, and I believe I have a new favorite JA novel.
I was always a fan of Pride and Prejudice, but I believe I like Northanger Abbey best now. As with many Austen stories, misunderstandings and totally unfounded assumptions create tension, and story builds and feeds upon that tension. Jane's descriptive ability is on display in her word picture of Northanger Abbey, when we finally get there. The novel is more than half over before our heroine, Catherine Morland, first sets eyes on the abbey. I could see what Catherine saw, and as she explored the home of the Tilney family, my mind's eye could follow her explorations. This was something I hadn't really noticed in other Austen novels.
Re-read an Austen novel! They never get old. I seem to discover something new with each reading.
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What can I say that hasn't been said before about this amazing authoress? Her characters, plots, development, subplots, dialogue and interactions are just hilarity in themselves and well worth every minute spent reading them.
I had some trouble regarding Jane and her work because of it being considered "romantic" literature and I don't really go for that sort of thing and my previous experience with Jane was falling asleep to Pride and Prejudice which turned me off to her. Upon reading Vanity Fair I got a sudden interest in her work and took a lot of time reading about her life, her work, and each story in particular. By doing my homework prior to reading this book- sure it might have spoiled the endings but since I did it months before I was sure to forget them anyway- it made it easier to understand the social commentary she was making as well as take the focus off the romantic aspect of the books that had previously driven me away. So I went off a three month long journey to explore Jane and her work through this collection and another work- Love and freindship- and I have to say it was worth every pain taken to complete each individual work.
In case you didn't know this book is a compliation of the six most popular Jane Austen novels: Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion, and Lady Susan (a complete novel in letter from from her Juvenilia)and each of them is amazing in their own right with something to offer to the reader no matter what age.
Sense and Sensiblity: This novel had my favorite plot idea- the comparison of how Elinor and Marianne treat love and relationships- and how to best learn when to have sense or sensibility and keeping a balance between them. Elinor was my favorite of the two sisters because of her sense, her mother was just a silly parent that Austen is widely known for. I loved reading Sir John and his family, Mrs. Jennings in particular, and his friend Colonel Brandon were just a joy to read and laugh at or with. I didn't really like hanging out with Mr. Dashwood and his wife but then again I wasn't supposed to. I still don't understand the relationship between Elinor and Edward but a second reading will probably do that. There were many characters I loved in this work and very few that I didn't and it was a great starting point to begin my Austen journey.
Pride and Prejudice: The crown jewel of Austen's work according to many, many people but I have to say that I liked it but it wasn't my favorite as a whole and I will tell you why. Don't get me wrong I LOVED the dialogue in this one more than the others as well as the heroine- Elizabeth Bennet- and had a lot of fun visiting her and her family during my stay. But what I really enjoyed was the character development in this novel and its probably the best done in all her work but I am not comparing in that aspect. On terms of things that I didn't like about this work was that I didn't really like Mr. Darcy- I know for shame- I thought he was a good guy but not my type. I found that I was satisfied with the ending of this novel and all that it took to get there- Mr. and Mrs. Bennet being silly parents, the younger sisters chasing military men, and the drama that ensued- it was a joy to read and I learned a lot and that is probably why I liked this novel as much as I did-contrary to my first attempt.
Mansfield Park: Upon reading this work I found that Fanny Price was a great heroine and the type of person needed to keep sane in the world she was in. Having her surrounded by all those big characters sure made her stand out. The morality of this story was great and I was always on Fanny's side during that unspeakable play that almost took place. Mrs. Norris- although unpleasant has very good intentions- has made me want to reread Harry Potter and see if I can find the characteristics they have the same. Edmund was such a gentlemen although blind in some aspects- but who isn't when they are in love? I related a lot to Fanny's situation with Edmund- totally have been there- and was happy for her at the ending and found it believeable- contrary to some. The characters I really didn't like were the Crawfords, since their being introduced there was just uh-oh bad stuff is about to happen and was relived of a lot of anger and such when they finally exited the story. Basically I loved this story for the lesson it taught- being moral- and not doing things that you aren't supposed like say go behind a gate.
Emma: After reading Mansfield Park I was happy to enjoy a stronger heroine, it was a refresher to the refresher, and I found many more loveable characters in this novel than the rest I think. Emma, Mr. Knightley, her father, brothers and sisters, children, the society of the town, except two particular people. Emma playing matchmaker was fun to read although I felt sorry for Harriet Smith a lot of the time for being misled. Out of all the hero's Austen ever wrote I have to say that Mr. Knightley is my favorite- he's just such a great guy- you can't help but love him for all the things he does. There are some rather ridiculous characters in this novel- Mr. Woodhouse, Miss Bates- probably the reason why it is so long- and some you just want to get out of town- Mr. E and his wife were just plain unbearable and couldn't wait to be out of their company. Getting out of town and into the country was a welcome relief from being confined to the Woodhouse's home and the town in general. This is my favorite novel out of them all, even though it is the longest.
Northanger Abbey: The heroine of this novel is Catherine Morland and I found that although very thick in the ways of communication and subtlity as well as love I have to say she had the greatest character growth out of all the novels. Reading her interactions with Henry Tileny was just gold- hilarity at its finest- and was proud of her when she grew up throughout the work. I had lots of fun while at Bath and would have had more if wasn't for a set of siblings who intended to ruin all the fun- The Thorpes. By far the worst kind of people in all her works that I have come across- although I love this work I HATE them more than any other person in a fictional work. The gothic parody of this novel was FENOMANAL- and I enjoyed ever second of it. This novel got me really interested in The Mysteries of Udolpho- and why wouldn't it? The book is always brought up. By far my favorite of her six most popular novels.
At this point I read Love and freindship and I would recommend it for anyone looking for some immaturity and fun. It was a great change from all these novels.
Persuasion: Lost love and almost a decade later maricles can still happen. Anne Elliot was a blast to read, I felt sorry for a lot of the time because of how her family treated her but was really happy when the story began to be more focused on her than everyone else. Her personality and thought process was my favorite part of this novel. Mrs. Russell was just the greatest person ever and Mrs. Smith were by far my favorite companions for this heroine- the rest of the cast is just crazy with a few more exceptions. The Harvilles I would love to meet in person as well as the Crofts, there were a lot of good couples in this work and it was fun watching them together. Mr. Wentworth was a great character and probably my second favorite hero of austens work- he's up there anyway- and I loved his letter and conversation near the end of the novel. One of the best endings of them all and probably the most satisfing.
Lady Susan: Considering I had already read Love and Freindship by this point I had some low expectations on this work but I found it to be somewhere in the middle between her novels and Love and Freindship and I have to say that Lady Susan is no lady. I found her absolutely horrid and felt extreme pity for her daughter and any and everyone she came in contact with. Thankful I was happy for everything turned out and was grateful that the ending wasn't a letter but classic Austen third person narrative. I thought it was a great ending to my Austen adventure. My appetite had been satisfied.
Throughout Jane's work she constantly is talking about books, about people who read or don't read them and I have to say the endorsement of her telling her readers to well read was a nice touch and made me love these books even more. Although Jane didn't get me into reading at a scale like this she definately made me proud of being a reader and of the knowledge gained from those books that I love so much. That was my favorite theme and message all throughout every work and the most likely reason I would recommend to you to read this collection.
Having read all these works in a three month period- might have been too much- but it was worth it. I wouldn't have been happy until I had accomplished this personal goal and I have to say that I feel that I have aged mentally because of this reading assignment to myself, I learned a lot over the years spent with her characters about myself and the world around me, this goal has made me love Jane Austen and all her work as well as appreciate it for what it is and embrace it for what can teach the future generations of woman and men about themselves and each other.
In conclusion I recommend this work for anyone looking for some soul searching, entertainment, hilarious moments, a good bit of drama, characters you can live with for eternity and characters that you would rather not know over the course of your life, anyone looking for some insight into themselves and being open to learning lessons that are still relevant today even if it is from a series of novels over 200 years old.
The site that I got a lot of information about Jane and her work was Pemberley.com, it is a great resource that I fully haven't even ventured into but sure plan to. Sparknotes is also really good if you want a chapter summary of each major novel and some idea about the themes from all the books.
I loved my Journey with Jane and will be taking another trip in the future and hope it will be just as fun as it was the first time around. Definately staying in my library for all my life and will be one of my favorites.
I had some trouble regarding Jane and her work because of it being considered "romantic" literature and I don't really go for that sort of thing and my previous experience with Jane was falling asleep to Pride and Prejudice which turned me off to her. Upon reading Vanity Fair I got a sudden interest in her work and took a lot of time reading about her life, her work, and each story in particular. By doing my homework prior to reading this book- sure it might have spoiled the endings but since I did it months before I was sure to forget them anyway- it made it easier to understand the social commentary she was making as well as take the focus off the romantic aspect of the books that had previously driven me away. So I went off a three month long journey to explore Jane and her work through this collection and another work- Love and freindship- and I have to say it was worth every pain taken to complete each individual work.
In case you didn't know this book is a compliation of the six most popular Jane Austen novels: Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion, and Lady Susan (a complete novel in letter from from her Juvenilia)and each of them is amazing in their own right with something to offer to the reader no matter what age.
Sense and Sensiblity: This novel had my favorite plot idea- the comparison of how Elinor and Marianne treat love and relationships- and how to best learn when to have sense or sensibility and keeping a balance between them. Elinor was my favorite of the two sisters because of her sense, her mother was just a silly parent that Austen is widely known for. I loved reading Sir John and his family, Mrs. Jennings in particular, and his friend Colonel Brandon were just a joy to read and laugh at or with. I didn't really like hanging out with Mr. Dashwood and his wife but then again I wasn't supposed to. I still don't understand the relationship between Elinor and Edward but a second reading will probably do that. There were many characters I loved in this work and very few that I didn't and it was a great starting point to begin my Austen journey.
Pride and Prejudice: The crown jewel of Austen's work according to many, many people but I have to say that I liked it but it wasn't my favorite as a whole and I will tell you why. Don't get me wrong I LOVED the dialogue in this one more than the others as well as the heroine- Elizabeth Bennet- and had a lot of fun visiting her and her family during my stay. But what I really enjoyed was the character development in this novel and its probably the best done in all her work but I am not comparing in that aspect. On terms of things that I didn't like about this work was that I didn't really like Mr. Darcy- I know for shame- I thought he was a good guy but not my type. I found that I was satisfied with the ending of this novel and all that it took to get there- Mr. and Mrs. Bennet being silly parents, the younger sisters chasing military men, and the drama that ensued- it was a joy to read and I learned a lot and that is probably why I liked this novel as much as I did-contrary to my first attempt.
Mansfield Park: Upon reading this work I found that Fanny Price was a great heroine and the type of person needed to keep sane in the world she was in. Having her surrounded by all those big characters sure made her stand out. The morality of this story was great and I was always on Fanny's side during that unspeakable play that almost took place. Mrs. Norris- although unpleasant has very good intentions- has made me want to reread Harry Potter and see if I can find the characteristics they have the same. Edmund was such a gentlemen although blind in some aspects- but who isn't when they are in love? I related a lot to Fanny's situation with Edmund- totally have been there- and was happy for her at the ending and found it believeable- contrary to some. The characters I really didn't like were the Crawfords, since their being introduced there was just uh-oh bad stuff is about to happen and was relived of a lot of anger and such when they finally exited the story. Basically I loved this story for the lesson it taught- being moral- and not doing things that you aren't supposed like say go behind a gate.
Emma: After reading Mansfield Park I was happy to enjoy a stronger heroine, it was a refresher to the refresher, and I found many more loveable characters in this novel than the rest I think. Emma, Mr. Knightley, her father, brothers and sisters, children, the society of the town, except two particular people. Emma playing matchmaker was fun to read although I felt sorry for Harriet Smith a lot of the time for being misled. Out of all the hero's Austen ever wrote I have to say that Mr. Knightley is my favorite- he's just such a great guy- you can't help but love him for all the things he does. There are some rather ridiculous characters in this novel- Mr. Woodhouse, Miss Bates- probably the reason why it is so long- and some you just want to get out of town- Mr. E and his wife were just plain unbearable and couldn't wait to be out of their company. Getting out of town and into the country was a welcome relief from being confined to the Woodhouse's home and the town in general. This is my favorite novel out of them all, even though it is the longest.
Northanger Abbey: The heroine of this novel is Catherine Morland and I found that although very thick in the ways of communication and subtlity as well as love I have to say she had the greatest character growth out of all the novels. Reading her interactions with Henry Tileny was just gold- hilarity at its finest- and was proud of her when she grew up throughout the work. I had lots of fun while at Bath and would have had more if wasn't for a set of siblings who intended to ruin all the fun- The Thorpes. By far the worst kind of people in all her works that I have come across- although I love this work I HATE them more than any other person in a fictional work. The gothic parody of this novel was FENOMANAL- and I enjoyed ever second of it. This novel got me really interested in The Mysteries of Udolpho- and why wouldn't it? The book is always brought up. By far my favorite of her six most popular novels.
At this point I read Love and freindship and I would recommend it for anyone looking for some immaturity and fun. It was a great change from all these novels.
Persuasion: Lost love and almost a decade later maricles can still happen. Anne Elliot was a blast to read, I felt sorry for a lot of the time because of how her family treated her but was really happy when the story began to be more focused on her than everyone else. Her personality and thought process was my favorite part of this novel. Mrs. Russell was just the greatest person ever and Mrs. Smith were by far my favorite companions for this heroine- the rest of the cast is just crazy with a few more exceptions. The Harvilles I would love to meet in person as well as the Crofts, there were a lot of good couples in this work and it was fun watching them together. Mr. Wentworth was a great character and probably my second favorite hero of austens work- he's up there anyway- and I loved his letter and conversation near the end of the novel. One of the best endings of them all and probably the most satisfing.
Lady Susan: Considering I had already read Love and Freindship by this point I had some low expectations on this work but I found it to be somewhere in the middle between her novels and Love and Freindship and I have to say that Lady Susan is no lady. I found her absolutely horrid and felt extreme pity for her daughter and any and everyone she came in contact with. Thankful I was happy for everything turned out and was grateful that the ending wasn't a letter but classic Austen third person narrative. I thought it was a great ending to my Austen adventure. My appetite had been satisfied.
Throughout Jane's work she constantly is talking about books, about people who read or don't read them and I have to say the endorsement of her telling her readers to well read was a nice touch and made me love these books even more. Although Jane didn't get me into reading at a scale like this she definately made me proud of being a reader and of the knowledge gained from those books that I love so much. That was my favorite theme and message all throughout every work and the most likely reason I would recommend to you to read this collection.
Having read all these works in a three month period- might have been too much- but it was worth it. I wouldn't have been happy until I had accomplished this personal goal and I have to say that I feel that I have aged mentally because of this reading assignment to myself, I learned a lot over the years spent with her characters about myself and the world around me, this goal has made me love Jane Austen and all her work as well as appreciate it for what it is and embrace it for what can teach the future generations of woman and men about themselves and each other.
In conclusion I recommend this work for anyone looking for some soul searching, entertainment, hilarious moments, a good bit of drama, characters you can live with for eternity and characters that you would rather not know over the course of your life, anyone looking for some insight into themselves and being open to learning lessons that are still relevant today even if it is from a series of novels over 200 years old.
The site that I got a lot of information about Jane and her work was Pemberley.com, it is a great resource that I fully haven't even ventured into but sure plan to. Sparknotes is also really good if you want a chapter summary of each major novel and some idea about the themes from all the books.
I loved my Journey with Jane and will be taking another trip in the future and hope it will be just as fun as it was the first time around. Definately staying in my library for all my life and will be one of my favorites.
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Each one of the novels by Jane Austen are a masterpiece. Not only is the quality of the writing splendid and amazing, but the stories are sensational, and each character comes alive through vibrant descriptions and makes one become really invested with the book!
n Sense and Sensibilityn-read once (4 stars)
n Pride and Prejudicen-read thrice (5 stars)
n Mansfield Parkn-read once (4 stars)
n Emman-read four times (5 stars)
n Northanger Abbeyn-read once (5 stars)
n Persuasionn-read once (4 stars)
n Lady Susann-read once (4 stars)
n Sense and Sensibilityn-read once (4 stars)
n Pride and Prejudicen-read thrice (5 stars)
n Mansfield Parkn-read once (4 stars)
n Emman-read four times (5 stars)
n Northanger Abbeyn-read once (5 stars)
n Persuasionn-read once (4 stars)
n Lady Susann-read once (4 stars)
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Although I've read most of her novels in the past, I picked up her complete collection on Amazon and I can't put it down...only problem is that the entire collection is in one book. Love her work! Incidentally, if you haven't seen the most recent Pride & Prejudice remake with Matthew McFayden and Keira Knightley, I highly recommend that as well.
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What a treat! Persuasion turned out to be my favorite, followed closely by Pride & Prejudice. Then Sense and Sensibility & Northanger Abbey. Lastly Emma & Mansfield Park. I believe that Jane Austen needs to be reread as one ages. Her writing matured with her perspective. There is so much wisdom in her words!
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