I have been very much enjoying reading Jane Austen lately. Classics. Great insight into human nature, interesting look at past culture, and GREAT romance without having to deal with "throbbing" whatevers. Women are treated respectfully,and not as just skin. Good suspense, and a little challenge following the language of the time.

"Love and Friendship" was really terrible; it was obvious that it was written by a 14-year-old.

"Lady Susan" I enjoyed, but I didn't care much for the title character.

"Northanger Abbey" I can't seem to remember at all.

"Sense and Sensibility" I enjoyed very much.

"Pride and Prejudice" is one of my all-time favorites!

"Mansfield Park" was also unmemorable.

"Emma" was very good; it took me a long time to read it, but I loved it, especially having seen the modern adaption movie "Clueless."

"Persuasion" I don't remember.

In un'edizione elegante, qualitativamente ed economicamente ottima, le Wordsworth Editions propongono le sette opere complete di Jane Austen:

LETTI
• Pride and Prejudice: ★★★★★
Quante volte avrò letto questo romanzo? Sette? Otto? E ogni volta è la stessa storia: passo le prime 50 pagine a sghignazzare continuamente per le preoccupazioni e le incongruenze della signora Bennet; per lo strano modo del signor Bennet di vivere (e apprezzare) il proprio matrimonio; per le stramberie del signor Collins; per l'incipit universalmente conosciuto; per il modo in cui le sciocche consuetudini della vita quotidiana, attraverso lo spirito di osservazione e l'ironia della Austen, acquistino nuovi colori.
È inutile raccontare la trama, che del resto è famosa quanto l'autrice e che più volte è stata trasposta cinematograficamente. Quel che resta impresso del libro è come qualcosa di così quotidiano e ordinario, come la ricerca di un marito in una tranquilla cittadina della campagna inglese, possa essere raccontato con tanto brio, tanta eleganza e tanto spirito.
Jane, nelle sue pagine, non racconta nulla di eclatante, eppure tu sei lì, che volti pagina impaziente di sapere come procederà la storia. Jane non ha bisogno di eventi al di fuori dell'ordinario, o di personaggi fuori dall'ordinario: Jane osserva e descrive il mondo che la circonda.
Non so se sia questa la ragione del suo successo; certo è che, nonostante viviamo in tempi completamente diversi dall'ambiente di cui Jane Austen è cresciuta e vissuta, Orgoglio e pregiudizio è ancora un grandissimo classico. E io non mi stanco mai di rileggerlo.

• Northanger Abbey: ★★★★
Se avessi saputo prima quanto delizioso fosse questo romanzo non avrei aspettato così tanto prima di leggerlo. E invece non l'ho preso in mano finché, alcuni anni fa, un'amica me lo consigliò caldamente.
La sottile ironia di Jane Austen ha qui, come non mai, terreno fertile nel rappresentare minutamente e con arguzia una meravigliosa parodia del genere gotico (e anche di quello romantico). I personaggi di Northanger Abbey sono eccellentemente delineati, i Thorpe non meno dei Morland, gli Allen non meno dei Tilney. E la scrittura frizzante, pungente, a volte tenera a volte acutamente ironica, rende piacevole ogni singola pagina.
In conclusione, credo che Northanger Abbey valga la pena di essere letto almeno tanto quanto vale la pena leggere Pride and Prejudice o uno qualsiasi degli altri scritti della Austen; e in più, vi consiglio di dedicare un'ora e mezza alla visione dello sceneggiato per la TV realizzato dalla BBC nel 2007, protagonisti Felicity Jones e J.J. Feild: molto fedele allo spirito del romanzo e davvero piacevole a vedersi.

• Lady Susan: ★★★
Una storia completamente diversa da quelle a cui la Austen ci ha abituati, con protagonista una donna falsa e spregiudicata. Lady Susan è un piccolo romanzo che non viene mai menzionato, e a ragione, tra le opere maggiori di Jane Austen. È più scarno, più asciutto, scritto in uno stile epistolare che poco lascia intravedere oltre alla singola storia di una donna spregiudicata e falsa, e per questo completamente diversa dalle tipiche protagoniste della Austen.
Non eccellente; ma è comunque interessante vedere l'abbozzo di una storia che, se fosse stata sviluppata in modo più ampio, avrebbe potuto essere, con ogni probabilità, all'altezza di una qualsiasi delle altre storie che l'autrice è stata così brava a raccontarci.

• Sense and Sensibility: ★★★★★
[...] Sense and Sensibility è la storia di tre sorelle che la morte del padre lascia a corto di mezzi, e che l'avidità della cognata, il cui marito è unico erede della tenuta dei Dashwood, rende ospiti indesiderate nella loro stessa casa.
Sin dalle prime pagine la dicotomia espressa nel titolo prende la forma di Elinor per quanto riguarda la ragione, e di Marianne per quanto riguarda il sentimento. Si tratta tuttavia di due classificazioni fortemente riduttive: Elinor non è semplicemente "razionale" [...]; Marianne, a sua volta, non è semplicemente una fanciulla che si può definire con il termine "sentimento" [...].
Il fatto che le due protagoniste siano caratterizzate fin dal titolo del romanzo (la cui prima stesura era chiamata Elinor and Marianne) non deve però far pensare che i loro due personaggi siano monocromatici. Jane Austen mette moltissima cura nel definire le loro personalità, rendendo le due sorelle personaggi estremamente consistenti e credibili. [...] Se l'autrice esprima una preferenza tra le due personalità, lascio a voi deciderlo.
Ma che romanzo sarebbe se Jane Austen non ci avesse messo un Mr Collins o una Mrs Bennet? Di certo non un romanzo di Jane Austen, tanto acuta nel sottolineare con ironia le assurdità e le ridicolezze della società in cui viveva. Così, accanto alle stupende Marianne ed Elinor, ricrea con il solito piglio ineguagliabile personaggi gretti e ridicoli, alcuni dei quali però, nonostante la mancanza di compostezza che spesso li rende fuori luogo in una società di persone beneducate, sono semplicemente spinti da un eccesso di buon cuore: molti di loro sono, perciò, personalità dalle diverse sfaccettature [...] tali da rendere giustizia alla bravura dell'autrice senza per questo offuscare l'attenzione data alle due sorelle Dashwood. [...]
Naturalmente, il lieto fine è immancabile, come lo era stato in Pride and Prejudice; ma se dovessi scegliere un'altra opera di Jane Austen a cui paragonare Sense and Sensibility, sceglierei Persuasion, l'altro romanzo in cui i personaggi sono altrettanto profondi e in cui la felicità è più intimamente sofferta e più giustamente meritata che altrove.

• Persuasion: ★★★★


DA LEGGERE
• Mansfield Park
• Emma

Nav pagājuši ne trīs gadi, kad esmu pabeigusi Jane Austen mūža laikā publicētās noveles.

Pirms pāris gadiem, atsākot lasīt, izlēmu mēģināt paplašināt savu lasāmvielu, un gluži nelasīt tikai manus iecienītos 'mirušos baltos vīriešus', un bailīgi no mammas plaukta paņēmu šo skaisto Penguin Deluxe izdevumu. Ja jau kādu sievieti sākt lasīt, tad jau kuru gan citu, ja ne Austen.

Neko daudz negaidīju, kā tikai spriganas angļu dāmiņas, kuras samīlās stingros, augstdzimušos kungos un viņu savstarpējās muļķīgās nesaprašanas un ķildas. Būtībā šis apraksts atbilst uz visiem 100%, taču tas nav viss, kas tur ir sastopams.

Neatsverams laikmeta apraksts, redzējums cilvēku būtībās un dažādo, ļoti reālo raksturu atainojums, kā arī niansētie, smieklīgie dialogi ir Jane Austen patiesais spēks. Paši mīlasstāsti man bieži vien likās diezgan nepārliecinoši, nejutu nekādu dzirksti starp daudziem varoņiem (it īpaši tas attiecās uz Mansfield Park), un Austen ir briesmīgs niķis censties salikt visus punktiņus uz i, nožņaugt varoņus aiz sarkanā striķa, likt vīriešiem un sievietēm teikt cildenas mīlas deklamācijas un par visām varītēm uzrakstīt laimīgas beigas, it īpaši tās briesmīgās pēdējās nodaļas ar "un tad, kā jau var noprast, viņi apprecējās, citu varoņu liktenis bija šāds un tāds un vēl citu - vēl kaut kāds. THE END."

Ja man būtu jāsaranžē, tad Pride and Prejudice ar savādo, neticamo Mr. Darcy būtu pašā apakšā; tad Mansfield Park, kuru otrajā daļā atsvēra Fanny Price introspekcija un skatījums uz pārējiem varoņiem, kaut arī beigās visu nogremdēja vissmagākais gadījums, kur varoņus tīri labu beigu vārdā piespiež apprecēties; tad Northhanger Abbey ar savu smieklīgo, taču nopietni neuztveramo komēdiju un meta analīzi; tad Sense and Sensibility ar viegli aizmirstamajiem varoņiem, taču vienu no tikai divām sakarīgajām galvenās varones mātēm, kas liek apdomāt pašas Jane Austen attiecības ar savējo; tad Lady Susan ar interesanto, tik tiešām ļauno galveno varoni, kur tomēr nobālēja pārējie varoņi; tad Emma ar saviem izcilajiem dialogiem, asredzīgo sabiedrības attēlojumu, īstu galvenās varones izaugsmi, daudzšķautņainību un šarmu, taču neinteresantu romantisko risinājumu; tad visbeidzot, vienīgo Jane Austen noveli, kas tiešām aizrāva mani - Persuasion.

Kāda tēma, ko ievēroju, ka caurvij viņas darbus - ģimenes līdzība. To es atskārtu, kad pirms kāda laika uzdūros kādam mūsdienu kristiešu rakstam, kas moralizēja, ka mūsdienās jauni cilvēki dzīvo kopā pirms laulībām, jo savādāk nav iespējams iepazīt to cilvēku ilgstoši. Agrākos laikos cilvēki varēja tevi iepazīt caur tavu ģimeni, jo galu galā, tāds raksturs, kāds būs partnera ģimenei, visticamāk iedzims tavā partnerī un tālāk jūsu bērnos.

Šo lasot, es piepeši atskārtu, ka tieši tāds skatījums ir visos Jane Austen darbos. Daudzu varoņu grūtības dzīvē (un lielu apkaunojumu) izraisa savādi - muļķīgi vai amorālām nosliecēm apveltīti ģimenes locekļi, par kuriem jākaunās un kuru dēļ tiek veikti spriedumi par pašu varoņu prāta spējām, moralitāti vai rakstura iezīmēm.
Vienmēr galvenā varone ir atsitusies vienā no 'pareizajiem' vecākiem - Persuasion gadījumā tā bija mirusī māmiņa, kamēr Pride and Prejudice gadījumā tas ir vietā noliktais, visu atļaujošais tēvs. Turpretī ne-galvenajos varoņos šādas īpašības bieži tiek izspēlētas tā, kā gaidīts - brālis un māsa, abi ļaunprātīgi cilvēku izmantotāji un manipulētāji, divas māsas - muļķīgas, taču jautras meitenes, no kurām vecākā ir spilgtāka personība un jaunākā - mazāk spilgta, bet gandrīz tāda pati. Šķiet, ne reizes neievēroju varoņus, kuri neliktos kāds sajaukums ar ģimenes locekļu īpašībām.

Citātus sāku atzīmēt, tikai pēdējās noveles lasot, taču šeit šādi tādi, kas mani uzrunāja:

Iz Northhanger Abbey:
Kā jau pieminēju, Jane Austen šajā novelē ir visvairāk 'meta', viskritiskākā un ar visspēcīgāko autora viedokli, kā redzams šajā citātā.

She was heartily ashamed of her ignorance. A misplaced shame. Where people wish to attach, they should always be ignorant. To come with a well-informed mind, is to come with an inability of administering to the vanity of others, which a sensible person would always wish to avoid. A woman especially, if she have the misfortune of knowing any thing, should conceal it as well as she can.
[..]
But Catherine did not know her own advantages - did not know that a good looking girl, with an affectionate heart and a very ignorant mind, cannot fail of attracting a clever young man, unless the circumstances are particularly untoward.

Šeit iAusten paspīd ar saviem dialogiem.

"What am I to do?"
"You know what you ought to do. Clear your character handsomely before her. Tell her that you think very highly of the understanding of women."
"Miss Morland, I think very highly of the understanding of all the women in the world - especially of those - whoever they may be - with whom I happen to be in company."
"That is not enough. Be more serious."
"Miss Morland, no one can think more highly of the understanding of women than I do. In my opinion, nature has given them so much, that they never find it necessary to use more than half."

Un vēl viens - viena no šī darba galvenajām tēmām.

No man is offended by another man's admiration of the woman he loves; it is the woman only who can make it a torment.

Iz Persuasion

Interesants citāts. Šis varonis tiek uzskatīts par pompozu pāvu, taču ņemot vērā pašas autores toni un zemtekstu gan šajā, gan citās novelēs - angļu landed gentry vienkārši nepatīk, kad šīs lietas saka skaļi. Jā, viņi var domāt to privāti, neuzkrītoši iedalīt kastas un cilvēku vērtības (tikai divās novelēs tiek jebkad pieminēts apkalpojošais personāls, kas nav kučieris), taču skaļi teikt tādas riebeklības par cilvēkiem, kas nav nemaz tik zemākā statusā? Not in my backyard ir lielisks teiciens, kā raksturot šo angļu gandrīz-aristokrātu attieksmi pret darba cilvēku intelektu un vērtību.

"The profession [sailors] has its utility, but I should be sorry to see any friend of mine belonging to it."
"Indeed!" was the reply, and with a look of surprise.
"Yes; it is in two points offensive to me; I have two strong grounds of objection to it. First, as being the means of bringing persons of obscure birth into undue distinction, and raising men to honours which their fathers and grandfathers never dreamt of; and secondly, as it cuts up a man's youth and vigour most horribly; a sailor grows old sooner than any man; I have observed it all my life. A man is in greater danger in the navy of being insulted by the rise of one whose father, his father might have disdained to speak to, and of becoming prematurely an object of disgust himself, than in any other line."

Un tagad sērīgās Annas lieliskās iekšējās pārdomas un emocijas - viņa ir pamanījusi savu agrāko mīļāko, un pēc tam viņai atstātu viņa izteikto komentāru par viņas (pašlaik daudz sliktāko) izskatu. Viņas konstantā cīņa ar savām emocijām, centieni tās apslāpēt un racionalizēt sāpes.

Mary talked, but she could not attend. She had seen him. They had met. They had been once more in the same room!
Soon, however, she began to reason with herself, and try to be feeling less. Eight years, almost eight years had passed, since all had been given up. How absurd to be resuming the agitation which such an interval had banished into distance and indistinctness! What might not eight years do? Events of every description, changes, alienations, removals,- all, all must be comprised in it and oblivion of the past - how natural, how certain too! It included nearly a third part of her own life.
Alas! With all her reasonings, she found, that to retentive feelings eight years may be little more than nothing.

"So altered that he should not have known her again!" These were words which could not but dwell with her. Yet she soon began to rejoice that she had heard them. They were of sobering tendency, they allayed agitation; they composed, and consequently must make her happier.

Cīņa pašai pret sevi, kad viņas zemākie instinkti, dziļākās, neapslāpējamās, bet sabiedrībai nepieņemamās vēlmes viņuvelk darīt vienu, un viņas racionālais prāts cenšas to izskaidrot kaut kā pieņemamāk, vai atklāt un novērst, un justies slikti par šādu vēlmju eksistenci.
Her start was perceptible only to herself, but she instantly felt that she was the greatest simpleton in the world, the most unaccountable and absurd! For a few minutes she saw nothing before her. It was all confusion. She was lost; and when she had scolded back her senses, she found the others still waiting for the carriage, and Mr. Elliot (always obliging) just setting off for Union-street on a commission of Mrs. Clay's.
She now felt a great inclination to go to the outer door; she wanted to see if it rained. Why was she to suspect herself of another motive? Captain Wentworth must be out of sight. She left her seat, she would go, one half of her should not be always so much wiser than the other half, or always suspecting the other of being worse than it was. She would see if it rained.

Kāds interesants, feministiskas ievirzes traktāts, ar skaļi patiektu affinity bias - tieksmi ticēt, ka cilvēki, kas ir līdzīgi tev, ir taisnīgi un pareizi.

"Well, Miss Elliot, as I was saying, we shall never agree I suppose upon this point. No man and woman would, probably. But let me observe that all histories are against you, all stories, prose and verse. If I had such a memory as Benwick, I could bring you fifty quotations in a moment on my side the argument, and I do not think I ever opened a book in my life which had not something to say upon woman's inconstancy. Songs and proverbs, all talk of woman's fickleness. But perhaps you will say, these were all written by men."
"Perhaps I shall. -Yes, yes if you please, no reference to examples in books. Men have had every advantage of us in telling their own story. Education has been theirs in so much higher a degree; the pen has been in their hands. I will not allow books to prove any thing."
"But how shall we prove any thing?"
"We never shall. We never can expect to prove any thing upon such a point. It is a difference of opinion which does not admit of proof. We each begin probably with a little bias towards our own sex, and upon that bias build every circumstance in favour of it which has occured within our own circle; many of which circumstances may be precisely such as cannot be brought forward without betraying a confidence, or in some respect saying what should not be said."

Un tad lieliska atsauce uz galvenās varones mīļākā izteicieniem grāmatas sākumā.

"I was six weeks with Edward," said he, "and saw him happy. I could have no other pleasure. I deserved none. He enquired after you very particularly; asked even if you were personally altered, little suspecting that to my eye you could never alter."
Anne smiled, and let it pass. It was too pleasing a blunder for a reproach. It is something for a woman to be assured, in her eight-and-twentieth year, that she has not lost one charm of earlier youth: but the value of such homage was inexpressibly increased to Anne, by comparing it with former words, and feeling it to be the result, not the cause of a revival of his warm attachment.