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I used to share Mark Twain's sentiments ...
Mark Twain was not an admirer of Jane Austen’s work as he once declared: “I often want to criticize Jane Austen, but her books madden me so that I can't conceal my frenzy from the reader; and therefore I have to stop every time I begin. Every time I read “Pride and Prejudice” I want to dig her up and beat her over the skull with her own shin-bone.”
My first introduction to Austen’s famous romances was “Pride and Prejudice”. Like Mark Twain, her writing style grated on my nerves so much I could not finish the book. While I believe in respecting the rest of the departed, I too was ready to get a shovel, disturb the author’s grave and brutally pummel into dust what Mark Twain may have missed. Disappointed, I abandoned “Pride and Prejudice” and eventually made a second attempt years later. By that time, I had hoped the chronological lapse would alter my prejudice against her style, forgive the pun, but it still had the same effect on my nerves, but at least I finished the book.
Lo and behold, by some miraculous intervention I was persuaded to try again to see if I could appreciate her work, and this time not just with one novel, but to plough through all her famous books. If you cannot judge a book by its cover, surely we should not judge an author by one book alone? Especially Austen, someone who has withstood the test of time and has entered the history books as one of England’s most famous authors. Would it be possible to overcome my prejudice that had become as unrelenting as Miss Elizabeth Bennet’s towards the mysterious Mr. Darcy?
To be honest, it was a struggle at first. I found myself flipping through the novels and wondering when would I get to the end. “Pride and Prejudice” still stuck in this category for me, “Sense and Sensibility” was also difficult, but after these two, I realized it was just the writing I disliked, get over it! Once I could turn a blind critical eye to her style and concentrate on the stories, the true talent of Austen began to shine through: her unique ability to portray the various characters of the landed gentry of the early 1800s in Regency Britannia, the plotting and scheming for social or monetary advancement, the love triangles, and how true love can over come all adversities even though life will always remain imperfect. Austen was gifted with a keen observation of human nature and possessed a refined sense of the satirical, a master at setting off events with the crash and collision of weak versus strong characters and how all things will settle themselves for better or worse depending on the choices each person makes.
“Sense and Sensibility” ~ After a death in the family, the once wealthy Dashwoods are reduced in their monetary means and are compelled by their change in circumstances to move to a humble cottage on the estate of a distant relative. Can the Dashwood sisters weather the trials of meagre living and find true love among the eligible men from the higher echelons of society now that they must suffer their reduced circumstances?
“Pride and Prejudice” ~ Ah yes, the handsome Mr. Darcy, but out of misplaced pride he snubs Elizabeth Bennet on their introduction. Consequently she perceives him to be cold and aloof, sparking her prejudice against him despite his fortune and good looks. Will ever the twain meet?
“Mansfield Park”~ Fanny Price, a girl from a poor family, is taken in as a ward by her wealthy uncle at Mansfield Park. Fanny is treated as a second class member of the household due to her charity status, but she valiantly suffers through the continual belittlement she suffers. However, an offer of marriage is made to her by someone she detests and the offer is forced upon her by her uncle as a fit match, her ward duly reminding her in so many words of her previous circumstances. As a charity case she could not expect to find anyone better. If she had not been raised in the elegant, refined setting of Mansfield, she would not find anyone in the social circles that mattered, and therefore should take what is on offer. Why, she should be grateful to accept someone who, knowing her former status, has condescended to take an interest in her, and whom he deems to be a fit spouse for her! Will shy, quiet Fanny have the courage to stand up for herself despite appearing ungrateful to her uncle?
“Emma” ~ The delightful tale of a girl who thinks she knows everyone’s heart and is ignorant of her own takes it upon herself to play matchmaker for her acquaintances to the amused chagrin of Mr. Knightly, a family friend. Poor Emma is in for a surprise when her games of love go awry. Will it all end as happily as she envisioned?
“Northanger Abbey” ~ Catherine, the daughter of a clergyman, is invited by a family friend to visit the famous spa town of Bath with them. While there she meets a dashing young gentleman who soon catches her eye and her heart, however, another bachelor attempts to monopolize her time and keep her away from the attentions of anyone else. Can Catherine ditch the self-centred control freak and be allowed to pursue the man who mystifies her?
“Persuasion” ~ Ah, young love! Anne has fallen in love with a captain in the navy, but is persuaded against the match by her aristocratic connections, reasons that all seemed good at the time. Years later, the lovers cross paths and Anne discovers her love is still very much alive. Can there be any hope when in earlier years there was much opposition to their match? More importantly, does he still feel the same way about her after she had rejected his offer?
“Lady Susan” ~ an epistolary novel told through letters. Lady Susan is a devil-may-care socialite who has squandered her fortune makes life a misery for her family and friends. She continues to do so, scheming and plotting for her own ends and welfare. She is manipulative and cunning, and is especially cruel to her daughter Frederica because she is too much like her father and his family, whom she despises. Will Frederica find her true love, or be steered into marriage with a man she has no respect for?
My personal favourites are “Northanger Abbey”, “Lady Susan”, and “Emma”.
“Northanger” is filled with colourful descriptions of the social life at Bath, and Austen’s satire on the public’s fascination with gothic novels was quite amusing indeed, a fun blend of gothic mystery with a humorous, bracing wake-up call to reality displaying the ambitious, greed-filled folly of human nature. “Lady Susan” and the depraved depths that vixen will go to deceive all around her for her own ends was a fascinating character study, so was “Emma” with her playful scheming to arrange the love lives of those closest to her, a capricious innocent tale in comparison with “Lady Susan”! One theme I find interesting in Austen’s writings is the ‘semi-outcast’ family member who is treated harshly but manages to find happiness such as Anne in “Persuasion” and Fanny Price in “Mansfield Park”. A second theme is ‘toxic relationships’ as seen with overbearing parents or guardians, for instance, Fanny’s uncle in “Mansfield Park”, “Lady Susan”, and General Tilney in “Northanger Abbey”. Obviously, Austen seemed to be fascinated with these topics and explored them in different settings.
The final verdict: At long last, I can finally appreciate most of Austen’s work, hurray! I am giving it the full five stars because her development of characters and social situations makes for fascinating reading when you get right down to it. I still have not quite warmed up to “Pride and Prejudice”, but who knows? I promise to give it another chance, I may become the admiring convert, prejudice finally exchanged for undying appreciation.
About the book itself, the edition I am referring to is printed by Wordsworth Library Collection, Wordsworth Editions Limited, (2007). ISBN 978-1-84022-556-3. This version is missing the novel “Sanditon”, probably due to the fact Austen never finished it. I also heard that “Pride and Prejudice” is missing a line in this edition, but as I am not an Austen expert, I do not know if this is true or not. For those of you who like footnotes, this book does not have them, so if you are looking for detailed historical explanations as you read, you will have to invest in another edition. I always find the Oxford World Classics editions very informative if you are inclined to learn more about the historical background of a book. As for the hardback quality, this particular edition is covered in cloth with gold etching for the title, and features a sticker with on the front for the image, not a embossed image printed directly into the cover. The pages are actually thin, the paper more suited for a pocketbook paperback, but if treated well, the book should not fall apart. It does present a pleasing presentation, and looks delightful on a collector’s shelf. However, if you tend to be rough on books, you might want a more sturdy edition.
E.A. Bucchianeri, author.
Mark Twain was not an admirer of Jane Austen’s work as he once declared: “I often want to criticize Jane Austen, but her books madden me so that I can't conceal my frenzy from the reader; and therefore I have to stop every time I begin. Every time I read “Pride and Prejudice” I want to dig her up and beat her over the skull with her own shin-bone.”
My first introduction to Austen’s famous romances was “Pride and Prejudice”. Like Mark Twain, her writing style grated on my nerves so much I could not finish the book. While I believe in respecting the rest of the departed, I too was ready to get a shovel, disturb the author’s grave and brutally pummel into dust what Mark Twain may have missed. Disappointed, I abandoned “Pride and Prejudice” and eventually made a second attempt years later. By that time, I had hoped the chronological lapse would alter my prejudice against her style, forgive the pun, but it still had the same effect on my nerves, but at least I finished the book.
Lo and behold, by some miraculous intervention I was persuaded to try again to see if I could appreciate her work, and this time not just with one novel, but to plough through all her famous books. If you cannot judge a book by its cover, surely we should not judge an author by one book alone? Especially Austen, someone who has withstood the test of time and has entered the history books as one of England’s most famous authors. Would it be possible to overcome my prejudice that had become as unrelenting as Miss Elizabeth Bennet’s towards the mysterious Mr. Darcy?
To be honest, it was a struggle at first. I found myself flipping through the novels and wondering when would I get to the end. “Pride and Prejudice” still stuck in this category for me, “Sense and Sensibility” was also difficult, but after these two, I realized it was just the writing I disliked, get over it! Once I could turn a blind critical eye to her style and concentrate on the stories, the true talent of Austen began to shine through: her unique ability to portray the various characters of the landed gentry of the early 1800s in Regency Britannia, the plotting and scheming for social or monetary advancement, the love triangles, and how true love can over come all adversities even though life will always remain imperfect. Austen was gifted with a keen observation of human nature and possessed a refined sense of the satirical, a master at setting off events with the crash and collision of weak versus strong characters and how all things will settle themselves for better or worse depending on the choices each person makes.
“Sense and Sensibility” ~ After a death in the family, the once wealthy Dashwoods are reduced in their monetary means and are compelled by their change in circumstances to move to a humble cottage on the estate of a distant relative. Can the Dashwood sisters weather the trials of meagre living and find true love among the eligible men from the higher echelons of society now that they must suffer their reduced circumstances?
“Pride and Prejudice” ~ Ah yes, the handsome Mr. Darcy, but out of misplaced pride he snubs Elizabeth Bennet on their introduction. Consequently she perceives him to be cold and aloof, sparking her prejudice against him despite his fortune and good looks. Will ever the twain meet?
“Mansfield Park”~ Fanny Price, a girl from a poor family, is taken in as a ward by her wealthy uncle at Mansfield Park. Fanny is treated as a second class member of the household due to her charity status, but she valiantly suffers through the continual belittlement she suffers. However, an offer of marriage is made to her by someone she detests and the offer is forced upon her by her uncle as a fit match, her ward duly reminding her in so many words of her previous circumstances. As a charity case she could not expect to find anyone better. If she had not been raised in the elegant, refined setting of Mansfield, she would not find anyone in the social circles that mattered, and therefore should take what is on offer. Why, she should be grateful to accept someone who, knowing her former status, has condescended to take an interest in her, and whom he deems to be a fit spouse for her! Will shy, quiet Fanny have the courage to stand up for herself despite appearing ungrateful to her uncle?
“Emma” ~ The delightful tale of a girl who thinks she knows everyone’s heart and is ignorant of her own takes it upon herself to play matchmaker for her acquaintances to the amused chagrin of Mr. Knightly, a family friend. Poor Emma is in for a surprise when her games of love go awry. Will it all end as happily as she envisioned?
“Northanger Abbey” ~ Catherine, the daughter of a clergyman, is invited by a family friend to visit the famous spa town of Bath with them. While there she meets a dashing young gentleman who soon catches her eye and her heart, however, another bachelor attempts to monopolize her time and keep her away from the attentions of anyone else. Can Catherine ditch the self-centred control freak and be allowed to pursue the man who mystifies her?
“Persuasion” ~ Ah, young love! Anne has fallen in love with a captain in the navy, but is persuaded against the match by her aristocratic connections, reasons that all seemed good at the time. Years later, the lovers cross paths and Anne discovers her love is still very much alive. Can there be any hope when in earlier years there was much opposition to their match? More importantly, does he still feel the same way about her after she had rejected his offer?
“Lady Susan” ~ an epistolary novel told through letters. Lady Susan is a devil-may-care socialite who has squandered her fortune makes life a misery for her family and friends. She continues to do so, scheming and plotting for her own ends and welfare. She is manipulative and cunning, and is especially cruel to her daughter Frederica because she is too much like her father and his family, whom she despises. Will Frederica find her true love, or be steered into marriage with a man she has no respect for?
My personal favourites are “Northanger Abbey”, “Lady Susan”, and “Emma”.
“Northanger” is filled with colourful descriptions of the social life at Bath, and Austen’s satire on the public’s fascination with gothic novels was quite amusing indeed, a fun blend of gothic mystery with a humorous, bracing wake-up call to reality displaying the ambitious, greed-filled folly of human nature. “Lady Susan” and the depraved depths that vixen will go to deceive all around her for her own ends was a fascinating character study, so was “Emma” with her playful scheming to arrange the love lives of those closest to her, a capricious innocent tale in comparison with “Lady Susan”! One theme I find interesting in Austen’s writings is the ‘semi-outcast’ family member who is treated harshly but manages to find happiness such as Anne in “Persuasion” and Fanny Price in “Mansfield Park”. A second theme is ‘toxic relationships’ as seen with overbearing parents or guardians, for instance, Fanny’s uncle in “Mansfield Park”, “Lady Susan”, and General Tilney in “Northanger Abbey”. Obviously, Austen seemed to be fascinated with these topics and explored them in different settings.
The final verdict: At long last, I can finally appreciate most of Austen’s work, hurray! I am giving it the full five stars because her development of characters and social situations makes for fascinating reading when you get right down to it. I still have not quite warmed up to “Pride and Prejudice”, but who knows? I promise to give it another chance, I may become the admiring convert, prejudice finally exchanged for undying appreciation.
About the book itself, the edition I am referring to is printed by Wordsworth Library Collection, Wordsworth Editions Limited, (2007). ISBN 978-1-84022-556-3. This version is missing the novel “Sanditon”, probably due to the fact Austen never finished it. I also heard that “Pride and Prejudice” is missing a line in this edition, but as I am not an Austen expert, I do not know if this is true or not. For those of you who like footnotes, this book does not have them, so if you are looking for detailed historical explanations as you read, you will have to invest in another edition. I always find the Oxford World Classics editions very informative if you are inclined to learn more about the historical background of a book. As for the hardback quality, this particular edition is covered in cloth with gold etching for the title, and features a sticker with on the front for the image, not a embossed image printed directly into the cover. The pages are actually thin, the paper more suited for a pocketbook paperback, but if treated well, the book should not fall apart. It does present a pleasing presentation, and looks delightful on a collector’s shelf. However, if you tend to be rough on books, you might want a more sturdy edition.
E.A. Bucchianeri, author.
