Stolz und Vorurteilsfrei lesen
Ich hatte einem Freund „Wuthering Heights“, auf Deutsch Sturmhöhen, von Emily Bronte ausgeliehen. In der kleinen Pause wurde mir mein Hab wieder zurückgegeben und zufällig sah es unsere junge Referendarin im Fach Deutsch. Sie schaute sich das Buch an und fragte mich ungläubig, ob ich das lesen will. Sie dachte ich leihe mir dieses Buch aus, doch wurde dieses Missverständnis vom Freund aufgeklärt. Voller Stolz fügte ich denn noch hinzu, dass ich auch, mehr als Trotzreaktion, alle Bücher von Jane Austen zu Hause habe. Da konnte sich unsere Referendarin vor Lachen nicht halten. Sie lachte mich aus, das hatte ich schon bemerkt. „Langweilig, Schnulzen“, hörte ich Sprachfetzen aus ihrem Lachen, nicht ganz Vorurteilsfrei. Mit einer sehr stolzen Haltung verteidigte ich meine Position und als sie meine Entschlossenheit sah, konnte ich sie umstimmen und sie dazu animieren sich auch mal die Bronte Schwestern und Jane Austen zur Gemüte zu führen. „Pride and Prejudice (Stolz und Vorurteil)“ von Jane Austen, ein herrliches Buch, kann ich nur jedem empfehlen. Wer wirklich einen Roman lesen will, dem kann ich getrost Jane Austen vorschlagen. Ich gebe zu, diese Bücher waren wohl die langweiligsten und aktionslosesten Bücher die ich je gelesen habe, dennoch war jede Seite eine Wonne. Ihr müsst wissen, dass der moderne Leser nicht so sehr auf Präzision der Sprache in den Romanen achtet. Moderne Schriftsteller tischen uns unechte, unreale Figuren, als solche auf. Wenn man diese Figuren analysiert, hat man nicht das Gefühl das dies Wahre, wirklich menschliche Charaktere sein könnten. Diese Schwäche wird mit viel Aktion und Mystery versucht zu vertuschen. Präzision, Schönheit und Anmut in der Sprache sind kaum anzufinden. Erst letztens habe ich eine Kolumne von einer jungen Schriftstellerin gelesen und mich gewundert, wie sie überhaupt ein Buch geschrieben hat. So ein schlechtes und dazu hässliches Deutsch hatte ich, meine eigenen Texte ausgeschlossen, lange nicht mehr gelesen. Jane Austen hat es nicht nötig viel Bewegung in ihre Geschichten einfließen zu lassen. Diese Frau war eine wunderbare Schriftstellerin, die schöne und literarisch hochwertige Romane geschrieben hat. Ihre Charaktere sind echt, real, anfassbar. Sie analysiert die Gesellschaft sehr gut und ihre Bewertungen sind Gold wert. Nur eine kleine Stelle von „Sense and Sensebilitiy (Verstand und Gefühl)“ sei hier genannt: „Jede verwerfliche Neigung hatte ihn auf Abwege geführt, denen die Strafe auf dem Fuß gefolgt war.“ Als Anfangs Lektüre von Jane Austen kann ich jedoch nur „Pride and Prejudice“ empfehlen. Dies ist ihr wichtigstes und meiner Meinung nach bestes Werk. Die Verfilmung ist auch ganz interessant. Es lohnt sich also auch, nachdem man den Roman gelesen hat, den Film zu gucken. Der Film folgt seinem Namensgeber und wurde nicht versucht vergeblich zu modernisieren, was dem muslimischen Zuschauer natürlich sehr zu Gute kommt. Ich hoffe ihr könnt die Motivation aufbringen eure Vorurteile abzulegen und stolz, mit erhobenem Haupt dieses Buch zu kaufen und dieses herrliche Werk zu lesen. Ihr werdet es nicht bereuen…BiIzniAllah.

Overall - 4 stars

Emma - 3.5 stars
Northanger Abbey - 3.5 stars
Persuasion - 3.5 stars
Lady Susan - 3.5 stars
Mansfield Park - 5 stars
Sense and Sensibility - 4.5 stars
Pride and Prejudice - 4.5 stars

Overall - 4 stars

I am a fan of Jan Austen's Pride and Prejudice, and decided to read the whole collection of her books. I just finished book one, Sense and Sensibility.

The Dashwood sisters and their mother are a wonderful example of family unity. It was an eye opener to all things good and proper. The story was well told from Elinor Dashwood's loving perspective. I would of like to see the ending not wrap up into a happy ending so quickly. The end flew buy very quickly to the rest of the book. But, still a very enjoyable read.

The complete set is one of my favourites read, I love me some Jane Austen.

I am drawn to her writing became of the way she merges her story with excellent scenery writing. She writes her scenes so well, I can feel and see the atmosphere at Lyme in Persuasion, I can see the beauty of the surroundings of the cottage when the Dashwoods moves in Sense and Sensibility. The landscape was so beautiful when Catherine and the Thorpes went sightseeing and the oh so lovely scene where Henry Tilney and Catherine Morland were exchanging words on novel writing in Northanger Abbey.

The age of the writing also draws me to Austen's world. I love reading about people in a different time period from the 20 and 21th century. The older the setting the better, 18th and 19th century is just a interesting period where society etiquettes were so class structured. It is one aspect that shows up in all her novels. The Bertrams took Fanny into the family but she was kept on a class beneath Edmund, Julia, Tom and Maria in Mansfield Park. The Elliots with the exception of Anne accepted Captain W into their circles in Bath only when he amassed a fortune on the sea in Persuasion.

Austen's characters are some of the wackiest and best in English Literature. I am glad she did not shy away from characters who would make ladies blush behind their fans in their morning rooms. Maria Bertram and Henry Crawford from Mansfield park, Lady Susan Vernon from Lady Susan, Willoughby from Sense and Sensibility, Lydia Bennet and George Wickham from Pride and Prejudice. I am also appreciated of the men who were so devoted and loved their ladies: Captain W, Colonel Brandon, Mr. Darcy. The comical ones also added laughter and fits of vexation for me: Mr. Collins were just so ridiculous, I could not help but laugh at him in P&P but I just wish Mary in Persuasion would shut up and go away.


Sense and Sensibility

In my opinion it is the best written novel by Jane Austen. I see it as the novel to introduce anyone into the Jane Austen world. Issues of entailment, love triangles, class structure, annoying and dreaded in-laws. All of these are covered in the other novels but there is something about the way it is presented in Sense and Sensibility which makes it more special. It is the only novel where it feels like there are two heroes and heroines, it adds more spice to the plot


Pride and prejudice

I see it as the most overrated Jane Austen novel. I see many lovers of the story label Sense and Sensibility as dry but I see P&P has some of the same things as S&S. For example, the details of what entailment can do to a family. In P&P, Mrs. Bennet thirst to marry Mr. Collins to one of her daughters is comical and the soap opera continues when Mr. Collins pursues the best friend of the girl he once proposed marriage. It is just annoying how Lizzie spend so much time disliking Darcy but how the size of his property helped her realize that Darcy is a catch. I do think that the novel has one of the best opening paragraphs in the set, it pulls you. Jane and Bingley is also my favourite Austen couple.


Mansfield

I appreciate how this novel deviates from having the hero and heroine love story as the main focus, instead it is left for the ending. If one wants to understanding the workings of how different immediate families of various incomes interacted with each other in the extended field, this is the novel. It is home to my second favourite heroine- Fanny. At times I found she was a bit too obsessive with loving Edmund. She should realize that since she was raised almost as a sister to him, a blossoming romantic love would be awkward to comprehend for him and others. I understand that it was the norm of the day for marriages between cousins but it still felt awkward in my eyes. I guess this is me bringing 20th and 21st eyes into Austen 18th/19th world. This novels also sheds some light and interesting insights into marriage. Those who marry all for love with no money and those who married all for money and no love.


Emma

It is my least favourite Austen novel because of the heroine and her obnoxious ways. I really do not believe that she is half as contrite as Austen wants to sell me. I just seriously disliked how she treated Harriet as a project and I disappointed in Harriet for letting Emma influenced her to the extent, she cannot make her own decisions. The opening chapters were difficult to get my juices into and those long talks by Miss Bates does not help at all. Emma and Mr. Knightley as a couples just seem odd.



Persuasion

It is my favourite novel, out of the set. The scenery is just so beautifully written, I felt I was present in Lyme when Louisa fell, when Mrs Russell drove into Bath, when the small party of Musgroves, Captain W and Anne walked as far as Winthrop etc. I love how Austen changed scenes so effortlessly allowing the story to flow without difficulty. My favourite character is Anne and I am drawn to her sweet character in the face of family members who take advantage of her and excludes her from their inner circle. I am amazed how she is in such inner turmoil about her love for Captain W, yet she looks so fortified on the outside. Although I wanted to smack Captain W for adding extra pain to Anne on his return from the life at sea, his letter explains to a certain extent his actions and feels. That letter is very moving!



Northanger Abbey

I describe it as the cute novel with the hero with a nice mouth. It is not so dramatic as the other novels and I like the fun, relax tone. Although there is a touch of mystery because of Catherine over active imagination, the novel is a light cozy read. The hero and heroine is not so over the top smitten in love and I appreciate the difference, compared to the other novels. Catherine is all starry eye but Mr. Tilney is taking his cool time teasing her about books and other titbits.



Lady Susan

I really did enjoy reading in this epistle style form of story telling. I had to warm to the style at first and distinguish the characters but when I settled, it was just an enjoyable experience. Lady Susan is very scandalous and probably the worst mother in Austen world to a sweet hearted daughter Frederica. I was very surprised at the ending, I did not see that coming!

I finished _Sense and Sensibility_ on May 17, 2012.
I finished _Pride and Prejudice_ on March 6, 2013.
I finished _Mansfield Park_ in May of 2014.
I finished _Emma_ on July 22, 2015.
I finished _Northanger Abbey_ on June 24, 2016.
I finished _Persuasion_ on June 15, 2017.
I finished _Lady Susan_ on July 26, 2018

I purchased this in 2007 and finally got around to starting it, and you know what I realised about Jane Austen? She's boring! Ok, I know she's much beloved and Mr Darcy is some kind of heartthrob (at least when played by Colin Firth), but I just couldn't get into the regency game-playing and match making Ms Austen's writing relies on.

I couldn't complete Sense & Sensibility and gave up partway through Pride & Prejudice (which I started thinking I might enjoy it more given its popularity and the fact I've enjoyed a film version). Apologies to those who adore her, but Ms Austen is not to my taste.

Pride & Prejudice: Yes, yes, I went to an all girls high school and never read this. Never saw the movie either. Anyway, mom got this massive book on her trip to the Cotswolds and we left it at the cabin in Cornwall but while we were in Cornwall (http://picasaweb.google.com/jenn.lodi) I decided to finally read Pride & Prejudice. I must admit, I fully expected to be bored. I was so surprised when I loved it! Highly entertaining, scandal, great characters - sometimes classics really are classics for a good reason. I also have to say that it was the perfect book to read the week before getting married (http://picasaweb.google.com/7010lindsley)

My order of preference for these books, with 1 being my favorite:

1. Emma
2. Pride & Prejudice
3. Sense & Sensibility
4. Persuasion
5. Northanger Abbey
6. Lady Susan
7. Mansfield Park

I like Emma because the likable heroine undergoes positive changes over the course of the book. I don't like Mansfield Park because a) it is long and slow-paced and b) I have a lot of trouble rooting for the main character to be her first cousin's second romantic choice. Also, there are so many names introduced so quickly that I just about needed a diagram/family tree to keep track of them.

one piece of advice don't read all of jane austens books like this
the size of this book means it doubles as a murder weapon
i love the stories

Jane Austen's writing style is interesting and unusual. There were times I had to reread things just because the language was so unusual, esp since it was written two hundred years ago.
It was hard to imagine how these rich people who have nothing better to do with their time then sit around and do whatever they want, can be that miserable. They don't know what normal life is, so I kind of had a hard time identifying with them.
I did admire Elinor though. She suffered but never complained about it. It'd be nice to be more like her!
I'll have to watch the movie again now!!

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.

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!