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So You Think You Know Jane Austen?

john sutherland deirdre le faye

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How well do you really know your favorite author? In this new book, ace literary detective turned quizmaster John Sutherland and Austen buff Deirdre Le Faye challenge you to find out. Starting with easy, factual questions that test how well you remember a novel and its characters, the quiz
progresses to a level of greater difficulty, demanding close reading and interpretative deduction. What really motivates the characters, and what is going on beneath the surface of the story? Designed to amuse and divert, the questions and answers take the reader on an imaginative journey into the
world of Jane Austen, where hypothesis and speculation produce fascinating and unexpected insights. The questions are ingenious and fun, and the answers (located in the back of the book), in Sutherland's inimitable style, are fascinating. Completing the book guarantees a hugely improved knowledge
and appreciation of Austen. Whether you are an expert or enthusiast, So You Think You Know Jane Austen? guarantees you will know her much better after reading it.

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1,2005

This edition

Format
240 pages, Paperback
Published
August 1, 2005 by Oxford University Press
ISBN
9780192804402
ASIN
0192804405
Language
English

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About the author

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john sutherland

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Community Reviews

Rating(4.3 / 5.0, 16 votes)
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16 reviews All reviews
Profile Image for Kimberly .
FieldMarshal
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 16,2025
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While I found the ideas and information presented in this book to be fascinating, I think there were times when the authors were trying too hard to bring something "new" to Austen's works. Some of their readings on the characters (especially Mr. Bennett in "Pride and Prejudice") seemed forced -- and not in keeping with the novel.
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TeucosFoxTrot
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 16,2025
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ITA-ENG
Ok. Probabilmente è un quiz da fare subito dopo aver riletto i libri. I dettagli minuziosi, come le rendite dei possedimenti o le doti, sfuggono alla mia memoria. Le domande sono abbastanza difficili, soprattutto quelle interpretative (e a volte non sono per niente d'accordo con le risposte fornite), però tutto sommato un buon quiz. L'unica cosa che non mi è piaciuta è che ogni tanto veniva fuori l'opinione molto personale (e poco accademica) degli autori.

Ok. So you should probably read this right after you've finished re-reading the books. I definitely couldn't recall certain details, like the returns of the properties or dowries. The questions are pretty difficult, especially some of the interpretative ones (and sometimes I absolutely didn't agree with the answers provided) but all in all, a very good quiz book. The only thing I didn't like was that in certain answers the personal (and not very academic) opinion of the authors came out a little too strongly.
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cyclopsblue13
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 16,2025
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This was quite fun. I didn’t agree with all the answers, but it was a fun way to “chat” over all my favorite Austen titles.
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Pandorious
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 16,2025
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This book will keep you up to speed on Jane Austen details. I find it very helpful to go through it just before the Annual General Meeting where many members can tell you how many umbrellas are used in her novel Persuasion. In other words it’s fun!
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BrawlerJoe
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 16,2025
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Very entertaining. I really enjoy the different quiz levels for each of the books. I think it's helpful that answers to the questions are included. For the essay type questions, there aren't necessarily right or wrong answers but it's interesting to see what the authors had in mind.
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Asim_OV
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 16,2025
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I would never have believed I could disagree so profoundly with Deirdre le Faye. There are numerous interpretations in this book that I disagree with. There isn't even any space for, 'that's not what I think, but it's possible', most of the time I think the authors are just wrong. Occasionally there is one where I think they're being insightful or suggesting something that I've never thought of. But most of the time, I disagree with their interpretations.
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XIJAX
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 16,2025
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I don't know Jane Austen (or rather, her books, as this was all about her books and not about Jane herself) as well as I thought, it turns out. The "Basic" questions weren't all that basic. They mentioned Fanny's Price's younger sibling's names sparingly in Mansfield Park... how am I supposed to remember them? And to what end? Their names are not important.

I disagreed with some of the authors' analysis, but accede that they are professional Austen scholars and I am not and therefore probably in the wrong.

I'd estimate I did the best in this order (makes sense since I've read the top 4 most recently):
Persuasion
Northanger Abbey
Mansfield Park
Sense and Sensibility
Pride and Prejudice
Emma

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heolyeollie
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 16,2025
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Very entertaining. I really enjoy the different quiz levels for each of the books. I think it's helpful that answers to the questions are included. For the essay type questions, there aren't necessarily right or wrong answers but it's interesting to see what the authors had in mind.
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