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review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained
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Title:
Lesley Castle Series: ---------- Author:
Jane Austen Rating: 3 of 5 Stars Genre:
Juvenilia unfinished story Pages: 35 Words:
10K
I am glad
to be reading these juvenilia stories by Austen, but between them
being unfinished and them being written in her teens, it leaves a lot
to be desired.
That being
said, she shows more talent as a raw teenager than about 9/10ths of
the adult hacks today who think that writing a book is just putting
words down on paper. If you want to write a book, then I highly
encourage you to read this. If what you are writing isn’t even this
good, you should give up. Because nobody wants to read your crap and
you should stop clogging up the book pipeline. Let the good books get
written. And if that hurts your feelings or makes you feel “bad”,
then you should also give up, because nobody has time for pansy
writers with paper thin skin.
This post
has been brought to you by the Bookstooge Wants To Hurt Your Feelings
Co., LLC, Inc.
★★★☆☆
From
Bookstooge
A
series of letters between multiple overlapping female acquaintances.
No overarching plot and simply ends randomly after the tenth letter.
This
review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained
therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to
copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions.
Crossposted at WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted
Permission
Title:
Love and Friendship Series:
---------- Author: Jane Austen Rating:
3 of 5 Stars Genre: Juvenilia short story Pages:
28 Words: 10K
This is my
first foray, ever, into Jane Austen’s juvenilia work, ie, the works
she wrote as a child and teenager that were never published. I
enjoyed my time with this short story, but there is a reason they
were never published publicly during her lifetime.
This is a
series of letters from an older woman to her friend’s daughter
detailing the “hardships” of her life. This is very much a parody
and it is obvious from the get-go that Laura (the older woman doing
the letter writing) is an empty headed idiot who makes one bad
decision after another and is the epitome of selfishness.
It’s
amusing because while Laura is sure she is imparting “wisdom” to
Marianne, it is obvious that Isabella (the mother of Marianne and
friend to Laura) is using it to show Marianne what will happen if she
makes the same decisions as Laura did in her younger days. So in a
way, Laura IS imparting wisdom, just not in the way she thinks :-)
I enjoyed
this little tidbit. While it comes in at 28 pages, that’s mainly
because there was a page break after the end of each letter,
increasing the page count quite a bit. The upside is that I read
through this in a snap.
★★★☆☆
From
Wikipedia.org
Letter
The First
From
Isabel to Laura
This
presents a glimpse into the life of Laura from Isabel's perspective.
Isabel asks Laura to tell the "misfortunes and adventures"
of her life to Isabel's daughter Marianne (Austen 516). Isabel argues
that because Laura is turning 55, she is past the danger of
"disagreeable lovers" and "obstinate fathers"
(Austen 516). This initial letter sets up the rest of Austen's
narrative through Laura's letters to Marianne.
Letter
The Second
Laura
to Isabel
This
consists of a reply from Laura to Isabel. Laura initially disagrees
with Isabel's assessment that she is safe from "misfortunes"
simply because of her advanced age (Austen 516). Laura agrees to
write to Marianne and detail her life experiences to "satisfy
the curiosity of Marianne" and to teach her useful lessons
(Poplawski 183). The useful lessons are lessons learned from the
misfortunes caused by "disagreeable lovers" and "obstinate
fathers" (Poplawski 183). Poplawski highlights the importance of
the relationship between females and their lovers and also between
females and their fathers as a means through which Austen is able to
criticise stereotypical female behaviour. As seen throughout the
work, these two relationships are constantly criticised by satirical
anecdotes. Janetta's relations with her father and with her lover,
Capitan M’Kenzie, in the twelfth letter, show Austen mocking the
fickleness of family ties and romantic relationships.
Letter
The Third
Laura
to Marianne
Laura's
narrative to Marianne begins in the third letter and continues
through to the 15th letter. In the 3rd, Laura gives a brief overview
of the origins of her parents, her birth in Spain, and her education
in a convent in France. At 18, Laura returns to her parents' home in
Wales. Laura pauses to describe herself at this age. She emphasises
her "accomplishments", which in that period would have been
things that made a woman a better companion for her future husband
(Austen 516). Laura ends the letter by posing the idea that her
misfortunes in life "do not make less impression... than they
ever did", but that her accomplishments have begun to fade
(Austen 517). The uncertainty of Laura's memory causes Austen's work
to resemble a fairy tale in its qualities of ambiguity.
Letter
The Fourth
Laura
to Marianne
Here
Austen reveals the connection between Laura and Isabel. Laura tells
Marianne that Isabel was one of her few neighbours in Wales and that
Isabel resided in the neighbourhood due to "indigent
circumstances" and for "economic motives" (Austen
517). Laura depicts Isabel as having fewer accomplishments and less
beauty than herself, but being better travelled. Isabel warns Laura
of the "insipid vanities and idle dissipations" of London,
Bath and Southampton, while instilling in Laura a desire to explore
the world (Austen 517).
Letter
The Fifth
Laura
to Marianne
Here
Laura recalls a night in December when a strange man and his servant,
who were lost, stopped at her home in need of shelter. Upon hearing a
knock at their door, Laura and her family converse about the
character of the knock and the knocker's intention. Laura depicts her
initial attraction to the young gentleman, claiming him to be the
"most beauteous and amiable youth" she had ever seen
(Austen 518). Austen's character Laura's instant and "undying
attachment" to the stranger mocks the romantic notion of
friendship as an overused cliché (Deresiewicz 103). Deresiewicz
shows Austen's satirical view of love and friendship by illuminating
the idea that romantic notions of these themes are oversimplified and
stereotypical.
Letter
The Sixth
Laura
to Marianne
This
consists of a dialogue in which the stranger, named Lindsay, tells
Laura and her family of his experiences before arriving at their
house. Coming from an aristocratic family, Lindsay, referred to as
Edward, describes his father as "seduced by the false glare of
fortune and the deluding pomp of title" (Austen 518). His father
wanted Lindsay to marry Lady Dorothea but Edward refused as he did
not want to oblige his father. So Edward embarked on a journey to his
aunt's house but having taken the wrong direction, ended up at
Laura's instead. The letter ends with the hasty marriage of Edward
and Laura performed by her father, which mocks the sensibility of
Austen's characters (Sahney 130). Sahney's analysis shows how
Austen's views of sensibility differed from those of the romantic
novels she is likely to have read in her youth. While sensibility may
have been a value that was pushed upon women of Austen's time, Sahney
makes the point that Austen's use of exaggerated hasty
decision-making in her novels shows that Austen knows the romantic
notion of sensibility is a myth.
Letter
The Seventh
Laura
to Marianne
Here
Laura and Edward travel to his aunt's house in Middlesex. Edward's
marriage to Laura is a surprise to his aunt and to Edward's sister
Augusta. Laura notes the "disagreeable coldness and forbidding
reserve" with which Augusta greets her (Austen 519). Laura
overhears a conversation between Augusta and Edward in which Augusta
expresses concern about Edward's "imprudent" marriage and
consequently of their father's reaction (Austen 520). A discourse
ensues in which Edward and Augusta work out just how many years
Edward has been defying his father. It is through Edward and
Augusta's dialogue that Austen questions the motives of romantic
sentimentality (Southam 26). Lady Dorothea briefly visits and Laura
does not take kindly to her.
Letter
The Eighth
Laura
to Marianne, in continuation
After
Lady Dorothea leaves, Sir Edward unexpectedly visits. Knowing Sir
Edward came to admonish Edward for his marriage to Laura, Edward,
"with heroic fortitude", defends his marriage (Austen 521).
Edward says it is his "greatest boast" to have displeased
his father. Again Austen mocks the romantic motives of Edward and
Laura's marriage (Austen 521). At once Edward and Laura take Sir
Edwards carriage and travel to the home of Edward's friend Augustus
who is married to Sophia. Upon meeting Sophia, Laura praises
Sophia's, "sensibility and feeling," as positive
characteristics of her mind (Austen 521). The two women "instantly"
vow to be friends forever and share their deepest secrets (Austen
521). Edward and Augustus create an "affecting scene" when
they meet causing both Sophia and Laura to faint "alternately"
on the couch (Austen 521). By using the words "instantly"
and "alternately," Austen shows her mastery of language and
the ability of these words to serve as adverbs and also to function
satirically (Lambdin 185–86).
Letter
The Ninth
From
the same to the same
Laura
and Edward receive a letter from Philippa saying that Sir Edward and
Augusta went back to Bedfordshire abruptly after the married couple
departed. Philippa also desires to see Edward and Laura again and
asks them to return after their visit with Augustus and Sophia. A few
weeks later Philippa is married to a fortune-hunter and Laura and
Edward remark at the imprudence and insensibility of her decision.
Laura recounts how perfect and happy their stay was with Sophia and
Augustus until Augustus is arrested for unpaid debts. Augustus and
Sophia had also defied their parents and Augustus had run out of the
money he had taken from his father's escritoire when he left to marry
Sophia. Laura describes Augustus's arrest as "treachery"
and "barbarity" (Austen 522). With Augustus facing a
seizure of the House, Laura, Edward, and Sophia do the only thing
they can do. They sigh and faint on the sofa. The theme of rebellion
and revolution reappears throughout Austen's work and can be
considered conventional (Copeland 92).
Letter
The Tenth
Laura
in continuation
After
Laura, Sophia and Edward recover, Edward sets off to town to see his
imprisoned friend. Laura and Sophia have a "mature deliberation"
and decide to leave the house before the Officers of Justice take
possession (Austen 523). They wait for Edward who doesn't return.
After fainting, Laura decides to take Sophia and set out for London
to see Augustus. Once in London, Laura asks every person they pass
"If they had seen… Edward," but can get no replies since
the carriage they are riding in is moving too quickly (Austen 523).
Sophia tells Laura that seeing Augustus in distress would "overpower
[her] sensibility," especially since hearing of his misfortune
is already shocking (Austen 523). So Laura and Sophia resolve to
return to the country. Laura then tells Marianne that her mind never
wandered to thoughts of her parents, who she forgot to mention had
died two weeks after she left their cottage.
Letter
The Eleventh
Laura
in continuation
Sophia and Laura decide to travel
to Scotland to stay with a relation of Sophia's. At first they are
hesitant because Laura is unsure whether the horses will be able to
make the journey; the postilion (driver) agrees. They resolve to
change horses at the next town and continue the journey. At an inn a
few miles from Sophia's relation, they decide to stop. Not wanting to
arrive unannounced, the women write an elegant letter detailing their
misfortunes and desire to stay with the relative. As soon as they
send the letter, they begin to step into their own carriage to follow
right behind it. At that moment, another coach arrives and an elderly
gentleman emerges and goes into the inn. Laura is overwhelmed with
the feeling that this person is her grandfather so she throws herself
to her knees in front of him and begs him to acknowledge their
relation. He exclaims that she is in fact his
granddaughter.[1] Sophia then enters and the elderly man
exclaims that Sophia is also his granddaughter descended from another
of his daughters. As they are all embracing each other, a young man
appears and the elderly man, Lord St. Clair, claims he is also one of
his grandchildren. Another youth comes into the room and exclaims
that he is the grandchild of Lord St. Clair's fourth daughter. Lord
St. Clair writes each of the four grandchildren banknotes and
immediately leaves.
Letter
The Twelfth
Laura
in continuation
After
Lord St. Clair leaves, Laura and Sophia faint. When they wake up,
both the male grandchildren are gone and so are Sophia and Laura's
banknotes. Sophia's cousin, Macdonald, who they first perceive as
amiable and sympathetic, offers to take them to Macdonald-Hall. They
ride with Macdonald's daughter Janetta, who is to be wed to Graham, a
man Macdonald has chosen, once they return to Macdonald-Hall. Laura
and Sophia see through Macdonald's character and no longer perceive
him as well disposed. Laura and Sophia decide Graham is not fit to
marry Janetta because Graham has no soul, hasn't read The
Sorrows of Werther, and does not have auburn hair (Austen 525). Laura
and Sophia ask Janetta if she has ever felt affection for Graham or
any other man and soon convince Janetta of her love for a man named
Captain M’Kenzie. After analysing Captain M’Kenzie's actions
concerning Janetta, Laura and Sophia declare he must be in love with
her despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. They decide to
write Captain M’Kenzie a letter encouraging him to confess his
attachment to Janetta and secretly marry her. Captain M’Kenzie
replies that it was only modesty which kept him from acting sooner
and thus Janetta and M’Kenzie leave for Gretna-Green to celebrate
their nuptials. Austen's continuous ridicule of love at first sight
expresses scepticism about the spontaneous feelings and the truth or
lack of truth which those feelings possess (Walder 229).
Letter
The Thirteenth
Laura
in continuation
Here
Sophia finds banknotes in a private drawer in Macdonald's library.
Laura and Sophia plan to take a banknote or two each time they pass
through the room because it would be "proper treatment for so
vile a wretch" (Austen 527). However, on the day that Janetta
escapes, Sophia is caught by Macdonald in the act of stealing his
money. Macdonald verbally reprimands Sophia and in response she
informs him of Janetta's elopement as revenge. Laura enters into the
library and both women are offended by Macdonald's "ill-grounded"
accusations (Austen 527). Macdonald tells the women they must leave
in half an hour and Laura and Sophia agree to do so. After walking a
mile or so, they settle next to a stream to rest. Sophia expresses
distress over the situation Augustus was in when they left. On the
road near where they are sitting, an accident causes a gentleman's
phaeton to overturn. Laura and Sophia rush to help and discover it is
Edward and Augustus on the ground bleeding. Sophia faints and Laura
shrieks and runs madly about. After more than an hour, Edward regains
consciousness and Laura asks what has happened since Augustus was
taken to jail. Edward said he will tell her, but after a deep sigh,
dies. The women again become frenzied and finally walk to a white
cottage. A widow leads them into her house, where Sophia and Laura
meet her daughter Bridget.
Letter
The Fourteenth
Laura
in continuation
Next
morning Sophia complains of severe pain in her limbs. Gradually, the
pain got worse and it turned into a "galloping consumption"
or tuberculosis (Austen 530). As Sophia dies, she tells Laura that
she dies a "martyr to [her] grief for the loss of Augustus"
(Austen 531). Sophia dies, and Laura takes to walking out of the
village. She gets into a stagecoach which she decides to take to
Edinburgh. As it is dark when she gets in, Laura does not know who
she is riding with and becomes upset that the travellers in the
carriage fail to speak to her. At daylight, she realises she is
travelling with Sir Edward, Augusta, Lady Dorothea, Philippa,
Philander and Gustavus. After Laura tells them that Edward is dead,
Augusta realises she is the heiress of Sir Edward's fortunes.
Letter
The Fifteenth
Laura
in continuation
The
coach stops for the travellers to have breakfast. Laura seeks out
Philander and Gustavus and talk with, but does not ask about the
banknotes that disappeared in their presence. At 15, Philander and
Gustavus took 900 pounds and ran away. They divided the money into
parcels to be spent on various things. They went to London and spent
the money in seven weeks. They joined a theatre and began performing
in plays. Philander and Gustavus went to their grandfather for money
and left once they had obtained the banknotes. The journey continues
to Edinburgh. Sir Edward decides to give Laura 400 pounds a year
because she is the widow of his son. Laura moves to the Highlands of
Scotland and lives in "melancholy solitude" mourning the
death of her family, husband, and friend (Austen 534). Augusta
marries Graham. Sir Edward marries Lady Dorothea in hopes of gaining
her estate. Philander and Gustavus moved to Covent Garden and perform
under the names Lewis and Quick. Philippa's husband continues to
drive the stagecoach from Edinburgh to Sterling.
This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission
Title: Sanditon Series: ———- Author: Jane Austen Rating: 3 of 5 Stars Genre: Unfinished Novel Pages: 79 Words: 24K
I really enjoyed this unfinished novel. Thoroughly enjoyed it, as it had all the hallmarks of a good Austen novel with all the stuff I love about her writing.
But it’s unfinished. I had barely gotten started when it ended. I was eating the salad, could smell the lasagna in the oven, then the restaurant owner came over, unceremoniously kicked me out of the restaurant. While I was still hungry. Oh the humanity!!!!
This is yet another unfinished novel that I would like to get my hands on a co-authored finished product. Some day!
★★★☆☆
From Wikipedia.org
Synopsis – click to open
The novel centres on Charlotte Heywood, the eldest of the daughters still at home in the large family of a country gentleman from Willingden, Sussex. The narrative opens when the carriage of Mr and Mrs Parker of Sanditon topples over on a hill near the Heywood home. Because Mr Parker is injured in the crash, and the carriage needs repairs, the Parkers stay with the Heywood family for a fortnight. During this time, Mr Parker talks fondly of Sanditon, a town which until a few years before had been a small, unpretentious fishing village. With his business partner, Lady Denham, Mr Parker hopes to make Sanditon into a fashionable seaside resort. Mr Parker’s enormous enthusiasm for his plans to improve and modernise Sanditon has resulted in the installation of bathing machines and the construction of a new home for himself and his family near the seashore. Upon repair of the carriage and improvement to Mr Parker’s foot, the Parkers return to Sanditon, bringing Charlotte with them as their summer guest.
Upon arrival in Sanditon, Charlotte meets the inhabitants of the town. Prominent among them is Lady Denham, a twice-widowed woman who received a fortune from her first husband and a title from her second. Living with Lady Denham is her niece Clara Brereton, a sweet and beautiful yet impoverished young lady. Also living in Sanditon are Sir Edward Denham and his sister Esther, nephew and niece to Lady Denham by her second husband. The siblings are poor and are thought to be seeking Lady Denham’s fortune; Sir Edward is described as a silly and very florid man, though handsome.
After settling in with the Parkers and encountering various neighbours, Charlotte and Mr and Mrs Parker are surprised by a visit from his two sisters and younger brother, all of whom are self-declared invalids. However, given their level of activity and seeming strength, Charlotte quickly surmises that their complaints are invented. Diana Parker has come on a mission to secure a house for a wealthy family from the West Indies, although she has not specifically been asked to help. She also brings word of a second large party, a girls’ school, which is intending to summer at Sanditon. This news causes a stir in the small town, especially for Mr Parker, whose fondest wish is the promotion of tourism there.
With the arrival of Mrs Griffiths at Sanditon, it soon becomes apparent that the family from the West Indies and the girls’ school group are one and the same. The visitors consist of Miss Lambe, a teenaged Antiguan-English heiress, and the two Miss Beauforts, English girls just arrived from the West Indies.[3] In short order, Lady Denham calls on Mrs. Griffiths to be introduced to Miss Lambe, the sickly and very rich young woman that she intends her nephew, Sir Edward, to marry.
A carriage unexpectedly arrives bearing Sidney Parker, the middle Parker brother. He will be staying in town for a few days with two friends who will join him shortly. Sidney Parker is about 27 or 28 years old, and Charlotte finds him very good-looking, with a decided air of fashion.
The book fragment ends when Mrs Parker and Charlotte visit Sanditon House, Lady Denham’s residence. There Charlotte spots Clara Brereton seated with Sir Edward Denham at her side having an intimate conversation in the garden and surmises that they must have a secret understanding. When they arrive inside, Charlotte observes that a large portrait of Sir Henry Denham hangs over the fireplace, whereas Lady Denham’s first husband, who owned Sanditon House, only gets a miniature in the corner – obliged, as it were, to sit back in his own house and see the best place by the fire constantly occupied by Sir Henry Denham.
This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission
Title: The Watsons Series: ———- Author: Jane Austen Rating: 4 of 5 Stars Genre: Classic Pages: 46 Words: 17K
This is an unfinished novel that Austen began, stopped and for unknown reasons, never picked up again. It is 5 chapters long, which is why I’m giving it the “novella” tag.
While I enjoyed this little “taste”, it had many of the same elements in Austen’s full novels so it wasn’t a novelty like Lady Susan was.
I almost didn’t rate this because it wasn’t finished and so I didn’t know how the later, unwritten part of the story would have changed my outlook on the beginning. But I am rating what I was able to read and that gets 4stars from me.
There have been several “completed” versions by various authors. One of them, a descendant of Austen wrote a full 500+ page novel based on this. At some point I plan on reading that. It is entitled “The Younger Sister”.
★★★★☆
From Wikipedia.org
Synopsis – click to open
The timeframe of the completed fragment covers about a fortnight, and serves to introduce the main characters, who live in Surrey. Mr Watson is a widowed and ailing clergyman with two sons and four daughters. The youngest daughter, Emma, the heroine of the story, has been brought up by a wealthy aunt and is consequently better educated and more refined than her sisters. But after her aunt contracted a foolish second marriage, Emma has been obliged to return to her father’s house. There she is chagrined by the crude and reckless husband-hunting of two of her sisters, Penelope and Margaret. One particular focus for them is Tom Musgrave, who has paid attention to all of the sisters in the past. This Emma learns from her more responsible and kindly eldest sister Elizabeth.
Living near the Watsons are the Osbornes, a great titled family. Emma attracts some notice from the young and awkward Lord Osborne while attending a ball in the nearby town. An act of kindness on her part also acquaints her with Mrs Blake, who introduces Emma to her brother, Mr Howard, vicar of the parish church near Osborne Castle. A few days later Margaret returns home, having been away on a protracted visit to her brother Robert in Croydon. With her come her brother and his overbearing and snobbish wife. When they leave, Emma declines an invitation to accompany them back.
This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission
Title: Lady Susan Series: ———- Author: Jane Austen Rating: 4 of 5 Stars Genre: Classic novella Pages: 85 Words: 23K
When I originally read this back in ‘13, it was as part of Austen’s collected “Minor Works”. As such, in my mind it was incomplete, because I was mixing it up with Sanditon. I assumed it was unfinished because it was so short. The reality though, is that it is a novella and reading it on its own this time, I realized it has a beginning, a middle and an end. It is also in the epistolary style (the story is told through letters written to and from various characters) and I have a weakness for that particular literary device. It just works for me, so I had a great time this time around.
Lady Susan, the titular character, is, to put it bluntly, a home wrecker. She’s recently widowed and on the prowl for her next meal ticket. She gets involved with a married man, because “he’s interesting” and then when that causes a scandal, removes to the countryside to live with her brother-in-law and his wife. The wife’s brother comes to visit and Lady Susan decides to play with him. While keeping the married man on the leash AND keeping an eye on yet a third rich young man, who she thinks should marry her 16 year old daughter. Lots of drama ensues between family as the story progresses and we get to see the true Lady Susan through her letters to a friend in London. In the end, the daughter of Lady Susan is set to marry the good rich young man and Lady Susan ends up with the third young man, who is rich as Croesus, but extremely stupid. No come uppances are anywhere to be seen.
I was amazed at just how brazen Lady Susan was in her letters to her friend in London. She tells her real thoughts on everyone around her, outlines in detail her schemes for herself and her daughter and generally shows just how terrible a person she is. I would have been ashamed to even write in my own private journal some of the things she casually and glibly writes about. To be frankly so self-centered and selfish with no concerns for anyone besides herself, well, I’d be embarrassed to admit even to myself that I was that kind of person.
I did have a little trouble keeping track who was who. With several people referring to each other by their titles and last names instead of their family relation or full name, I had to concentrate on who Mrs Vincent Godfrey the 4th was, or how they were related to Miss Emma Murray. Thankfully, I WAS able to keep everyone straight, even if they did just refer to each other as Mrs Godfrey or Miss Murray. Naming conventions and their usage is another one of those little time capsules that I so enjoy about reading older books, even if it does take work on my part.
Reading this by itself emphasized the ending and I was glad to see this as a complete story instead of the “fragment” I thought it was in my head.
★★★★☆
From Wikipedia.org
Synopsis – click to open
Lady Susan Vernon, a beautiful and charming recent widow, visits her brother-in-law and his wife, Charles and Catherine Vernon, with little advance notice at Churchill, their country residence. Catherine is far from pleased, as Lady Susan had tried to prevent her marriage to Charles and her unwanted guest has been described to her as “the most accomplished coquette in England”. Among Lady Susan’s conquests is the married Mr. Manwaring.
Catherine’s brother Reginald arrives a week later, and despite Catherine’s strong warnings about Lady Susan’s character, soon falls under her spell. Lady Susan toys with the younger man’s affections for her own amusement and later because she perceives it makes her sister-in-law uneasy. Her confidante, Mrs. Johnson, to whom she writes frequently, recommends she marry the very eligible Reginald, but Lady Susan considers him to be greatly inferior to Manwaring.
Frederica, Lady Susan’s 16-year-old daughter, tries to run away from school when she learns of her mother’s plan to marry her off to a wealthy but insipid young man she loathes. She also becomes a guest at Churchill. Catherine comes to like her—her character is totally unlike her mother’s—and as time goes by, detects Frederica’s growing attachment to the oblivious Reginald.
Later, Sir James Martin, Frederica’s unwanted suitor, shows up uninvited, much to her distress and her mother’s vexation. When Frederica begs Reginald for support out of desperation (having been forbidden by Lady Susan to turn to Charles and Catherine), she causes a temporary breach between Reginald and Lady Susan, but the latter soon repairs the rupture.
Lady Susan decides to return to London and marry her daughter off to Sir James. Reginald follows, still bewitched by her charms and intent on marrying her, but he encounters Mrs. Manwaring at the home of Mr. Johnson and finally learns Lady Susan’s true character. Lady Susan ends up marrying Sir James herself, and allows Frederica to reside with Charles and Catherine at Churchill, where Reginald De Courcy “could be talked, flattered, and finessed into an affection for her.”
This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission
Title: Mansfield Park Series: ———- Author: Jane Austen Rating: 2 of 5 Stars Genre: Classic Pages: 346 Words: 160K
This is my third time reading this. Sadly, I think this is the lowest rating for an Austen story yet. First time I read it in ‘06 I gave it 3stars, then when I re-read it in ‘14 I gave it 4stars, now in ‘24, I’m giving it 2 stars. I am definitely a mercurial reader and reviewer.
I did not enjoy this at all. Fanny Price wasn’t just a milk sop, she was someone who wouldn’t defend herself or standup for herself, in any way. I get that she grew up being put down by her extended family and that she was sickly, but she is one of these people who is so conflict averse that she will suffer harm to herself rather than even say “No”, just a plain “No”. Instead, she gives all these fatuous reasons, and reasons can always be overcome by someone who is motivated. Just Say No! And Fanny Price wouldn’t.
I think part of my dislike is that since my last read in ‘14, I’ve had occasion to deal with someone very similar to Fanny. Mrs B and I had an older friend who was living on her own in a little one bedroom apartment. Her daughter needed a temporary place to stay and so she opened up her place to her. Her daughter agreed to pay the rent, as she was working a pretty good paying job. She paid the rent for 2 months, then quit her job, starting working at a convenience store for half the money, told her mom she couldn’t pay the rent but kept living there. Then she started bringing her latest boyfriend home. To the one bedroom apartment. Our friend complained and lamented but wouldn’t DO anything. We told her what needed to be done (call the police and have the daughter and boyfriend escorted off the premises and told not to come back) and that we would come over and be right with her as she made the call. But she wouldn’t do it. She wanted us to make the call, us to be the ones to kick her daughter out. And this had happened before. So we told her that we would help her but that SHE needed to be the one to take that first step. She ended up getting someone else to do her dirty work and we haven’t been in contact since. She would not help herself.
Fanny Price reminded of that mindset during this read. I didn’t expect her to solve her problems by herself, but I did expect her to take a step of asking for help. She expected help from her Uncle and her Cousin, and I must say, she was right in that expectation, but when they were being obtuse or confused or just plain stupid, she refused to ask outright. It frustrated me incredibly. We all have problems that are bigger than we can handle ourselves. But pretending they don’t exist, or expecting others to read our minds to know our wishes on the issue isn’t the way to solve them. USE YOUR WORDS!
Maybe in another 10 or 15 years I’ll re-read this again and have yet another reaction to this, I don’t know. But for this time, it was not a good read for me and I did not enjoy it. Which saddens me incredibly because I love Austen’s works 🙁
★★☆☆☆
From Wikipedia.org
Synopsis – Click to Open
Ten-year-old Fanny Price is sent from her impoverished home in Portsmouth to live with the family at Mansfield Park. Lady Bertram is Fanny’s aunt and her four children – Tom, Edmund, Maria and Julia – are older than Fanny. All but Edmund mistreat her and her other aunt, Mrs Norris, wife of the clergyman at the Mansfield parsonage, makes herself particularly unpleasant.
When Fanny is fifteen, Aunt Norris is widowed and her visits to Mansfield Park increase, as does her mistreatment of Fanny. A year later, Sir Thomas leaves to deal with problems on his sugar plantation in Antigua, taking with him his spendthrift eldest son Tom. Mrs Norris, looking for a husband for Maria, finds the rich but weak-willed Mr Rushworth, whose proposal Maria accepts but only for his money.
Henry Crawford and his sister Mary arrive at the parsonage to stay with their half-sister, the wife of the new incumbent, Dr Grant. With their fashionable London ways, they enliven the great house. Edmund and Mary then start to show interest in one another.
On a visit to Mr Rushworth’s estate, Henry flirts with both Maria and Julia. Maria believes Henry is in love with her and so treats Mr Rushworth dismissively, provoking his jealousy, while Julia struggles with jealousy and resentment towards her sister. Mary is disappointed to learn that Edmund will be a clergyman and tries to undermine his vocation.
After Tom returns to Mansfield Park ahead of his father, he encourages the young people to begin rehearsals for an amateur performance of Elizabeth Inchbald’s play Lovers’ Vows. Edmund objects, believing Sir Thomas would disapprove and feeling that the subject matter is inappropriate but, after much pressure, he agrees to take on the role of the lover of the character played by Mary. The play also provides further opportunity for Henry and Maria to flirt. When Sir Thomas arrives home unexpectedly, he is furious to find the play still in rehearsal and it is cancelled. Henry departs without explanation, and in reaction Maria goes ahead with marriage to Mr Rushworth. The couple then settle in London, taking Julia with them. Sir Thomas sees many improvements in Fanny and Mary Crawford initiates a closer relationship with her.
When Henry returns to Mansfield Park, he decides to entertain himself by making Fanny fall in love with him. Fanny’s brother William visits, and Sir Thomas holds what is effectively a coming-out ball for her. Although Mary dances with Edmund, she tells him it will be the last time, as she will never dance with a clergyman. Edmund drops his plan to propose and leaves the next day, as do Henry and William.
When Henry next returns, he announces to Mary his intention to marry Fanny. To assist his plan, he has used his family’s naval connections to help William achieve promotion. However, when Henry proposes marriage, Fanny rejects him, disapproving of his past treatment of women. Sir Thomas is astonished by her continuing refusal, but she does not explain, afraid of compromising Maria.
To help Fanny appreciate Henry’s offer, Sir Thomas sends her to visit her parents in Portsmouth, where she is taken aback by the contrast between their chaotic household and the harmonious environment at Mansfield. Henry visits, but although she still refuses him, she begins to appreciate his good features.
Later, Fanny learns that Henry and Maria have had an affair which is reported in the newspapers. Mr Rushworth sues Maria for divorce and the Bertram family is devastated. Tom meanwhile falls gravely ill as a result of a fall from his horse. Edmund takes Fanny back to Mansfield Park, where she is a healing influence. Sir Thomas realises that Fanny was right to reject Henry’s proposal and now regards her as a daughter.
During a meeting with Mary Crawford, Edmund discovers that Mary’s regret is only that Henry’s adultery was discovered. Devastated, he breaks off the relationship and returns to Mansfield Park, where he confides in Fanny. Eventually the two marry and move to Mansfield parsonage after Dr Grant secures a post in Westminster. Meanwhile, those left at Mansfield Park have learned from their mistakes and life becomes pleasanter there.
This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission
Title: Northanger Abbey Series: ———- Author: Jane Austen Rating: 4 of 5 Stars Genre: Classic Pages: 175 Words: 81K
For this read through, I did my best to peer past the parody asides that Austen threw in and just see the romance story she had written. It was a pretty plain jane, vanilla flavored romance. It was also very much a coming of age story. Catherine is a sheltered young woman and this story was more about her seeing a wider world and the evil side of people, which she hadn’t been exposed to at home, than it was about her meeting and eventually marrying Henry Tilney.
It was also a good reminder of just how insecure and unsettled young people are. Catherine wasn’t confused, she just didn’t know enough to react properly to her so-called friend Isabella’s actions. She had to learn by experience. Overall, I’m a pretty confident guy and it can be hard for me to remember that not everyone else is the same. I have a feeling I’d fulfill the role of General Tilney (Henry’s father) and intimidate Catherine without even realizing it. I know I mock the idea of “special snowflakes” a lot, but I am aware that kids do need a little bit of care in handling, sometimes, but not often.
The other thing I noticed was just how much of a role letter writing played. It is in all of Austen’s stories, but here it just made me think. I am a texter and I write on my blog and I journal, so I’d like to think that I would have been a great letter writer back in the day. But there is a big difference between typing and writing. And there is a HUGE difference using a gel pen and a quill and ink stand. Upon reflection I suspect that I would not have been a huge letter writer unless I had an amanuensis to take dictation for me. If that was the case, I’d probably be sending letters every day 😀
You get a letter, you get a letter, everybody gets a letter! (well, except for you!)
Overall I enjoyed this more than my previous times and I suspect it had as much, if not more, to do with my appreciation of good writing than just having a good time with a story.
★★★★☆
From Wikipedia.org
Synopsis – click to open
Seventeen-year-old Catherine Morland is one of ten children of a country clergyman. Although a tomboy in her childhood, she is “in training for a heroine” and is fond of reading Gothic novels “provided they [are] all story and no reflection.”
The Allens (her wealthier neighbours in Fullerton) invite Catherine to accompany them in their visit to the city of Bath and partake in the winter season of balls, theatre and other social activities. Shortly after their arrival, she is introduced to a young gentleman, Henry Tilney, with whom she dances. Mrs. Allen meets an old school friend, Mrs. Thorpe, whose daughter, Isabella, quickly becomes friends with Catherine. Isabelle introduces Catherine to Ann Radcliffe’s 1794 Gothic novel Mysteries of Udolpho. Mrs. Thorpe’s son, John, is a friend of Catherine’s older brother, James, at Oxford University where they are both students. The two young men come to Bath, where John is then introduced to Catherine.
The Thorpes are not happy about Catherine’s friendship with the Tilneys. They correctly perceive Henry as a rival for Catherine’s affections even though Catherine is not at all interested in John Thorpe. Despite Thorpe continually attempting to sabotage her relationship with the Tilneys, Catherine tries to maintain her friendships with both the Thorpes and the Tilneys. This leads to several misunderstandings, which put Catherine in the awkward position of having to explain herself to the Tilneys.
Isabella and James become engaged. James’ father approves of the match and offers his son a country parson’s living of a modest sum, £400 annually, but they must wait until he can obtain the benefice in two and a half years. Isabella is dissatisfied, but to Catherine, she misrepresents her distress as being caused solely by the delay, and not by the value of the sum. Isabella immediately begins to flirt with Captain Frederick Tilney, Henry’s older brother. Innocent Catherine cannot understand her friend’s behaviour, but Henry understands all too well as he knows his brother’s character and habits.
The Tilneys invite Catherine to stay with them for a few weeks at their home, Northanger Abbey. Once at Northanger Abbey, Catherine and Eleanor Tilney, Henry’s and Frederick’s younger sister, get to know each other better on a personal level.[7] Catherine, in accordance with her novel reading, expects the house to be exotic and frightening. Henry teases her about this as it turns out that Northanger Abbey is pleasant and decidedly not Gothic. However, the house includes a mysterious suite of rooms that no one ever enters; Catherine learns that they were the apartments of Mrs. Tilney, who died nine years earlier due to a serious illness,[7] leaving Mr. Tilney with three children to raise by himself.[8] As General Tilney no longer appears to be affected by her death, Catherine decides that he may have imprisoned her in her chamber, or even murdered her.
Catherine discovers that her over-active imagination has led her astray as nothing is strange or distressing in the apartments. Henry finds and questions her; he surmises and informs her that his father loved his wife in his own way and was truly upset by her death.[9] She leaves the apartments, crying, fearing that she has lost Henry’s regard entirely. Realising how foolish she has been, Catherine comes to believe that, though novels may be delightful, their content does not relate to everyday life. Henry does not mention this incident to her again.
James writes to inform her that he has broken off his engagement to Isabella and implies that she has become engaged instead to Captain Tilney. Henry and Eleanor Tilney are sceptical that their brother has actually become engaged to Isabella Thorpe. Catherine is terribly disappointed, realising what a dishonest person Isabella is. A subsequent letter from Isabella herself confirms the Tilney siblings’ doubts and shows that Frederick Tilney was merely flirting with Isabella. The General goes off to London, and the atmosphere at Northanger Abbey immediately becomes lighter and more pleasant from his absence. Catherine passes several enjoyable days with Henry and Eleanor until the General returns abruptly in a temper in Henry’s absence. He forces Catherine to go home early the next morning in a shocking and unsafe mode that forces Catherine to undertake the 70 miles (110 km) journey alone.
At home, Catherine is listless and unhappy. Henry pays a sudden unexpected visit and explains what happened. General Tilney (on the misinformation of John Thorpe) had believed her to be exceedingly rich as the Allens’ prospective heiress, and therefore a proper match for Henry. In London, General Tilney ran into Thorpe again, who, angry at Catherine’s refusal of his earlier half-made proposal of marriage, said instead that she was nearly destitute. Enraged, General Tilney, (again on the misinformation of John Thorpe), returned home to evict Catherine. When Henry returned to Northanger, his father informed him of what had occurred and forbade him to think of Catherine again. When Henry learns how she had been treated, he breaks with his father and tells Catherine he still wants to marry her despite his father’s disapproval. Catherine is delighted, though when Henry seeks her parents’ approval, they tell the young couple that final approval will only happen when General Tilney consents.
Eventually, General Tilney acquiesces because Eleanor has become engaged to a wealthy and titled man; he discovers that the Morlands, while not extremely rich, are far from destitute.
Having read Persuasion last week, I just couldn’t pass up an opportunity to watch a new-to-me movie version. I have previously watched the 1995 version, but it really felt like that version just touched on the highlights of the story without getting into the nitty gritty details. It was enjoyable but not something I’d ever want to watch again. So I cruised on over to Amazon and perused their free offerings of Austen’s works. Thankfully, this 2008 BBC production was available, so I sat back and enjoyed.
First, this went off the story in a couple of places, mainly the ending. In this, Wentworth somehow buys the Elliott home estate and gives it to Anne as a wedding present. That never happened in the book. There were also a couple of smaller issues throughout the movie but they weren’t enough to really take notice of.
What really stood out to me was the emotional side of things. There was one scene where Anne is reading a letter from her brother-in-law stating that Wentworth is sure to be married. She’s just sobbing and you can feel her pain, the knowledge that she will never have the chance to be with Wentworth ripping her heart completely apart. You’d have to be a stone, or never experienced that level of heartbreak, to not be moved by it. That scene alone made this a great movie.
I really enjoyed watching this for free. I don’t think I’d go out and buy it, but if you can see it for free, go for it! Of course, read the book first. ALWAYS read the book first.
This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission
Title: Persuasion Series: ———- Author: Jane Austen Rating: 5 of 5 Stars Genre: Classic Pages: 193 Words: 85K
This is my 4th read of this novel since 2003. Suffice to say that I really enjoy it.
It is shorter than Pride and Prejudice as well as Sense and Sensibilityand is significantly shorter than Emma (which comes in around the 340page mark). Unfortunately, it “feels” shorter too. While I am a big fan of a short novel, sometimes it isn’t the best. I think the interactions between Anne (with an “E”, hahahaha) and Wentworth could have been longer and more drawn out. Or even more of them. It’s not that they didn’t meet and interact, it just felt rushed. Which ties into the shortness of the novel. But that is my only complaint.
I have always liked this novel because of the age of the protagonists. Anne is 26/27 and Wentworth is 30something? (an OLD man if you listen to Marianne Dashwood 😉 ). Mrs B was younger than Anne when we got married. The calm and collected way that Anne and Freddie (I am not typing Frederick more than once!) went about reconnecting was enjoyable to me. There was very little drama and they proceeded pretty calmly and rationally and allowed their minds to be in control instead of their emotions. They allowed their emotions to influence them, but the emotions weren’t in control. I really, really like that aspect. I see too much of people giving their emotions sway over their lives and then bad things usually happen, either to them or the people around them. So seeing a maturity in the romance is just refreshing.
Despite having read this four times (now), I never can remember which Austen novel it is where a young girl gets head strong and jumps and gives herself a concussion. It is this novel. The scene has always made a strong impression on me but for some reason I simply cannot keep it attached to Persuasion. I’m always convinced it is one of Austen’s other novels and I keep waiting for that scene in other books and am always disappointed it isn’t there; but that only enhances my enjoyment of it when I DO read it here 🙂
I did notice that I no problem getting into the story or the manner and style of writing. Reading S&S last year was a bit of a chore as my mind had to switch mental gears for the 1800’s literary style. But now that I’ve got three of Austen’s novels under my belt (the three mentioned at the start of this review), my mental gears are all well oiled and I sailed through this with nary a hiccup or stickage. That’s always a good feeling and it is how this book made me feel, ie, good.
★★★★★
From Wikipedia.org
Summary – Click to Open
The story begins seven years after the broken engagement of Anne Elliot to Frederick Wentworth: having just turned nineteen years old, Anne fell in love and had accepted a proposal of marriage from Wentworth, then a young and undistinguished naval officer. Wentworth was considered clever, confident and ambitious, but his low social status and lack of wealth made Anne’s friends and family view him as an unsuitable partner. Anne’s father, Sir Walter Elliot, and her older sister, Elizabeth, maintained that Wentworth was no match for a woman of Kellynch Hall, the family estate. Furthermore, Lady Russell, a distant relative whom Anne considers to be a second mother to her after her own died, also saw the relationship as imprudent for one so young and persuaded Anne to break off the engagement. Sir Walter, Elizabeth, and Lady Russell are the only family members who knew about the short engagement, as Anne’s younger sister Mary was away at school.
Several years later, the Elliot family are in financial trouble on account of their lavish spending, so they decide to rent out Kellynch Hall and settle in a cheaper home in Bath until their finances improve. Sir Walter, Elizabeth, and Elizabeth’s new companion, Mrs Clay, look forward to the move. Anne, on the other hand, doubts she will enjoy Bath, but cannot go against her family. Mary is now married to Charles Musgrove of Uppercross Hall, the heir to a respected local squire. Anne visits Mary and her family, where she is well-loved. As the Napoleonic Wars are over, Admiral Croft and his wife Sophia (Frederick’s sister) have become the new tenants of Kellynch Hall. Captain Wentworth, now wealthy from his service in the war, visits his sister and meets the Uppercross family, where he crosses paths with Anne.
The Musgroves, including Mary, Charles, and Charles’s sisters Henrietta and Louisa, welcome the Crofts and Captain Wentworth, who makes it known that he is ready to marry. Henrietta is engaged to her cousin, clergyman Charles Hayter, who is absent when Wentworth is introduced to their social circle. Both the Crofts and Musgroves enjoy speculating about which sister Captain Wentworth might marry. Once Hayter returns, Henrietta turns her affections to him again. Anne still loves Wentworth, so each meeting with him requires preparation for her own strong emotions. She overhears a conversation in which Louisa tells Wentworth that before marrying Mary, Charles Musgrove first proposed to Anne, who turned him down. This news startles Wentworth, and Anne realises that he has not yet forgiven her for letting herself be persuaded to end their engagement years ago.
Anne and the young adults of the Uppercross family accompany Captain Wentworth on a visit to see two of his fellow officers, Captains Harville and Benwick, in the coastal town of Lyme Regis. Captain Benwick is in mourning over the death of his fiancée, Captain Harville’s sister Fanny, and he appreciates Anne’s sympathy and understanding, helped by their mutual admiration for the Romantic poets. Anne attracts the attention of Mr William Elliot, her cousin and a wealthy widower who is heir to Kellynch Hall despite having broken ties with her father years earlier. On the last morning of the visit, Louisa sustains a serious concussion after jumping from the Cobb seawall expecting to be caught by Wentworth. Anne coolly organises the others to summon assistance. Wentworth is impressed with Anne’s quick thinking and cool-headedness, but feels guilty about his actions encouraging Louisa’s attraction to him. This causes him to re-examine his feelings for Anne. Louisa, due to her delicate condition, is forced to recover at the Harvilles’ home in Lyme for months. Captain Benwick, who was a guest as well, helps in Louisa’s recovery by attending and reading to her.
Following Louisa’s accident, Anne joins her father and sister in Bath, with Lady Russell also in the city, while Louisa stays at the Harvilles’ in Lyme Regis for her recovery. Captain Wentworth visits his older brother Edward in Shropshire. Anne finds that her father and sister are flattered by the attentions of their cousin William Elliot, thinking that if he marries Elizabeth, the family fortunes will be restored. William flatters Anne and offhandedly mentions that he was “fascinated” with the name of his future wife already being an “Elliot” who would rightfully take over for her late mother. Although Anne wants to like William, the attention and his manners, she finds his character opaque and difficult to judge.
Admiral Croft and his wife arrive in Bath with the news that Louisa is engaged to Captain Benwick. Wentworth travels to Bath, where his jealousy is piqued by seeing William trying to court Anne. Captain Wentworth and Anne renew their acquaintance. Anne visits Mrs Smith, an old school friend, who is now a widow living in Bath under straitened circumstances. From her, Anne discovers that beneath William’s charming veneer, he is a cold, calculating opportunist who led Mrs Smith’s late husband into debt. As executor to her husband’s will, William has done nothing to improve Mrs Smith’s situation. Although Mrs Smith believes that William is genuinely attracted to Anne, she feels that his primary aim is to prevent Mrs Clay from marrying Sir Walter, as a new marriage might mean a son for Sir Walter, displacing William as heir to Kellynch Hall.
The Musgroves visit Bath to purchase wedding clothes for Louisa and Henrietta, both soon to marry. Captains Wentworth and Harville encounter them and Anne at the Musgroves’ hotel in Bath, where Wentworth overhears Anne and Harville discussing the relative faithfulness of men and women in love. Deeply moved by what Anne says about women not giving up their feelings of love even when all hope is lost, Wentworth writes her a note declaring his feelings for her. Outside the hotel, Anne and Wentworth reconcile, affirm their love for each other, and renew their engagement. Lady Russell admits she was wrong about Wentworth and endorses the engagement. William leaves Bath; Mrs Clay soon follows him and becomes his mistress, making it more likely that he will inherit Kellynch Hall as the danger of her marrying Sir Walter has passed. Once Anne and Wentworth have married, Wentworth helps Mrs Smith recover the remaining assets that William had kept from her. Anne settles into her new life as the wife of a Navy captain.
This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission
Title: Pride and Prejudice Series: ———- Author: Jane Austen Rating: 5 of 5 Stars Genre: Classic Pages: 275 Words: 124K
This will be a bit different from my usual review. Lashaan and I did a buddy read of this and we used a series of questions I found online to help us talk about the book. There were 11 questions in total and I chose to answer 7 of them. I found the other 4 stupid, insipid, insulting or just plain not a subject I cared one whit for. After the questions I have some general thoughts. And I’ve included a link to Lashaan’s review at the end. Please visit his review when it goes live to see another whole take on this book 😀
1. “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a goodfortune,must be in want of a wife.” This first line has become one of the most famous in Englishliterature. In addition to setting the narrative in motion, how does this line alert us to thetone of the novel and our role, as readers, in appreciating it? What does the line implyabout women?
I’ll work backwards on this. Addressing that last question first.
When you talk about the opening line, you have to also use the second to put it into context: “However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered as the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters.”
So what the opening implies about women, and then about men, is that they are both playing pieces for their elders. It’s not about gender (despite what the questioner is trying to force into this). Both are pawns are on the chessboard of marriage.
The role of the reader is whatever the reader wants it to be. It doesn’t matter what the author thinks, or tries to do. The reader is an independent being and a good author acknowledges this and simply writes their story without forcing their reader into the slavery of being “in a role”. Only Message writers do that.
As for the tone of the novel, I’d say it it sets a jolly good tone! Funny, amusing and yet acknowledging the foibles of the culture the author is living in.
So there we go. My first set of ranty answers to the first question 😀
2. Elizabeth is upset to learn that Charlotte has accepted Mr. Collins’s marriageproposal. Doyou think Charlotte should have married Mr. Collins? Did she choose him or did he chooseher? What do you think influenced her decision to accept him? Is Charlotte a romantic? IsElizabeth?
At 27, being plain, poor and unconnected, Charlotte didn’t have much choice if she didn’t want to end up being a burden to her family. While I suspect she will regret in the future her choice of Mr Collins, tempermentally she seems fit to deal with his particular brand of pride and false-humility. And now she is mistress of her own establishment with greater things to come. Her children won’t be in her circumstances and thus will hopefully be able to have more choices open to them.
I’d say Charlotte definitely chose Mr Collins. He was just wafting around like a butterfly, looking for the first open flower. She saw him coming a mile away. Besides, Mr Collins seems to stupid to do any real choosing 😀
I think my answer to the first question also answers this. Material stability goes a long way towards making a relationship stable. Charlotte knew what her future held and so she did what she had to to change it, for the better.
I don’t see Charlotte as romantic at all. She’s just super realistic. Elizabeth on the other hand is fully infected with the “Love is Our Guiding Light” idea. Of course, given what Elizabeth sees between her father and mother, one can forgive her for wanting some genuine love in a relationship.
3. How does Pemberley play a role in Elizabeth’s change of heart? Does she really fall inlove with Darcy after seeing his estate? Trace the development of her feelings for him.Why is Darcy attracted to Elizabeth? Trace the development of his feelings for her.
I think this question is a bit too “school report” like for my taste. Plus, you know, feelings. Seeing Pemberley was just another check mark in the positive side for Darcy. Not because it was all big and rich, but because of the character it displayed and thus by extension, Darcy’s character. You can tell a lot about a person by their living quarters. And by the people they keep around them. So it simply helped Elizabeth begin to change her feelings towards Darcy. She saw another side of him displayed through Pemberley. She was discerning enough to see that and to look beyond the wealth itself.
4. What might have happened if Elizabeth had accepted Darcy’s first proposal? Do you thinkhe really expected her to accept? How does the first proposal change their feelings for, andopinions of, each other?
I think their marriage would have ended in disaster. He wouldn’t have respected her and she never would have loved him him. They both needed to change themselves and see the other in a more accurate light before their marriage could have worked.
I do think Darcy expected an acceptance. I’m pretty sure when they are talking about it later he says something like “you had everything to gain and nothing to lose by accepting my proposal. At least that is how I saw it at the time”.
I think Darcy’s proposal opened Elizabeth’s eyes to the fact that Darcy did love her. He wasn’t just attracted to her, but he loved her. That allowed her to realize that her feelings of prejudice might need to change. And Darcy got a good earful from Elizabeth and he needed that to set him on the path of seeing her as an equal in any marriage endeavor and not just an emotional and sexual outlet.
7. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet do not agree on very much, especially when it comes to theirdaughters’ futures. Who is the better parent—Mr. or Mrs. Bennet? What role does familyplay in this novel?
Neither of them is the better parent. Mr Bennet is the least worst though. Lydia is exactly like her mother, so it shouldn’t have come as any surprise to anyone at her running away with Wickham and not caring at all about getting married. Mr Bennet could have helped guide his wife’s character growth at the beginning of their marriage but chose not to fight that battle and he reaped the harvest with a selfish, vain, silly woman for a wife.
Family plays a huge role! The Bennetts. Darcy’s sister and Aunt. Mr Bingley’s sister. Elizabeth’s Aunt and Uncle. Even Wickham is a pseudo-family of the Darcy’s. You can’t go very far without a family interaction.
8. Darcy says that Wickham tried to elope with Georgiana for revenge. Does revenge play a part in his elopement with Lydia?
I don’t think it does at all. I think Wickham needed an out and Lydia provided the easiest and most comfortable out. I have to admit, Wickham running away with Lydia still puzzles me.
11. Why is this novel so popular? Why do readers keep coming back to it, even after the original suspense is gone and they know how it ends?
Because it’s a girly romance and there are more women in the world than men.
Is my off the cuff, flippant remark, hahahahaa.
My serious answer would be that the Initially Thwarted Romance between Jane and Mr Bingley and the Enemies to Lovers Romance between Elizabeth and Mr Darcy speaks to a lot of women. “I” like it because it’s a romantic story that shows some real human foibles and it’s some very fine writing.
I skipped a bunch of questions because they pissed me off. I hate social media so wanted to nothing to do with that question. I disliked the leading question about Irony because I don’t like being led down a certain path by somebody else. Finally, I don’t care two figs for what it might have been originally titled. It is called Pride and Prejudice and that’ that. It’s overthinking things for the sake of overthinking to do any more on the title.
Bookstooge’s General Thoughts:
I must admit, I did not like this format of Question and Answer. I felt stifled, hemmed in and like I was back in highschool with a teacher looking over my shoulder. While it made writing a review much easier (I pasted/copied the questions and my answers from my emails to Lashaan), I totally did not enjoy the reading process itself. My brain did not have the freedom to wander down the byways because I was focused on trying to “pay attention” to the story so I could answer the questions.
It’s not that the Q&A is a bad way of doing things, especially for younger people who haven’t been trained to think for themselves yet. It gives them a framework within which to work, otherwise they’d be left floundering and their thoughts would be “I liked this” or “I didn’t like this” without any further explanation. But I am not a kid any more. Sadly, I haven’t been for a long time and I have much vaster reading experience now than I did back when I was a teenager (even as well read as I was then). For me, the reading experience itself is part of the process. I simply flow into the story, absorb it and let it knock around my brain like a pair of dice. Then I release it and see what happens. That’s how I read and review now. It’s been quite the revelation to me to come to that realization.
I am also glad that “I” am the one that chose the questions, that way I have nobody but myself to blame, hahahaahahaa.
Overall, while this Q&A was quite the different approach, and one that I’m happy to have applied, it won’t be happening again.
1. “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” This first line has become one of the most famous in English literature. In addition to setting the narrative in motion, how does this line alert us to the tone of the novel and our role, as readers, in appreciating it? What does the line imply about women? (From the Chicago Public Library’s One Book, One Chicago pamphlet on Pride and Prejudice, 2005)
2. Elizabeth is upset to learn that Charlotte has accepted Mr. Collins’s marriage proposal. Do you think Charlotte should have married Mr. Collins? Did she choose him or did he choose her? What do you think influenced her decision to accept him? Is Charlotte a romantic? Is Elizabeth?
3. How does Pemberley play a role in Elizabeth’s change of heart? Does she really fall in love with Darcy after seeing his estate? Trace the development of her feelings for him. Why is Darcy attracted to Elizabeth? Trace the development of his feelings for her.
4. What might have happened if Elizabeth had accepted Darcy’s first proposal? Do you think he really expected her to accept? How does the first proposal change their feelings for, and opinions of, each other?
5. Several letters are reproduced in full in the text. What is the effect on you as a reader when you read a letter instead of getting the information contained in it from the 3rd person narrator? Why do you think Austen might have used letters so often in this novel? (There are 59 references to letters in the book.)
6. How does the title Pride and Prejudice relate to the original title Jane Austen used for the novel, First Impressions? Do you think Pride and Prejudice is a better title? Why? How does it relate to Elizabeth? Darcy? Does it relate to other characters in the novel?
7. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet do not agree on very much, especially when it comes to their daughters’ futures. Who is the better parent—Mr. or Mrs. Bennet? What role does family play in this novel?
8. Darcy says that Wickham tried to elope with Georgiana for revenge. Does revenge play a part in his elopement with Lydia?
9. Lady Catherine’s visit to Elizabeth to persuade her not to marry Darcy actually has the opposite effect and propels them toward the final conclusion, their marriage. What is it about this use of dramatic irony that is so appealing to readers? What other examples of irony do you find in the novel?
10. The novel has many universal themes that make it relevant today and inspire contemporary spin-offs and adaptations. Imagine the Facebook pages of each of the Bennet daughters. Who would be most active on Facebook? How would their entries differ from each other? Would any of them choose not to be on Facebook?
11. Why is this novel so popular? Why do readers keep coming back to it, even after the original suspense is gone and they know how it ends?
From Wikipedia.org
Synopsis – Click to Open
In the early 19th century, the Bennet family live at their Longbourn estate, situated near the village of Meryton in Hertfordshire, England. Mrs Bennet’s greatest desire is to marry off her five daughters to secure their futures.
The arrival of Mr Bingley, a rich bachelor who rents the neighbouring Netherfield estate, gives her hope that one of her daughters might contract an advantageous marriage, because “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife”.
At a ball, the family is introduced to the Netherfield party, including Mr Bingley, his two sisters and Mr Darcy, his dearest friend. Mr Bingley’s friendly and cheerful manner earns him popularity among the guests. He appears interested in Jane, the eldest Bennet daughter. Mr Darcy, reputed to be twice as wealthy as Mr Bingley, is haughty and aloof, causing a decided dislike of him. He declines to dance with Elizabeth, the second-eldest Bennet daughter, as she is “not handsome enough”. Although she jokes about it with her friend, Elizabeth is deeply offended. Despite this first impression, Mr Darcy secretly begins to find himself drawn to Elizabeth as they continue to encounter each other at social events, appreciating her wit and frankness.
Mr Collins, the heir to the Longbourn estate, visits the Bennet family with the intention of finding a wife among the five girls under the advice of his patroness Lady Catherine de Bourgh, also revealed to be Mr Darcy’s aunt. He decides to pursue Elizabeth. The Bennet family meet the charming army officer George Wickham, who tells Elizabeth in confidence about Mr Darcy’s unpleasant treatment of him in the past. Elizabeth, blinded by her prejudice toward Mr Darcy, believes him.
Elizabeth dances with Mr Darcy at a ball, where Mrs Bennet hints loudly that she expects Jane and Bingley to become engaged. Elizabeth rejects Mr Collins’ marriage proposal, to her mother’s fury and her father’s relief. Mr Collins instead proposes to Charlotte Lucas, a friend of Elizabeth.
Having heard Mrs Bennet’s words at the ball and disapproving of the marriage, Mr Darcy joins Mr Bingley in a trip to London and, with the help of his sisters, persuades him not to return to Netherfield. A heartbroken Jane visits her Aunt and Uncle Gardiner in London to raise her spirits, while Elizabeth’s hatred for Mr Darcy grows as she suspects he was responsible for Mr Bingley’s departure.
In the spring, Elizabeth visits Charlotte and Mr Collins in Kent. Elizabeth and her hosts are invited to Rosings Park, Lady Catherine’s home. Mr Darcy and his cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam, are also visiting Rosings Park. Fitzwilliam tells Elizabeth how Mr Darcy recently saved a friend, presumably Bingley, from an undesirable match. Elizabeth realises that the prevented engagement was to Jane.
Mr Darcy proposes to Elizabeth, declaring his love for her despite her low social connections. She is shocked, as she was unaware of Mr Darcy’s interest, and rejects him angrily, saying that he is the last person she would ever marry and that she could never love a man who caused her sister such unhappiness; she further accuses him of treating Wickham unjustly. Mr Darcy brags about his success in separating Bingley and Jane and sarcastically dismisses the accusation regarding Wickham without addressing it.
The next day, Mr Darcy gives Elizabeth a letter, explaining that Wickham, the son of his late father’s steward, had refused the “living” his father had arranged for him and was instead given money for it. Wickham quickly squandered the money and tried to elope with Darcy’s 15-year-old sister, Georgiana, for her considerable dowry. Mr Darcy also writes that he separated Jane and Bingley because he believed her indifferent to Bingley and because of the lack of propriety displayed by her family. Elizabeth is ashamed by her family’s behaviour and her own prejudice against Mr Darcy.
Months later, Elizabeth accompanies the Gardiners on a tour of Derbyshire. They visit Pemberley, Darcy’s estate. When Mr Darcy returns unexpectedly, he is exceedingly gracious with Elizabeth and the Gardiners. Elizabeth is surprised by Darcy’s behaviour and grows fond of him, even coming to regret rejecting his proposal. She receives news that her sister Lydia has run off with Wickham. She tells Mr Darcy, then departs in haste. After an agonising interim, Wickham agrees to marry Lydia. She visits the family and tells Elizabeth that Mr Darcy was at her wedding. Though Mr Darcy had sworn everyone involved to secrecy, Mrs Gardiner now feels obliged to inform Elizabeth that he secured the match, at great expense and trouble to himself.
Mr Bingley and Mr Darcy return to Netherfield. Jane accepts Mr Bingley’s proposal. Lady Catherine, having heard rumours that Elizabeth intends to marry Mr Darcy, visits her and demands she promise never to accept Mr Darcy’s proposal, as she and Darcy’s late mother had already planned his marriage to her daughter Anne. Elizabeth refuses and asks the outraged Lady Catherine to leave. Darcy, heartened by his aunt’s indignant relaying of Elizabeth’s response, again proposes to her and is accepted.
