I desperately want to begin this first post by asking you what you love about Austen and this novel. It is pretty outrageous on my part because maybe you don’t like her and don’t get it.
But if it is OK with you, I am going to start this way.
Here are three things I love (and I need you to know this is difficult for me because there are at least 8 things I want to say!)
This is a clumsy way to say this, but I love how Austen is pitting her novel’s heroine against heroines of romantic literature. In Chapter One, Austen has our heroine’s parents say, in very unromantic fashion: “Catherine grows quite a good looking girl,-she is almost pretty today.” Heroines are supposed to be uncommonly beautiful!
I will try to tone this down.
I love this opening paragraph to Ch. 2. (I copied and pasted this from The Gutenberg Project, and I would urge anyone who wishes to share a passage to do the same.)
In addition to what has been already said of Catherine Morland’s personal and mental endowments, when about to be launched into all the difficulties and dangers of a six weeks’ residence in Bath, it may be stated, for the reader’s more certain information, lest the following pages should otherwise fail of giving any idea of what her character is meant to be, that her heart was affectionate; her disposition cheerful and open, without conceit or affectation of any kind—her manners just removed from the awkwardness and shyness of a girl; her person pleasing, and, when in good looks, pretty—and her mind about as ignorant and uninformed as the female mind at seventeen usually is.
Austen gently mocks her protagonist, but somehow, despite the wry humor (a term my colleague Kirsten Komara just used about Austen) there is such a sense of kindness about Austen, a deep humanity.
And finally, I love Tilney. I love his sense of humor. I love his kindness towards Catherine. And, I’ve argued in my past as a graduate student that Austen is a feminist and was influenced by Wollstonecraft (more on that much much later.) I love this phrase by Tilney in Chapter 3 when he and Catherine are arguing about accomplishments and aesthetics. “Excellence is pretty fairly divided between the sexes.” He is perfect! He’s the one!
OK. I am now being a little silly.
What did you enjoy?
What do you make of her tone?
Did anything throw you off?
Did you read this and wonder once again why it is that everyone loves Austen and she just leaves you cold?
Let us know what you think.
If you can stand a final thought, I realized as I was reading last night that I had a constant smile while reading these chapters. Austen touches and creates such delight in me.
“Jane Austen? I feel I am approaching dangerous ground. The reputation of Jane Austen is surrounded by cohorts of defenders who are ready to do murder for their sacred cause.” Arnold Bennett, 1927, Literary Critic
While talking to a friend about #AustenTogether, she said she was eager to do this though she was a bit nervous because she considered herself “an Austen failure.” No!
If you are someone who loves Austen, welcome. We are excited to hear your commentary!
If you are someone who has never read Austen, but maybe you’ve seen the movies, and you want to know what all the fuss is about, welcome! At some point, we need to talk about the novels vs. the movies. I will make what might be an astounding claim right now: I have never seen a movie based on an Austen novel. (Don’t fight me on this yet—we can discuss later. 😉
If you have tried to read Austen in the past, and it just didn’t work for you, I’m hoping you’ll give this first novel a go. In some ways, it isn’t as practiced and smooth as Pride and Prejudice, the novel most are familiar with. But I think it is filled with wit, and with a love of reading, and great examples of friendship and family dynamics.
I love Austen’s style of writing, but it might take awhile for you to adjust. That’s fine. Please point out sentences you don’t quite get, and we’ll jump in and help. Also, Austen can be outright and sharply funny, but she also often writes in a very nuanced fashion. When you first begin to read her, you might find that you are missing things. She isn’t trying to hide anything (I have just come from reading freshman essays where a few of my students talk about the hidden messages in the text. I don’t think Austen is deliberately hiding things from us.) So please, if you think you are missing something, share. And those of you who notice an interesting nuance, please point it out. Every time I read Austen, I find new points to consider. This delights me. I see her work as being quite rich.
What is happening this week:
We will discuss the first three chapters beginning at noon, Monday, May 11.
If something struck your fancy while reading, either something that amused or confused you, please post about it. Anything you post on Twitter that has #AustenTogether in it will be seen by people watching that hashtag. If you want to be sure I see it, include @MysteryPhD too.
For example:
@MysteryPhD Reading Austen has changed my life! #AustenTogether
Our plan is to read 3 chapters a day every day.
I am going to create a separate section in the blog for people who are so inclined to share their connection to Austen
Before noon tomorrow, on the blog and on Twitter, I will post a thought about the initial chapters, which you can use or ignore as you wish. You may post your comments there if you would prefer not to use Twitter. The blog post will be up by noon on Monday.
Thank you so much for being a part of this. Thinking about reading Austen right now makes me feel giddy, and in these times, that is something that I need.
In Pandemic Time, what I am calling Now Times, I am taking advantage of additional TV time. I love British crime shows, and when I discovered that Acorn TV was offering a 30 day free policy, I was thrilled to take advantage of it.
It will cost me money if I choose to continue, and frankly, I haven’t made up my mind about that yet. I’ve surprised myself. I adore television, and I figured, since reading has become difficult for me, that I would be spending much more time watching TV. I haven’t. I do about 2-3 hours a day, and some days don’t watch any at all. I mention this because I’ve watched far less than I expected to.
This month, I have only watched Acorn so as to take full advantage.
Here is my list of favorite programs in order of delight.
No Offence
The Blue Rose
Pie in the Sky
Newton’s Law
Agatha Raisin
Unfinished shows that are worth a look:
Above Suspicion
Agatha Christie’s Partners in Crime
For the first five, I watched the entire series for each.
No Offence is one of the best police procedurals I’ve ever seen. I love it! It is female-centric. It, unlike so many other police procedurals, truly shows the different ranks of cops and how they work together. (Definitely fantasy, but still). This is not a show that suggests people in the lower ranks are not as vital as those in the highest. The show is crafty and sneaky and clever. I did predict some things—I am good at this. But I was also taken by surprise, several times. Just read there will be a fourth series. Yay!
I am surprised I placed The Blue Rose so high on the list. I actually think it is in a tie with Pie in the Sky, but I might rank it slightly above. Anyway, it has a terrific premise. Workers (and a couple of outsiders who are connected) at a law firm come together to prove that the death of a fellow worker was murder. The entire series is these people working together to gather information. You will be guessing throughout. Terrific character development. Some wonderful humor. Lots of conflict. Very twisty. Blue Rose is from New Zealand and only one series.
Pie in the Sky is traditional/cozy mixed with some police procedural. Our protag is an inspector who opens a restaurant and for reasons has to continue to be a cop occasionally. The cop aspects often made me upset (you’ll see why), but the mystery part is often quite good. My favorite scenes though, and this surprised me, take place in the restaurant. Our protagonist is a true gourmand and wonderful cook. I also greatly enjoyed his relationship with his wife. Some really good political commentary, and its concern about issues of race and other things makes me even more confused about Midsommer Murders and its white as snow cast that lasted for the first several years. Pie in the Sky is a 90s show.
Newton’s Law follows closely on Pie in the Sky. It is from Australia and takes place in a law firm. Newton is a woman who runs rings around her colleagues. Wonderful multi-ethnic cast, and wow, some good political moments throughout. This is a comedy-drama leaning on comedy. It is a newish show and only has one series, and sadly, was canceled.
Agatha Raisin is based on the book series by M. C. Beaton. My favorite series by Beaton is her Hamish MacBeth one (I’m speaking books, not TV. There is a television series based on Hamish, and I couldn’t get through the first episode.) Anyway, It took me awhile to appreciate the Agatha Raisin book series, but I came to love them. The TV series leaves me uncertain. Aspects of it are terrific, but in other ways, it doesn’t work for me. I have watched all 3 of the series, and I’ll probably watch more, but it doesn’t fill me with delight. And I think I preferred the first series, and series 2 and 3 have completely changed the writers etc, so hmph. But, I am glad I saw it. These are comedy/drama leaning on comedy. Cozyish/traditional.
Unfinished Shows:
Above Suspicion was a really good show, but the first episode bugged me, and I am nervous to start the second. It is a feminist thing—and depending on the direction the second episode takes, I’ll either love it or hate it, and I in the sort of mood that I’d rather not be even more pissed off then I am already. I think it is worth giving the second episode a look, so if I end up loving this show, I will let you know. I can tell you it is leaning hard boiled/police procedural, with one male and one female as leads. He’s her boss and very much a jerk. (Perhaps you can understand what my problem might be.) Anyway.
Agatha Christie’s Partners in Crime is also quite good. I love Christie, but I have a problem with historical shows. It’s me. And sometimes I’m fine with them (I adore David Suchet’s Poirot, for example) but I don’t know, sometimes I’m not. The first episode of PiC was fine, but aspects just bugged me and I never finished it. Again, I know myself well enough to believe that many people would be delighted in this series, and I might even come back to it. Too much else to see on TV so I’m letting it go for now.
If you would like to check out Acorn TV and get 30 days free:
Do you have a favorite show on Acorn? Please share! And also, let me know if you think this is now a service I should pay for. I believe the cost is $5.99 a month. If you have it and use it, I would love to hear.