Jane Austen

[jellyfishannah]

I am sorry to say I have never read any Jane Austen. (too bad, 'cause I really wanted to be one of those clever, well-read people)

I have, however watched a lot of the movies. Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, Emma(an older version), and Sense and Sensibility (which I really enjoyed)

I do plan on reading one of those in the near future but....You don't know how long the list of 'books I must read' is!!!

[cee2lee2]

But these are worth putting at the top of that list!

[dawningoftime]

I love Jane Austen. I've read P&P, Sense and Sensability, Emma, and Mansfield Park. I have to admit my favorite book is Pride and Prejudice if for nothing else the cat fight between Lady Catharine and Elizabeth.

[Bilbo]

There are a many great people who are both intellectual and hate Jane Austin. The Big Read has just proven that (I'm in the favourite book!). Another point to make is that many people who are intellectual can find Jane Austin books boring (like Shakespeare).

[sun-star]

Originally posted by Bilbo
There are a many great people who are both intellectual and hate Jane Austin. The Big Read has just proven that (I'm in the favourite book!).

Ah, but Pride and Prejudice is second on the list behind LOTR - so what does that prove?

[Mercutio]

Today is Jane Austen's Birthday.


How could someone be intellectual and not like Austen?

[dawningoftime]

I saw on TheOneRing.net that Pride and Prejudice came in second to LoTR for the UK's Big Read

[Lótiel]

Austen is one of my favourite authors. I´ve read P&P, Sense&sensibility, persuasions and Emma. I realy want to read the rest of her books, but right now I live in a place where it´s impossible to get hold of english books.

I have the BBC P&P series at home, and I watch it every now and then. I absolutly adore Mr. Darcy, he´s so classy and rude.

Btw, did you know that Bridget Jones`Diary is loosly based on P&P?

[dawningoftime]

yeah and the movie CLUELESS is loosely based on Emma

[Linaewen]

Last night and today I've been engaged in a reading marathon, and I've finished off Pride and Prejudice. It was extremely engaging; I was incapable of putting it down (even in the restaurant). I take my not being able to stand some of the characters (Mrs Bennet, Lydia, Mr Collins) as a sign of it being well written.

Maybe we could have our Austen discussion now, eh, Zales? (Azalea).

[dawningoftime]

I just got done reading this book on the life and times of Jane Austen and apparently she told her family what happpened to Kitty and Mary. Mary married a clerk in Meryton and was considered by the town the most accomplished lady. Kitty married a clergyman near Pemberly. (just in case anyone was interested).

[sun-star]

And didn't she say that Jane and Bingley went to live near Pemberly too? I seem to remember something about that. I think it's great that she thought so much about her characters after she was done writing about them (almost Tolkien-esque, in fact ).

What was the name of the book you were reading? I'm always on the look-out for more books about Austen.

[Linaewen]

Originally posted by sun-star
And didn't she say that Jane and Bingley went to live near Pemberly too? I seem to remember something about that. I think it's great that she thought so much about her characters after she was done writing about them (almost Tolkien-esque, in fact ).

Yes, the situation apparently made both Jane and Eliza happier, because not only were they happily married, but they were very close to each other.

I'm glad we find out what happened to the. IMHO, there wasn't that much closure for the book.

[azalea]

Originally posted by Linaewen
Last night and today I've been engaged in a reading marathon, and I've finished off Pride and Prejudice. It was extremely engaging; I was incapable of putting it down (even in the restaurant). I take my not being able to stand some of the characters (Mrs Bennet, Lydia, Mr Collins) as a sign of it being well written.

Maybe we could have our Austen discussion now, eh, Zales? (Azalea).

Sure! What subject would you like to discuss first about one of the best books ever written? (Note: my posting may be a little spotty, but I'll keep replying even if it takes a few days! Plus it looks like we have enough other P&P fans to keep the discussion flowing nicely ).

[Linaewen]

Originally posted by azalea
Sure! What subject would you like to discuss first about one of the best books ever written? (Note: my posting may be a little spotty, but I'll keep replying even if it takes a few days! Plus it looks like we have enough other P&P fans to keep the discussion flowing nicely ).

What about ...marriage?

I don't know, I'd have to read some study notes on it, and pick some discussion points. One thing I'm not quite clear on at this point in time (I have some ideas but I'm not sure how reasonable they are), is why everyone was so eager for Lydia and Wickham to marry? (Other than Mrs Bennet, I mean).

[sun-star]

Originally posted by Linaewen
One thing I'm not quite clear on at this point in time (I have some ideas but I'm not sure how reasonable they are), is why everyone was so eager for Lydia and Wickham to marry? (Other than Mrs Bennet, I mean).

It's really for the sake of Lydia's reputation. Their elopement was a terrible scandal, and a marriage was the best way to hush it up. If they hadn't got married at all, Lydia would have been ruined and no other man would have thought of marrying her because she had already lived with a man outside marriage (and we can guess what they were doing while they were missing... ). Her reputation would have been lost. But if they got married, at least their children would be legimate and they could enter society in another place which didn't know about the elopement.

You really have to understand the 19th century mindset, which can be quite hard for us today.

[dawningoftime]

England, at that time, was also big on marrying for material reasons. If Lydia had not married Wickham in the hasty manner that she did, the rest of the sisters could forget about marrying well. As it was Lady Cathrarine wasn't too pleased with Elizabeth, for amoung other things, the connection with Lydia was going to be a disgrace. Any misconduct on the part of one family member reflected the conduct of the whole family.

[Linaewen]

Originally posted by sun-star
It's really for the sake of Lydia's reputation. Their elopement was a terrible scandal, and a marriage was the best way to hush it up. If they hadn't got married at all, Lydia would have been ruined and no other man would have thought of marrying her because she had already lived with a man outside marriage (and we can guess what they were doing while they were missing... ). Her reputation would have been lost. But if they got married, at least their children would be legimate and they could enter society in another place which didn't know about the elopement.

You really have to understand the 19th century mindset, which can be quite hard for us today.

Thanks. I thought so, but then I was thinking that maybe her actually running off and eloping would be even more scandalous.

I seem to have forgotten the nature of Wickham's feelings for Lydia.

[azalea]

Well, that's what the scandal was -- that she had disappeared from the house where she was staying with respectable people, off with George Wickham, and thereby was an unmarried young woman, UNCHAPERONED ( ) with a young man! The fact that she was not with a chaperone, regardless of whether or not she actually did consumate the relationship outside of marital bonds (which I think she did, but how would anyone really know unless she told them), would lead everyone to speculate that she had, because what other reason would there be for them to run off together as a not-yet-married couple? So tongues would wag, and, while the lower classes weren't subject to the same kind of censure (although it still wasn't an accepted practice, and an unwed mother would indeed be censured), a young woman of "society" must be shunned by that "society" if she has a marred reputation. (It was bad enough that her parents had allowed ALL their daughters to be "out" before the oldest had married. ) So of course if they came back married, tongues would still wag (as they did), but no one could say "oh, she wasn't married before" since they weren't there, plus the fact that although he hadn't intended to marry her (which makes what Darcy did all the more important and romantic), she did come back as a married woman, which made her at least respectable enough for the other girls not to be "marred" by association.

[Lótiel]

Originally posted by Linaewen
I seem to have forgotten the nature of Wickham's feelings for Lydia.

There weren´t any true feelings from Wickhams side. The book says that he still hoped on marrying a girl with fortune, and hints that Lydia was more "spare-time activity". aND his friend Denny said that Wickham never intended to marry her.

Ah, Mr Darcy! I just love him! And Colin Firth playing him too! Anyone who has seen the TV-series? Have the DVD at home, love it!

Very interesting that Kitty and especially Mary got married, I always wondered what happened to them. Everytime I read the book I hope that Mary and Mr. Collins could get together, think they would match.

Mrs. Bennet, Lydia and Mr Collins are absolutely awful, can´t stand them. But as yo said Linaewen if they weren´t that well written, they wouldn´t get to me this bad, so it´s probably just a sign of quality.