Jane Austen

[Rían]

"Pretty readable"?!?!

That's one of the most brilliant books in the entire world!!!

C.S. Lewis really enjoyed Austen.

[Valandil]

Well - not all brilliant books are.

I had a hard time getting past the first several pages of "Moby Dick" - of course I was trying to read it on the el a few years back - but I was able to read lots of other books in that situation.

When I see a book of 400 or more pages these days - I wonder a little how much effort it will take to get through it.

"Pride and Prejudice" is not overwhelming to read though - it pulls you along quite nicely, if that's a better way to say it. And - with short chapters I can read in small snippets, which is ideal for my frequently interrupted reading opportunities.

I'm over 1/3rd through now. I find it quite funny.

[Serenoli]

I don't mean to show off, but I think I finished 'Pride and Prejudice' in half-a-day.

But, then I read fast... the first time I read LotR, my brother borrowed it from his school library, and then mockingly threatened he would return it the very next day. I took him seriously, and read for 12-13 hours straight, wothout pausing, and finished it! Imagine my chagrin when he found out and laughed at me for my silliness! Still, I have to say, it was a wonderful read... without pause, so there were no distractions, and I was more completely immersed in ME than I've ever been since.

A lot is because it was so exciting. Took me an entire month to finish Moby Dick, because every line required me to pause, and think it over...

[Rían]

I love the quote from Northanger Abbey in your sig, Serenoli - I always loved that line! IIRC, N. Abbey was the book that C.S. Lewis always loved to read when he was sick - it's just so fun!

[Valandil]

BTW - observations/comments/questions about Pride and Prejudice:

* I find it interesting that London is referred to as "town" - at first, when characters mentioned "going to town" I thought they were talking about the neighboring little town of Meryton. But apparently that's the expression for going to London (as I figured out later). Is that expression still used today?

* I'm somewhat interested in the money - especially the incomes. I know that Mr. Bennet's annual income was 2000 pounds per year, Bingley's was four or five thousand, and Darcy's 10,000. What was the source of these incomes? Was it the worth of what their estates produced each year? Was it the interest income of some greater amount - like an endowment or something? And... any idea on the relative value, in today's pounds/dollars (this being presumably set approximately 200 years ago - about the time it was written). Of course, it's hard for the money to translate literally, since those on the low end of the economic scale would have, use and maybe even need very little of it. Most commoners like me would own their house, not have any car, home or school loans, no insurance or utility costs - and most of your food came from your own animals and your vegetable garden. So all you'd need is a cash crop or some skill or trade to get you into a little bit of commerce. But still I wonder... how much actual money might a commoner earn per year in comparison with these various gentlemen.

* The homes... I'm very interested in the layouts of the houses of this time - with their drawing rooms and great rooms and breakfast rooms, etc. Any good information I can find on typical upper-class house plans of the period?

[cee2lee2]

I can't specifically answer your questions, but there's a website called the Republic of Pemberley which has a lot of Austen information. I haven't visited there in quite awhile, but I seem to remember articles on the setting/customs, etc. Possibly even something about the money. Check out the Life & Times FAQ.

http://www.pemberley.com

[Valandil]

I eventually read Pride and Prejudice twice, and now I've picked up Emma - and am over halfway through.

[Valandil]

I stayed up most of the night and practically finished Emma. I wrapped up the last few pages this morning.

I think I like it better than P&P.

[Valandil]

Since this, I've read Sense and Sensibility, and I've recently started Mansfield Park.

[Curufin]

Oooh! I love Jane Austen!

Read all of her books, and was lucky enough to visit the Jane Austen centre when I was in Bath over Christmas...it was neat to see a house like the one in which she had lived at one point, and to tour the museum...

(And buy more copies of her books, of course. )

[cee2lee2]

Originally Posted by Curufin

Oooh! I love Jane Austen!

Read all of her books, and was lucky enough to visit the Jane Austen centre when I was in Bath over Christmas...it was neat to see a house like the one in which she had lived at one point, and to tour the museum...

(And buy more copies of her books, of course. )

Lucky you!!!! Someday I'd like to do a literary tour of England. You know, Austen, Tolkien, Lewis, Sayers, Herriot.....

[BeardofPants]

I recently read the Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler - has anyone else read it? It was nice - made me want to re-read Austen again.

[Curufin]

Lucky you!!!! Someday I'd like to do a literary tour of England. You know, Austen, Tolkien, Lewis, Sayers, Herriot.....

Ah yes, and I forgot to mention I visited Tolkien's grave while I was in Oxford... Very touching.

[cee2lee2]

Originally Posted by BeardofPants

I recently read the Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler - has anyone else read it? It was nice - made me want to re-read Austen again.

I've seen a review but haven't read it. Since it made you want to read the originals again, it sounds worth reading.

[BeardofPants]

It was very engaging.

[Valandil]

I just finished Persuasion. For me, it was number 6, so I've now read all the Jane Austen novels! I read most of it today.

[cee2lee2]

Originally Posted by Valandil

I just finished Persuasion. For me, it was number 6, so I've now read all the Jane Austen novels! I read most of it today.

Congratulations on finishing all of the novels.

What did you think of Persuasion? It's my second favorite after Pride and Prejudice.

[Rían]

Originally Posted by Valandil

BTW - observations/comments/questions about Pride and Prejudice:

* I find it interesting that London is referred to as "town" - at first, when characters mentioned "going to town" I thought they were talking about the neighboring little town of Meryton. But apparently that's the expression for going to London (as I figured out later). Is that expression still used today?

I'm not sure, but another interesting thing about going to London - apparently you always went "UP" (IIRC) to London, no matter where you were.

I liked "Persuasion" a lot, too, ceelee - prob. in my top 3 Austen.

[BeardofPants]

RE: going to town, it's still used in NZ to refer to big cities like Auckland (city NOT region). My mother used to say it all the time - "we're going to town today".

[GrayMouser]

Just been going through the "Cambridge Companion to Jane Austen".

The two most interesting chapters, natch, are "Class" and "Money".

They explain a lot of the social framework behind the stories, like exactly what kind of life you could live on various incomes: how many servants, if you could afford a carriage. A house in "town", in addition to your country residence, would take at least 4,000 a year. Also, when a woman is mentioned as getting a lump-sum inheritance, everybody at the time would automatically calculate it as an annual income at 5%, invested in gov't bonds.

Respectable occupations a younger son could go into, and still maintain status as a gentleman- clergy(C of E, of course), law, Army, Navy, and maybe medicine, though that was still a little dicey. The Navy was better to Jane, not only because her brother was in it, but also because the Army actually cost money, while in the Navy you could make money from captured prizes.

Interesting stuff