I finally have read Austen.
I thoroughly like the book. I think I like it more because I have seen two movie versions than I would have otherwise.
The prose is more contemporary than I anticipated. Austen began writing the novel in 1796. I was afraid the story would seem antiquated; instead, it resonates today and will remain timeless. Thankfully, the prose is not as dull as Dickens or as retch-inducing as Edith Wharton's House of Mirth.
I wonder why the book has been so influential. I can only figure it is as classic a tale of love as it gets. Romeo and Juliet overcome their families for love; Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy overcome class status for love. Are there better romances in literature than these?
I am tickled by the decorum of manners that existed in the society of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. Their lives are governed by propriety and civility.
1 comment:
You managed to do something that so far I have been unable to do. I've started this book several times but never get very far. I need to read at least one Jane Austen book to form my own opinion about this famous author. I wonder myself why she is so popular.
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