Jane Austen

[LydiaW]

I must defend Jane Austen on behaf of my younger sister. She is a Jane Austen fanatic, has read all the books, and wants them for birthday, christmas, etc…

I have only seen a positive change in her. She speaks eloquently, and is even more witty than before. I think Jane Austen books are definantly a good thing.

 

[john_ennis]

Her stories are great, and the fact that some radicals try to adopt her as someone who supports them, should not surprise anyone who has noted how these people will even try to say Jesus would’ve been pro-choice.

Peace.
John

 

[Zooey]

I love, love, love Jane Austen!!! My favorite is always whichever one of her books I am reading; she is just one of my favorite writers…I have actually worn out copies of her books!
For those looking for her work on film, may I strongly recommend seeing the BBC or A&E versions? Most of the “regular movie” kind are not at all a good representation of her work. (Sense & Sensibility is the only exception, IMHO)…

 

[LittleRose]

kev7:

here is the link that I read. I know nothing about this book and from what I read I don’t want to.

victorianweb.org/previctorian/austen/lqae.html
"
the changing conceptions of family and partnership that are central to Austen’s text.
"

gender bending.

"
Throughout Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen plays with people’s roles and ideas of rank. She often challenges society’s assumptions and classifications, as she does in the passage above"

more stuff against church teachings.

"
8. In Pride and Predjudice Austen explores the tension between the construction of feminity and selfhood
"

An attempt at social deconstruction

Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is a warning against both of those character flaws mentioned in its title. All of her characters make mistakes due to either of those (or simply due to silliness and lack of common sense) Austen’s goal was not to undermine society, but simply to point out some of its follies, weaknesses (such as using marriage as a tool for social mobility/security), and assumptions about the “types” of people who are out there. Elizabeth Bennett, an ordinarily level-headed girl makes the mistake of assuming that becuause her first impression of Darcy (that he is snobbish, cruel, and insensitive), and her first impression of Wickham (that he is charming and saintly) give her an accurate impression of each man’s character. She is in the end, wrong, and forced to conclude that Darcy has all the goodness and Wickham “all the appearance of it”.

Her various characters are meant to teach several lessons. First, that first impressions cannot be relied upon when one is assessing another person’s character, and second that wealth, breeding, and/or good manners are not an indication that a person is actually good. Mr. Collins is an insufferable sycophant–so concerned with being well mannered and liked by those of high social standing, that he fails to develop genuine virtue. Lydia and Kitty are too concerned with being “cool”, muc like some of the giddier teenagers of present history. Mary is well read and practices her music often, which could be good, but she is actually a very pretentious person and does these things to allow herself to assert her superiority. (She would be a good wife for Mr. Collins). Jane is sweet, so unwilling to see the flaws of others that she is completely out of touch with reality. Mrs. Bennett is, well… so ridiculous as to be indescribable.

Austen’s last lesson on marriage is actually one that I think most Catholics would not have a problem with. During the course of the novel, Elizabeth and Darcy are forced to face their respective pride and prejudices and ultimately develop genuine love and mutual respect for one another. Their personalities complement one another, and their mariage (as well as Jane and Bingley’s) is built upon real unity, as opposed to being a business arrangement, (as is the case for Mr. and Mrs. Bennett and the Collinses) or a necessity because of a scandalous elopement (as is the case for Lydia and Wickham). I think Austen’s vision of an ideal marriage is much closer to being sacramental than the mainstream practice of her time, which was essentially to marry for money and social status, and to assume that “a single man in posession of a large fortune must be in want of a wife.”

 

[Katie1723]

wisdom 3:5:

…My husband wasn’t interested in them though , any ideas on why men don’t seem to likt her books?

Perhaps because they only like books with pictures??
~ Kathy ~

 

[wisdom_3_5]

Katie1723:

Perhaps because they only like books with pictures??

                   ~ Kathy ~

ROTFL!!!

 

[steve99]

Annunciata:

I love them and my favorite is Pride & Prejudice.

I totally agree :clapping:

 

[captaincatholic]

I love her works, and must recommend any and all of them! I think Emma was my personal favorite, but I haven’t found any that I don’t like. I just have to figure out how to exercise moderation and get other stuff done instead of reading her books cover to cover non-stop.

 

[peregrinator_it]

I love Jane Austen’s work. Mansfield Park is my favorite of her novels.

With regard to kev7’s post:

I’d warn anyone against judging a work of fiction based on modern literary criticism of it. The latest rage in academia is for the literary critic to find (or manufacture) support for whatever immoral practice/political agenda he is pushing in some great work of literature (reading homosexual innuendo into Shakespeare, for example) thus bolstering the critic’s own beliefs. Don’t trust the critics - read the works yourself and decide. Modern academics sometimes read things into works of literature that simply aren’t there.

(Although, I have to admit I’m a bit confused on another level; I didn’t see anything offensive in the link; just questions (some of them rather interesting) stated in painfully academic language.)

But…

Gender-bending! …in Jane Austen?!! I have not the pleasure of understanding you. Of what are you talking?

 

[Contarini]

kev7:

here is the link that I read. I know nothing about this book and from what I read I don’t want to.

victorianweb.org/previctorian/austen/lqae.html
"
the changing conceptions of family and partnership that are central to Austen’s text.
"

gender bending.

"
Throughout Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen plays with people’s roles and ideas of rank. She often challenges society’s assumptions and classifications, as she does in the passage above"

more stuff against church teachings.

"
8. In Pride and Predjudice Austen explores the tension between the construction of feminity and selfhood
"

An attempt at social deconstruction

This is truly bizarre.

You hate feminism and modern academia so much that if someone praises Jane Austen using academic feminist jargon you will write the books off? This is the very definition of “prejudice.”

By this standard, you should stop being a Christian, because I can certainly find you feminist writers who have nice things to say about Jesus.

Edwin

 

[Della]

Lady Cygnus:

I just saw the A&E version of Pride and Prejudice last night…ur two nights ago. It was so wonderful!

Mr Darcy was perfect. They left the lines almost exactly the same as in the book. Ok, they had to add a few scenes and move some stuff around, but considering how hard it is to make a production of a narrated book it was great and very faithful!

I must find a way to add this to my meager movie collection

It can be found at: BBC America Shop. Search the DVD section under Pride and Prejudice.

I just wanted to comment on another poster’s idea that tweaking the flaws of society are equal to social anarchy in Jane Austen’s books. They are not the same thing. Societies can be deeply flawed–just look at ours with the allowance of abortion, et al. As G. K. Chesterton put it, we ought to “break the conventions, keep the commandments”, which I what I believe JA was saying in her writings.

 

[Annunciata]

Katie1723:

Perhaps because they only like books with pictures??

~ Kathy ~

I never thought of “LOOKING” at it that way…but maybe there is more truth to the statement than we know… BTW, mine doesn’t care for her either and he is a voracious reader.