Summer Reading - Jane Austen

My parents recently went on a trip to England. For some reason they did not take me with them. But they did bring me back a souvenir - the book "What Matters in Jane Austen?" by John Mullan. 

My appreciation of Jane Austen has grown over the years. It started with "Emma" - the movie starring Gwenyth Paltrow and the not-quite-so-true-to-the-original-story movie Clueless. Both of these were in my tween years (although I don't think we used the word "tween" back in those old days). Somewhere in those next few years I read both "Emma" and "Pride and Prejudice". I also re-read both of them sometime in my early 20s/college days. They made much more sense that time, due to both my increased familiarity with the plot and my increased ability to identify with adult characters. 

I thought I had read other Jane Austen novels, but reading the "What Matters In Jane Austen?" book made me realize that I hadn't. I didn't recognize most of the plots described. With the exception of "Mansfield Park" because I had read a modern re-telling of it called "Central Park" (part of a series by Debra White Smith, it was a fun, quick read). So I wasn't quite as familiar with Jane Austen as I thought. But the "What Matters in Jane Austen?" book was still fairly easy to follow in spite of my lack of plot knowledge. It covered questions like "What do the characters call each other?" and "What are the right and wrong ways to propose marriage?" Proper behavior has changed in the 200 years since Jane Austen's writings, so Mullan's book sought to show readers the perspective of Austen's original audience. 

In addition, he also called attention to her skill as a novelist. He pointed out the techniques she used that were new in her day. I found it quite interesting, because when I read I don't tend to look at things from a literary perspective. I get caught up in the plot, but I don't really think about the tricks the author uses. But when they are pointed out to me, I notice them in the future and appreciate the skill of the author. 

One piece of advice - the chapter "Is there any sex in Jane Austen?" is quite skip-able. Most of us already know why Lydia's actions with Wickham made Elizabeth and Jane blush. In my opinion, direct discussion of that topic in Austen's work is unnecessary (wasn't she deliberately being delicate to maintain propriety?). If you skip the chapter, you'll also skip the only profanity in Mullan's book. 

"What Matters in Jane Austen?" was certainly interesting, but its primary impact on me was, not surprisingly, a desire to read Jane Austen. I started with "Emma" (familiar territory), then branched out into "Persuasion". Now I'm starting "Mansfield Park". 

Jane Austen's books have been an enjoyable reading marathon so far - good, clean fun. And, because classics are free on my Kindle, free!