13 Aug 2010

Jane Austen Revisited

I have been reading through all of Miss Austen's novels this summer. And I must say that I have held them all in a sort of romantic glow, and frankly, I'm a bit disappointed with some of them. Take Sense & Sensibility for example. I remember it to be one of my favourites, but now that I've read it again, I find it most vexatious! I'm getting so frustrated with all the people around the poor Miss Dashwoods and their mother and how ill they are treated. Is it because I've always remembered the adaptations, and not really the novel behind it? I guess the adaptations puts the more positive things as the love stories, that's of course all good. :P But perhaps it's Mr Ferrars, Mr Willoughby and Colonel Brandon that blinds me to the illtreatment of the ladies. ;)

I have reread Emma and am in the middle of Mansfield Park at the moment. They are both still as good as I remembered them, or at least not worse than I recollect. Next up is Northanger Abbey. I really should be able to relate to Catherine and her obsession with novels. ;)


I have found that my favourites now are Pride & Prejudice (no surprise there) and Persuasion. There is a tie between them. Perhaps it's because I can relate to more of the characters in those novels than in the others.