My summer books list

[flying_girl73]

Okay so to get back into a habit of blogging and because it's one of those lazy afternoons, I'm gonna share what I'm reading or going to read in the near future.

Comments

[_ocelott_]

You know, I always found Jane Austen to be impressively feminist for her time. I mean, yes her books always ended in marriage, but the women married who they chose; they were never forced into it or married the first man who came along just because he asked, both of which were common at the time. Characters like Elizabeth Bennett are surprisingly modern in their attitudes, and none of the books speak much about childrearing.

Also, Austen is a master at turning a phrase.

[flying_girl73]

I personally think Austen's books are great for her time in terms of female characters, but at university it was a question that came up a lot and it annoyed me (all those stock questions that constantly came up did) and I just try to avoid it.

Although you do get situations like Marianne pining over Willoughby in Sense and Sensibility, but that absurdity of that is kinda pointed out if I remember correctly. Studied that in my first year of uni and it's been a while. I liked the ending of that one but I remember a few people didn't like Marianne marrying Colonel Brandon. Personally I liked it because their relationship was built upon respect and gratitude and matured into love.

I'm yet to read Emma, Mansfield Park or Northanger Abbey though. And I can't remember much of Persuasion.

Incidently just looked up P&P on tv tropes and it refers to Jane Austen as being both snarky and genre savvy. Nice.

[_ocelott_]

Ugh, stock questions. What's the point in studying a classic piece of literature if you're not going to put things into context?

Yeah, the whole idea of Marianne as she's presented is that she is over the top and ridiculous. It's made pretty clear in the story this is not a good thing, and by the end of the book she's grown up enough to realize what an idiot she's been, heh.

Snarky and genre-savvy are great words to describe her writing. I think sometimes people miss what's in there because she uses a subtlety we don't often see in modern writing.

[flying_girl73]

Not to mention the fact that Darcy's dark and brooding nature was off-putting back in the day but is considered downright desirable to modern women.