Jane Austen: An Altered View

             

In the period December 2016 to July 2017, I reread all the completed novels of my favourite author Jane Austen (here after dubbed JA). Last year I created a reading challenge, designating each month for a particular theme. I choose December for Jane Austen books because her birthday would be on the 16th, a day I call Jane Austen Day. As you can tell from my July date in my opening, I could not complete my JA challenge in the assigned month thus I continued until Sense and Sensibility ushered the curtains on my JA journey. It is important to note that during my sensuous readathon, I noticed the growth of the Bicentenary Celebrations of JA’s death. I immediately drifted into that ‘huh mode’; Why the joy for the death of the author who gave us the plots and twists that we love?

It took a while to sink in but eventually I had to make myself understand that when many are creating workshops, parties, museum tours, lectures, tea parties, book clubs and all the other fascinating endeavours, people are celebrating JA and her novels.  I have seen an increase in the number of news articles specifically for JA separate from the usual JA dedications. It means that more persons learn of the author’s writings and setting time aside to reread not one novel but her entire collection. It is admirable and I am ecstatic that every time I social media (yes I made it a verb), there is an increase traffic in quiz, blog posts. JA writings are here to stay and I am happy to do my part in keeping her stories alive!

Advertisement

Persuasion [A Short Review]

This time around Persuasion felt even more of an emotional read and my bond with Anne Elliot felt stronger. I sometimes wondered if she would suffer from an emotional heart attack and transfer it to myself. I had to keep saying “breathe Anne, breathe Anne,” as if she was next to me.

Summer Reads |Top 5 Wednesday

Today May 18th, Top 5 Wednesday  takes a peek of some  favourite summer reading. You know that yucky hot season where the beach is the best life saver, picnics and the dream for rain. Oops sorry for dissing anyone’s love for summer! haha. I will share the stories where I feel myself dancing in the rain enveloped in a fierce breeze or on an adventure.

Let us dive into it:

5. Jock of Bushveld by Percy Fitzpatrick

For Adventure, Jock (the dog) goes on those epic hunting trips with his owner in the Australian outback. You will meet high water rivers, animal battles, human  disagreement with a twist and turn that left me wondering if I can survive a hot Australian summer on such adventure.

 

4. The Paper Roses by Amanda Cabot

I think that one of the best times to read Historical Fiction is either when you are really cold or warm/hot. The setting most times falls under these two mentioned weather conditions. Picture Texas in summer under a clear blue sky, mix in a thunder-storm, a murder and two people realizing they are growing in love in a historical setting of a ranch. Ding, ding: The Paper Roses!

Characters Like Me: Top 5 Wednesday

Today May 11th, 2016, we take a look at  ‘Characters You Are Most Like’ for Top 5 Wednesday .  People who I read and felt that connection so deep that every action and reaction became my own. I am killing two birds with one stone with this week book’s meme because I had Yourself In 5 Characters on my to do a list, from Books With Chemistry.

Let us dive into it:

5. Nancy Drew

The adventurous spirit to solve mysteries from a curious mind and getting to the core of the problem. That was me as a girl and younger woman, although less of a self acclaimed detective now, I am still one to create and solve cases.

 

4.  Jo March

Independent and strong-willed to succeed, to beat the extreme life of poverty. So decided to capitalize on the strong urge to make a life to help her family. We share the same love for books and writing, although I have not meet the heights of Jo’s publishing. Perhaps we both lose our Teddy.

Jane Austen 7 Novels: My Favourite Things

I am sharing some of my favourite Jane Austen.

1. My favourite to least favoured:  

a.Persuasion 

b. Sense and Sensibility

c. Lady Susan

d. Mansfield Park

e. Pride and Prejudice

f. Northanger Abbey

g. Emma

Appreciating Jane Austen

Source: http://i825.photobucket.com/albums/ zz173/ emilianozapata333/Jane_Austen.jpg

 

Since today(December 16) would be my favourite author’s birthday if she was alive, I believe it is proper to have a review of the main seven novels.

The complete set is one of my favourites read, I love me some Jane Austen.

I love her writing became of the way she merges her story with excellent scenery writing. She writes her scenes so well, I can feel and see the atmosphere at Lyme in Persuasion, I can see the beauty of the surroundings of the cottage when the Dashwoods moves in Sense and Sensibility. The landscape was so beautiful when Catherine and the Thorpes went sightseeing and the oh so lovely scene where Henry Tilney and Catherine Morland were exchanging words on novel-writing in Northanger Abbey.

The age of the writing also draws me to Austen’s world. I love reading about people in a different time period from the 20st and 21th century. The older the setting the better, 18th and 19th century is just an interesting period where society etiquettes were so class structured. It is one aspect that shows up in all her novels. The Bertrams took Fanny into the family but she was kept on a class beneath Edmund, Julia, Tom and Maria in Mansfield Park. The Elliots with excepting Anne accepted Captain W into their circles in Bath only when he amassed a fortune on the sea in Persuasion.

Austen’s characters are some of the wackiest and best in English Literature. I am glad she did not shy away from characters who would make women blush behind their fans in their morning rooms. Maria Bertram and Henry Crawford from Mansfield park, Lady Susan Vernon from Lady Susan, Willoughby from Sense and Sensibility, Lydia Bennet and George Wickham from Pride and Prejudice. I am also appreciated of the men who were so devoted and loved their women: Captain W, Colonel Brandon, Mr. Darcy. The comical ones also added laughter and fits of vexation for me: Mr. Collins were just so ridiculous, I could not help but laugh at him in P&P but I just wish Mary in Persuasion would shut up and go away.