Never too Late to Read Classics discussion

Jane Austen (/ˈdʒeɪn ˈɒstɪn/; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist who became widely known as one of the leading novelist of the 19th century realism.

Her longest novel is Emma. Her shortest Northanger Abbey.

Did you know?
1. Although she never married, Jane Austen did become engaged -- for one night. Do you know who he was?

2. Men read Jane Austen, too! Jane Austen’s novels are sometimes viewed as “chick-lit” (fluff) romances, leading some men to think they wouldn’t enjoy reading them. Male Members of NTLTRC, Do you read Austen?

3. Austen gained her knowledge of life at sea - important, for instance, in Persuasion..? who had a successful career in the British Navy. Who was that person?

Do you have favorite Austen quotes? Please share!

“Seldom, very seldom, does complete truth belong to any human disclosure; seldom can it happen that something is not a little disguised or a little mistaken.”

I only read Sense and Sensibility, because our group and I like it. I like history so a period book it's always good, what not means that any book that runs in an ancient time would be a good book..

I have read most of her novels once, and I have read Emma twice. I read it a long time ago in the 70s and didn't like it that much. I have read it again with another goodreads group about a year and a half ago and liked it much better.
Her writing seems effortless, but if you read it carefully, you realize just how witty and observant she is.

I read Pride and Prejudice and liked it a lot. Elizabeth Bennet is a captive literary character. And I enjoyed learning about the social situation in Victorian England, the consequences of women not being eligible as heirs and how the individual members of the Bennet family cope with this. Reading it in English was a pleasure by itself. Fortunately Austen's style and vocabulary is not overly antique.

She is my favorite author! I read all what she wrote! Her gentle ironic and humor was such amazing. I hate when people think only women can enjoy them. It's wrong to think like that!

I agree anyone can enjoy Austen's works.

She endured a time like Peter said when women were not able to be heirs (in some households) and if they wanted to have any hope of living a good life they had to find a suitable mate to do so, otherwise they lived at home forever!

I think she enjoyed the process of matchmaking!

"Men were put into the world to teach women the law of compromise" If this isn't a feminist message when what it could be? Despite of her talent in writing and the beautiful stories, she used the irony to spot some bad society aspects that were had to do-most of the time- with the women in 19th century! She was innovative and she is one of my favourite authors! I have read all of her books in one summer! <3

That is an impressive accomplishment, Christina.

She has many more works than just the 6 novels.

Lady Susan
The Watsons
Sanditon
Love and Friendship
Jane Austen's Letters
The History of England
Jane Austen Poems

Not all still...

Lesle wrote: "She has many more works than just the 6 novels.

Lady Susan
The Watsons
Sanditon
Love and Friendship by Jane Austen, Fiction, Classics
[bo..."

Wow! Did she write poems? I didn't know!!

Rosemarie wrote: "That is an impressive accomplishment, Christina."

it is! especially if you think that she expressed revolutionary and feminist(before feminism was born(!) ) thoughts for her era!

Christina wrote: ""Men were put into the world to teach women the law of compromise" If this isn't a feminist message when what it could be? Despite of her talent in writing and the beautiful stories, she used the i..."

The same here! She is one of my favorite author too!

Emiliy200 wrote: "Christina wrote: ""Men were put into the world to teach women the law of compromise" If this isn't a feminist message when what it could be? Despite of her talent in writing and the beautiful stori..."

she is perfect <3 question: have you read Charlotte Bronte? And if so, you like her as much as miss Austen? Or you hate/don't like her? (which is common with the Austen's/Bronte's funs)

Christina wrote: "Emiliy200 wrote: "Christina wrote: ""Men were put into the world to teach women the law of compromise" If this isn't a feminist message when what it could be? Despite of her talent in writing and t..."

Yes, I read Charlotte Bronte's books. but I likes Austen's books more. Although Bronte's books were very good too. And you? Do you like Bronte's works?

Question 1: Jane Austen was engaged for one night to Harris Bigg-Wither, brother of Alethea and Catherine Bigg, friends Jane and her sister Cassandra were visiting.

Poor Jane could not make it through the night after the proposal, cannot imagine how Harris must of felt!

Emiliy200 wrote: "Christina wrote: "Emiliy200 wrote: "Christina wrote: ""Men were put into the world to teach women the law of compromise" If this isn't a feminist message when what it could be? Despite of her talen..."
oh! Charlotte hated Austen because everyone was comparing her with her and that hate passed into her funs, that's why i asked you if you like Bronte, it's common not to haha I like her too, I really loved Jane Eyre!

Christina wrote: "Emiliy200 wrote: "Christina wrote: "Emiliy200 wrote: "Christina wrote: ""Men were put into the world to teach women the law of compromise" If this isn't a feminist message when what it could be? De..."

Why to compare between them? Their books doesn't focus on the same topics and even they didn't live in the same century.

Emiliy200 wrote: "Christina wrote: "Emiliy200 wrote: "Christina wrote: "Emiliy200 wrote: "Christina wrote: ""Men were put into the world to teach women the law of compromise" If this isn't a feminist message when wh..."
i dont know, maybe because they both were successful writers and women who could think and question the society rules in a time that women were only allowed to stay at home and take care of the children!

Charlotte and Jane came from such different backgrounds and their life experiences were so different too. Jane came from a stable family in the south, Charlotte from an isolated home in the wilds of the north.
Both are worthwhile authors to read, but Jane has a lighter touch, for the above reasons.

Emiliy200 wrote: "Christina wrote: "Emiliy200 wrote: "Christina wrote: "Emiliy200 wrote: "Christina wrote: ""Men were put into the world to teach women the law of compromise" If this isn't a feminist message when wh..."

Yes, they did live in the same century. Charlotte Brontë was born the year before Austen died. It was probably rather like a female, English mystery author writing now finding herself compared to Agatha Christie, even if she writes suspense or thriller instead of cozies.

Austen's work is more social satire than straight-up romance, and it's the satire that I really enjoy, especially her send-up of pompous characters. BTW, women were allowed to inherit and have roles outside marriage and child-rearing in Austen's day, but the entail to the male line had become popular as a result of the dying out of many agnatic lineages due to recent wars and the high infant mortality rate. (Even in Austen's books: for example, Lady Catherine's daughter was the heir to the de Burgh fortune, and that woman Willoughby married in S&S was an heiress.) Austen was really pointing out the problems with this recent increase of entailment of property that impoverished many woman who would have otherwise inherited and who would have expected to inherit even two or three generations earlier. Not all property in England was entailed, and in Austen's day the entail had many fierce opponents and was a hot topic of debate in political circles. In 1833 parliament relaxed the rules to make it easier to break an entailment, and it finally abolished entailments in 1925, largely because so many men had died in World War I that many entailed properties fell vacant because of a total lack of male heirs.

Personally, I prefer Austen over Brontë because she's just so hilariously sarcastic. We share a sense of humor.

I just read Pride and Prejudice for the first time. I really enjoyed it. I was surprised on the humor in the story. I didnt think I would like it because I thought it would be too sappy. It wasn't.

Glad you enjoyed it shannon! Is this your first read of Austen's?

Lesle wrote: "Glad you enjoyed it shannon! Is this your first read of Austen's?"

Yes it is.

Congratulations!
Its always wonderful to find a new author to read!!

1. I thought she was engaged to a wrestler?

So far I've read Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice. I'm on Mansfield Park now and going down the list.

They aren't my favorite books and are still "chick-lit" in my mind but I love her writing and word choice. She is a brilliant writer.

Jane Austen read widely in the classics of her day, including the famous, Shakespeare and Milton, and the forgotten. Here are some of the popular books she probably read. An asterisk denotes known favorites. Remember Jane lived from 1775-1817 and published between 1811-1817.

•1752 – Female Quixote by Charlotte Lennon
•1753 – The History of Sir Charles Grandison by Samuel Richardson*
•1778 – Evelina by Frances Burney
•1782 – Cecilia; Memoirs of an Heiress by Frances Burney
•1783 – Adelaide and Theodore, or Letters on Education by Madame de Genlis
•1785 – The Task: A Poem, in Six Books by William Cowper*
•1791 – The Romance of the Forest by Ann Radcliffe
•1794 – The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe
•1796 – Camilla: A Picture of Youth by Frances Burney
•1796 – The Monk by Mathew Lewis
•1798 – A Practical Education by Maria Edgeworth
•1800 – Castle Rackrent by Maria Edgeworth
•1801 – Belinda by Maria Edgeworth
•1801 – The Children of the Abbey, a Tale by Regina Maria Roche
•1806 – Letters from The Mountains by Anne Grant
•1808 – Cœlebs in Search of a Wife by Hannah More
•1808 – Marmion (poem) by Sir Walter Scott
•1809 – Woman; or, Ida of Athens by Sydney Owenson, Lady Morgan
•1810 – The Lady of the Lake (poem) by Sir Walter Scott
•1811 – Self Control by Mary Brunton*
•1813 – The Heroine; or, Adventures of a Fair Romance Reader by Eaton Stannard Barrett
•1814 – The Corsair by Lord Byron
•1814 – Alicia De Lacy, an Historical Romance by Jane West
•1814 – Patronage by Maria Edgeworth
•1814 – The Wanderer; or, Female Difficulties by Frances Burney
•1814 – Waverly by Sir Walter Scott
•1815 – The Works of the Right Hon. Lord Byron
•1816 – The Antiquary by Sir Walter Scott
•1816 – A Narrative of the Events… by Helen Maria Williams

How we know what Jane read is not precise. This information has been gathered over the centuries by a close reading of her novels and surviving letters. Reading her letters can be a slog but is the best way to understand the real Jane.

Patrick here is some famous men's thoughts:


Still, male Jane Austen admirers are few and far between. Sir Walter Scott waxed eloquently over Pride and Prejudice, saying: “ That young lady had a talent for describing the involvements and feelings and characters of ordinary life, which is to me the most wonderful I ever met with. “ Yet David Arthur Walters admits to not caring about Jane Austen, and Mark Twain was quite vocal in disliking her work, even though he was drawn to read her books over and over. His famous quote,”Every time I read ‘Pride and Prejudice’ I want to dig her up and beat her over the skull with her own shin-bone,” hangs in the Mark Twain House. No wonder the museum has trouble staying open, for what self-respecting Janeite would pass through its doors?

Haha! I love Mark Twain.....ummm....maybe that's why I'm not a big Austen fan haha. I got to admit she's one of the greatest classic writers even though her romance stories aren't exactly my cup of soda. Still good though, but a 1x read is good enough for me.

I thought Northanger Abbey was the most fun to read. The main character was a delight.

I agree Rosemarie, if it was not for rereading them I think Northanger Abbey would probably be my favorite of the normal Austen reads.

It is underrated as a gothic parody. Catherine is sweet, but sincere. She is also a bit daft at times! and Henry? is playful and witty for one of her male leads.

I love Jane Austen. I read all of her books more than once. My favorite one is Emma, I find her dad very funny. I'll try to find a quote later.

My favorite Austen is Persuasion. I really liked the older character of Anne Elliot. I still get to read Mansfield Park this year.

Something about the rhythmic language of her novels causes me to take a while to read one book. I get sleepy after a while with her flowing words. That said, I do enjoy her romantic stories. I read Pride & Prejudice my senior year in high school and Persuasion and Sense and Sensibility in the years since. So far, Persuasion has been my favorite. I love the journey the two lovebirds took throughout the novel and adored the ending.

Well...I gotta say after reading three of her books in two weeks I need a break before I find myself out buying a dress at Victoria's Secret. lol

Looks like many women love Jane Austen, but many men not so much. I bought Jane Austen: Seven Novels as part of a 50% off sale of Barnes and Noble collectors' editions last year. Might as well dive in.

Those B&N collector editions are hard to resist. Enjoy the stories! Don’t expect the action to move quickly. What characters say is usually very important in her books, from what I’ve read so far.

Jim, if you pay careful attention to the writing you will see that Jane often gently mocks her characters.
My least favourite Jane Austen is Pride and Prejudice, which is often the favourite of many readers.

I'm a bit of a goofball in that when reading an omnibus, I'll read the books in alphabetical order by title. That's why I tried (and will retry) the E.M. Forster omnibus.

OMG Rosemarie! But that is sublime. Watch the movie then. You are sure to feel different.

Jim wrote: "Looks like many women love Jane Austen, but many men not so much. I bought Jane Austen: Seven Novels as part of a 50% off sale of Barnes and Noble collectors' editions last year. Mi..."

I am a man and like Jane Austen. I have read the 6 major books, coincidentally all in Barnes & Noble editions, though in separate volumes, not the collectible one. I find her wit and social commentary elevate her far above any attempts to label her as mere high brow Regency chick lit.
It is interesting that B & N now adds Lady Susan to make 7 Austens. It was not that way when I bought the 6 separate editions. I attribute some of the Lady Susan resurgence to the movie adaptation, Love and Friendship, which interestingly used the title of an Austen short story rather than Lady Susan.
I usually say Persuasion is my favorite, partially because I habitually try to be different and avoid having the most common favorite, but I'm learning that Persuasion may actually be a fairly common 'underdog' favorite. I do think Pride and Prejudice is a great, great story, clearly the most cinematic. I never tire of watching the various film and TV productions. But I do that with Sense and Sensibility too, especially the scene where (SPOILER)Hugh Grant proposes to Emma Thompson's Elinor.

(My computer locked up while typing this post at first, and I didn't realize that the first incomplete post had somehow been sent)

I really like Sense and Sensibility, and Hugh Grant. The movie was a lot of fun to watch, and I really enjoyed reading the book.
I saw a BBC TV version of P&P in the 70s, which I did enjoy more than the book.

My choice of favorite rotates to whatever of hers I am reading at the time!