Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice - a Musical

Last weekend, I went over to the La Mirada Theatre to see a new production of Pride and Prejudice as a musical. The book and music is by Lindsay Warren Baker and Amanda Jacobs. I had no idea of the cast or the songs, but hey, it's Pride and Prejudice!  It had to be enjoyable.  And it was!

The musical has an interesting framing structure, in that it begins with Jane Austen as a character in the show, trying to revise her novel First Impressions at the insistence of her sister Cassandra.  Jane Austen takes part in the show by telling the story and sometimes the characters will look to her for help or in confusion, and it was very funny to see how Jane sometimes did not know what to do about certain situations.  For example, she was very distressed when Elizabeth turns down Mr. Darcy's proposal.  (Which was suitably awkward and confrontational!)  I liked the idea of Jane Austen needing to reign in her characters and of their sometimes doing things she wasn't expecting.  It's a very author-sensitive view of the story.

Continue reading →

Review: Persuasion

Persuasion
by Jane Austen
Classic Literature
Amazon  /  Goodreads

Plot Summary:

Twenty-seven-year old Anne Elliot is Austen's most adult heroine. Eight years before the story proper begins, she is happily betrothed to a naval officer, Frederick Wentworth, but she precipitously breaks off the engagement when persuaded by her friend Lady Russell that such a match is unworthy. The breakup produces in Anne a deep and long-lasting regret. When later Wentworth returns from sea a rich and successful captain, he finds Anne's family on the brink of financial ruin and his own sister a tenant in Kellynch Hall, the Elliot estate. All the tension of the novel revolves around one question: Will Anne and Wentworth be reunited in their love?

Jane Austen once compared her writing to painting on a little bit of ivory, 2 inches square. Readers of Persuasion will discover that neither her skill for delicate, ironic observations on social custom, love, and marriage nor her ability to apply a sharp focus lens to English manners and morals has deserted her in her final finished work.

Review:

Persuasion has the most streamlined plot of all of Jane Austen's novels I think.  Most of the focus is on Anne and her feelings, although there are plenty of relatives with their quirks of character which is common to all of Austen's works.  I've heard so many good things about this book that I really expected something much different from her earlier works, but there is still that ironic detachment from the characters, and the humor in her portrayals of their follies that make her books so entertaining.  The one aspect that seemed different though is in Austen's more emotional depiction of love.  It's not overly sentimental but there are scenes that vaguely tug on the heart strings.  Of course I know how it all ended, so the suspense over how Captain Wentworth felt was not there to really involve me in their story, but I did find the ending highly satisfying, which is not something I have said about most of Austen's books.

While I missed the sharper wit of Elizabeth Bennet for instance, I did enjoy that Anne was a sensible and good person that the reader could root for.  And as she came to terms with her choices in the past and learned from them, it was easy to feel sympathetic towards her which made me very fond of this story, even if I was not as emotionally invested in the whole.  It is really the ending that makes up for the slow development of the hesitant re-connection between Anne and Captain Wentworth.  I felt the story could have been much more effective had it been shorter.

Persuasion is a worthy read though, and more enjoyable on many levels than some of Austen's other works, especially if you like sympathetic characters and a more romantic than usual (for Austen) ending.  It's a delicate story, with finely drawn characters and a delightful resolution.

Seventh book read in the Classics Club Challenge

And my last read for the 2014 Jane Austen Challenge

Having finally finished reading all of Austen's novels, I would like to say that I think Pride and Prejudice would be my favorite of her works (although it's been a long time since I read it!) and my least favorite would be... Emma.  

Review: Emma

Emma
by Jane Austen
Classic Literature
Amazon  /  Goodreads

Plot Summary:

'I never have been in love; it is not my way, or my nature; and I do not think I ever shall.'

Beautiful, clever, rich - and single - Emma Woodhouse is perfectly content with her life and sees no need for either love or marriage. Nothing, however, delights her more than interfering in the romantic lives of others. But when she ignores the warnings of her good friend Mr Knightley and attempts to arrange a suitable match for her protegee Harriet Smith, her carefully laid plans soon unravel and have consequences that she never expected. With its imperfect but charming heroine and its witty and subtle exploration of relationships, Emma is often seen as Jane Austen's most flawless work.

Review:

I have to say that I didn't enjoy Emma as much as I thought I would.  I'm familiar with the story and some of the adaptations, but the character of Emma on the page came off as more haughty and presumptuous than I was expecting.  She is very flawed, and it was sometimes hard to like her as a character.  I found the same for Mr. Knightley, who can be just as haughty and presumptuous, with the important fact being that he was usually right.  But even though these characters drive the progression of the story, there are many more interesting characters and a drama filled plot to help make this a charming read.

The character drama is a high point in this story because the plot revolves so much around the romances of the characters.  I found it very interesting how clearly Jane Austen can show the truth of a situation while also making it clear why Emma makes the wrong assumptions.  It's also fun, as the reader, to know more than the main character.  This aspect of the book was very engaging to me, because the moment when the main character realizes the truth has that extra bit of satisfaction.  The cast of characters in this novel are also engaging - there is such a wide variety and so many interesting quirks and character traits.  Mr. and Mrs. Elton were especially fun for me, because they are so awful, and yet it is not overdone.  They are just so perfect for each other.  Harriet was the most sympathetic character for me, even if not the most memorable.  She's nice and pleasant, and with so many characters in this book who are not very nice or pleasant (or at least not always), it was great that she got a happy ending.

With Austen novels, my biggest problem is usually how the romances are culminated, and Emma really surprised me with how abruptly Emma and Mr. Knightley came to an understanding.  It definitely didn't seem very romantic to me, and was more disappointing since this was really a moment I felt the book was building up to.  But Austen writes these characters with so much detachment, that I suppose it was to be expected, so I can't really fault the book because Jane Austen is very consistent.  I can't help feeling disappointed though.

Because I know this to be one of Austen's more well-regarded books, I feel like expectations made me think this would be a more enjoyable and satisfying read than I really found it.  But the story is solidly engaging, with a wonderful cast of characters.  The drama is resolved very neatly as well, with some good lessons included for some of the characters.

Sixth book read in the Classics Club Challenge

Also part of the 2014 Jane Austen Challenge

Review: Mansfield Park

Mansfield Park
by Jane Austen
Classic Literature
Amazon  /  Goodreads

Plot Summary:

Taken from the poverty of her parents' home, Fanny Price is brought up with her rich cousins at Mansfield Park, acutely aware of her humble rank and with only her cousin Edmund as an ally. When Fanny's uncle is absent in Antigua, Mary Crawford and her brother Henry arrive in the neighbourhood, bringing with them London glamour and a reckless taste for flirtation. As her female cousins vie for Henry's attention, and even Edmund falls for Mary's dazzling charms, only Fanny remains doubtful about the Crawfords' influence and finds herself more isolated than ever. A subtle examination of social position and moral integrity, Mansfield Park is one of Jane Austen's most profound works.

Review:

This book is a little strange for me.  In that I almost completely dislike all the characters in the story - there's not one I admire, or even really sympathize with and yet I found myself enjoying the narrative pretty thoroughly.  There's something interesting about the unimportant dramas of these characters.  And for the most part they feel unimportant because of how Austen subtly colors them in such a ridiculous light.  It's hard to take them seriously or care how they end up when Austen continues to highlight their flaws and foolish thoughts and actions.  Really that's how every one of these characters comes off - as foolish.  But there was something intriguing in reading about them.  I guess this is why Jane Austen is a master!

Since the drama is very character-driven, I'll talk about the characters first.  Fanny Price is the heroine, and the most admirable character in her way - if her reserve, her fragility and languor can be overlooked.  She does have a strong moral compass, which many of the characters in this book lacks, and that seems to send many of them down the wrong path - or at least they make some very painful mistakes.  I think reading how these mistakes come about is what makes the book so interesting - especially in trying to understand how manners and rules of etiquette are so important in their time.  It's interesting alone to read this book for the glimpse of the genteel life of Regency England.

The hero of the story - Edmund - is a mundane sort of hero, kind, but mostly unimaginative and serious.  I was never really caught up in the romance part of this story, which is just as well as Jane Austen wraps up that part really quickly.  And um, Edmund and Fanny are cousins.  First cousins.  That easily killed the romance for me.  I think Fanny and Edmund needed to get out more.  Especially Fanny.

The Crawfords are a fun pair though - definitely the bad seeds but so thoroughly charming and unheeding of their actions that I could almost root for them.  Almost.  I was hoping that Henry really could be reformed, but in the end I think it was important for the story that the Crawfords were true to themselves.  It was a little surprising and saddening how one of the Bertrams wind up in the end though; this family was not perfect but it seemed that everyone began with good intentions or high hopes, even if they did not always act properly, it was unfortunate that it didn't not work out for some in the end.

I easily slipped into the world of Mansfield Park and these characters even though I could not really like any of them, so that I think the merits of this book are as a historical character study.  There are other Austen novels more engaging and uplifting then this one, but the subtle drama of the characters' lives really carried my interest very well.

Fifth book read in the Classics Club Challenge

Also part of the 2014 Jane Austen Challenge

The Refined Reader (11) Austen vs. Brontë - A Contemporary Debate

The Refined Reader aims to take a look at the journey to where we are as readers today.  It's part history, part commentary - providing a brief, conversational summary of various aspects of our bookish past and comparing it to how it has affected us in modern times.  I love history, but I am no historian, and while I plan to do my research, if there are any errors, please let me know!  This is as much a learning venture for me as I hope it is for my blog visitors!

Source (Although it erroneously labels Charlotte as her sister Emily)

Jane Austen vs. Charlotte Brontë.  An age-old debate.  If you are familiar with my blog, you will doubtless know to which camp my heart belongs to (hint: Gothic governesses FTW!) but for this post I wanted to examine what their peers would have said on the subject by looking at reviews of their work; reviews that were written in their time.  Basically if this debate was happening in the 1800s who would win?  With only three talking points to compare them on for this post.  (Obviously Austen and Brontë were not exactly contemporaries of each other so a direct comparison is difficult.  But I'll do my best!)

Morality

In the 19th century, morality was often a hugely important aspect of literature.  Because people were more religious and more concerned that novels set a good example,  I think any debate of the time would consider a good moral center to be a necessary attribute of a superior novel.  And it was definitely discussed in contemporary reviews of the authors.

For Charlotte Brontë it was said:
"We are painfully alive to the moral, religious, and literary deficiencies of the picture, and such passages of beauty and power as [are contained in Jane Eyre] cannot redeem it [...]"

Granted, that was from the notoriously most harsh review of Jane Eyre by Elizabeth Rigby, but it echoed much of what critics would say about the novel at the time.  Jane Austen faired a little better because her novels were seen as realistic and plausible - I've seen some reviews praise lessons learned (for example in the elopment of Lydia) but others find fault in Austen's lack of instructive morality.  All things considered though, I think most people at the time would find Austen's novels more strictly moral than Brontë's passionate "undisciplined spirit" so on this point I think the winner would be Austen.

Winner: Jane Austen

Writing style/Plot

Austen and Brontë had very different writing styles - each as eloquent and expressive as the other, but with different aims - Austen's use of irony and wit was a highlight, adding to the realism in her work, while Brontë's ardent prose highlighted emotion and individual thought.  But which was better received by contemporary readers of the day in terms of enjoyment and relatability?

Sir Walter Scott said of Jane Austen's novel Emma that it "[copies] from nature as she really exists in the common walks of life, and presenting to the reader, instead of the splendid scenes of an imaginary world, a correct and striking representation of that which is daily taking place around him." 

Of Jane Eyre, the Westminster Review praises "the natural tone pervading the narrative, and the originality and freshness of its style."

It seems like a natural style is praised for both, with more originality praised in Brontë's work because Austen is much more "correct."  I think both authors were well received in how they brought their characters and plot to life, but for Charlotte Brontë, the drama in her narrative appealed more than Austen's "common sense and subtle shrewdness." (that quote is from a letter Brontë wrote!)  Certainly there seemed more enthusiasm for Charlotte's prose given her popularity which I'll go into in the next paragraph.

Winner: Charlotte Brontë

Popularity

I was surprised to find that Austen was not very popular in her time.  It might be due to the lack of sensationalism in her books that made this so, something Charlotte Brontë could not be accused of and sensationalism was fashionable at the time - books that made people gossip and talk sold well.  And Jane Eyre was very popular after it's release since it was reprinted three times, while none of Austen's novels were, in the immediate period after her death.  So in terms of popularity I think Charlotte is the winner.

Winner: Charlotte Brontë

Technically I think the "writing style" section can be argued for either authors, but I do feel like since Brontë was much more popular in her time, it is pretty much a foregone conclusion that she would have won this debate.  Obviously Austen is much more appreciated now, and rightly so, so when it comes to these debates it is mostly fun to discuss but it doesn't prove anything.  Both authors are amazing.

Now I'm almost afraid to ask this - How do you weigh in?  Are you more of an Austen or Brontë fan?

(I realize that for most of this post I compared reviews of Jane Eyre specifically to reviews of Jane Austen novels generally, but it was difficult to find reviews of Charlotte Brontë's other novels for some reason!)

Sources:
Wikipedia
1813 Review of Pride and Prejudice
Pemberley.com
Victorian Web
Brooklyn College
Excerpt of London Quarterly Review

Review: Sense and Sensibility

Sense and Sensibility
by Jane Austen
Classic Literature
Amazon / Goodreads

Plot Summary:

'The more I know of the world, the more am I convinced that I shall never see a man whom I can really love. I require so much!'

Marianne Dashwood wears her heart on her sleeve, and when she falls in love with the dashing but unsuitable John Willoughby she ignores her sister Elinor's warning that her impulsive behaviour leaves her open to gossip and innuendo. Meanwhile Elinor, always sensitive to social convention, is struggling to conceal her own romantic disappointment, even from those closest to her. Through their parallel experience of love—and its threatened loss—the sisters learn that sense must mix with sensibility if they are to find personal happiness in a society where status and money govern the rules of love.

Review:

There are two things about Sense and Sensibility that stand out to me - the writing and the characters.  Jane Austen's writing is so light and entertaining and it seems particularly emphasized in this book.  The tone is gently wry and mocking which makes sense because these characters are very broad and humorous.  The main sisters - Elinor and Marianne represent the title, and because each are so completely ruled by one trait - sense or sensiblility - it was difficult for me to be completely sympathetic with either one.  Although Elinor is easily the most appealing character in this book.  But of course the main drama is that Elinor and Marianne need to grow and mature and Austen paints their journey brilliantly.  Everyone else around the two sisters and the three male leads were generally quirky and humorous in their mannerisms. Which added to the entertaining nature of this book.  The men - Edward, Brandon and Willoughby were all generally nice yet unexciting (except Willoughby is just a prat!).  It's odd that while I feel very charmed by these characters - they are all not very well-rounded.

I did love that there's such a lovely, natural, confidential style to Austen's narrative, where it felt like I was eavesdropping on some very personal gossip.  Even though Austen's cool tone creates some distance between the reader and the characters, I still felt very invested in their lives.  And that sense of living in this world of civility and protocol was very entrancing.

I feel like my thoughts on this book are a little all over the place.  I definitely enjoyed it, though there are moments when the action becomes monotonous and when I felt like everyone in this book acted very silly.  And I was disappointed by how many times Jane Austen takes the reader away from key romantic moments - from the proposals in the end most importantly.  But the humor is deftly ingrained in the narrative (especially in the secondary characters) and the deceptive simplicity of the story and the resolution made this a very charming read.

Fourth book read in the Classics Club Challenge

Also part of the 2014 Jane Austen Challenge