It'll be a blow to my "pride," but I have to admit it...
I didn't finish PRIDE AND PREJUDICE.
I know, I know! I'm so ashamed. This is setting a horrible standard for the following books in my Classics Challenge. To assuage some of the guilt, I'll tell you that I tried. I really did. You can even use my sad, deer-in-headlights look below as proof:
All the reasons I mentioned in my Mid-Month Update made it difficult to keep reading. Plus February being a short month and me being only halfway through by the 20th...
Though I love romance, I don't think I'm one for romantic books. Or at least books that don't have at least some kind of danger/battle lurking on the horizon (and by danger I don't mean the rejection of a marriage proposal).
Drama obviously isn't my thing.
Alas, all I can hope is that things will be looking up next month. I pray THE GREAT GATSBY doesn't disappoint!
I might as well admit it up front and honestly...
I don't like "Pride and Prejudice" as much as I've enjoyed the other books in the Classic Challenge. Not to say that reading the book is painful, but I'm not excited to pick it up. There could be three reasons behind this.
1. I've seen the movie like a million times. Both the BBC original and the American remake. I'd tell you which I thought better, but I don't want to start a riot. Knowing how the story is going end isn't a huge driving force toward turning pages. I know all the twists and turns already.
2. It feels like Jane Austen is making fun of me. What in the world? You must be thinking. She's been dead for over a hundred years. How could she be making fun of you? Well, let me explain. When I read, I read to relax. I don't read to nitpick what characters say or try to comprehend complex plot points. Well, with "Pride and Prejudice" this is impossible. Suffice to say, Jane Austen is too witty for me. I don't understand quite a few things that Elizabeth (and other characters) say. And my pride just can't take it.
3. The old fashioned language is a stumbling block. Yes, it existed in Little Women and Wuthering Heights, but I think this language is somehow older. Not to mention the print size in my book is painfully tiny. I have to remind myself not to squint--hello, premature wrinkles. I'm only 23!
So, there you have it. My reasons for not enjoying "Pride and Prejudice" as much as I thought I would. But I'm determined to struggle through. Hopefully come the end of February, I'll have a glowing report to leave you.
I always love happy endings.
"There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort." ~ Jane Austen
Moving right along to authoress number three in the Classics Challenge! An interesting pattern to notice is that Ms. Austen, as well as Emily Bronte and Louisa May Alcott, never married.
Jane Austen's childhood was filled with sibling adventures and creative pursuits. Ms. Austen's father encouraged his children to read, opening up his extensive library to their young minds. Ms. Austen grew very close to her older sister Cassandra. They were sent away to boarding school together only to come home with typhus. Ms. Austen almost died from it! Imagine a world without her novels! No Mr. Darcy? Gasp!
Ms. Austen's first story was Love and Friendship, written in a series of letters that parodied romantic fiction. Some of her most popular works were Elinor and Marianne, First Impressions, and Susan.
Oh, wait.
You don't recognize the names? Probably because the titles were changed in publication! Elinor and Marianne became Sense and Sensibility. First Impressions was christened Pride and Prejudice (a novel Ms. Austen called her "darling child"). Susan was renamed Northanger Abbey.
After her father's death, Ms. Austen and her family struggled financially. They moved from relatives' homes to a rented flats and back again. They finally established security after moving in with Ms. Austen's cousin. At this point, at the age of thirty, Ms. Austen began publishing her works under a pseudonym until her death in 1817.
Writerly Things to Learn from Jane Austen
1. It takes time to cultivate popularity. While Ms. Austen was alive, her books were popular, but nowhere near the acclaim they have today. Furthermore, no one outside her family even knew she wrote novels like Pride and Prejudice or Emma! It wasn't until after her death that the "secret" was revealed!
2. Write what you know--or at least have experience with--and enjoy. Ms. Austen's stories revolved around the most difficult game of her time: romance. Her wit and observation blended with the society around her to create darling books that are popular in various medias today.
3. Physical condition doesn't dominate your imagination. Even while suffering what some believe to be Addison's Disease (which eventually claimed her life), Ms. Austen continued to write and edit her older works. She didn't give up until physical infirmity forced her pen to still.
4. Reading is an important part of writing. Jane Austen read extensively as a child--and it shows!
