I haven't read a novel by Jane Austen. I've seen the movies though -- Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Persuasion, Sense and Sensibility, and, yes, even Clueless, which I found brilliant. However, I can't seem to actually finish her novels.
All those women spending the day gossiping and chattering do not fascinate me at all. What's with the fuss with Mr. Darcy? I just don't get it. I would rather go through Ulysses again than read about this stoic gentleman whom everyone is going gaga about.
Since the book club that I recently joined will be discussing Pride and Prejudice in October, I am left with no choice but to read that bloody book. I've looked at the Austen novels that I have and I'm not happy with what I see -- tattered, dog-eared, smelly, secondhand books. Are these the root of my Austen aversion perhaps?
So yesterday, I checked out the bookshops and bought myself some fabulous-looking Austen novels. I just hope that they'd give me the necessary motivation.
16 comments:
Actually, I liked Pride and Prejudice, but it's the only book I've read by her.
Hello, Charlie! Hmmmm... I suddenly want to finish it today.
Haha! Interesting, I didn't know there were classic chick lits :)
Someday, I know I'll read Pride and Prejudice. It's a classic after all.
Hi, Mark David! Apparently, there is such a thing.
Good luck. I still can't get through a Austen book.
I don't usually read chick lit books but Pride and Prejudice isn't too bad. Good luck though.
Hi, Peter! (shhh, don't tell people I'm back in the blogosphere) Actually, the first people who intellectualized the appreciation of Austen were men. So, it's not purely chicklit, except for the way it's marketed now.:)
Oh, here's the blog I was telling you about...http://www.thebookdesignreview.com
@Ryan: Thanks, I'll need all the luck I can get.
@Helen: Thanks! I know it's not really bad, but I just have to force myself to read it.
@Fantaghiro23: Thanks for the link!
I have only read Pride and Prejudice and I loved it! I actually re-read it when the movie came out. I didn't watch the movie though.
Hello, Dinah! I'll be reading Pride and Prejudice next week. Wish me luck!
P&P is definitely the Gossip Girl of its time, I agree. That said, The more I read it (three times already, once every few years since high school) - the more I find I like it. Despite her horribly social-climbing family, Elizabeth Bennet is quite a sensible heroine, and I like her character. Wuthering Heights, on the other hand, used to be one of my favourite classics (again, dating back to the high school days when it was THE ulitmate romance novel, and in fact, the formula for all Fabio-covered bodice rippers to follow) but recent rereads have left me thinking it is more a historical romance than great literature.
Since you enjoy mysteries, you might like Wilkie Collins's The Moonstone. :)
Hi, Lya! I've actually read The Moonstone and I enjoyed it a lot!
Wow, reading P&P three times!
I've seen the Pride and Prejudice movie and actually liked it! But I don't think I'll be patient enough to read about their love story for hundreds of pages. And it's chick lit which I'm not really too fond of right now. For that reason, I've never read any Jane Austen book yet.
@Patrick: Same here!
Probably the reason I love Pride and Prejudice is that I had to read it for my third form class when I was still living in the Caribbean. Our teacher was just so passionate and we had to dissect every chapter for discussion until I was wishing I was living during Austen's time.
It's not just a love story but a portrayal of how society was like during that time. Women had very few choices and it was so humiliating that your role in life was simply to be married off.
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