Curtain Opens
The first “serious” book I read as a child was an abridged version of Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice.”
~Scene 1: Interest~
The intriguing plot, spirited
And so, years passed, until one day, I borrowed another of Austen’s masterpieces, and flipped it open--
~Scene 2: Shock~
All my literary pride died that day—a painful, violent death. I was floored. The child’s version I’d so easily devoured didn’t prepare me for Austen’s use of language, the complexity of the dialogue in her work, and her vast array of characters. Needless to say, my second encounter with Austen was far less pleasant than the first.
~Scene 3: Frustration~
Because the genre was romance, I naively assumed that the books would be as easy to read as the teen chick flicks off the library shelf. I read quickly (scanning was more like it), and was proud of the “skill.” However, my usual reading technique didn’t work with Austen—instead, it led to my not understanding what was going on in her work—at all.
~Scene 4: Defeat~
Instead of slowing down and reading more patiently, I stuck to my “speed reading” technique, finishing the book with no inkling of the plot or characters. Finally, frustrated and defeated, I gave up.
A year or so later, Austen was the last thing on my mind. Vacationing at a beautiful desert campground, I was walking back to our tents with some friends, when the subject of conversation turned to literature. A friend then informed me that one of his favorite authors was, (you guessed it), Jane Austen. This pricked my pride, (which had miraculously resurrected after its brutal demise), and I resolved to give it another try.
~Scene 5: Determination~
At the library, I looked at the vast array of choices. “Pride and Prejudice,” I considered already read, and I didn’t feel like tackling “Sense and Sensibility,” since I’d already watched part of the movie and knew most of the plot. Then, my eyes fell on a copy of “Emma.” I’d attempted reading it before, and of all of Austen’s novels, this was the one I liked the most (based on reputation and my limited knowledge of her work). Also, besides the book copy was an album of audio CDs. I borrowed both.
Here is the result.
(Before reading my reflection on “Emma,” it’s a good idea to get a general idea of what the book is about. Here’s a brief summary:
Basically, “Emma” the story of a wealthy, beautiful, young lady named Emma, whose interest in matchmaking ends up tangling up the lives of the people around her. Gifted with insight (or, at least she believes it is insight), into other people’s romantic inclinations, she plots and plans, turning relationships upside down. It takes a shocking revelation of her own feelings and of the feelings of the ones dearest to her to make her realize that maybe she doesn’t have all the answers after all, and that true love might be where she least expects it.)
Emma
Written
Read (roughly around)
Borrowing both the audio and the written version turned out to be a good idea. With the audio version, I could grasp the meanings of the long, complex sentences much more easily. The voice speaking out the words gave me “a feel” of how to read Austen. After getting “the feel” of Austen’s style, I found reading her easier. (Especially since my mind kept conjuring up Victoria Morgan’s voice while reading.)
Austen’s sentences, especially the dialogue, are so uniquely written that one word can change the entire meaning of the entire sentence (and often do). Not a single word is unnecessary, and unless I read carefully, it is easy to miss an important piece of information and get confused. Humbling myself, I slowed down, reading sentences over and over until I was sure I understood the meanings.
After a few confusing moments, I realized that it was easier to memorize the characters’ characters than their names. Their personalities do not change—Harriet remains shy and indecisive, Mr. Woodhouse remains affectionately worrisome (almost annoying. Even Emma’s character does not change much, though she goes through periods of self discovery that are both funny and just a bit sad.
She honestly believes in her actions, which is why I like her, and Austen makes it so that, despite her continual erring ways, I continue to like her and wish for her happiness. I think that Austen’s stories are built around her characters, and your enjoyment of the book depends on how much you like the characters.
For example, if you don’t like Emma, then you won’t like the book. Period. Therefore, Emma’s emotions and feelings are portrayed throughout the book and it is told completely through her eyes.
~Scene 6: Renewed Interest~
After my (much more successful) read of “Emma,” I resolved to read more of Austen. Despite the fact that I now could “understand” most of what was going on, I still felt that her work was a challenge, and I wanted to “practice” reading her works. So, I picked up “Persuasion,” and wrote another reflection piece.
(Summary: Anne Elliot is a plain, gentle, and (completely) ladylike young woman whose story is told in the book, “Persuasion.” The plot centers around the fact that, several years before, she rejected the marriage proposal of the man she loved based on the advice of a friend. Years later, she is content but not happy—until Mr. Wentworth, (the man she turned down), reappears in her life.)
Persuasion
Written
Read
Since I seem to rebel against reading the famed “Pride and Prejudice” again, or “Sense and Sensibility,” I plucked “Persuasion” off the shelf. It’s a classic romance of a gentle soul named Anne who, after being “persuaded,” (hence the name), by good-hearted, (yet opinionated, think Ms. Lynde from Anne of Green Gables), Ms. Russell that marrying unconnected sailor Mr. Wentworth would be a bad idea, meets him again eight and a half years later.
It’s a sweet story, and predictable. Anne and Mr. Wentworth, (who is now a captain), tiptoe around each other, the man cold, the woman shy. He seems to court another, she watches from a distance. She leaves and is courted, he reappears and seems jealous. Her suitor is found out to be a worldly, artificial piece of trash, and she reveals that she never loved him anyway. He, (Mr. Wentworth), proposes, and they get married.
I read somewhere once that Austen made fun of the arrogant, the vain, and the greedy by accenting their faults and placing them in her novels. Mr. Walter Elliot and Elizabeth, (poor Anne’s older sister and father), are both shown to be vain, snobbish, and eventually ridiculous. Her (whiny, self-appointed martyr of the family) younger sister Mary is just as bad, complaining and clinging to the more sensible people around her. If making fun of these people was her aim—she achieved it.
Personally, I don't Austen's plot was enough to make her work a classic. Her writing does not represent or hint at profound things, nor is it an exploration of the human mind. Austen’s strength seems to be that her romances are written with such refinement, such style that it lacks the cheapness of lesser romance novels.
(Note for reading Austen: Figuring who is who can be difficult. Austen introduces many characters of the same name and rarely explains the similarity right away. An example is ‘Sir Walter Elliot,’ and ‘Mr. Elliot,’ the cousin of Anne and her potential suitor. The name ‘Charles’ is held by many of the characters, including Henrietta’s fiancé, Mary’s husband, and others.)
~Scene 7: Satisfaction~
It took seven “scenes” for me, now fourteen, to learn to appreciate Austen. Her work is difficult to read, (for me at least), and yet I felt very satisfied after I read it. My opinion is that, if anyone reading this wants to read Austen, they shouldn’t let my words influence them too much. This was simply my opinion.
Like all readers, I’m influenced by my upbringing, my parents, my exposure to literature, and many other things. I hope that people reading this realize this, and also that it is possible for a fourteen year old to read and enjoy master writers like Austen.
Curtain Closes
What an interesting observation. I suppose it is true if you're not rooting for Jane Austen's characters, you won't likely enjoy the book.
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