A Jane Austen Education: How Six Novels Taught Me About Love, Friendship, and the Things That Really Matter by William DeresiewiczMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Austen sells. The market is simply flooded with Austen-inspired books. This one stands out because
1) It is written by a man.
2) And not just any man… but an English professor at Yale!!
This was a light read, and I think it was intended as such. If you’re an Austen fan, you’ll enjoy it for the new insights over familiar characters and events. If you haven’t read Austen yet, this may inspire you to give her a try. Deresiewicz managed to interweave his own adulting story with the adulting of Austen’s heroines (that nature-loving, forever-walking posse of possessors of inner beauty).
I’d rate it 3.5 stars out of 5, because while I found it enjoyable, I did find myself wondering if he still remained friends with the people of his inner circle (even relatives!) after publication. I was uncomfortable with the way he poked fun at them, elevating his own “inner riches” at their expense, despite knowing that he was keeping with true Austen fashion.
Apparently Deresiewicz isn’t the only male admirer of Austen. In the book, he mentioned a Rudyard Kipling short story, “The Janeites,” which features a secret society of World War I soldiers who met regularly to discuss Austen’s works in the trenches. Light in the darkness.
And this is why we are drawn to Austen:
“Austen was asking us to pay attention to the things we usually miss or don’t accord enough esteem, in novels or in life. Those small, “trivial,” every day things… that is what the fabric of our years really consists of. That is what life is really about… the hourly ordinary… Every life is eventful, if only you know how to look at it. She understood that what fills our days should fill our hearts.”
Austen has something to offer everyone! Go ahead and give her a try!
View all my reviews
No comments:
Post a Comment