Jane Austen was not allowed reading in Communist Albania. I discovered her in "Western Ideas," a wonderful undergraduate course I took at Clarkson University. Pride and Prejudice was my introduction. Can't say I loved it. But Austen grew on me. And when I discovered "Persuasion," I knew I had a soft-spoken masterpiece. It is a book I read every November/December. I have to revisit those characters.
Wonderful overview of her lasting appeal. I was introduced to Austen through that famous six-episode A&E adaptation when I was thirteen, so in my mind she was always just a lot of fun. I didn't study her in a classroom until college and then I realized her brilliance and how unlikely it was that she could write as well as she did. I'm curious if you think the Bronte sisters were influenced by Jane's innovations even if they claimed to dislike her. Do you see any similarities in their technique, especially Agnes Grey?
I love this essay, thank you so much for writing it. I've just started Mansfield Park to celebrate the semiquincentennial (thank you, copy-paste) in the most appropriate way I know how, and, yes, echoing something you wrote earlier, Fanny Price is her best character.
More controversially, this may be the first piece of writing featuring Giles Coren that I have ever enjoyed. I do get more mileage out of Twain.
Long may she be read! Great post, it captures so well Austen's modernity and relevance. Thank you Henry Oliver for sharing. And indeed, I think all those moments in her books about awkwardness or embarrassment are one of the secret sauces of her longstanding success.
On that note (and yes, feeling shy 🫣 as an Austen's character), I wrote a micro-story about social anxiety and small talk emerges and.. she's there.
While Twain’s insult is vivid, it’s neither funny nor clever. But we all know if Austen had had the opportunity to return the insult, it would have been both.
Excellent piece. The argument about free indirect style enabling moral education through perspective-taking is spot on. What's interesting tho is how Austen's technique became so naturalized in later fiction that most readers dunno they're experiencing a radical narrative innovation. That seamless shift between narrator and character conciousness is why her work still feels immediate.
Superb exploration of why Austen endures. The connection between her Free Indirect Style and the moral education theme is something Ive been thinking about lately too. Basically, learning to see from anothers perspective IS the narrative technique, not just the message. That structural unity is probabyl what makes her feel both experimental and timeless at once.
Jane Austen was not allowed reading in Communist Albania. I discovered her in "Western Ideas," a wonderful undergraduate course I took at Clarkson University. Pride and Prejudice was my introduction. Can't say I loved it. But Austen grew on me. And when I discovered "Persuasion," I knew I had a soft-spoken masterpiece. It is a book I read every November/December. I have to revisit those characters.
long may she be read! dusting off my Pride and Prejudice and procuring Emma soon
Yay!
Wonderful overview of her lasting appeal. I was introduced to Austen through that famous six-episode A&E adaptation when I was thirteen, so in my mind she was always just a lot of fun. I didn't study her in a classroom until college and then I realized her brilliance and how unlikely it was that she could write as well as she did. I'm curious if you think the Bronte sisters were influenced by Jane's innovations even if they claimed to dislike her. Do you see any similarities in their technique, especially Agnes Grey?
Pretty cool that Beethoven was also born on December 16, 5 years earlier.
I love this essay, thank you so much for writing it. I've just started Mansfield Park to celebrate the semiquincentennial (thank you, copy-paste) in the most appropriate way I know how, and, yes, echoing something you wrote earlier, Fanny Price is her best character.
More controversially, this may be the first piece of writing featuring Giles Coren that I have ever enjoyed. I do get more mileage out of Twain.
Thank you! I like Twain also, every genius is allowed some blind spots.
I am SO pleased to see this about Fanny!!
Long may she be read! Great post, it captures so well Austen's modernity and relevance. Thank you Henry Oliver for sharing. And indeed, I think all those moments in her books about awkwardness or embarrassment are one of the secret sauces of her longstanding success.
On that note (and yes, feeling shy 🫣 as an Austen's character), I wrote a micro-story about social anxiety and small talk emerges and.. she's there.
https://open.substack.com/pub/ksantogold/p/hardships-and-jane-austen-over-spritz?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=1vujyy
Essential and wholly satisfying.
While Twain’s insult is vivid, it’s neither funny nor clever. But we all know if Austen had had the opportunity to return the insult, it would have been both.
This is excellent, thank you.
I don't mean to be a jerk, but: you meant Woodhouse, not Wodehouse.
The author? No he was PG Wodehouse
Emma Woodhouse 😊
Oh damn
Excellent piece. The argument about free indirect style enabling moral education through perspective-taking is spot on. What's interesting tho is how Austen's technique became so naturalized in later fiction that most readers dunno they're experiencing a radical narrative innovation. That seamless shift between narrator and character conciousness is why her work still feels immediate.
Superb exploration of why Austen endures. The connection between her Free Indirect Style and the moral education theme is something Ive been thinking about lately too. Basically, learning to see from anothers perspective IS the narrative technique, not just the message. That structural unity is probabyl what makes her feel both experimental and timeless at once.
I don’t know the context of Twain’s remark, but take as stated, he seems to be saying he’s jealous. It certainly would be very Twainsian.