Which important Austen
characters never speak ? Is there any sex in Austen ? What do the
characters call one another, and why ? What are the right and wrong ways
to propose marriage ? In What Matters in Jane Austen ?, John Mullan
shows that we can best appreciate Austen's brilliance by looking at the
intriguing quirks and intricacies of her fiction. Asking and answering
some very specific questions about what goes on in her novels, he
reveals the inner workings of their greatness.
In twenty short
chapters, each of which explores a question prompted by Austen's novels,
Mullan illuminates the themes that matter most in her beloved fiction.
Readers will discover when Austen's characters had their meals and what
shops they went to ; how vicars got good livings; and how wealth was
inherited. What Matters in Jane Austen ? illuminates the rituals
and conventions of her fictional world in order to reveal her technical
virtuosity and daring as a novelist. It uses telling passages from
Austen's letters and details from her own life to explain episodes in
her novels : readers will find out, for example, what novels she read,
how much money she had to live on, and what she saw at the theater.
Written with flair and based on a lifetime's study, What Matters in Jane Austen ? will allow readers to appreciate Jane Austen's work in greater depth than ever before.
This is written on the cover of my edition : "An Austen lover's greatest wish is for more of her novels. This intimate guide to the world of her books is the next best thing" (The Atlantic). The Atlantic is right ! And of course, before you read this book, you have to have read all of her novels to avoid spoilers...
This book includes short essays on those subjects :
- How much does age matter ?
- Do sisters sleep together ?
- What do the characters call each other ?
- How do Jane Austen's characters look ?
- Who dies in the course of her novels ?
- Why is it risky to go to the seaside ?
- Why is the weather important ?
- Do we ever see the lower classes ?
- Which important characters never speak in the novels ?
- What games do character play ?
- What do characters say when the heroin is not there ?
- How much money is enough ?
- Why do her plots rely on blunders ?
- What do characters read ?
- Are ill people really to blame for their illnesses ?
- What makes a character blush ?
- What are the right and wrong ways to propose marriage ?
- When does Jane Austen speak directly to the reader ?
- How experimental a novelist is Jane Austen ?
(plus notes, bibliography, index).
It's a really, truly enjoyable book because, finally, I have read of all Austen's works and nothing will ever be new to me again... Sad, yes, but I hope reading further literary criticism will allow me to re-read her with a different look on some points in the years to come.
Just like with short stories, some chapters are more interesting than others. I don't care much if sisters sleep together, for instance - why they would do so is still relevant nowadays - but the vast majority of them are really interesting and told in an easy, fun, yet insightful way. An example ? In the chapter about marriage proposals, I thought Mr Darcy's disastrous offer (the worst in literature ?) would be mentioned, but it wasn't what I expected : it was more about how marriage was proposed in those days. I learned that it could be done by letter !
I'm so glad I read this and finished my #JaneAustenJuly this way. Well, not entirely finished, but as soon as I have read Frankenstein, it will be. There will be another review afterwards, but not part of the official challenge. Any way, very good book, highly recommended !
Further references on this book : one by Katie (who loved it) and the other by Tilly (who loved it too but saw a few points worth noticing) :
(minute 13)
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