Jane Austen… September 22, 2008
Posted by ichthus42 in Jane Austen.trackback
I have to admit that I really like Jane Austen. It’s terribly cliche to say so, at least in some respects since many people have such an obsession in regards to her writing, but I think she is/was very clever. The more I read and re-read her writings, the more I actually really appreciate her and the better I actually understand some of the things that she seemed to try to get across to people. One thing I think she was particularly good at was satire. Case in point: Northanger Abbey…
Why do you feel you have to “obsessed” with Jane Austen to be a legitimate non cliched fan.
I agree with you completely. She’s extremely witty, and had a fabulous grasp on the psyche of society which makes for an excellent satire (I have Pride and Prejudice in mind now)
I don’t feel like one has to be obsessed with Jane Austen to make you a legitimate non-cliched fan. Being obsessed with her would actually make you a cliched fan.
I merely meant (which may not have been clear and only clear in the inner dialogue in my mind ) that it’s sad that defending Austen is cliched because so many people love her and are obsessed with her writings. It’s not as powerful or novel to point out that Austen is very witty and clever simply because there are too many other people who believe it as well. It would be less cliche to say that she isn’t in fact clever. Granted, a cliche often is meant in negative terms so a better term could probably be used, but cliches still do exhibit truth sometimes despite any connotation that the use of the word has.
Are you reading Pride and Prejudice right now?
I was introduced to Pride and Prejudice in 12th grade and have read it countless times since…I actually just read “An Assembly Such as This” over the weekend. It’s a trilogy by Pamela Aiden, retelling P&P from Darcy’s perspective, a lot of fun.
What you say about a cliche is true, it’s generally used negatively, but then again, before the cliche became the cliche it was novel, smart and true…just because it became overused, doesn’t take away from the quality, it just makes writers and critics snort and try to come up with NEW lines which will become the cliche of the next generation.
What’s amazing to me about Jane was the fact that all of her characters are engageing. There isn’t really a novel that is iffy. If you look at modern writers today, there is to a certain extent some book or another that we just don’t like. Jane Austen wrote characters that we all love. Granted, some more than others and that’s where our own personality comes out.
When are we having Jane Austen Day again?