First book read in 2006, and what a great way to start my reading year! Okay, so it's a continuation of 2005--The Year of Jane Austen, but really--is there ever enough Jane Austen? The answer is no. Matter of fact, there should be more discussion of "What Would Jane Austen Do?"
2005 was the year that I finally read Pride and Prejudice and actually got it. It helped that Genevieve and I saw Bride and Prejudice earlier in the year, and that Netflix has the 6 hour BBC miniseries available. I also read The Jane Austen Book Club, which I think I'll pick up again sometime, and just last week I dragged Audax to the new Pride & Prejudice.
Anyway, Benbella Books has a line called Smart Pop consisting of essays and treatises on various aspects of pop culture. They've got a Buffy Book, one on Alias, one on Firefly (Damn! And here I've been avoiding the heartbreak of Serenity! Will I break?) and the His Dark Materials trilogy, among others. Frankly, it was the stroke of genius in getting Jennifer Crusie to serve as editor that sold me.
The essays are from a variety of writers--Jane Espenson, Karen Joy Fowler, a couple of professors, some of the better know chick-lit authors-- and address various P&P themes and mores. Plenty of thought-provoking stuff here. The one piece I think that should have been excised is a short story by Mercedes Lackey which really has nothing to do with P&P, and I will acknowledge my fantasy hatred here. But the best bits are "Times and Tenors", tackling a comparison of film versions of P&P (although the book was published before the most recent adaptation came out, which gives it a dated air for a collection that went to press in mid-2005), Jo Beverley explaining the economic realities of the time in "Gold Diggers of 1813," Lawrence Watt-Evans' piece "A World At War" explaining why there's not much talk of war in the novel, and all three essays in the "Jane As Universal Social Commentator" section.
Now take the "Which Jane Austen Character Are You?" quiz and report back! I'm Elinor Dashwood.
1 comment:
"You scored as Elizabeth Bennet.
As one of Austen's most beloved characters, Elizabeth Bennet represents what most women would like to become: strong, independent, and loyal. Of course, she has her faults including a stubborn will of iron and a clinging to first impressions. Overall, Lizzie is bright and lovable...something to admire and aspire to."
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