I was trekking through Barnes and Noble today and encountered this book on one of the display tables: All Roads Lead To Austen: A Year-long Journey With Jane. The book seems really interesting, but why is it so relevant that she wound up with a man at the end of her journey?
It's not just me, right? What is up with all this Jane Austen inspirational literature that teaches that if you only follow lessons from her novels, you'll wind up in a happy relationship? Like it's some sort of guarantee of life--follow these rules and boom! Mr. Darcy appears! I reviewed such a dating guide back in 2008 and since then the proliferation of Austenania has gotten ridiculous.
And why doesn't anyone talk about the lessons of Jane Austen's actual life? Love your family and be supported by them, develop a passion, don't put your own feelings ahead of what's right, call a spade a spade, develop a sense of humor and you'll live well. Jane Austen was her own hero; she didn't need a man.
And honestly, I've read Jane Austen--if it's so simple, why haven't I been able to find a fellow?
Probably because I'm fucking Mary Bennet, that's why. Sigh.
Ironically, I was in B&N sort of contemplating an illicit curlup with Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl, which "peers into the dark recesses of marriage." I'm tenth in line of about 130 patrons waiting for it at the library; they doubled the number of copies they are getting when over 50 patrons added it to their holds in the last 10 days. I'm very happy for Gillian Flynn! Here are my posts on her other novels, Dark Places and Sharp Objects.
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