Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Can I just say I loved this book? Austen's dry humor came through so completely in her telling of this story that I just couldn't help but laugh out loud sometimes. I think it's one of Austen's best, actually, although you hardly ever hear about it.

One of the most interesting themes in the book is the idea of reading and how it can influence us--for better or for worse.


I recently read The Romance of the Forest by Ann Radcliffe, which made Northanger Abbey even more fun. Northanger Abbey's main character, Catherine, is obsessed with Ann Radcliffe's horror stories (rather like a Twi-hard fangirl today, actually). She's so taken by the Gothic trend of the time that she begins seeing evidence that one of her close acquaintances actually murdered his wife!...or worse...

Jane Austen Novels vs. Jane Austen's Life

As many of you know, today is the 200th birthday of Jane Austen's classic Pride and Prejudice! And since I only just finished Northanger Abbey, I've had Austen on my mind. So in honor of the day, I'll share with you a question I've been pondering:

Should Jane Austen readers know about Jane Austen's life? 

Of course, "should" is a term I use loosely. I don't mean to say that readers have an obligation to learn about an author's life. No, what I'm wondering is this: Does knowing about Austen's life enrich the reading of her books?

You could probably ask that about any author, but I personally think that Jane Austen is a bit of a special case. For one thing, there's a lot we don't know about her, since her sister Cassandra burned most of her letters after her death. For another, Austen didn't write about crazy adventures; the lifestyle her characters enjoy seems to be closely related to the lifestyle she probably had.

And for yet another thing, Austen has this very knowing voice in all her novels. You get the feeling, when you're reading her books, that she knows something you don't, and that she may or may not be laughing at you whenever your back is turned. As much as many of the males in my life (and probably more than a few females, too) like to assume that Austen was this very prim, proper sort of person, I don't get that idea from her novels at all. Actually, that's exactly the sort of person that Austen constantly makes fun of--people obsessed with what's "proper."

But anyway, there's this feeling with some of the characters, especially characters like the Dashwood sisters in Sense and Sensibility and Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice, that's very uniquely personal, where the author seems to have a lot of sympathy for them, and it's easy to wonder whether Elizabeth or Elinor is a mirror image of Austen herself.

All Roads Lead to Austen by Amy Elizabeth Smith

When I read the introduction to this book, I was a little skeptical. The premise of the book is that the author spends a year traveling around Latin America, discussing Spanish translations of Jane Austen novels with random people (well, mostly random). In the midst of the literary discussion, she suffers disease, pets iguanas, and falls in love.

My first thought was, Interesting, but... I've never actually cared what people in Latin America think of Jane Austen. That sounds terrible, but I've never even thought about it. This book was out of the blue for me, but I decided to give it a shot.

And I'm glad I did. I wasn't ten pages in before I legitimately began to wonder what people in Latin America would think of Austen. Smith has a pleasant style and had a keen awareness of her audience; she knew her book would be picked up mainly by Austenites, and kept a good focus on the purpose of her journey, giving plenty of screen time to the discussions and information about Austen. But she also keeps the book an upbeat travel narrative, giving descriptions and snippets of fascinating history behind the places she visits.

Top Ten Books/Authors I'm Thankful For

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. 

I'm feeling awfully thankful for books this week--especially because with a break from school, I'll actually get a good chance to read those books I've been trying to finish! (Unless my family is too distracting, which is entirely possible...)

10. Jane Austen. Her books were some of the first classics I really loved, and I'm grateful she wrote plenty because it means I still have more to read! One thing I love about Austen is that she writes with a sort of veiled sarcasm that I've come to appreciate a lot more as I've gotten older.

9. William Shakespeare. Believe it or not, I started reading and loving Shakespeare when I was only 13. (I don't know how much I really understood, but I felt like I understood a lot...) I think the first play I ever read was King Lear. Since then, I have come to love Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, Richard III, Hamlet, and especially Othello. (I get shivers just thinking about creeper Iago...)

8. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I read this when I was about 12 and I loved it. I have a fun edition with a soft cover that I got for Christmas. For me, this book represents everything magical about childhood.

7. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. I read this recently and I feel like I can't help mentioning it in every conversation (or blog post). This book has made me really excited to dig into more Victorian literature.

6. The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton. I read this book earlier this year and it's been one of those books that has actually changed the way I think, in just a small way. It has made me more grateful for my life and the little miracles I get to witness every day. Maybe a re-read is in order...

5. Elizabeth Gilbert. Call me a "chick lit" girl, but I really enjoy reading Gilbert. Her writing is so genuine--and hilarious! While other writers inspire me as a reader, Gilbert inspires me as a writer.

4. C.S. Lewis. I really enjoy both his fiction and his Christian apologetic writings. I think both Christians and those questioning Christianity ought to read Lewis. I really like that he isn't afraid of the hard questions, and I think too many of us are. Do we really want to ask about the seeming paradoxes of life and religion? Lewis has really helped me navigate those dark waters.

3. Stephen R. Covey. I've ended up reading a lot of self-help books for some reason (I'm not quite sure why), and Covey's books have helped me so much. Even though I haven't read them in a while, I still think about the principles. The principles in Covey's books aren't just quick fixes; they're principles for a great life in general.

2. Charles Dickens. I've only read two of his books, and practically every day I feel the pull to read more. I really want to get into Our Mutual Friend or Bleak House. I feel like I've barely scraped the tip of the iceberg, and I really can't wait to read more Dickens.

1. Victor Hugo. I've loved Les Miserables ever since I read it a few years ago, and it changed me more than any other novel I've ever read. I'm serious. I read The Hunchback of Notre Dame this year for the first time and loved it too (although not as much as Les Mis).

Oh no! I've already listed ten and I haven't even mentioned the Bronte sisters (Heathcliff! Mr. Rochester!), Gone With the Wind (Scarlett! Rhett!), To Kill a Mockingbird (Atticus! Scout!), or Hemingway, or The Great Gatsby, or The Scarlet Letter...drat. Well, I guess that's the great thing about counting your blessings...it's too hard to stop!

What books/authors are you thankful for this Thanksgiving? 

Top Ten Books I'd Want on a Deserted Island

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. 

Here are the top ten books I would want on a deserted island...whether or not I've read them.

10. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. This book is everything I could want in a book, not to mention it's extremely long! I've been wanting to re-read it ever since I read it for the first time, so on a desert island I could really dig into it.

9. Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens. I can't die without reading a thick Dickens tome, you know. Sometimes I dream about the day I get to read this book...

8. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. A few days ago I wrote about being afraid of it, so I'd finally get a chance to face my fears. ...Yay.

7. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. After three ridiculously long books to keep me busy, here's a book I would read on days when I was feeling depressed about, you know, being stranded on a desert island. And I would finally get more time to finish it.

6. My Jane Austen collection. (That might be cheating, but technically it is one book...) I could re-read some of the great ones and finally get into the ones I haven't read yet (i.e., Mansfield Park and Northanger Abbey).

Top Ten Books I'm Most Excited to Read

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. 

Today is a Top Ten Tuesday freebie and since my literary excitement is still new and fresh, I thought I'd write about books I'm excited to read! (Both from my Classics Club list and otherwise.)

10. The Romance of the Forest by Ann Radcliffe. This isn't on my list, but I need to read it for a class. I'm actually really excited about it! I'm severely deficient in pre-Victorian novels (except for Shakespeare), so I'll be glad to get one under my belt. Especially because a) it was written by a woman, and b) at the time it was written, novels were just starting to get popular. Aaaand it's a Gothic novel. It just intrigues me...

9. Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens. Oh, Dickens! I'm really excited to just get my teeth into this book. It's been a while since I've read a really massive novel, and I also want to get a lot more familiar with Dickens (hence my many titles by him on my list of classics). Plus, one of my professors mentions it and how wonderful it is every couple weeks, and she is one of my favorite professors (despite some horrific expectations, but that's another blog post).

Top Ten Kick-Butt Heroines

Thank you to The Broke and the Bookish for this Top Ten Tuesday meme (sans profanity)!

10. Margaret Hale from North and South. One of the things that got me about this book right away was its fantastic heroine. Margaret is tough and fights tooth and nail to protect and take care of her family. She's willing to defend a man she dislikes in front of an angry mob, even taking a hit for him. She never backs down, even in the face of death.

9. Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice. I actually hesitated to put her name because it felt cliche, but just because Elizabeth is well-liked doesn't mean she doesn't deserve a place on my list. Lizzie does what she wants without following proper societal "rules," but she does what it takes to protect her family's reputation. She's determined to marry for love and won't let any other circumstance prevent her from doing that.

8. Juliet Ashton from The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Juliet is the heroine of my all-time favorite non-classic novel. Juliet makes people laugh in the worst of times in England and then reminds them of what's important once the worst is over. She has her priorities straight--she's willing to run into a burning building to save books. She's protective of those she loves and tough with those who don't love her. I secretly want to be just like her.

Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara

7. Scarlett O'Hara from Gone With the Wind. In some ways I hate Scarlett, but in truth, I really, really love her. She doesn't care what anyone thinks of her, unless they're a man and she wants to get something out of them. She's clever and cunning and does what it takes to get what she wants. She takes care of her own and never looks back. She's tougher, stronger, and more determined than any other character in the story.

6. Aibileen from The Help. Heroine of another non-classic, Aibileen is one of those people you can't help but love. She works long and hard for her family, but she's tougher than she seems. She's talented and strong and everyone knows that God answers her prayers the most.

5. Viola from Twelfth Night. In the face of tragedy, Viola decides to run off and earn her own living dressed up as a man, but she knows when it's time to tell the truth. She's clever and witty and works hard to gain favor, but she can talk her way out of an uncomfortable situation. She doesn't let anyone tell her what to do.