Finding an author who generates consistently high-quality books could be equated to happening upon a gold mine for the avid reader. The three books falling under the same authorship in this review are certainly valuable and worthwhile reads. Each of them has engaging, comical and realistically flawed characters, charming settings, and ultimately uplifting messages about the ordinary experiences of young adulthood, love, family and friendship… in early 1800s England. If you are not a fan of historical fiction, hold on for just a moment. The relatability of these novels may be more appealing than you think.
Before we discuss literary creations in this review, it may be helpful to introduce the creator. English author Jane Austen lived from 1775 to 1817, during what is known as the Georgian era and, nearer her death, the Regency era. Austen wrote at the turn of the 19th century, but her six major novels were all published in the Regency era between 1811 and 1817. While the Napoleonic wars raged in Europe during her lifetime, therefore surrounding Austen with political struggles from which she could have drawn subject matter, she chose to focus on the microcosmic picture of people in everyday life. Thus, she produced timeless works about humans instead of historical events. This review will cover three of Austen’s most well-known novels—Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice and Emma.
Sense and Sensibility
Published in 1811, this novel is a dramatic tale of two sisters discovering the powers of heartache, uncertainty and redemption in love. The shortest of the books here discussed, but possibly the most full of surprising twists and romantic angst, this novel possesses relatively less comedy than either of the others in this review, and is therefore perfect for people who are looking for a book that resembles a mild soap opera. Complicated relationships, suspense and emotional tension are guaranteed.
Perhaps the most prevalent theme explored in Sense and Sensibility is indicated by its title. Main characters and sisters Elinor and Marianne Dashwood represent the oppositional characteristics of shrewdness and sentimentality. Most of all, Austen exposes the pitfalls which can be the result of either of these extremities while raising the stakes in the sisters’ love and social lives in order to excite the plot of the novel. Like both of the other books in this review, the novel includes a look at the inner workings of social class and focuses on the lives of women in England during the Georgian era.
In the struggle between judiciousness and emotion, all modern readers may be likely to encounter difficult internal questions. Readers can expect to come upon memorable quotes, such as one in which Marriane asks, “‘Always resignation and acceptance. Always prudence and honor and duty. Elinor, where is your heart?’”
Pride and Prejudice
A classic story about misunderstandings, missed opportunities and relationship growth that also explores morality and social class, Pride and Prejudice, published in 1813, is likely the most famous of all of Austen’s books. If you are looking for a middle-of-the-road sort of read between drama and comedy, this book is a good fit. The novel is perfect for people who like books which tackle difficult life lessons and moral questions over topics such as forgiveness and judgment. The book also supplies a memorable cast of characters and displays the triumph of love over societal obstacles.
While not quite achieving the hilarity of Emma, Elizabeth Bennet, the protagonist, is often a sarcastic and humorous character who supplies witty remarks that are more than capable of cracking a smile on readers’ faces. Additionally, Elizabeth’s eccentric and sometimes downright frustrating family members add to the comedy of many scenes in the novel. Austen also masterfully welds irony with an exposé on social class and feminine life in the 1800s.
Frequently making aristocratic characters decidedly unmannerly and haughty while characterizing Elizabeth and her sister, Jane, with high moral conduct, Austen makes it possible for readers to laugh at comical and hypocritical behavior. However, she also provokes frustration in readers toward those offensive characters which Elizabeth and Jane would have surely matched with their own indignation.
A reader may tell by the first sentence of the book—“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must in want of a wife”—that the novel proves that the main goal of the average bachelorette, or her guardians, in Austen’s time was to find someone who would “put a ring on it.” However, Austen does not exclude focuses on family and social class, either. Expect to find a plot based around the romantic connections and social adventures made by Elizabeth and her family members. The ensuing awkward situations are more relatable than you may believe, and Austen’ riveting dialogue will give you plenty of room to visualize the uncomfortable expressions and embarrassing actions which you feel would accompany this story best.
Emma
Lastly, Austen’s Emma, published in 1815, is a comedic exploration of the treacherous waters of courtship and friendship. Emma is perfect for readers who want a low-stakes book full of hilarity. The general light-heartedness of the book avoids the high emotions more prevalent in the other two novels, although you should still anticipate engaging plot developments and a well-developed group of characters.
Again, this novel also explicitly reveals uniquely feminine experiences. However, regarding the social position of the main character in Emma, we get a nearly opposite situation from the one in Pride and Prejudice. Emma still involves characters from several social classes, but there is no great defiance of those barriers in the actions of the characters.
Nevertheless, Emma Woodhouse, the protagonist of the novel, may be one of the most relatable characters in Austen’s novels. A girl who believes she’s got her life—and especially this match-making business into which she sticks her nose—all figured out, Emma has shortcomings, emotions and failures which will be all too familiar to readers who have been knocked down a time or two in life. Possibly the most beloved moments of the book are those in which Emma’s sense of superiority gets her in trouble; you might even find yourself feeling exasperated by her opinions at times. However, it is in this feature where any reader can find relatability. How many times have you thought long after an event occurred, “Man, I really should not have done that”? In essence, so does Emma Woodhouse.
Beyond Emma’s character, expect to see a unique cast made up of some members you might sympathize with, some you can laugh at, and some you might heartily—and in Emma’s opinion, properly—dislike. Come ready for a charming story that achieves Austen’s characteristic everyday-life approach through its focus on a close-knit community and the endearing friendships which are apt to form in such a situation.
Brimming with smiles, social awkwardness, winsome characters and fitting surprises, Emma is an Austen novel not to be missed. While it is the longest of the three books reviewed here, the pace is realistically moderate, a mirror image of the relaxing move of a country lifestyle. Needless to say, quotable lines abound in the novel, including this description of Emma’s character, “This sweetest and best of all creatures, faultless in spite of all her faults.”
If you are not yet convinced to pick up one—or, preferably, all—of these books, there is an essential question still ready to be asked. Do you ever find yourself bogged down in the descriptions, lengthy internal thoughts or long periods of authorial commentary in the books you read? Do you ever read books and find yourself wishing that characters could speak a little bit more for themselves? If you can relate, Jane Austen may be the perfect author for you to try.
Austen allows her characters’ dialogue to be the central focus of each of the three novels reviewed above. The dialogue is dynamic, witty and transportive. Once you get the hang of the language the novels exhibit, you might even find yourself entering the rhythm of the conversations. From there, it is an easy jump to put yourself in the middle of the Bennet family discussions, in the friendly chats between Emma Woodhouse and her friends, and in the distressing moments shared between Elinor and Marianne Dashwood.
Without the emphasis on setting and description, Austen’s books again achieve a timeless quality. Strictly by reading the book, we know more about the people Austen created than we do about the locations in which she placed them. In addition, this feature also opens you up to the opportunity of doing your own research on 19th century England if you so choose.
Austen’s literature continues to shape artistic culture in the 21st century. The novels being ageless yet changing, it is no wonder that a new film adaptation of Emma was just released in Feb. 2020. Featuring actors such as Anya Taylor-Joy, Johnny Flynn, Mia Goth and Bill Nighy, the movie displays a new take on Austen’s work which carefully pieces the memorable scenes of the novel together with unique perspectives that breath life between the lines of the classic.
If you are interested in checking out library copies of the books reviewed above, you can find a copy of each in the Watauga High School media center. Additionally, several copies and volumes of Austen’s works exist through the Appalachian Regional Library; the Watauga branch of that system is the Watauga Public Library.
Written By: Bethany Hicks
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