Jane Austen and blogland

I follow this blog, Bookshelf (https://atkinsbookshelf.wordpress.com/), which produces a lot of bookish stuff. It's mostly something I get notifications about, see in my feed, and occasionally save an email alert if I really want to go back. I definitely don't read or click through often enough.

One post I'd been sitting on is "The Best Books About Jane Austen." This morning I decided to look quick, copy the titles into my Goodreads to-read list, and go about my day. Holy cow! This isn't a quick list, this is practically a bibliography of what to read about Jane Austen (over 30 titles). From biographies to annotated editions to etiquette books, it's quite the list! If you're a fan of Austen I suggest you check it out. And if you just like books, give the blog a test drive.

Book Covers Tell Stories

My friend from graduate school, Justin, sent me this link: Jane Austen, Reinvented.

I love it! I am appalled at some of the covers, but what a topic: the stories covers tell. The materials and the visuals on the cover often reflect the time period the book was published. The visuals also--and this is the part I like best--can tell a totally different side of the story than you anticipate. For example, the cover of Lydia flirting? Scandalous and not at all a part of the story you even closely witness. And the cover with the outrageous blurb "Mom's fishing for husbands--but the girl's are hunting for love..." Yeah, that's true, but not what the angle I would take.

The books I have are far less interesting and don't give me much to consider on the cover. I'll have to keep my eye out for cheap paperback versions with retro graphics, preferably ones that tell a different story than his pride and her prejudice.

Lady Susan by Jane Austen

I downloaded Jane Austen's Lady Susan for audiobook. It's one that I don't own, and one that I knew nothing about, so I was excited to check it out. It is a short, epistolary novel, early in Austen's life. 

     The story focuses on the shenanigans surrounding one Lady Susan Vernon: a scandalously flirtatious recent widow who spends her time conniving men (married and single) into thinking her a good woman and mother (of which she is neither). She is older, beautiful, witty, and charming. The women see through her lies and deceits and flattery, while the men in her presence fall prey to it.  

     It's an interesting set up. As a female character in that time period she must be despised for her immoral nature, but yet she is a very commanding persona that triumphs over typically-considered-stronger males. She is both the namesake and the "villain" of the story--she truthfully has no redeeming qualities. But Lady Susan is not the one strong female, however, since the other women see through her character. It is a novel where female characters are more intelligent and sensible than males. For me, it's the dominance of female characters that is most interesting, particularly for the period. Or perhaps it's just an apparent dominance; are there men who, upon closer examination, are better characters? 

     While I don't dislike the epistolary format, for this novel I find it hard to get a true sense of the character I want to know best: Frederica, her daughter. I also don't like that I cannot see the moments of Lady Susan's seduction (however, I enjoy her recounts in letters to her dear friend). 

     The tale is dark for Austen--terrible parenting and a somewhat rushed conclusion to the work. It's a very different read than any of her other works I have encountered. Yet it shows her range and it does not feel out of place within her works. 

As a final note, if I had my way: Kim Cattrall would be playing Lady Susan in some adaptation of the book. She's divinely perfect for the role. Jane Seymour would be a far second.