Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was pre-pandemic and the very last film I saw in the theaters before the lockdown was 'Emma', starring Anya Taylor-Joy. I fell in love with it so thoroughly that I promptly ordered the beautiful cloth-bound hardcovers of every Jane Austen books. It took me a while to come around to read them though. I've never been much of a fan of romance and even though I loved 'Emma', I never liked 'Pride and Prejudice' (the one with Keira Knightley). When I finally got around to read Jane Austen, I decided to start with Love and Freindship - a collection of short stories Austen wrote when she was quite young.
The version that I read had quite an extensive introduction to Austen, about her life and her early writings. I hungrily devoured the history cos I found Austen's life fascinating. Then I began reading the short stories. They were silly and peculiar but so very witty and sarcastic coming from someone so very young. I couldn't help but laugh out loud in many of her stories which did show her age but also her brilliance in writing farce. For me, her stories didn't read like romance but more of satire of the romance genre of her time. I didn't expect to enjoy it so thoroughly. It also made me wonder whether I should have viewed the film 'Pride and Prejudice' as satire too? Well, if it was meant to be viewed that way, it went over my head.
If 'Love and Freindship' little short stories were anything like her later novels, I'm sure to enjoy them as well. I can't wait!
The version that I read had quite an extensive introduction to Austen, about her life and her early writings. I hungrily devoured the history cos I found Austen's life fascinating. Then I began reading the short stories. They were silly and peculiar but so very witty and sarcastic coming from someone so very young. I couldn't help but laugh out loud in many of her stories which did show her age but also her brilliance in writing farce. For me, her stories didn't read like romance but more of satire of the romance genre of her time. I didn't expect to enjoy it so thoroughly. It also made me wonder whether I should have viewed the film 'Pride and Prejudice' as satire too? Well, if it was meant to be viewed that way, it went over my head.
If 'Love and Freindship' little short stories were anything like her later novels, I'm sure to enjoy them as well. I can't wait!
This edition collects Jane Austen's three volumes of juvenilia, works written when she was just what we moderns would classify as a teenager, into a single book. Most are short, many are unfinished, but they all showcase Austen's talent for satire and parody. Also included is Lady Susan, which is more often classed with Austen's later, unfinished novels The Watsons and Sanditon, but which editor Christine Alexander believes more properly belongs with the early writings of Austen's youth.
I'd been aware of Austen's juvenilia, of course, but had never come across it in published form. In fact, I'd rather dismissed it as something that Austen scholars read and wrote papers on, and since scholarly works are no longer in my bailiwick, I ignored it. But having read all the "proper" novels at least once, I felt, in my "year of Austen," I should acquire a copy, if possible. I'm so pleased that I did! There's a sprightliness to the young Austen, a sense of winking at her audience (who were likely her family), that, while not exactly missing from the mature works, is certainly subtler there. The reader can see her playing with the conventions of the novel, such as they were then, subverting expectations even then and creating female characters not of their own time, but of all time.
It was a joy to read these, and especially Lady Susan, which, compared to her later works and characters, is practically scandalous. I recommend this edition to anyone with a love of Jane Austen.
I'd been aware of Austen's juvenilia, of course, but had never come across it in published form. In fact, I'd rather dismissed it as something that Austen scholars read and wrote papers on, and since scholarly works are no longer in my bailiwick, I ignored it. But having read all the "proper" novels at least once, I felt, in my "year of Austen," I should acquire a copy, if possible. I'm so pleased that I did! There's a sprightliness to the young Austen, a sense of winking at her audience (who were likely her family), that, while not exactly missing from the mature works, is certainly subtler there. The reader can see her playing with the conventions of the novel, such as they were then, subverting expectations even then and creating female characters not of their own time, but of all time.
It was a joy to read these, and especially Lady Susan, which, compared to her later works and characters, is practically scandalous. I recommend this edition to anyone with a love of Jane Austen.
Hilarious, charming, revelatory, fun as hell. But we knew this.
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
While it's interesting to see Jane Austen's early work, only Austen's most die hard fans will find Love and Freindship: And Other Youthful Writings worth their time.
It's evident in these writings that the qualities for which readers love Austen existed very early on, such as her sense of humor and character archetypes. It's also obvious that she hadn't yet learn any restraint as this collection lacks any of the polish and subtlety of her later writings. The content is overly dramatic (so much fainting!) and Austen's satire is too heavy-handed for me to find entertaining. It's a far-cry from the affectionate parody that is Northanger Abbey.
Perhaps, though, I shouldn't be too hard on her if she did write these as a teenager. When you're a teenager, your emotional state is heightened and every reaction is turned up to eleven and Love and Freindship certainly reflects that mentality accurately.
It's evident in these writings that the qualities for which readers love Austen existed very early on, such as her sense of humor and character archetypes. It's also obvious that she hadn't yet learn any restraint as this collection lacks any of the polish and subtlety of her later writings. The content is overly dramatic (so much fainting!) and Austen's satire is too heavy-handed for me to find entertaining. It's a far-cry from the affectionate parody that is Northanger Abbey.
Perhaps, though, I shouldn't be too hard on her if she did write these as a teenager. When you're a teenager, your emotional state is heightened and every reaction is turned up to eleven and Love and Freindship certainly reflects that mentality accurately.
The stories in this were really amusing and fun and I really liked Lady Susan when I read it last year.
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Gonna be honest, I just read this one to kind of check all the boxes on Jane Austen's works. It was enjoyable but it's much less polished than other books by her I've read. You can glimpse a lot of the author's latter creative decisions with most of these so it's interesting to read if you're a big fan.
If the way to learn to be a writer is to write, that's what I think Jane Austen was doing. The early stories definitely seem like a teen/tween wrote them. Some of the later ones, not so much.
All of those are amazing! At first I was like "What the flipping heck am I reading?!" But then I just wanted Jane to go even crazier with her sarcasm.
The history of England is the best thing ever!
The history of England is the best thing ever!