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A review by kanissa
A Jane Austen Education: How Six Novels Taught Me About Love, Friendship, and the Things That Really Matter by William Deresiewicz
2.0
Jane Austen is unequivocally my favorite author. I have read her novels countless times (except Northanger Abbey, really), not even including all the times I've watched and re-watched film adaptations. So this book sounded interesting - a look into what Austen's books can teach us.
I was unimpressed.
This book weaves together Austen's biography, summaries of the novels, textual analysis, and Mr Deresiewicz's autobiography. Unfortunately, only the bits analyzing Austen's work were really all that interesting for me. I've read the books so many times that a summary adds no value. I don't particularly care for the author's life story (especially when he comes off as a bit whiny and privileged - the bits about the Midwest and particularly Cleveland being a total backwater compared to New York City rubbed me the wrong way, being a life-long Clevelander). And there's nothing wrong with summarizing Austen's life, but for that I'd be better off reading an actual biography.
It basically boils down to "life lessons" covering such oh-so-earth-shattering topics as "Don't take things for granted" or "Love is about growing up". I can do without the self-help book, Mr Deresiewicz, thank you very much. In the end, none of these ended up being at all interesting or eye-opening for me.
This book did change me in one way, though. It made me want to revisit the world of literary analysis, which I hadn't done since high school.
I was unimpressed.
This book weaves together Austen's biography, summaries of the novels, textual analysis, and Mr Deresiewicz's autobiography. Unfortunately, only the bits analyzing Austen's work were really all that interesting for me. I've read the books so many times that a summary adds no value. I don't particularly care for the author's life story (especially when he comes off as a bit whiny and privileged - the bits about the Midwest and particularly Cleveland being a total backwater compared to New York City rubbed me the wrong way, being a life-long Clevelander). And there's nothing wrong with summarizing Austen's life, but for that I'd be better off reading an actual biography.
It basically boils down to "life lessons" covering such oh-so-earth-shattering topics as "Don't take things for granted" or "Love is about growing up". I can do without the self-help book, Mr Deresiewicz, thank you very much. In the end, none of these ended up being at all interesting or eye-opening for me.
This book did change me in one way, though. It made me want to revisit the world of literary analysis, which I hadn't done since high school.