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A review by marthabethanreads
Jane Austen, the Secret Radical by Helena Kelly
4.0
This book has an interesting premise - Austen was radical and political, unlike the way she has been generally presented and seen as.
The publishers seem to suggest that this is the first book of its kind, but if one delves into the literature on Austen, there is a multitude of articles and books that focus on her political opinions and the way the novels captivate this.
The introduction was structured interestingly, as it opens from Austen’s perspective, but in the third person. Tracing how Austen’s image has been built over time was a good way of establishing the argument within certain contexts.
‘Northanger Abbey’ was written about somewhat disparagingly at points, especially in the opening of the chapter - I have many friends who love this novel and Catherine!
Her exploration of references to pregnancy was interesting, and not a topic I had much considered in the context of Austen. However, I do feel there are other radical aspects that have been missed, such as her mocking of prescriptive literature about female behaviour.
In the chapter on ‘Sense and Sensibility’, the discussion of inheritance and the role of women in the home and the family was interesting. However, beyond this the author seems to be searching for something perverse, and, in my opinion, reads in symbolism that isn’t there - particularly with regards to the behaviours of Edward Ferrars. Beyond this, there are some leaps in logic when it comes to discussions about Colonel Brandon and questions about names within the novel. I wasn’t really convinced by the arguments within this chapter.
Her focus on the militia within ‘Pride and Prejudice’ was very interesting and she addressed things I had not considered before, such as the militia being a disruptive presence throughout the novel. The passages on Mr Collins were very entertaining as he is just absurd. I also particularly enjoyed the section on introductions and the politics of these within the era that Austen was writing. I also liked her discussion of the radical natures of Lizzy and Darcy, and how well matched they are, as it sung to the romantic in me. This chapter was more engaging and seemed to be better grounded in the primary material in its readings of Austen.
The ‘Mansfield Park’ chapter is very interesting, particularly with regards to slavery and the experiences that Austen would have known about and been linked to during her life. The associations made between character names and real life people provided insights that I was unaware of before reading this. Her argument regarding the connections between the church and slavery was well researched and grounded in the text. It had never occurred to me before how unsatisfactory the ending is for Fanny, as Edmund is not a true hero or a particularly great man. I think I need to revisit this novel and reassess!
The chapter on ‘Emma’ begins with rather a lot of preamble regarding enclosures. The information was rather interesting, but I am a history student who has previously studied this topic and has some background knowledge. I’m unsure how useful it all is for those who are just curious to hear about the political nature of ‘Emma’. Enclosures in ‘Emma’ is not a theme I had ever picked up on whilst reading it, as I had not looked this closely. Kelly’s arguments are good on this topic and reveal a different side to the novel to what I had previously seen.
I was slightly upset by her questioning of Mr Knightley’s love for Emma, and the idea that he may have other motives for moving to Hartfield - being that Knightley is one of my favourite Austen heroes!
I really liked the links made between fossils and Austen’s writing in ‘Persuasion’. I’d never thought of these as related topics, and it gave me a new view of Austen’s life and writings. Seeing how opinions have changed over time on ‘Persuasion’ and the novels was particularly interesting, given that ‘Persuasion’ is my favourite of Austen’s novels. The associations made between the changing hands of the throne and Austen’s characters provided a different angle to some of the concepts within the novel. I really loved her point about how Austen takes the pen in her own hands, allowing women to write their own stories.
Although I disagreed with some of the arguments made in the book, I generally enjoyed reading it and it provided new insights into her novels! As Helena Kelly recommends with her final line, maybe I should “read them again”.
The publishers seem to suggest that this is the first book of its kind, but if one delves into the literature on Austen, there is a multitude of articles and books that focus on her political opinions and the way the novels captivate this.
The introduction was structured interestingly, as it opens from Austen’s perspective, but in the third person. Tracing how Austen’s image has been built over time was a good way of establishing the argument within certain contexts.
‘Northanger Abbey’ was written about somewhat disparagingly at points, especially in the opening of the chapter - I have many friends who love this novel and Catherine!
Her exploration of references to pregnancy was interesting, and not a topic I had much considered in the context of Austen. However, I do feel there are other radical aspects that have been missed, such as her mocking of prescriptive literature about female behaviour.
In the chapter on ‘Sense and Sensibility’, the discussion of inheritance and the role of women in the home and the family was interesting. However, beyond this the author seems to be searching for something perverse, and, in my opinion, reads in symbolism that isn’t there - particularly with regards to the behaviours of Edward Ferrars. Beyond this, there are some leaps in logic when it comes to discussions about Colonel Brandon and questions about names within the novel. I wasn’t really convinced by the arguments within this chapter.
Her focus on the militia within ‘Pride and Prejudice’ was very interesting and she addressed things I had not considered before, such as the militia being a disruptive presence throughout the novel. The passages on Mr Collins were very entertaining as he is just absurd. I also particularly enjoyed the section on introductions and the politics of these within the era that Austen was writing. I also liked her discussion of the radical natures of Lizzy and Darcy, and how well matched they are, as it sung to the romantic in me. This chapter was more engaging and seemed to be better grounded in the primary material in its readings of Austen.
The ‘Mansfield Park’ chapter is very interesting, particularly with regards to slavery and the experiences that Austen would have known about and been linked to during her life. The associations made between character names and real life people provided insights that I was unaware of before reading this. Her argument regarding the connections between the church and slavery was well researched and grounded in the text. It had never occurred to me before how unsatisfactory the ending is for Fanny, as Edmund is not a true hero or a particularly great man. I think I need to revisit this novel and reassess!
The chapter on ‘Emma’ begins with rather a lot of preamble regarding enclosures. The information was rather interesting, but I am a history student who has previously studied this topic and has some background knowledge. I’m unsure how useful it all is for those who are just curious to hear about the political nature of ‘Emma’. Enclosures in ‘Emma’ is not a theme I had ever picked up on whilst reading it, as I had not looked this closely. Kelly’s arguments are good on this topic and reveal a different side to the novel to what I had previously seen.
I was slightly upset by her questioning of Mr Knightley’s love for Emma, and the idea that he may have other motives for moving to Hartfield - being that Knightley is one of my favourite Austen heroes!
I really liked the links made between fossils and Austen’s writing in ‘Persuasion’. I’d never thought of these as related topics, and it gave me a new view of Austen’s life and writings. Seeing how opinions have changed over time on ‘Persuasion’ and the novels was particularly interesting, given that ‘Persuasion’ is my favourite of Austen’s novels. The associations made between the changing hands of the throne and Austen’s characters provided a different angle to some of the concepts within the novel. I really loved her point about how Austen takes the pen in her own hands, allowing women to write their own stories.
Although I disagreed with some of the arguments made in the book, I generally enjoyed reading it and it provided new insights into her novels! As Helena Kelly recommends with her final line, maybe I should “read them again”.