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A review by s_books
Jane Austen, the Secret Radical by Helena Kelly
2.5
*I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways*
This is really a 2.5 star book.
It may be a bit presumptuous for the author to claim that she is presenting Jane Austen and her works as "[Jane] wanted to be read", especially considering the tear-down Kelly presents of Austen's family's portrayal of her but the concept is enticing, namely that Jane Austen's works were well-disguised criticisms of her contemporary society and not just drawing room romances. Also, even though the order of the "critical readings" is supposedly in the order they were made ready for publication, it could also--considering how Austen's works and Austen herself are typically viewed--be seen as in increasing likelihood of main character(s) ending up as spinster(s).
Also it's a bit confusing -- and comes off a bit like too much like trying to be "in" or "down" -- that the author constantly refers to Austen as "Jane" and not by her last name. It feels like the author is trying to impress how well she knows "Jane", enough to be on a first name basis and that she is closer to her and to understanding her than all those other writers who use "Austen". Furthermore, since Austen used the name "Jane" herself for several of the characters in her books, and since this book is about a way of reading those books, certainly the characters' names come up many times throughout the book, including Jane. This is especially confusing (read: annoying) in the chapter about [b:Pride and Prejudice|1885|Pride and Prejudice|Jane Austen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320399351s/1885.jpg|3060926] since the secondary female character is named Jane -- I'm never sure whether the author of this book is referring to that Jane or to Austen herself and I often have to go back and reread a sentence because I'm left confused, having thought we referring to the former when really it was the latter.
I'm not sure I agree with Kelly's readings of Austen's novels although her reading of [b:Mansfield Park|45032|Mansfield Park|Jane Austen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1397063295s/45032.jpg|2722329] is somewhat convincing, helped in no small part by the fact that the maker's of the 1999 film adaptation seemed to wholeheartedly share the view that the book is about or at least heavily referencing slavery. However, some of the others feel a bit stretching, especially the last one about [b:Persuasion|2156|Persuasion|Jane Austen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1385172413s/2156.jpg|2534720]; it almost feels like the author didn't originally have an alternative reading in mind for Persuasion but since all the other books had one, they came up with one quickly even if the amount of evidence for it feels decidedly lacking compared to some of the others. Overall, I agree only with the very ending of this book: read Jane Austen's works again.
This is really a 2.5 star book.
It may be a bit presumptuous for the author to claim that she is presenting Jane Austen and her works as "[Jane] wanted to be read", especially considering the tear-down Kelly presents of Austen's family's portrayal of her but the concept is enticing, namely that Jane Austen's works were well-disguised criticisms of her contemporary society and not just drawing room romances. Also, even though the order of the "critical readings" is supposedly in the order they were made ready for publication, it could also--considering how Austen's works and Austen herself are typically viewed--be seen as in increasing likelihood of main character(s) ending up as spinster(s).
Also it's a bit confusing -- and comes off a bit like too much like trying to be "in" or "down" -- that the author constantly refers to Austen as "Jane" and not by her last name. It feels like the author is trying to impress how well she knows "Jane", enough to be on a first name basis and that she is closer to her and to understanding her than all those other writers who use "Austen". Furthermore, since Austen used the name "Jane" herself for several of the characters in her books, and since this book is about a way of reading those books, certainly the characters' names come up many times throughout the book, including Jane. This is especially confusing (read: annoying) in the chapter about [b:Pride and Prejudice|1885|Pride and Prejudice|Jane Austen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320399351s/1885.jpg|3060926] since the secondary female character is named Jane -- I'm never sure whether the author of this book is referring to that Jane or to Austen herself and I often have to go back and reread a sentence because I'm left confused, having thought we referring to the former when really it was the latter.
I'm not sure I agree with Kelly's readings of Austen's novels although her reading of [b:Mansfield Park|45032|Mansfield Park|Jane Austen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1397063295s/45032.jpg|2722329] is somewhat convincing, helped in no small part by the fact that the maker's of the 1999 film adaptation seemed to wholeheartedly share the view that the book is about or at least heavily referencing slavery. However, some of the others feel a bit stretching, especially the last one about [b:Persuasion|2156|Persuasion|Jane Austen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1385172413s/2156.jpg|2534720]; it almost feels like the author didn't originally have an alternative reading in mind for Persuasion but since all the other books had one, they came up with one quickly even if the amount of evidence for it feels decidedly lacking compared to some of the others. Overall, I agree only with the very ending of this book: read Jane Austen's works again.