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2 Novels by Jane Austen
Some novels, some authors,
some author’s novels are Not meant to be read back to back!
I am talking about Jane
Austen’s “Mansfield
Park ” (1814) & “Northanger
Abbey” (1817, although first given to publish in 1803!).
Both are coming-of-age
stories of 2 young naïve girls.
M
|
When I started, I realized
that I’d read (And watched) it before, but continued nonetheless, because details
were largely forgotten.
The protagonist was a bit depressing,
but overall, the story worked out satisfactorily. The end, though, was very
abrupt …. as if the author ran out of time, space, ideas, patience, or
whatever.
Kind of reminded me of Yash
Chopra’s films that start off well enough, with lots of romantic twists &
turns, but then come to such an abrupt, unconvincing “Huh, what the ….?!” end !
Stopped watching them, too.
Northanger Abbey
N
|
orthanger Abbey
– to me the only redeeming feature was it’s underlying sense of sarcasm &
humor, a story in a lighter vein, despite the frequent “vexations”.
But I could Not connect with
the heroine & the narration was not engaging enough (with some
proselytizing about novels & their effect/impact on young minds). Maybe if
I hadn’t read it immediately after finishing Mansfield Park, I might have found it a bit
more pleasing, although her gothic fears were a bit over-the-top. It did,
however, remind me of a neighbour we once had. This young teenager was so
addicted to RL Stine books (horror fiction stories) that she would wake up
screaming at night ! So, maybe if I was younger, I might have appreciated the
story/heroine more? I enjoyed horror back then.
My take on back to back reading
W
|
hatever their individual
merits or demerits, my main point is this :
When you read independent, unrelated,
non-serialized stories by the same author, in immediate succession, you discover many similarities & repetitions, which might not have been apparent if
reading is spaced out (unless one has an eidetic memory). Back to back reading
tends to highlight some “weaknesses” in a writer, which would’ve gone unnoticed
by a casual reader. It is a difficult act to pull off with aplomb (although some authors are successful - will talk about such an experience in a future post).
Speaking of these 2 novels,
the setting, the basic characters, the supporting characters, their basic
personalities, their value systems, their backgrounds, the professions, their
state & status in life & in family, etc. etc. were so very similar ! It
felt like the writer had a good thing going with the character-building for one
story & used the very same framework for the other. While Northanger Abbey was written
earlier (with some alterations later), but since I read it After Mansfield Park, I found it
quite a drag to finish – had to force myself to get through it.
Again, my impressions may be
more biased because of the sequence & timing of reading than actual merits
of each story. There could also have been some fatigue in reading about the
same period, & same circumstances, & similar romances. But it is as it
is.
I did want to read “Emma”
again (been a looong time); but I am firmly decided on waiting at least One
year before taking it up. Meanwhile, on
to some serious reading – too much mushiness, despite a sweet tooth, is not
good for my health ;-).
Disclaimer: These are
my personal impressions, not a formal or literary critique, & in no way discount the
immense talent of the writer. It is easy to criticize, but so difficult to actually write !
**** happy reading ****
Ah yes, I take your point, it's possible to have too much of a good thing! And sometimes you just have to be in the right mood to read a particular author. I had Northanger Abbey a set book once. We were told that the over the top gothic was really the point - JA was having a dig at gothic authors.
ReplyDeleteTo be sure, the underlying & at times overt sarcasm & humour through the story was what got me through ... You are right about the deliberate exaggeration and can't say she was out of line, as young, growing, formative minds can be affected / influenced !
DeleteI appreciate your observations and insight, Jane :-)
I completely understand. I read two books back to back by Pearl S. Buck. The first one "East Wind, West Wind" was awesome, but the second "The New Year" was just average. There are so many good authors out there it's a good idea to mix things up and not get bored.
ReplyDeleteAnd I have such a backlog of books bought & not yet read, that I have no excuse for not mixing authors, stories, genres ;-P
DeleteI've read 2 of Pearl S Buck's books & really loved "Peony" .... It was my first intro to Chinese culture !
I love the bookmark with flowers <3 <3
ReplyDeleteThat is the Dandelion Chain link bookmark designed by Teri Dusenbury. I wrote about it in an earlier post "Tatting Away - II". It is one of my favourite bookmarks :-)
DeleteOh, and it is a free pattern - on Teri 's blog.