So my current favorite book is Persuasion, by Jane Austen. I know, I know. If I'm going to read Jane Austen, my favorite should be Pride and Prejudice or Sense and Sensibility. But I like Persuasion because the plot appeals to me in a way the others don't. The main character, Anne, is a good person, has sad things happen to her, yet she goes on with her life and tries to be useful and kind. If I were stomped on all the time by my family, I don't think I could be so patient as this character seems to be. She gets down and probably depressed, but she keeps going and has a happily ever after.
The thing I like about Austen's books is that the characters are so real. When reading something of hers, you think of someone you know who is like that particular character. Haven't we all me a Mrs. Bennet? Maybe you're a Marianne, or an Elizabeth. There's no gothic drama or intense passages. I lose patience with some of the more dramatic literature of that time, because some of it gets ridiculous. Austen just describes life as it was. I also like how she shows the favorable outcomes of someone adhering to one's own personal standards. And she shows what happens when one throws morals and standards out the window. In the case of Anne in Persuasion, she follows what she feels is right and is unhappy for a long time. But eventually everything turns around when Wentworth comes to value Anne's quiet strength of purpose and belief. I hope to be like that.
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Very interesting and well written. I'm not a Jane Austen fan (probably because my first experience with her was a forced AP English assignment in high school and well. . because I am a male). But, I enjoyed reading your description of her writing and I'm impressed (absolutely not surprised) by your depth of analysis and understanding of her technique and skill.
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