Jane Austen Book Club discussion
Persuasion - Jane Austen
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Chapter 1
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I'm familiar with the author's name and book/movie titles but haven't read or seen any of them. Looking forward to my first with you all! :)
I've read all of Austen's books multiple times. My favorite is Persuasion. I'm not a huge fan of Mansfield Park. The BBC's version of Pride and Prejudice is one of the best adaptations I've ever seen. Emma with Gwyneth Paltrow is excellent as well.
I've read Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, and Emma several times before. Pride and Prejudice is my favorite of the three, but funnily enough, I've never seen any of the film and television adaptations for it. I didn't understood everybody's fascination with Mr. Darcy until I read the book. =) I've watched Persuasion (1995) and Sense and Sensibility (1995) though.
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Well, I haven't read Persuasion or seen the movie, so this one will be new to me too.
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I look forward to watching that version of Pride and Prejudice, but I think I will wait until I've read the book again. I just bought the Emma DVD with Gwyneth Paltrow at Half Price Books yesterday. I'm going to hold off on watching that until I've read the book too.
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Was that movie version of Persuasion good? I have yet to buy movie adaptations of Persuasion, Northanger Abbey, or Mansfield Park so I'm trying to find good versions of each of them.
Amy wrote: "This version of Persuasion is really good: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114117/"
Yes, that's the one I watched.
The beginning of chapter 1 reads worse than the book of Genesis! Hope I can get into this and won't have to remember all of these names...
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http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114117/"
Oh good. I'll look for it next time I'm at Half Price Books. Thanks!
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I read a bit of a review that said it gets better after that first chapter. I am a bad hostess, I haven't even started yet. I couldn't find my book and only just remembered I left it in my shop.
It's only the first chapter and I already hate Sir Walter and Elizabeth. He's vain and Elizabeth sounds bitter. I thought the bit about the mother funny - "Lady Elliot had been an excellent woman, sensible and amiable; whose judgement and conduct, if they might be pardoned the youthful infatuation which made her Lady Elliot..." Translation: She was a good person, really! She just made a stupid judgement in choosing her husband.What's with Austen writing about people with foolish parents? But then again, if the parents were any good, then they would do right by their children and there wouldn't be any conflict and we wouldn't have an interesting novel! haha
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Sir Walter is a jerk. That in his mind his two younger children were considered "of very inferior value" tells most of what needs to be said of him. That he values Elizabeth's beauty over Anne's "elegance of mind and sweetness of character" pretty much tells the rest.
I have yet to decide what I think about Elizabeth. She clearly gets along much better with her father than anyone else. I feel sorry for her a bit since it looks like she did lose her mother when she was 15 which is a rough age for a girl to be without a female role model. She seems a daddy's girl, clinging to her one remaining parent. Naturally her personality would echo his own. Anne, on the other hand, has Lady Russell as a surrogate mother.
As for the situation with the parents, it's kind of like the parents in anime, they are either not there or so ridiculous they might as well not be. This leaves our heroine to be even more admirable as she has a sweet demeanor despite her upbringing.
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I am enjoying discussing each chapter. I usually ready so fast I miss a lot of the little details. I probably would have already been halfway through the book otherwise.
Ok. I started reading the book. And, as always, feels that the first chapters drag in descriptions I won't remember after turning the page (but that's always the case with all books I read, so no problems there).Anyway. I've read:
Sense & Sensibility (and watched both the movie with Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman and the miniseries),
Mansfield Park (and watched the movie with Billie Piper),
Emma (and watched one of them, can't remember the actors, though),
Northager Abby
Pride and Prejudice (and watched the movie with Kiera Knightly and the miniseries with Colin Firth)
Generally, I've watched the movies or miniseries first and then read the books. It gives me a bit more of help. I always think I know less English than needed, but I was told to stop doing that as it's just insecurities on my part. So reading the book first is a new experience for me. Will see how it works.
And I'm looking forward for the other books discussions too. It will be a great excuse to re-read them.
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Just so you know, even with English as my first language, this isn't a super easy read for me. I went on a road trip with my mom and read the first chapter to her and realized the first sentence was the entire first paragraph. So many sentences she could have simplified. I can read it all right in my head, but I trip over all the commas when reading it aloud. It's hard to figure out where to breathe. Haha!
If you think it will be easier for you to watch the movie first, then definitely do so. We don't have any strict rules. You've read quite a bit of Austen's work so you'll probably do fine.
I just joined and looking forward to reading along with everyone.I love Jane Austin.I have read Pride and Prejudice and Mansfield Park.Love the one with Colin Firth the best.I have seen the Persuasion movie but never read the book.I just got the book recently.Pam
Angela wrote: "Leilani wrote: "It's only the first chapter and I already hate Sir Walter and Elizabeth. He's vain and Elizabeth sounds bitter. I thought the bit about the mother funny - "Lady Elliot had been a..."Angela, that's a good point about Elizabeth being a daddy's girl and how that would affect her personality. I still dislike her though because she comes off as being a little catty and prideful.
On her attitude towards William Elliot, she cared more for that he was her father's heir more than anything. She "had liked the man for himself, and still more for being her father's heir, and whose strong family pride could see only in him a proper match for Sir Walter Elliot's eldest daughter."
And then when she found out Sir Walter was broke, "she afterwards added the happy thought of their taking no present down to Anne."
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She's selfish and vain, but I still feel a little bad for her. Maybe as the story progresses I won't feel so bad.
Finished chapter 1 - still lost - comments are helping! I am having a hard time figuring out who's who and whose point of view it's all in. I think I need to re-read ch1 again :( gonna plow on thru to ch 2 and see if it gets better...
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Sir Walter - prideful and vain (and irresponsible with his finances). He is the father of 3 daughters:
Elizabeth - the eldest daughter and most like her father and therefore the one with all of his affection.
Anne - the second daughter. Gentle and intelligent. Not enough like her father to be worthy of his time.
Mary - the third daughter who married off, but it was a lateral move and as such did not bring extra fame or title into the family which disappoints her father.
Lady Russell - best friend to Sir Walter's deceased wife. She is looking out for all of them as her friend wished. Anne is her favorite, but she cares for all of them.
Mr. Shepherd - Sir Walter's lawyer. So far he isn't much help as he lets Lady Russell guide them with their financial problems.
Mr. Elliot - A cousin to the three daughters and the male heir to the Kellynch estate. It was assumed by Sir Walter and Elizabeth that he would marry Elizabeth, thus securing the family in Kellynch Hall. He married another woman and though she is now dead, Elizabeth wants nothing to do with him after the initial slight.
And so here's where their predicament is: Sir Walter has been spending money faster than the estate brings it in and now that his daughter isn't marrying the heir to the estate, he has 2 daughters in their late 20's to figure out how to find husbands for when they are now probably living on money that should have been in their dowries.
I think that is everyone of major consequence at this point. Did I leave anyone out?
God bless you, Angela! Soooo helpful! <3
One thing I found interesting in the first chapter is how the family is presented. Of course Sir Walter and Elizabeth must be talked of first. Their consequence and precedence are of utmost importance and for Anne to give way, even in a book primarily about Anne. Very clever of Jane Austen indeed! I took a strong dislike to both Elizabeth and Sir Walter. They are horribly self-absorbed and really have no redeeming qualities.
I've read Persuasion many times. I love the movie version with Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds. It's difficult to say which Austen book is my favorite, I think the forerunners are Persuasion and P&P. S&S is ok. I find I don't reread that one as much. I did not like Emma very much at first, but the book grew on me. I recently finally read Mansfield Park and I will reread that for sure, very engaging.
I like Emma with Kate Beckinsale, not a fan of the Gwenyth Paltrow version. The 1995 P&P is the definitive version for me, my absolute favorite. The 1983 Mansfield Park mini-series is great and very true to the book.
I got this chapter done and both the Dad and oldest daughter are not very likable.I can't blame Elizabeth for being upset when she thought Mr Elliot would marry her them married someone else.That could affect your thinking.I do like Anne the best.
I have never read this book before so finding it interesting read.Pam
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Yeah, I think that's why I think I gave Elizabeth so much slack. I felt bad for her. Her father and tradition led her to believe her cousin would marry her and I think she had her heart set on it. Her personality probably didn't make him too keen on the idea.
Is it too late to join??? I love Jane Austen and Persuasion is my favorite book of her. I've also read Emma and Sense and Sensibility. Funnily enough I've never read Pride and Prejudice nor seen the movie so it'll be new for me :)
Tatiana wrote: "Is it too late to join??? I love Jane Austen and Persuasion is my favorite book of her. I've also read Emma and Sense and Sensibility. Funnily enough I've never read Pride and Prejudice nor seen th..."No, not late to join at all! Welcome Tatiana! Seems everybody got a little busy so we haven't been posting as much though.
Let's start this off by getting an idea of everyone's familiarity with the author and her works. Some of you might have never even heard of her or may be new to this genre of writing.
As for me, I've read Pride and Prejudice and seen the movie with Kiera Knightly. (I fell in love with Mr. Darcy ^_~ ) I bought the BBC mini series version with Colin Firth, but I have yet to watch it. I've also read Sense and Sensibility and seen the movie with Emma Thompson. I won't say much about either as we will be reading those at some point again. So far Pride and Prejudice is my favorite.