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My Daughter is going to read "PandP" for AP English Lit!!!!!
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Michael
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Dec 09, 2020 03:23AM
I am a fan of Jane Austen. My younger daughter is enrolled in AP English lit. Finally she is going to read one of the classics of English lit. The reading list to this time has been nothing but modern books I have never heard of. I told her we can read it together and watch the Colin Firth/Jennifer Ehle mini-series. With my research into the 19th century I should be able to explain a lot of the background of the work. This is getting my competitive juices flowing as I want to her to blow away the other students.
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Good for her teacher! I waited until I was done with high school because I didn't want to have my experience colored by my negative feelings towards my high school English teachers. I hope she enjoys it!
Glad for her, and hope she likes it!!! I am - I realise - utterly unique in the civilised world in not enjoying the Colin Firth (yawn, too tepid) and Jennifer Ehle (complacent, smug and too plump) version of P&P. But I yield to none in my love of Jane Austen, and - every time I get to Winchester - I (along with many others) put flowers on her grave. Reason why I know it's not just me: there are always flowers there, even if only daisies...
Alice wrote: "Glad for her, and hope she likes it!!! I am - I realise - utterly unique in the civilised world in not enjoying the Colin Firth (yawn, too tepid) and Jennifer Ehle (complacent, smug and too plump) ..."You are not alone in that :)
What fun for you both! Not sure what 'AP English' means, but I know your daughter will be spoilt for choice when it comes to lit crit for P&P. The challenge will be not to be overwhelmed by it all.I would 'warn' that though it is huge fun to watch the dramatisations of Austen, especially P&P, there is a difference when you are reading it. The language can be very subtle (which is why fans read it over and over again), but also do warn her that it was written over two hundred years ago, and is therefore simply not as romantic as the film and TV versions - I would hate her to be disappointed.
I'm assuming you are American (?), so if you want any background on the 'Britishness' of the novel, do ask!
Thank you Beth. AP stands for Advanced Placement.I believe it would be comparable to A Levels in the British education system; college preparatory. If I cannot answer one of my daughter's questions I will call on you. Thank you for the generous level.
Ah, got it! Thank you. Just to say I'd hate you to think I was setting myself up as any kind of Austen expert - far from it, just another fan like yourself! But there are a good few folk here who are very knowledgable definitely. I was simply thinking of any perhaps cultural differences that may puzzle your daughter at all. One very minor one for example may be the term 'fortnight' which I believe is not used in the USA any longer? It's still used over here, but, curiously, the abbreviation for a week, rather than two weeks/14 nights, ie, 'sennight' is no longer in current usage in the UK, but does occur in Austen (not sure if it's P and P mind!). As a fellow Janeite of course, you may well know all this inside out anyway, and a lot more besides!!
