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Jane Austen For Dummies

Langue : Anglais

Auteur :

Couverture de l’ouvrage Jane Austen For Dummies
Explains Austen's methods, motivations, and morals

The fun and easy way(r) to understand and enjoy Jane Austen

Want to know more about Jane Austen? This friendly guide gives the scoop on her life, works, and lasting impact on our culture. It chronicles the events of her brief life, examines each of her novels, and looks at why her stories - of women and marriage, class and money, scandal and hypocrisy, emotion and satire - still have meaning for us today.

Discover
* Why Austen is so popular
* The impact on manners, courtships, and dating
* Love and life in Austen's world
* Her life and key influences
* Her most memorable characters

Introduction 1

About This Book 1

Conventions Used in This Book 2

What You’re Not to Read 3

Foolish Assumptions 4

How This Book Is Organized 5

Part I: Getting to Know Jane Austen, Lady and Novelist 5

Part II: Austen Observes Ladies and Gentlemen 5

Part III: Living Life in Jane’s World 6

Part IV: Enjoying Austen and Her Influence Today 6

Part V: The Part of Tens 6

Appendix 6

Icons Used in This Book 7

Where to Go from Here 7

Part I: Getting to Know Jane Austen, Lady and Novelist 9

Chapter 1: Introducing Jane Austen 11

Identifying the Lady Writer 12

Keeping a Personal Record 13

Getting Reviewed 13

Checking out the comments from the critics of her day 13

Glancing at later reviews 15

Listening to Austen’s current readers 16

Getting Comfortable with “Jane” 16

Hearing the friendly, welcoming narrator 17

Hearing “Jane, the friend” become the witty, terse narrator 17

Delivering the Hollywood goods 18

Observing with Austen 20

Writing dialogue and conversation 20

Having an ear for a character’s voice 21

Having an eye for details 21

Tracing Austen’s Popularity 22

Starting the Saint Jane myth 22

Victorianizing Jane Austen 23

Taking Austen to the trenches 23

Taking Austen to school 24

Becoming Today’s Janeite 25

Chapter 2: Visiting Jane Austen’s Georgian World 27

Asserting Austen’s Georgian-ness 27

Examining Austen’s Georgian satire 29

Preferring candor over prudishness 30

Surveying the Political Landscape 31

Discerning Tories from Whigs 31

Anticipating trouble at home and across the channel 32

Sugaring tea from the slave trade 35

Understanding the Class System 37

Recognizing class 37

Defining “condescension” 42

Growing the Novel 43

Influencing the creation of the novel 44

Writing for middle-class readers and women 45

Chapter 3: Being Jane Austen (1775–1817) 47

Meeting the Austens 47

Introducing the Rev Mr and Mrs Austen 48

Getting to know Jane and her siblings 48

Growing Up Gentry: Jane’s Formative Years 52

Living and learning at the rectory 53

Surviving boarding school 54

Getting bitten by the writing bug: Austen’s “Juvenilia” 54

Becoming a Professional Writer 57

Beginning a life of letter writing 57

Experimenting with epistolary novels 58

Seeing the Personal Side of Jane 58

Having a sophisticated grown-up friend 59

Flirting with a new friend, Tom Lefroy 59

Remaining unmarried 60

Experiencing New Places, New Faces, New Feelings: Moving to Bath 63

Living and lulling in Bath 64

Accepting and rejecting a proposal 64

Losing a father and a friend 65

Relying on the kindness of sons and brothers 66

Exploring the Highs and Lows of Being a Writer 66

Getting published for the first time 67

Writing as a mature novelist 68

Succumbing to Illness 70

Seeking help in Winchester 71

Dying at age 41 71

Reacting to her death 72

Chapter 4: Inspiring the Aspiring Novelist 75

Growing Up in a Family of Novel Readers 75

Absorbing the style of The Book of Common Prayer 76

Jumping to Dr Johnson for instruction in morality and prose 76

Finding Shakespeare in Austen’s “constitution” 77

Mining Milton 78

Learning from Drama 78

Presenting characters dramatically 79

Creating effective entrances 80

Rising Sentimentalism and Sensibility in Society 82

Austen’s youthful reaction to sensibility 82

Austen’s mature reaction to sensibility 83

Sensing Sensibility in Samuel Richardson 83

Developing the epistolary novel 84

Austen’s inheritance from Richardson 85

Austen’s departure from Richardson 85

Maturing the Novel with Henry Fielding 86

Reading Fanny Burney 87

Being Influenced By Real People 87

Meeting an exotic “French” cousin 88

Running across other memorable personalities 88

Bringing It All Together: The Genius of Jane Austen 89

Creating living, breathing characters 89

Setting her characters in society 90

Part II: Austen Observes Ladies and Gentlemen 91

Chapter 5: Practicing the Politics of Dancing 93

Looking for Love on the Dance Floor 94

Rolling up the rugs to dance at home 94

Attending formal balls 95

Facing the challenges of dancing 102

Finding a Desirable Dance Partner (Possibly for Life!) 103

Getting help from the Master of Ceremonies 103

Taking a turn with family and friends 104

Putting Those Childhood Dance Lessons to Good Use 105

Dancing up the set 106

Knowing other popular dances 107

Observing dancing etiquette 107

Having fun under a watchful chaperone’s eye 109

Amusing the Non-Dancers: Finding the Card and Tea Rooms 110

Chapter 6: Playing the Dating Game: Courtship, Austen Style 113

Defining Eligibility 113

“Coming Out” as a Young Lady 114

Identifying the eligible gentlemen 118

Getting to Know Each Other 119

The courtship do’s of Austen’s day 120

The don’ts (unless done on the sly) 121

Mastering the Fine Art of Flirting 124

“Looking” the feelings of love 125

Reading and misreading body language 126

Speaking the language of love 126

Getting Engaged (Finally!) 127

Making the proposal 127

Securing father’s approval 128

Exchanging gifts 129

Breaking an engagement 129

Chapter 7: Marrying: A Serious Business for Jane Austen and Her Characters 131

Exploring the Main Motivations for Marrying 132

Landing a loving husband with a sizeable estate 132

Choosing a willing wife with a decent dowry 136

Understanding why some folks (including Austen) broke with tradition 138

Coming to Terms 140

Drawing up the marriage settlement or articles 141

Arranging for a jointure 142

Sealing the Deal 142

Choosing the wedding clothes and coach 142

Announcing the nuptials 143

Sharing the big day with family and friends 145

Eloping to Gretna Green and avoiding the whole thing 145

Taking the honeymoon 146

Breaching the Agreement: Facing the Shame of Divorce 147

Chapter 8: Wily Females and Seductive Males 149

Working with What You’ve Got to Get Your Man 150

Capturing a husband with “youth and beauty” 150

Using beauty and trickery when you don’t have youth 152

Flirting Your Way to a Husband — Hopefully 152

Flirting and failing 154

Witnessing unconscious flirting 155

Mistaken flirting 156

Dealing with Dangerous Men 156

Seducing for the thrill of it 156

Seducing for money 158

Winning a Spouse with Honesty 158

Part III: Living Life in Jane’s World 161

Chapter 9: Looking at Ladies’ Limited Rights and Roles 163

Living as a Lady in a Gentleman’s World 164

Limiting the lady’s life by law 164

Belonging to daddy 165

Relying on the kindness of brothers 166

Protecting the unmarried, brotherless gentlewoman 167

Becoming an “Accomplished” Lady 167

Defining the “accomplished woman” 168

Attending a seminary in the city 168

Going to boarding school 169

Having a governess 170

Learning ad hoc at home (or not) 171

Training a lady 171

Placing Austen in the Women’s Movement 172

Austen’s advocating the rational female 172

Aligning Jane Austen with Mary Wollstonecraft 173

Assessing the Single Gentlewoman’s Single Occupation 174

Chapter 10: Being a Man in a Man’s World 177

Being a Gentleman’s Son 177

Training to a be a gentleman in boyhood 178

Beginning a more formal education 179

Heading to Eton or another “public” school 179

Gaining an “OxBridge” degree 181

Taking the Grand Tour 182

Inheriting Property 183

Respecting primogeniture 183

Disentangling the entail 185

Being the Eldest Son 186

Enjoying an elder brother’s “rights” 186

Training to run the estate 188

Supporting Younger Sons of Gentlemen 189

Finding a genteel profession 189

Marrying into money 191

Pinch-hitting for older brother 192

Meeting the New Gentleman in a Rising Middle Class 192

Moving up as a businessman 193

Being a gentleman through manners and education 194

Chapter 11: Experiencing Life at Home in Austen’s Day 195

Living in a Country House 195

Touring country houses 196

Picking up Austen’s hints about a modern-built house 200

Keeping the country house running 201

Taking on the Responsibilities of the Lady of the House 203

Overseeing the country house 204

Raising the children 205

Being a Gentleman Farmer 206

Improving the estate, or not 206

Raising the children 207

Aiding the church 207

Hosting one’s guests 207

Entering Parliament 208

Participating in local government 209

Evening Entertainment 209

Dining with guests 210

Playing cards 210

Reading and writing 211

Chatting with family and friends 212

Listening to music 212

Dancing at home 213

Traveling Away from Home 213

Showing that you are what you drive 214

Austen’s showing that you are what you drive 219

Chapter 12: Minding Your Manners 221

Making a Gentleman 222

Training an English gentleman 222

Assessing Austen’s gentlemen heroes 223

Training a Lady in Her Duty: Pleasing Her Man 227

Ignoring the prescription of Dr Fordyce 227

Undermining Dr Gregory’s advice 228

Knowing Your Place and Rank 230

Honoring rank when entering a room 230

Ranking people in your speech 231

Remembering rank in introductions and greetings 232

Conversing pleasantly and politely 235

Exposing Bad Manners 236

Listening to the ungrammatical and the insecure 236

Discerning the liars through their charming manners 237

Chapter 13: Following Religion and Morality for Jane Austen and Her Times 239

Shaping Anglicanism 239

Forming the Church of England 240

Altering Anglicanism by Austen’s day 241

Assessing Austen’s Anglicanism 243

Reviewing Austen’s Clerical Characters 244

Serving Up the Seven Deadly Sins 246

Pride: Thinking you’re the cat’s meow 247

Greed: Wanting it all (and then some) 248

Lust: Failing parents of fallen daughters 249

Anger: Forgetting to hold your tongue 250

Gluttony: Tipping the scales 251

Envy: Casting a jealous eye 251

Sloth: Being a bad parent 252

Outweighing the Bad by Doing Good 253

Part IV: Enjoying Austen and Her Influence Today 255

Chapter 14: Reading Jane Austen 257

Reading Northanger Abbey 257

Knowing the background 258

Linking Northanger Abbey to Udolpho 258

Watching Catherine learn 258

Hearing the narrator’s irony in Northanger Abbey 259

Reading Sense and Sensibility 260

Erring with either sense or sensibility 260

Seeing other characters’ sense and/or sensibility 262

Reading Pride and Prejudice 263

Getting past the first line of the novel 263

Determining who’s proud and who’s prejudiced 263

Understanding Mr Collins 264

Reading Mansfield Park 265

Dealing with abusive behavior 265

Accepting a passive heroine 266

Hearing a very intrusive narrator 266

Reading Emma 266

Attending to the first line and first paragraph of the novel 267

Bringing in Mrs Elton 267

Reading Persuasion 268

Meeting “Only Anne” 269

Facing reader frustration 269

Discussing Austen’s Novels 270

General questions 271

Discussing Northanger Abbey 271

Discussing Sense and Sensibility 272

Discussing Pride and Prejudice 272

Discussing Mansfield Park 273

Discussing Emma 274

Discussing Persuasion 274

Chapter 15: Bringing Austen Novels to Stage, Screen, and Television 277

Assessing Austen’s Adaptability 277

Creating attractive and admirable heroines 278

Finding ready-made dialogue in the novel 279

Looking for courtesy in an increasingly impolite world 280

Watching costume drama to experience armchair travel 280

Dealing with difficulties in adapting Austen 281

Checking Out Austen Adaptations 283

Seeing villains in Northanger Abbey 283

Scoping Sense and Sensibility 284

Perpetuating Pride and Prejudice 286

Moving to Mansfield Park 287

Getting clues about Emma 288

Performing Persuasion 289

“Inventing” Austen’s Life On Screen 290

Chapter 16: Determining Austen’s Literary Descendents 291

Influencing Later Canonical Writers 292

Looking at some of Austen’s novelizing heirs 293

Sequelizing Austen’s Novels 296

Finishing Austen without Austen 297

Attributing “chick lit” to Austen 298

Appropriating Austen in Popular Culture 300

Part V: The Part of Tens 301

Chapter 17: Ten Most Memorable Austen Characters 303

Austen’s Most Memorable Child 303

Austen’s Most Memorable Leading Lady 304

Austen’s Most Memorable Leading Man 304

Austen’s Most Memorable Female Flirts 305

Austen’s Most Memorable Cad 305

Austen’s Most Memorable Dupe 306

Austen’s Most Memorable Talker 307

Austen’s Most Memorable Couple 307

Austen’s Most Memorable Abnormal Personality 308

Chapter 18: Ten Best Austen-Related Books (Besides This One!) 309

Checking Out the Relatives’ Writings 309

Opening Austen’s Letters 311

Following the Austen Family’s History 312

Sailing Away with Austen — or at Least Her Brothers! 312

Creating a Dinner Austen Would Be Proud of — and Probably Ate! 313

Kicking Back with Jane Austen 313

Chapter 19: Ten Best Austen Places to Visit 315

The British Library at St Pancras, London 315

No 10 Henrietta Street, Covent Garden 316

Jane Austen’s House Museum in Chawton 317

St Nicholas Church and the Chawton House Library 317

Steventon 318

Winchester Cathedral 319

No 8 College Street, Winchester 319

Bath 320

Portsmouth Harbor 321

Lyme Regis 321

Chapter 20: Ten Best Austenisms (and What They Mean) 323

Speaking for the Homebodies 323

Acknowledging Differences 324

Expressing Sympathetic Understanding 324

Embarrassing Moments 325

Revealing Wrongs with Subtle Ease 325

Ending on a Happy Note 326

Seeking Good Fortune — Big Bucks, That Is 326

Making Sure Money Isn’t Everything 327

Watching Your Step 327

Trusting the Right People 327

Appendix: Jane Austen Chronology 329

Index 341

Joan Klingel Ray, PhD, is an English professor at the University of Colorado. She has written articles for numerous magazines and appeared on the A&E biography of Jane Austen.

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