stands next to JZ in the Austen-loving corner.

...actually, just stands next to JZ in general, and holds up "What She Said" sign.

Austen's pretty much my favourite writer, if I have a favourite writer. Which I don't, actually, because I'm not very hierarchically minded, but she's definitely one of my most beloved ones.

I do remember in my teens that Sense and Sensibility was the one that I would periodically reread, because I couldn't remember what the hell happened, so I guess I can sympathise a little with the 'meh, all the same' mindset. But that was a good while ago.

I think Persuasion is my favourite, with P&P a close second. I love that it's Austen doing Cinderella, and doing it painfully well. I don't love Emma so much, because the heroine makes me cringe a little, but it's a cracking book. I find Mansfield Park a little hardgoing because, sheesh, Fanny Price! But the storytelling is great, and the other characters are great, and it's not that I mind Fanny so much as she doesn't own a piece of my heart. But Northanger Abbey is hilarious as a pisstake of the Twilight- fangirls of the day.

I still haven't read the juvenilia or the unfinished novels, but her letters to Cassandra are pretty fabulous.

I'm thoroughly looking forward to reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

Oh, fanfic, how I love thee.

Things Fall Apart and I believe that was when I discovered The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

Beautiful novels! I particularly love Things Fall Apart.

Persuasion seems to be the suggestion for re-discovering Austen. I'll give it a go.

It's basically Cinderella, if she'd made a bad call and been obliged to live with it.

::hugs Persuasion::

So, Seska - belated Welcome Aboard! How did you come to find us, mate?

How did you come to find us, mate?

I told the story on Natter yesterday - it's not interesting though. Used to lurk, didn't for a while, got reminded of this place when I was bemoaning lack of places to 'do' fandom nowadays.

So I should really go post about Dollhouse and do some fandom then...

It's weird about Austen -- I've really enjoyed the movie adaptations that I've seen, but I cannot read the books. The minutiae drove me absolutely batshit in text, but was absorbed nicely into the worlds of the movies.

Henry James made me pull out a read pen and edit out all the repetitive language.

Oh, Henry James. You and Faulkner make my head hurt with the long long long long-ass convoluted sentenced.

The minutiae drove me absolutely batshit in text, but was absorbed nicely into the worlds of the movies.

This, so very much. Sense and Sensibility is one of my favorite movies ever, but I cannot get through the book to save my life.

You and Faulkner make my head hurt with the long long long long-ass convoluted sentenced.

Yes, but Faulkner's three-page sentences are things of beauty and James' are drivel.

I'm another who can't get into Austen. I've tried. I think I've managed to get through 4 chapters of Emma, but that's taken a decade or more.

Now I love George Eliot, I read Silas Marner at some point, maybe for Brit Lit and then one summer I read Middlemarch at the beach. It was a few years ago when I went and stayed at the beach for 3 weeks, I'd go sit outside on the beach and read. My copy of Middlemarch still smells faintly of sunblock. This edition has lots of footnotes and I think without them I wouldn't have been able to enjoy it as much.

Maybe if I had footnotes for Austen I could get a better handle on it.

Get a Norton Critical Edition, askye. You'll have all the footnotes you want and then some.

I just discovered one of my favorite short stories from when I was a kid was written by Will Shetterly. I feel dirty.