Not just another chick book...
Previous to reading Jane Austen’s work, I had the
preconception that it was some sort of Regency fantasy story for girls to read and
swoon over...something akin to modern literature's 50 Shades of Grey...but it's not
really like that...
Coming from a period when literature was fast developing the
concept of the "novel", Sense
and Sensibility was on the cutting edge of what we see today as the
"romance" genre. A contemporary to the seed of the modern “horror"
novel, ala Mary Shelley's Frankenstein published just a few short years later...Austen’s work is witty, illustrative and strong on unforgettable
characters that have presence despite being nothing more than figures that
spring from the printed words upon the page.
Her work is a bit awkward...with slight hints of woodeness
in the cast of players, but not so much that
it turns you off...it's just observable.
All in all, Sense and Sensibility
is a fine selection, and won't disappoint...think Maggie Smith in Downton Abbey or the cutting wit of Poldark...
Sense and Sensibility, the 1811 first edition in three
volumes: