Being a huge Jane Austen fan, I snatched up this book as soon as I saw it. What a fun read! The author goes through each of Jane Austen’s books, takes an in-depth look at each character and how they interact with each other, and provides for the reader a list of do’s and don’ts for the dating world. I’m married, quite happily so, but still found the book wonderfully entertaining.
Chapter One is called, “If You Like Someone, Make It Clear That You Do.” The author gives us the example of Henry and Catherine in “Northanger Abbey,” then tells us the importance of enjoying the moment rather than analyzing it to death. We then read about Marianne and Willoughby from “Sense and Sensibility.” She certainly showed him how much she cared about him, and while he entered into their relationship without any intention of letting it get serious, he did fall head over heels in love. Granted, they didn’t end up together (stupid money!) but she did succeed in securing his affections, as Austen would say.
We are also shown how this principle is used in “Pride and Prejudice.” Jane nearly loses Bingley because she’s so shy, she can’t quite seem to show him how deeply she feels. Darcy doesn’t open up to Elizabeth for the longest time, and his marriage proposal comes as a complete shock to her. The point of this chapter is, don’t be afraid to let someone know you like them; how are they going to know it otherwise?
We move on to another chapter, called “Don’t Put Your Feelings on Public Display, Unless They’re Fully Reciprocated.” In this chapter, we see what happens to Marianne after she has been dumped by Willoughby. Still hanging on to the shreds of his memory, she makes a public display at a party by loudly asking after him, talking to him and trying to get answers from him. She hasn’t accepted the fact that it’s over and by being so public about her confusion, opens herself up to more hurt and anguish than she’s already gone through. On the other hand, her sister Elinor has been very closed mouthed about her feelings for Edward, and until he’s free to marry her, she doesn’t say anything about her feelings. This way, she’s not subject to the ridicule of others for being in love with a man who’s already engaged.
The book goes on to give examples from each of Austen’s books, very well thought-out and articulated. The author obviously knows her Austen. She also gives examples from the modern dating world, giving comparisons between real-life situations and Austen’s fictional ones.
Even though this book is geared toward the dating world, I did pick up some tips on how to get along better with my husband, plus it was a lot of fun to revisit my favorite stories and to analyze them more closely than I had done before. I did find one off-color comment in one of the quizzes in the back of the book, but it certainly wasn’t enough to affect my overall enjoyment of it.
(This book was published in 2005 by Hyperion.)
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