Read Along Discussion Questions:
Vol I: http://www.thebookrat.com/2015/08/emma-read-along-discussion-questions.html
Vol II: http://www.thebookrat.com/2015/08/emma-read-along-volume-2-discussion.html
Vol III: http://www.thebookrat.com/2015/08/emma-read-along-discussion-questions_29.html
My Responses:
Vol I: http://www.thebookrat.com/2015/08/emma-read-along-vol-1-my-responses.html
Vol II: http://www.thebookrat.com/2015/08/emma-read-along-vol-ii-my-responses.html
Vol III: you're watching it. . .
More Austen videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEUvLqnSRCq2uYNEUXd2iKNyajcLeQTzS
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This is a fitting valentine to Austen, sans sentimentality, in true Austen fashion. I agree that to enjoy Austen mainly for the romance is to miss all those layers of self-examination and keen observation of human nature. And all that humor! Of course I love the happily ever after, but the biggest reason I love her because she makes me look at myself and sweetens it with laughter.
ReplyDeleteAlso agree that the films are a great way to break the ice if one has never read Austen before. Not to mention great fun!
Thank you for this beautiful post, Misty, and for the whole Austen in August experience. I had a blast!!
<3 ^_^
DeleteYes, I love what you are conveying about the keen character analysis she does. I just listened to Northanger Abbey with the talented Juliet Stevenson narrating and felt her wit and humor really shine so much more than I did when I was a girl reading it for the first time.
ReplyDeleteAusten had to have been a fearsome thing; she clearly could see straight through people.
DeleteThis is the "Why You Should Read Austen" sales pitch you should give at the beginning of AiA. ;)
ReplyDeleteBut I agree completely with Austen's (and Shakespeare's) ability to nail human character, social issues, and our basic foibles. I wonder if the cast of characters in Emma is larger than in P&P and S&S? I know it is larger than Northanger Abbey (although...maybe Mansfield Park has more folks in it). Hmmm........
Right? It'll have to be the first "in case you missed it" post next year. lol!
DeleteAs for the cast, I'd say if you take into account only named players who have an impact on the story (and not, you know, neighbors or butlers or people that are named but we never actually see), I'd say it's average for Austen. The cast of P&P is ENORMOUS. I mean, I counted 14 characters in Emma who really have any kind of current, countable involvement in the plot, but with P&P, I stopped counting at 20; same with S&S, though many of the named & countable characters have smaller roles than in P&P, where EVERYONE gets a fair amount of screen time. Persuasion has a huge cast. I think they all mostly do.
And even though NA feels pretty insular, and many of the non-young characters are on the periphery, and it's likely a smaller cast than the rest, it's actually not smaller by much.