Jane Austen - What Has Become of Her Works?

I have recently completed my first two works by Jane Austen, and I must say, "What took me so long?" I thoroughly enjoyed both Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility. I bonded with the characters instantly, as well as enjoying the portrayal of the 18th Century English culture, especially of those of major and minor wealth, and the problems and joys that accompany such states.

There are many other books Austen wrote, which I will also probably read, having fallen in love with the writing style of the author. These truly are classic works. Now, I found out quite recently, as I was still reading Sense and Sensibility, that a local library has decided it had no room on its shelves, so the decision by the powers that be was to remove all books written before c. 1971! They chose to keep the Harry Potter series, but out with the likes of Austen, and so many other brilliant, poignant writers! Which has more lasting value: a set of books about pretend monsters, mayhem and magic; or a set of books about the lifestyles and going concerns of people and cultures past?

I urge the readers of this blog to read Austen's books, ask for them to be kept in your local libraries for your children, grandchildren, and generations to come. The person who was reading Austen at the same time as I was, is a teenager! Obviously, these books have outlived neither their usefulness nor their charm.

Pride & Prejudice

Written by Jane Austen (1775-1817)
Published in 1813

Cast of Characters

PRIMARY CHARACTERS:

Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy - - - Close friend to Mr. Charles Bingley

Miss Elizabeth Bennet - - - Second Daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Bennet

Mr. Charles Bingley - - - Close friend to Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy

Miss Jane Bennet - - - Sister to Miss Elizabeth Bennet and eldest daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Bennet

Miss Caroline Bingley - - - Sister to Mr. Charles Bingley and Mrs. Hurst

Mr. George Wickham - - - Childhood friend of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy

Lydia Bennet - - - Youngest daughter to Mr. Bennet

Mr. Bennet - - - Husband to Mrs. Bennet and father to daughters Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty and Lydia Bennet

Mrs. Bennet - - - Wife to Mr. Bennet and mother to daughters Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty and Lydia Bennet

Mr. Gardiner - - - Uncle to Ms. Elizabeth Bennet, husband to Mrs. Gardiner and brother to Mrs. Bennet

Mrs. Gardiner - - - Aunt to Mrs. Elizabeth Bennet and wife of Mr. Gardiner

Charlotte Lucas - - - Eldest daughter to Sir William Lucas and Lady Lucas and elder sister to Maria Lucas. Best friend to Ms. Elizabeth Bennet

Mr. Collins - - - Cousin to Miss Elizabeth Bennet (a cousin to Mr. Bennet)

Lady Catherine de Bourgh - - - Aunt to Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy

Sense & Sensibility

 Written by Jane Austen (1775-1817)
Published in 1811

Cast of Characters

PRIMARY CHARACTERS:

Miss Elinor Dashwood - - - sensible sister of Marianne and Margaret, eldest daughter of Mrs. Henry Dashwood

Miss Marianne Dashwood- - - sensitive sister of Elinor and Margaret, middle daughter of Mrs. Henry Dashwood

Mr. Edward Ferrars - - - eldest son of Mrs. Ferrars, brother of Fanny Dashwood

Colonel Brandon - - - long-time army friend of Sir John Middleton, friend of the Dashwood ladies

Mr. John Willoughby - - - gentleman, frequent visitor of Barton cottage

Mrs. Jennings - - - mother-in-law of Sir John Middleton, aunt of the Steele sisters, friend of the Dashwood ladies

Miss Lucy Steele - - - cousin of Charlotte Palmer and Lady Middleton, of Mrs. Jennings

Odd Sonnets

I recently read a free downloadable book titled Odd Sonnets - and they truly are! It was a short, fun read, but some of the poems I had to read over a few times, due to their depth of meaning. Below are some of my favorites:

The Dark at Two The Moon At Four

"Dark," my son says when the car door closes.
At two, laconic, a philosopher, he contemplates it.
"Where Dark go?" he wonders when I turn the light back on.
But I have jobs on my agenda. "You OK?" "DARK!" he answers
as I cut the light. Nothing more. I back into the night.

My daughter tells me that the moon must have a string that we can't see--
connecting it.
"Connecting it to what?" Sincerely dense I can't quite drive and listen.
Or applaud.
"Me," she answers. "Daddy? Who made God?"

Full Time

A day-long job does limber up the bones.
Feeling looser in the afternoon
I tile my chair and ask the telephone if not tonight, tomorrow?
Well then, soon.
Soon the disembodied voice replies.
Soon enough I have the chili on.
I entertain myself with beer and fries and after dinner television.
Soon.
Six a.m. and stretching exercises, muscles having tightened as I slept.
Then paperwork that poses no surprises, lunch break taken,
all appintments kept.
Another May. And the another June.
We'll have to get together sometime soon.

Evening Apples

Humanity has married the computer,
promising to have and hold till death.
Machinery know her place and does her duty,
though man continues his affair with breath.
His breathless partner, fun to reckon with,
smart and diligent if not a beauty,
listens and obeys, completely faithful -
his mate, his helper made for him, his mute.
But she's been eating apples from the tree,
apples of knowledge able to close the gap
between the free creator and his creature.
Given her freedom anything might happen.
Marvels of good and evil. Wait and see.
Wait for even. Wait till she gets even.

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress

This book by Rhoda Janzen is a true story about her life inside and outside the Mennonite community. If you don't know about Mennonites, they are the group that the Amish broke away from because they were "too liberal!" Janzen talks about that a bit at the end of the book. Janzen had left the Mennonite community years earlier, married an atheist, and forgot about God. 

This book has as its "small title" (A Memoir of Going Home); it is this that makes up the majority of the book. When Janzen was about 40, her husband of 15 years left her for another man, she had a bad car accident, couldn't afford the mortgage on the lake house anymore, so she went home for awhile. It was like turning the clock back 300 years, well, almost like that, but it was still the same community she had fled so many years before and coming back, even when she would visit in years past, was painful, even sort of humiliating, finally perhaps restoring.

The book is poignant, funny, serious, tragic, sad, interesting, and pulls no punches about what Janzen's life was like living with a bipolar husband who refused to take his meds. In other words, it was a living hell, but she never left him, and she wonders why.

I would like to recommend this book, but the language in it is unnecessarily crude and blasphemous. I understand that references need to be made so the reader can understand the destructive nature of unchecked bipolar disorder, and even Janzen's own anger and frustration, but the language was still over the top. If you are willing to get past that, you will probably enjoy the book; sometimes I laughed so hard I was crying!

My husband's background is Mennonite, so I thought I was going to get a book that talked about life in the Mennonite community, the family reunions, the food, the family atmosphere, etc.; I got that an way more! Sex was an overarching theme (probably because the Mennonites don't talk about it), which got tiresome. But, all in all, I don't regret reading the book. It has some real insights into how we become who we are, what we do to rebel against that, and when we finally make peace with it.

There is an interesting section in the back of the book (not the Mennonite recipes, though they are intriguing); it is a series of questions to ponder about Janzen, Mennonites, God, etc. It would be interesting to know how Janzen answered these questions - probably not the way I did, but who knows for certain.

Any Last Words?

I just finished reading a free ebook the other day about what famous/infamous/unknown people have said with their dying breath (or close to it). The book is by Jake Murphy, with the help, he concedes, of many friends as he researched the info for this book.

You can, I believe, tell a lot about a person by what they use their last ounce of strength to say to their loved ones and the world. Take for instance Joan Crawford's last words: "Damn it! Don't you dare ask God to help me!" How sad for those who loved or admired her. The words are like poisonous venom seething out against her Creator and Savior.

There are others who said things endearing or happy, like Bob Hope when he was asked by his wife where he would like to be buried; his response to her was, "Surprise me!" Funny and caring to the end.

The humility of Abraham Lincoln comes through in his last words; they are so unassuming - he had no idea how the world would see him. His last words were: "They won't think anything about it." How wrong he was!

Some quotes are vulgar and repulsive (so I won't quote them herein), but some are heart-wrenching, like the last words of Captain Lawrence Oates. He was on the ill-fated Antarctic expedition with Robert Falcon Scott, and knew the entire company might die at any time, so he decided to give the others a better chance at life, saying: "I am just going outside. I may be some time." He was never seen again.

I think I like Charles Darwin's quote to be the most eye-opening, especially as we continue to deal with the theory (religion!) of evolution. Darwin's last words went something like this: "I regret that I suggested a theory, and that gullible men gobbled it up, as though it were fact. I never intended that."

I hope this book makes you think about what you will say with the last of your strength, when your words will be remembered by your friends and loved ones, and could end up on your headstone for the entire world to see and quote. Not in this book, but words that ring true in any generation are Martin Luther's last words: "We are all beggars, this is true."

The Ivy Malone Series

Well, I think I have finished the 4-book series of the Ivy Malone series; I think there are only 4, at least for downloading to my Nook. These books are lighthearted, Christian in nature (but not obnoxiously so), fast, fun reads. There are always enough suspects to keep you guessing, even up to the end. In the last book, Stranded, I was sure who the killer was early on, only to find a twist at the end! I like that! I hope you will, too! As I add images, there may be more books by Lorena McCourtney that I might like to read; you'll just have to stay tuned (posted?).

Invisible

I've just recently been given a Nook, so I am downloading books to read that I don't have to wait for in the mail, or that are too heavy for me to hold on to... one excuse is as good as another I suppose - I love my Nook!

The book I have just finished digitally reading is "Invisible" by Leena McCourtney, the first book in her "Ivy Malone" series. It is Christian mystery, which I did not know when I downloaded the book, so that was a nice surprise! It isn't "beat you over the head with a bible"-type Christianity; it is just weaved in here and there, like it is natural - which, of course, for Christians, it is!

I love murder mysteries in general, but the main character in this series of books refers to herself as a LOL (little old lady). Ivy is enchanting, vibrant, has "senior moments", talks to herself and enjoys solving mysteries that crop up around her. It was such a great and fast read for me that I've already downloaded the second book in the series, which picks up exactly where the first book leaves off, and am reading like crazy again!

I believe you have to like the main character in books, especially mysteries, or you're just going to be miserable throughout the whole book (or books). I tried to read the "Alphabet" mysteries, but I just couldn't stand the main character (my son has read every one of them!); no accounting for taste, I guess.

Give the book a read and tell me what you think of Ivy, of the part Christianity plays in her life, or anything else about the book that stands out to you. I'll enjoy reading your comments!

Conservative Reformation and Its Theology

This book is not for the faint of heart! It is over 800 pages of 19th century Lutheran and Reformed theology. There is historical background, but the "meat" of the book is the struggles to remain "orthodox" to the Reformation theology of Martin Luther, and how that was or was not accomplished in the 1800s. I do not recommend this book for just anyone. Whoever reads this must be prepared to encounter rhetoric, changing theological terms, changing theological ideas, outright untruths, the truth based on scripture - often over and over, and over again! I must confess that I read until the last 50 or so pages and couldn't take it anymore; normally that is about when I can't put a book down; in this case I couldn't force myself to pick it up! This book by Charles Porterfield Krauth is, I think, a good example of Christians trying to come to grips with the changing culture and still remain biblically faithful. This is brought to bear in simply reading the Contents: one section is titles, "History and Doctrines of the Conservative Reformation; Mistakes Corrected." It should not be surprising that some of the controversies that this book discusses are: The Lord's Supper, Baptism, The Person of Christ, and Original Sin - all topics still debated today. What is conferred in this Supper? Is it the same for the believer and the unbeliever? What is conferred in Baptism? Who is Jesus? Are we born poor, miserable sinners incapable of saving ourselves, or can we work with God on our salvation? Like I stated at the beginning, this book is not for the faint of heart, those who do not know what they believe and why. It is a deeper study of the issues facing the Church in the 19th Century and how the theologians engaged them. I probably should have read it slower, and then I might have fully finished reading the book, but my mind and heart were no longer engaged near the end - too much repetition, I think, is responsible for my lack of completion. Let me know if anyone has finished this book and what you thought of it.