For someone who hasn't read Jane Austen

books:


	• The Jane Austen Handbook: A Sensible Yet Elegant Guide to Her World Margaret C. Sullivan Quirk Books, 2007 - 224 pages average customer review:based on 14 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Psst, Jane Austen Never Wore Panties

Yes, it honestly says so in this book, on page ninety-two.

Okay, actually it doesn't quite, but after a lengthy discussion of undergarments of the Regency, what it truly does say is:

"That means we may assume, with a high degree of probability, that Jane Austen went commando."

And I don't think that means that the authoress of Emma (which inspired the movie Clueless, y'know) was involved in special forces military operations during the Napoleon Wars.

All righty, now that my title and opening paragraphs have alienated Austen scholars everywhere while also nicely hemming in Amazon's male readership, I'll try for the other half of the public by mentioning that this bite-sized robin's egg blue book is great as a resource for describing the minutia of morals, manners, social customs, dining habits, drinking practices, religion, travel arrangements, and much else of Englishwomen and Englishmen from the period in which Austen set her novels. Far from the boring and dusty tomes that too frequently tackle subjects like these, The Jane Austen Handbook is fast-paced and fun. I can't fairly describe myself as a great admirer of Jane Austen's sex-`n-violence-lacking tales but I thought Margaret C. Sullivan's work was absolutely first-rate. I enjoyed tremendously reading about the background facts of exactly how life would have been played out for those who peopled Persuasion, or who truly lived two centuries ago in rural England.

To highlight a few of the eye-opening revelations:

Back then almost everyone was on opium at one time or another.

Like the former pop stars of today, women didn't wear underwear. (Oh, wait, I already covered that..)

Gentlemen could be more elaborately dressed than women without being thought the slightest bit light in the wrist.

Eloping to Scotland was an option for those seeking the Vegas wedding of the day. In one infamous Scottish town, Gretna Green, girls as young as twelve or boys as ancient as fourteen could seek out the local blacksmith and be legally wed without a license, certificate, or even a pastor. Cool!

"Flattering a gentleman's vanity" was the best all-purpose come-on there was in Miss Austen's age.

Female hypochondria was de rigueur and skilled hypochondriacs were much-respected. (While the garden variety practitioners like Mary Musgrove were less lauded.)

There were but four acceptable professions for a gentleman to enter--the church, the law, the military, or medicine---and strangely not one of them involved music, sports, or acting.

So, whether you want to know the difference in a hack, a gig, or a curricle, wish to know how to fold your next letter "just so" or if you're one of those types who just can't get enough Jane ("Why can't she have her own twenty-four-hour cable network?" you've sincerely remarked) Austen this is the reference book for you!

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For someone who hasn't read Jane Austen

This book is an interesting companion book for someone who is reading Jane Austen for the first time and does not know much about the Regency period. It will clear up many incidents in the book, specially those where a character behaves contrary to the etiquette of the period. Since most of the formalities are no longer in practice, they can be very confusing to a modern reader.

People who have read most of Austen's work or are more familiar with the Regency will quickly realize that this book is strictly tied to Austen. No other sources are sited and all examples are from Austen books.

I found this limitation very irritating. The book did not expand my views on the subject at all and did not explore any of the more subtle social tensions in the book. It quickly became a game of spot the reworked Austen quote.

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Excessively Diverting!

Jane Austen aficionados can be divided into two groups: those who found Jane before Colin Firth came out of that pond in his wet linen shirt, and those who found her afterwards.

Margaret Sullivan's witty, informative, and instructive little volume is the perfect companion for the members of the post-Wet Darcy fandom, although most Janeites should find plenty here to enjoy. The ever-growing numbers of readers who are discovering the pleasure of reading the novels after having fallen in love with the popular movies and miniseries will find many of their questions about Jane's world answered in a humorous way which does not condescend. What is entailment? Why was the toad-eating Rev. Collins considered a good catch for Lizzie? Why did Catherine and Henry have to maintain a clandestine correspondence when everyone knew that they had formed an attachment? Why is a morning call sometimes paid in the afternoon? The list goes on.

The illustrations are charming and period perfect. None of this nonsense you see in the popular press associating Jane Austen's world with corsets and hoop skirts and bustles and other such Victoriana.

This book will definitely enhance a new fan's enjoyment and appreciation of the novels as they delve into them, and provided this pre-Wet Darcy fan with the perfect little volume to peruse in those times of extreme deshabille when a few minutes of light reading is required, but no more.

While it would never be mistaken for a doctoral thesis, and is clearly not masquerading as such, I think even most longtime fans and readers will find a few nuggets of information that they did not know. The author's broad knowledge of her subject matter shines through the froth.

Now, if Ms. Sullivan would only share with us her views on the various movies and adaptations of Jane's work...perhaps "A Sensible, Yet Snark-filled Guide to the World of Jane on Film", my happiness would be complete.

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reviews: 1, page 2, 3

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