Great fun whether or not you've 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

easy read

extremely helpful in understanding the times and actions of the Jane Austin books and movies. Understanding the why of things gives incite into the lives of the characters in the books and movies. Helped me to enjoy the movies much more.

Good service and product

I bought the cheapest copy of this book I could find and it hardly looks used.

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Great fun whether or not you've read Jane Austen

I'm ashamed to admit I've never read any Jane Austen but I've seen all the movies and PBS series of her novels and was looking for additional commentary. If you are intrigued with the manners and mores of this time and want a little more information in an accessible format, you'll like this handbook. This guide is probably not for those seeking in-depth historical analysis but the material is well-organized and efficient in its presentation of the world of Jane Austen. Even my eleven-year old daughter is intrigued with this book, especially after seeing the movie, "Pride and Prejudice." Overall, an entertaining companion book with attractive illustrations.

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Very Pleasing

I enjoyed this book immensly, as it was just as I expected. It gives an accurate over-view of Regency life, in a simple, fun and informative way.

Some of the other reviews for this book have said that this book is good for people who are new to Jane Austen's work, and need a hand, but I disagree. I am a huge Jane fan, and I still found the book somewhat informative and helpful. A lot of the information was familiar, but some was new, and the information that I already knew about was still good to read, because it gave a deeper, more insightful view on the subjects.

I recommend The Jane Austen Handbook to any Janeite. It really is a joy to read and there is a good chance you'll learn something new, no matter how knowledgable you think you are :)

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What would Elizabeth Bennet do?

What a charming little volume! The cover illustration says it all. This is for the modern woman who retains a Regency era aesthetic and sensibility, who ofttimes wonders: Where have all the manners gone? From email correspondence that starts bluntly with one's name and no "dear" to shop cashiers who expect the customer to be person that says "thank you," the 21st Century is devoid of what used to be called common courtesy, and Jane Austen reminds us of a more genteel era. True, there were class and gender inequalities, but that's not what we modern readers yearn for, nor are we just indulging in highbrow bodice rippers or retrogressive fantasies of subordination.

Some reviewers have snobbishly complained that The Jane Austen Handbook is just for those who came to appreciate Jane Austen after seeing "Colin Firth in a wet shirt" in the BBC production of Pride & Prejudice, but to that I say, the accusation is, one, off base and two, out of line. I, for one, studied Austen in grad school before that movie ever came out and I love it and this book. Secondly, even if it is true for some readers, so what? What sort of superiority are these detractors trying to claim -- "I read Jane first so I'm better than you"? That's an indication of a coarse and simpering immaturity that Miss Austen herself would not countenance and would indeed be inclined to masterfully caricature.

The Jane Austen Handbook is a combination handbook or primer and compact compendium of Regency life. It is for those of us who live and work and love and dress in the modern world, but who nonetheless like to display civility, sometimes laced with irony, in our speech and actions, to fold our letters property and to drink our tea from china cups, even as we work for our own "10,000 pounds a year" (Mr. Darcy;s income, worth between one-half and six million in today's currency, as the section on Modern Money Equivalents on page 27 explains).

Indeed, as the detractors point out, the information in this book can be obtained from numerous other sources, but why should anyone have to apologize for wanting it all in one attractive and amusing place?

Margaret C. Sullivan's writing style reminds me of that of Judith Martin, a/k/a Miss Manners, whose works I also recommend to the modern Jane Austen acolyte, particularly her wonderful first novel, Gilbert.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3

Jane Austen published her first novel in 1811, but today she's more popular than ever. Film adaptations of her books are nominated for Academy Awards. Chick lit bestsellers are based on her plots. And a new biopic of Austen herself Becoming Jane arrives in theaters this spring.

For all those readers who dream about living in Regency England, The Jane Austen Handbook offers step-by-step instructions for proper comportment in the early nineteenth century. You'll discover:
How to Become an Accomplished Lady
How to Run a Great House
How to Indicate Interest in a Gentleman Without Seeming Forward
How to Throw a Dinner Party
How to Choose and Buy Clothing

Full of practical directions for navigating the travails of Regency life, this charming illustrated book also serves as a companion for present-day readers, explaining the English class system, currency, dress, and the nuances of graceful living.

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