A man of sense and taste
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel is amused at the way we Janeites have collectively swooned at the feet of Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade after he chose Pride and Prejudice as his favorite classic novel.
In his third season as the Miami Heat’s superstar guard, Dwyane Wade picked up some unexpected fans when he made Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice his recommended book as part of Penguin Classics’ campaign to promote literacy in partnership with the NBA.
Wade, 24, who credited a schoolteacher for her “awesome” reading of the book, said its themes of class struggle and racism spoke to him as a kid growing up on Chicago’s South Side.
Austen fans who had never heard of Wade pronounced him their favorite player. Joan Klingel Ray, president of the Jane Austen Society of North America, is planning to make him an honorary member of the 3,000-member society.
“In choosing Jane Austen, he shows he’s a very smart man,” Ray said. “Understanding Jane Austen really requires great wit, great insight.”
Well, really, what did they expect?
(And since when is racism a theme in P&P?)
May 24th, 2006 at 7:46 am
Or even class struggle for that matter!
May 24th, 2006 at 10:25 am
If you read his original comments, it’s really just a misinterpretation. D-Wade got it. He *did* say class struggle, but I guess you can get that a little with the way Lady Cat is all Not Our Kind, Dear about Lizzy. He also said something about “overcoming stereotypes” which I think is quite correct but the reporter seemed to think they were stereotypes of racism instead of rich disdainful gentlemen from the North.
May 24th, 2006 at 12:04 pm
I am sure a capable teacher would show the relevance of the story to those struggling with class and race issues by pointing out that one of P&P’s themes is making judgments about people without knowing them better. When Darcy talks about marrying a person of a different station in life, that probably rings familiarly to those who face prejudice in other ways.
May 26th, 2006 at 7:55 pm
Overcoming prejudice can be seen in a racial context but the idea that racism itself is a theme in P&P gave me a cheap laugh- the mind boggles!
June 1st, 2006 at 12:31 am
Oh dear, reporters stink at figuring out this sort of thing - especially if they have never read the book themselves!
…I could tell you stories…