Next Steps
We’ve decided that Books Are Nice Week is now pretty much going to be Books Are Nice Fortnight. 
(”You say that like it’s a bad thing, Editrix!”) We just felt that one book per day was a little rushed, so we’ll start up again on Sunday featuring Emma. In the meantime, we’ll reintroduce a subject near to the heart of many Janeites: what to read when you’ve read all of Jane Austen?
A while back we dedicated a Friday Bookblogging post to the subject. Let us know what books you would recommend to a fellow Janeite who wish that Jane Austen wrote as many books as Anthony Trollope or Charles Dickens! The Gentle Reader who sent in the question in the post linked wasn’t especially interested in paraliterature–the follow-ons, continuations, retellings, etc. inspired by Jane Austen’s novels–but go ahead and recommend those types of books if you like, as well as books by authors of Jane Austen’s time period, those who came a little later but perhaps owe a debt to her novels, and modern authors whose subject matter or writing style appeal to those who love Jane Austen’s work.
August 8th, 2008 at 3:12 am
I enjoy Elizabeth Gaskell’s work.
August 8th, 2008 at 7:42 am
I love Thackeray’s Becky Sharp.
August 8th, 2008 at 8:57 am
Another suggestion would be Barbara Pym’s novels, such as ‘Excellent Women,’ ‘A Glass of Blessings,’ etc. I also recommend Trollope’s Barsetshire series.
August 8th, 2008 at 8:58 am
I second Elizabeth Gaskell. I also love Middlemarch (George Eliot) and anything by Georgette Heyer (Sylvester has a very P&P feel).
August 8th, 2008 at 9:16 am
I love “What to Read When You’ve Read All of Jane”! I have had that post bookmarked on my blog for months. Please, give me more to read!!
I really have to try Georgette Heyer. I’m hearing so much about her lately.
Oh, and I’m curious about Amanda Grange. I really want to give her books a try, but I’m afraid I’ll be disappointed. Does anyone have any insight on the novels? I read the interview on this blog, but I want to hear from someone that has personally read these books.
Christina, is Middlemarch really good? I’ve debated whether or not to read it, but have been afraid it wouldn’t compare to Austen.
August 8th, 2008 at 9:47 am
I second Barbara Pym. I reread her every year. As with Austen, it is hard to pick a favorite, but Some Tame Gazelle, Pym’s first book, with the charming spinster Bede sisters (who remind me a bit of the Dashwood sisters at times), its blustering archdeacon, amorous Italian Count, and Pym’s wit and keen eye for the little domestic concerns of every day life make for a wonderful read! Once you read one Pym, you’ll want to read them all. Her books are funny and sweet, but she also has a definite bite.
August 8th, 2008 at 11:08 am
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. Period. I see it was mentioned on the other post as well. It’s set in an alternate history of Britain during the Napoleonic Wars. There’s a rich historical backdrop of English magic and interacting with fairies. At the time the book begins English magic is relegated to a dry group of scholars. No one has practiced “practical magic” until Mr. Norrell (an old man who’s been spending his time hoarding books of magic and magic books). He proves himself to the Society of English Magicians in a chilling scene where he brings cathedral statues to life. Of course, it really gets good when we meet Jonathan Strange, my favorite character. Think Henry Tilney… just a little… but as an amateur magician.
Middlemarch is great, but I wouldn’t compare George Eliot to Jane Austen. They’re very different writers, and can be enjoyed for different reasons. I’d say Middlemarch is definitely more than worth the read though.
August 8th, 2008 at 11:44 am
Nicole, I would definitely encourage you to read Middlemarch. I agree with LauraGrace: Eliot and Austen are very different, but I think that if you enjoy one, you’ll probably enjoy the other.
As for Amanda Grange, I’ve read her Diary books, and so far I think they’re pretty good. You won’t feel like you’re reading Austen, because let’s face it, anyone who claims successfully to imitate Austen’s style is a vicious liar. But I do think that Grange sincerely respects Austen’s characters and tries to stay as true to the original stories as possible. They’re certainly worth the read.
August 8th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
The completion of “Sanditon” by “Another Lady” is very satisfying.
I like Anne Bronte’s books more than those of her more famous sisters.
If you like Jane Austen’s books because she develops her characters so well, you probably would like Jan Karon’s series of books starting with “At Home in Mitford”.
For this reason, I also like the British village books written by “Miss Read” beginning with “Village School”.
August 8th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
I forgot an old favorite, Anita Brookner’s Hotel Du Lac. A romance novelist in her 30s Edith Hope, a victim of love, is banished to a lakeside hotel in Switzerland by her well-meaning friends who want her to get her act together. At the hotel, she is a close observer of those around her as she struggles to figure out how she ultimately wants to live her life–including whether or not to accept a proposal of loveless, possibly convenient, marriage. It’s a low-key, touching and often wry observation of the human heart, and a great read. And Edith is a wonderful female protagonist.
Plus, you’ll really be wanting to visit Switzerland after reading it!
August 8th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Emily Eden - though unfortunately, there are only two novels, separated by about thirty-five years. Not Austen, no particularly compelling courtship stories, but fascinating nonetheless.
And I love that the earl’s nephew ends up falling in love w/ country squire’s daughter Eliza, and his cousins read P&P.
August 8th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
I was going to say MiddleMarch, but I see I’m too late. But, I’ll add it anyways. Middlemarch is an excellent read. Lots to think about. It’s a love story, but not gushy love. Real love. Love that’s not always fun.
Orlando - Virginia Woolf - also has its great, yet strange moments. Very. But I couldn’t put it down.
The First Fast Draw - Louis L’Amour - is a classic. It’s taken me this long to finally read one of his novels. …I think I was a cowboy in a early life.
August 8th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
I will add Agnes Grey - Anne Bronte - to my list.
Baja Janeite mentioned Anne Bronte, and that truly was my first thought. I’m reading The Tenant of Wildfell Hall as we speak. Should have ran with it. Go Anne Bronte!
August 8th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
“North&South” by Elizabeth Gaskell - she has been mentioned in general before.
“Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott (an American writer, but a wonderful book, especially the second part of the book)
August 8th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
The Poldark novels by Winston Graham; okay, he’s a C20th author & there’s some inaccuracies but you still get a feel for Jane’s times with ‘thick description’ on domestic life, travelling, sickness, balls in 1800; and themes of family life, coppermining, banking, elections, riots, Napoleonic war, etc with charecters at all levels of English society 1770s’-1820.
A seconder for Anne Bronte whose Agnes Grey & Tenant of Wildfell Hall like Jane’s books show lack of security for women in C19th, imo. Never given the recognition she deserves as an author in own right.
Charlotte’s and Emily’s charecters scream, throw things round, run round the moors. ;-0 I love Jane Eyre but Anne Bronte’s charecters are closer to Jane, perhaps.
Finally, is Jean Plaidy too passe ? I really like her books.
R. Adam’s Watership is too cute- oh ! one theme of Watership Down parallels Jane’s S&S, P&P and Persuasion and Jane’s own life; issues of impermanence and establishig a home.
August 8th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Although not of the same period as Austen, Elizabeth von Arnim is a writer I recently discovered and love. My first EVA novel was The Pastor’s Wife, which I now cannot think about without smiling, because of von Arnim’s mischievous approach and ironic plot twists. Others I liked were Love, The Enchanted April and Vera. The Enchanted April was made into a film, which is also one of my all-time favorites.
I also agree with the Anne Bronte fans, having just read Agnes Grey.
August 8th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
I really enjoyed Sorcery and Cecelia, or the Enchanted Chocolate Pot and its sequels The Grand Tour and The Misland Magician. They have a little fantasy in them, much like Jonathan Strange, but there’s a great deal of humor and romance as well.
I also really liked Indescretion by Jude Morgan and Tasha Alexander’s mystery novels. For general poking fun of society, Stella Gibbon’s Cold Comfort Farm and Anita Loo’s Gentlmen Prefer Blondes are not the same period but are still very funny.
And you can’t forget the Scarlett Pimpernel, grandfather of masked crusaders Zorro and Batman!
August 8th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
I would go along with Barbara Pym. Her books really stay with you a long time. If you want something completely different, such as a historical mystery, I would recommend Kate Ross, who wrote a series set in Regency England. Unfortunately, there are only 4 books in the series. I also like Lindsey Davis, who writes an excellent series set in Ancient Rome. “The Silver Pigs” is the first.
August 8th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
I just finished Captain Tilney’s and Mr. Knightley’s Diary by Amanda Grange. I REALLY enjoyed both books. I’m generally pretty skeptical of ‘fan fiction” it’s not always so satisfying but these were really good. I highly recommend them.
I just read “Seducing Mr. Darcy”, it was very diverting…
I have read “Sanditon” by Another Lady. I did not like it. I thought it was very wordy and hard to follow.
“North and South” by Gaskill was excellent.
I have just started “Black Sheep” by Gorgette Heyer, I am anxious to get into it more. I just discovered her at Barnes and Noble while looking through the romance section.
August 8th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
Much Ado about Nothing, if P&P is your favorite.
August 9th, 2008 at 3:31 am
The Poldark novels by Winston Graham 1780-1820 are interesting accounts of life in Jane Austen’s time; Winston Graham writes ‘thick descriptions’ of domestic living; travelling, dances, elections, mining & Naopleanic wars & home riots. Some histocial flaws but gives flavour of Regency life of gentry, labourers & servents…Another seconder for Anne Bronte; Agnes Grey and Mrs Graham in The Tenant of Wildefell Hall deal with problems facing women alone in C19th society. I love Jane Eyre but Charlotte and Emily’s charcters tend to scream, throw things around, run around the moors & fascination with death….Also, ‘Watership Down’ by Richard Addames- well, one theme that parallel Jane are issues of displacement and establishing a home.
I guess Jean Plaidy is considered a bit passe in contrast to more mod. authors and spice ups but I still enjoy her books like the Queens of England series and Catherine d’Medici triology.
I also love Elizabeth von Arnim’s Enchanted April; I believe it was considered quite revolutionary in the 1920s’; the ladies, two of them married, holdaying in Italy alone.
August 9th, 2008 at 3:48 am
Pardon, I had some trouble with the spam filter before… will just say my mother is a big fan of Anthony Trollope…I love Elizabeth Gaskell’s beatifully written ‘Wives and Daughters’ and enjoyed the BBC series.
August 9th, 2008 at 10:24 am
I also thought of Middlemarch, which I also found very thought provoking and influenced some of my ideas about relationships. Vanity Fair is great, I found myself continuing to think about the characters long after I finished reading it. Barbara Pym novels are delightful. I also liked Sandition
A recent book I love is Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen. It has an Alice Hoffman style, but the sisters remind me of modern versions of Elinor and Marianne Dashwood and it has an Austen like focus on the details and relationships in a small community. I highly recommend it!
Although I have not liked the Austen para-literature that I have read, I enjoyed Dear Jane Austen, A Heroine’s Guide to Life and Love by Patrice Hannon. It is not a novel but a fun book that actually has a serious examination of the characters and relationships in Austen’s work in the voice of Jane Austen. I believe there is a review of it on this site also.
August 9th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
I just wanted to add George Sand, a french author who lived in about the same period as Eliot and Austen (she lived together with the composer Chopin, by the way). She writes with a very sharp pen and critiscism of her century’s role model for women, but her books are also very amusing and for those who likes Eliot especially she is perfect!
August 9th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
I’m a bit late to the party but I’d like to give my opinion as well. I concure with many who’ve suggested Elizabeth Gaskell’s works. My personal favorite is Wives and Daughters. It reminds me a bit of Sense and Sensibility with a bit of Anne’s longing in Persuasion thrown in. Gaskell’s overall style is quite similar to JA’s though her novels are definitely not as “light, bright and sparkling” as JA’s. I also recommend Edith Wharton who was an American author during the Victorian period. My favorite from her is The Buccaneers. It paints a very interesting picture of the relationship between the British and American aristocracies during this time period.
August 10th, 2008 at 3:57 am
Ditto to Gaskell & Trollope (don’t forget his mother, she wrote well also).
Please try a contemporary of Austen, Thomas Love Peacock (esp Headlong Hall). He is hilarious in a completely different way, though he always had one romance, if not several bubbling away.
A bit later, I’ve also like Disraeli (Coningsby & Sybil) & Mrs. Oliphant. Mrs. Humphery Ward’s Marcella is good, if a bit heavy.
In the 20th C, Nancy Mitford has bite and Angela Thirkell’s Barsetshire series is a gentler take on the comedy of manners amongst the county families. Of course for comic genius no-one can go past P.G. Wodehouse.
August 10th, 2008 at 9:48 am
I’ve been enjoying reading the “horrid” novels that Catherine mentions, many of which are being reprinted in nice editions with notes, etc. Because of the florid writing, you might have to skip over big chunks of travel writing (the horridly awe-ful Alps, etc.) But don’t you want to know what lies behind the black veil?
Susan Ferriers (sp?) Marriage, written ca 1812 is a fascinating study of twin girls, separated at birth, and the marriage choices that each makes. It is very predictable–one is raised as a petulant flirt, the other as a pious, good girl–but reading sort of “B” level books like these makes me realize just how revolutionary JA’s writing was: so crisp and clean and spare.
Moving later in the century, Mrs Oliphant’s books are good, particularly Miss Marjoribanks (pronounced Marchbanks), who, upon leaving finishing school, returns to a small village to take care of her dear papa until such time as she begins to “go off,” when she will decide to marry. A little uneven, but very funny in parts. The Perpetual Curate is also good.
Stella Gibbons COld Comfort Farm is a hoot and every time I read it I find something more in it.
I heartily concur with the nomination of The Master, PG Wodehouse. And I don’t think anyone has mentioned EF Benson and his Mapp & Lucia novels yet. Perhaps the place to start here is with the 3 volume, Mapp & Lucia, and from there work forward and then back.
Angela Thirkell, who died ca 1963, wrote about 30 novels of life in Barsetshire (she started with Trollope’s locale & some of the names of his characters but then brought them forward to modern Britain) are marvelous. Though she got wordy and repetitive in later life, some of her observations are as funny and pungent as JA’s, and she paints a really clear picture of Britain from about 1930 to the late 1950s. Her wartime books are really good at showing just how much dreariness the British housewife had to bear. You might start with Pomfret Castle or High Rising and move on from there.
Heyer has already been mentioned and she is the Queen of the genre, having in fact invented the so-called Regency romance. I can still detect the lazy writer who has only used Heyer’s excellent research and not done any of her own. Favorites include Arabella, Frederica and, probably the closest to JA, A Civil Contract.
August 10th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
The Family Fortune by Laurie Horowitz gave a really lovely retelling of Persuasion. I haven’t liked many other “retellings” other than that.
Anne Bronte - The Tenant of Wildfell Hall - just about blew me away when I first read it. Amazing, progressive, wonderful. So underrated.
Maria L, I’ve got Hotel du Lac on my list…good to hear good words about it!
I’ve also got The Mysteries of Udolpho coming soon from the library.
And an odd recommendation, but read “A Fine Brush On Ivory” by Richard Jenkyns - you’ll then want to go reread every Austen!
August 10th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
Links to read and download some of Jane’s favourite books:
“Evelina” by Fanny Burney:
http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/b/burney/fanny/evelina/complete.html
“Cecilia” by Fanny Burney:
http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/b/burney/fanny/cecilia/complete.html
“Camilla” by Fanny Burney:
http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/b/burney/fanny/camilla/complete.html
“The Mysteries of Udolpho” by Ann Radcliffe:
http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/r/radcliffe/ann/udolpho/complete.html
“Sir Charles Grandison” by Samuel Richardson:
http://worldebookfair.com/eBooks/WorldeBookLibrary.com/grandison.htm
And many other eBooks are available at The University of Adelaide Library:
http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/meta/titles.html
http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/
August 11th, 2008 at 2:55 am
I add “The Female Quixote” by Charlotte Lennox to that list. Published in 1752, I think it definetely influenced or inspired “Northanger Abbey”. Austens mentions the book in one or two of her letters and found it very amusing. So do I … it has its lengths, though. But as mentioned above, it helps you not only to track down Austen’s influences but makes you realise and appreciate how fresh and superior her writing really was.
August 11th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
If, like Jane, you’re a Royal Navy fan, Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey/Maturin novels are superb. People have told me they had trouble getting through Master and Commander, the first of the twenty novels. I thought it was hilarious myself.
And Gaskell? Marvelous!
August 11th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
For the Austen fan who likes a little suspense from time to time:
I recently listened to an audiobook of Daphne Du Maurier’s Jamaica Inn and absolutely loved it. I’d always avoided her in the past (except for Rebecca) but for some reason the time seems to be right for me to enjoy her!
I also recent read The Haunted Hotel by Wilkie Collins. Originally published in 1879 it is set in London and Venice. Perfect places for ghosts.
August 11th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
I wholeheartedly support the nominations of Middlemarch and Much Ado About Nothing. Jane Eyre is favorite as well.
If plays are your thing, I HIGHLY recommend anything by Tom Stoppard, especially Arcadia for some great speculation on Lord Byron and Romanticism.
For a sister relationship focus: In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez.
August 11th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
Ah, Eileen, thanks for reminding me of Daphne Du Maurier’s “Rebecca.” Love that book (and the 1940 movie). I’ll have to try “Jamaica Inn.”
August 12th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
I’d also add “The Rector’s Daughter” by F. M. Mayor to the list. I actually first heard about it in a journal article when researching “Persuasion.” The novel was described as a kind of what-if version of “Persuasion” - what if Captain Wentworth married Louisa and Anne has to stand by and watch. The novel itself is much more than that, but you can see how the author must have been inspired by Austen in some way. It’s a heartbreaking read, but well worth the effort.
August 12th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
Belinda, by Maria Edgeworth, is another interesting read. The novel is both entertaining and thought-provoking, and delves into such issues as the female role in society.