Is such a thing as “Austen overload” even possible?
Not for a dedicated Janeite, we dare say!
Alert AustenBlog Reader Sumita sends a link to New York magazine in which Karen Rosenberg reviews Jane Austen’s Guide to Dating by Lauren Henderson.
Of course, in one sense, Austen’s novels were the chick-lit of their day, burnishing romantic alliances still driven principally by real estate, dowries, and other mundane concerns, with a veneer of epic longing. More than that, though, the recent spate of Austen adaptations lets women believe that they can have it both ways, obtaining a comfortable lifestyle as a reward for holding out for true love. “Lucky Elizabeth!” Henderson crows. “She gets both the right man for her and, as an extra, a lovely way of life!” But to reduce Austen’s works to a series of do’s and don’ts is to gloss over their fascinating triangulation of love, wealth, and status.
Perhaps, but we found that the book touched more deeply on the various love relationships than Ms. Rosenberg seemed to think.
Thanks for the link, Sumita!
