Realism in Austen
Posted by Patti on October 16, 1997 at 19:13:31:
In response to Blameless? Faultless?, written by Ann on October 15, 1997 at 23:13:29
] ] But to me, Austen is all ritual. Feeling is human; it's a part of life. Actually I think Bronte's characters were more human, not the good, attractive blameless people that make up Austen's heroines. Jane Eyre was human and admitted her faults, her emotions likewise.
]
] Elizabeth Bennet, Marianne Dashwood, and particularly Emma all have lots of problems and the stories are driven by those faults.
I can't think of two faults of Elizabeth Bennet. She seemed the usual heroine to me; pretty, clever, good. But then you have Jane,who is far from perfect and admits her deficiencies, but is someone who we can identify with better.
] JA writes in a far more natural style with more realistic dialogue. Her stories also hang together much better than JE.
Yes, and I find reading Austen's novels very similar to reading a newspaper description of a wedding.
I do like Jane Austen and am not trying to put down her works, but one would like a little feeling and deepness in a book.
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