During the Great War, some of the British boys, off to war, stuck in those horrible, dismal trenches up and down the spine of France, read Jane Austen's novels for the happy endings. In the midst of suffering, fear and crushing boredom, they danced with Jane Bennet. Perhaps during the moments they read, they were transported back to Regency England, and sunnier, more pleasant times.I know I always enjoy my visits there.
3 comments:
If/when you are in the figurative trenches, what books/authors would you most want to read?
Does watching Jane Austen count???
Am I the only person alive who loves her stories but (gulp - I'm so sorry beloved English professor sister, devotee of the written word, and admirer or Miss Austen) I don't like reading her work. I find her sentences to run on and on and on I get lost in them (for me it's like trying to read Lord of the Rings without having to stop and sound out every name - place or person, and it takes such a long time I'm bored.)
I love to read but I don't like getting stuck in the words - I'd rather flow with them so that I'm a part of the story in my head - and sadly, Jane Austen doesn't do that for me.
Yeah, I know - She'll be "around" a LOT longer than me.
Hey, at least I have some standards - I'm publicly boycotting the "Twilight" series because ... well, that's a whole posting for my blog!
Oh, good question, Becca ... Annie Dillard!
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