Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice' ~So simple, it's child's play.

Have you ever felt that there is something missing from your life?  Well, I have found what that 'something' is:  The Jane Austen, 'Pride and Prejudice' Baby Board Book!  This is and is not what you are thinking.  No, it is not a book about child-rearing Jane Austen style, although I suspect some Janeite somewhere in the world is working on that project as I type.  But yes, it is a book for babies.
How is that possible?  How can a mere child appreciate the pertinent prose, witty witticisms and clever character creation that we associate with Jane Austen?

  Well the awfully talented artist and author duo, Jennifer Adams and Alison Oliver, have come up with the solution to that very problem....
by making a beautiful book that babies will enjoy, on a very simple level.  And what do little folk like doing... apart from chewing?  Counting!  

Yes - this is a Jane Austen, 'Pride and Prejudice', baby counting book ... I kid you not.  'One English village.... two handsome gentlemen... three big houses...' you get the picture?

Indeed, the pictures are the most appealing thing about this little jewel of a book.  The illustrations are simply adorable, which brings me to my main point.  This is not actually a Jane Austen baby book... but a Jane Austen mummy book.
This book is so deliciously charming, it will make you feel complete, whole and happy with your lot in life.  Failing that, it will give you something nice to look at when you have finished dashing about and finally sit down with your child for some one on one time.
 It will also put a smile on your face as you teach your child how to count:   'Yes, five sisters, one who is very silly, another who is very pretty and one... just like your mummy; who is very, very clever.'  An added bonus is that this is one book purchase that you don't need to feel guilty about - it is educational after all.  

My final word:
Only very clever mummies will buy this book but only very silly mummies will actually let their children play with it... especially for those kiddies who prefer chewing to counting.

By Michelle Burrowes

#Onefortheshelf.

Pride and Prejudice - just another love story?

What I like about Pride and Prejudice is that it is not simply a book about love. Money matters are at the heart of it. We have a group of women who depend on marrying well to guarantee their financial security. Mrs Bennet is keenly aware of her responsibility to find wealthy husbands for her daughters as she cannot make them financially secure herself. Mr Bennet seems incapable of grasping the urgency of the matter, and keeps to his library rather than seeing his daughters wed.

Austen is at pains to point out how annoying Mrs Bennet is and how tiresome the daughters find her. However, it cannot escape our notice that Lizzy's affections for Darcy changed as soon as she sees his big estate in Derbyshire and she jokingly admits to Jane that she must date her falling in love with Darcy from that point.

In fact, she does indeed fall in love with a wealthy man, and does, in fact, exactly what her mother would have wanted her to do. Perhaps the years of listening to her mother's plots for marrying them off has subliminally effected her. In this way, Austen shows herself to be very practical and not at all like the fairytale romance novelist that some readers consider her to be.

Charlotte Lucas, another clever female character, is similarly practical when it comes to affairs of the heart and secures her independance in the world, through matrimony, all be it a less than perfect union. Jane too marries a financially secure man with whom she has fallen in love. Indeed, she is so good, how could Austen deny her that? It is only Lydia, the youngest daughter who broke with all the social norms of the day, and ran away to live with Wickham outside of wedlock, who is unfortunate enough to be bestowed with an impoverished husband. It is clear that Austen punishes her for her unruly behaviour and for disgracing her family.

So, if we consider what advice Pride and Prejudice holds for young women, it is clear that Austen is nothing of not pragmatic: make sure you fall in love with someone who is wealthy, if you want a happy life, the happiest life.

What I love about the novel is that the more you read it, the more you see in it and the more you understand how comlicated the text really is.

    

The Private Diary of Mr. Darcy by Maya Slater

I enjoyed reading this version of the Lizzy - Darcy affair, from Darcy’s point of view, simply because I enjoy all things Austen.  However, the author does add a few creative detours regarding the plot line of Pride and Prejudice, most specifically with regard to Darcy’s friendship with Lord Byron.  This idea is quite interesting.  As Darcy and Bingley did mix in the same society as the infamous poet, it is entirely probable that they may have known each other.  They certainly both were uncommonly fond of their sisters, although Byron, perhaps, took that sentiment to extremes, one might say.  

However, I cannot allow the idea that Darcy was 'tinkering' with the girl from below stairs in his bedroom, while Lizzy and Jane slept a few bedrooms away in theirs, during their stay in Netherfield.  It is shocking even to consider!  But, undoubtedly, the temptation to write a few passionate, period 'love scenes' for Darcy was obviously too great to resist. 

Yet, perhaps, Darcy would have been a man of the world, although I think his distaste for Wickham's wild behaviour while at college, would seem to suggest that he was above such clandestine activity and in his friend's house too! 
 Still, it was interesting to revisit Austen's story from a different perspective, especially noting when first Darcy began to fall for Lizzy and how he was wonderfully oblivious to Caroline Bennet's obvious (and desperate) attempts to flirt with him.  This was particularly enjoyable and clever too, as it was somewhat reminiscent of Austen's tongue in cheek style.  It was wonderfully pleasing to see what Darcy could not see, knowing, as we do, how Caroline desired him for a husband.  He is tantalizingly close, but just out of her grasp.  Poor Caroline!
This is not a serious book, but rather a bit of fun between reads, and for that I recommend it to all Darcy fans and deserving friends!

The Private Diary of Mr. Darcy: A Novel