Austen never married, but she did have children, and many more than eight or eleven. Their names are Emma and Elizabeth and Catherine, Anne and Fanny and Elinor and Marianne. Their names are Henry and Edward and Wentworth and Willoughby, Mr. Collins and Miss Bates and Mr. Darcy. They were not long-lived, they are ageless. Had she married Tom or Harris, she might have been happy, she might have been rich, she might have been a mother, she might have even been long-lived herself. She might have been all of these things — but we would not have been who we are, and she would not have been Jane Austen.
(from A Jane Austen Education, pages 245-246)
As a lifelong lover of books, I truly believe that we can learn a lot from reading, and not just in the sense that we broaden our knowledge on various topics. I believe we can learn profound truths about life and change the course of our lives, for the written word has that kind of power. William Deresiewicz was a graduate student at Columbia studying literature. He was interested in mingling with the Manhattan elite, talked about politics and other topics without really caring what other people had to say, and had few romantic relationships that progressed beyond sex. When his professor assigned Jane Austen’s Emma, Deresiewicz had no interest in reading what he expected to be a boring book without a plot. But it didn’t take long for him to see Austen’s genius and apply the lessons he learned from Austen’s novels to his personal and professional lives.
Each chapter in A Jane Austen Education is devoted to one of Austen’s novels and what he believes is the major point Austen wanted to get across. In Emma, Deresiewicz learned that life is about the little, everyday things. In Pride and Prejudice, he learned that making mistakes is part of growing up. In Northanger Abbey, he realized that you have to learn how to learn and how to love things and that life is full of surprises. In Mansfield Park, he began to understand how wisdom is more important than wit and discovered connections between the snobby Bertrams and the crowd with which he was involved. In Persuasion, he learned about true friendship, and in Sense and Sensibility, he learned about growing — not falling — in love.
Deresiewicz shows that Austen’s novels are about so much more than unexpected romance, the need for women to marry and marry well, and the obvious divisions between country folk and high society. Since taking literary theory and other courses for my B.A. in English, I’ve long wondered if academics analyze things too much, looking for symbolism and statements on society that aren’t there. For instance, I took a creative writing course in which we were required to write a poem and present it to the class. I had no idea what to write about, but on my way to my next class, a crow walked across the path in front of me. My poem “A Single Crow” was about someone watching a crow walk across their path on a brisk autumn day, and my professor went on and on about how I did a great job incorporating symbols of death, etc., when it seriously was a poem about a crow! Of course, I didn’t let my professor know that. But it made me wonder whether we sometimes read into things too much, and I question whether authors make detailed plans to incorporate symbols into their books or whether it’s just a coincidence or a matter of interpretation. I think it’s probably a little of both. In A Jane Austen Education, Deresiewicz makes convincing arguments and supports his reasoning behind the things he believes Austen was seeking to accomplish in her works.
A Jane Austen Education provides a candid look into the life of a young man who was lost and how Jane Austen helped him find himself and happiness. Deresiewicz doesn’t hide his faults; he is brutally honest to himself and his readers, and I must admire him for that. It was refreshing to read about Austen’s novels from the point of view of a male reader — and one who didn’t even want to read her books. A Jane Austen Education is perfect for readers who have been touched by Austen’s words, enjoy light memoirs or reading about reading, and even those who haven’t yet read Austen, as Deresiewicz doesn’t give away the endings to the novels. It’s a beautiful tribute to an author whose wit has been dazzling readers for centuries.
Thanks to TLC Book Tours for allowing me to participate in the blog tour for A Jane Austen Education. To check out the other tour dates, click here.
Disclosure: I received A Jane Austen Education from Penguin Press for review.
© 2011 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.
Oh wow, that sounds like a great book, entertaining and educational. Thanks for putting it on my radar!
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My pleasure!
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Anna, what a wonderful review! This sounds like a book I’d thoroughly enjoy and learn from. (I still haven’t read Emma but have vowed to do so.)
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Emma’s the last one of Austen’s novels I need to read. I started it last month, but had to put it down for some blog tours. Can’t wait to finish it…but then I’ll be sad and have to start re-reading Austen.
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Sounds like an interesting book. I’m glad that you enjoyed it. I may have to borrow it when I’m looking for a nonfiction-type book.
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Just let me know. You can borrow it whenever.
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Such an interesting review of an interesting sounding book. I think I would agree that sometimes much more meaning is imputed to the written word than was originally intended. I think I would like to read this book sometime.
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Thanks! I think it’s great to analyze literature, but I always wonder what the author actually intended.
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Your review is wonderful and the book sounds interesting. I love your take on symbolism, because I’ve always wondered the same thing – is that really what the author intended or is that how we interpret it?
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Thanks!
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Not sure this book is for me at all, but I enjoyed the review 🙂
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Really? I thought you would be interested in this book. LOL
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I cannot wait to read this!!!!
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Looking forward to your take on it!
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Your story about your crow poem made me sputter coffee all over my desk — hilarious, and true. When is a cigar just a cigar, etc.
I wanted to read this but now I’m not sure — I’m on the fence abt whether I’d be interested in someone else’s meaningful experience with Austen — esp since I disagree with what he took from each novel! 😉
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I didn’t get the same things out Austen’s novels either, but I found his take on the novels interesting. I’m glad he supports his arguments. It’s interesting how many different interpretations there are of a single work!
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Oh my goodness this book sounds delightful!
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I hope you give it a try!
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I need this book. Seriously. I am overdosing on nonfiction right now, but soon, after a good fiction binge, I am going to pick this one up.
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Hope you enjoy it. I can’t read too much nonfiction at one time.
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The crow story is priceless Anna! Just like a red dot on a canvas can make people Ooh and Aah. Too funny. I may skip this one due to too many on my library hold list already but it was a great review. 🙂
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Thanks, Dawn!
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this sounds like such an entertaining book. i love the crow story by the way and i think you bring up a good point in whether or not the author purposely incorporates symbolism into their book or if we just interpret it that way.
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Thanks! Serena and I still laugh about that incident. You should have seen her in the class because she knew the poem was just about a crow. She almost died laughing.
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This sounds like a wonderful companion book to the Austen books and even the spinoffs. I still haven’t read all of Jane Austen’s book but am hoping to add one more to my “read” list this year.
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I do hope you get to read more Austen soon!
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Now I feel like I need to read this one. I truly enjoyed your thoughtful post and i agree with you that some people tend to over analyze things!!
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I hope you read this one. I’d love to see what you think about it since I know you love Austen as much as I do.
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I don’t think I’ve ever met a man who is an Austen fan – what a treat it must be to read about a love of Austen from a male perspective!
Thanks for being on the tour Anna.
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I don’t know any men who like Austen, which is why I really wanted to read it.
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This sounds awesome, such a nice tribute to Austen. I’ll have to read this. I too love the idea of learning something while reading. We can get insight and find ourselves along the way. Nice review!
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Thanks, Naida! Reading is learning. 🙂
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I am reading this book, now, Anna and your review is fantastic. I have alss thought about whether or not academics analyze too much and find meaning where maybe there wasn’t menat to be much. I agree that the author backs up his arguments very well. I also appreciate how honest he is about himself and who he was before Jane Austen taught him about life and maturity.
I love your story about your crow poem although, I have a feeling, your professor was able to comment on the symbolism etc. because you wrote a great poem about more than a person watching a crow cross the sidewalk :o)
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Thanks, Amy! Maybe I’ll dig out that poem and post it here some time.
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This looks interesting. I wonder, according to his lessons, what your favorite Austen book says about you? I’ve only read three but so far it’s Persuasion. Fun to think about.
I had the sme experience as you did during my crative writing class. For my final short story we had to read it, but were not allowed to participate in the discussion that followed. I was amazed at what people read into my story. It also made me rethink authors intent and what we put into the disection ourselves.
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That’s an interesting question! Once I finish Emma, I’ll have to consider it for myself.
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[…] Reynolds 8. Wickham’s Diary by Amanda Grange 9. My Jane Austen Summer by Cindy Jones 10. A Jane Austen Education by William Deresiewicz 11. The Truth About Mr. Darcy by Susan Adriani 12. Mr. Darcy and the Secret […]
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[…] Tuesday, April 26th: Diary of an Eccentric […]
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