i love this book

[Louis Red]

not really, its quite possibly the worst book ive ever read in my life. d

[Sir Bartholomew]

i assume you don't read that much.

[JBI]

Good to know, you don't like Austen, you don't like Shakespeare, I doubt you like Tolstoy, Pushkin, Homer, Virgil, Ibsen, Proust, Joyce, Sophocles, Chaucer, or any other great author. There is no need to litter the forums with pointless "I hate this book" posts. If you don't like something, you don't need to say it, because unlike you, people appreciate these as works of art.

[Louis Red]

Good to know, you don't like Austen, you don't like Shakespeare, I doubt you like Tolstoy, Pushkin, Homer, Virgil, Ibsen, Proust, Joyce, Sophocles, Chaucer, or any other great author. There is no need to litter the forums with pointless "I hate this book" posts. If you don't like something, you don't need to say it, because unlike you, people appreciate these as works of art.

cool. continue enjoying your literature:thumbs_up :thumbs_up

[black butterffl]

jane austen is known to be a great author, why is there a lot of people who hate this book that she wrote :( ??
i'm planning on reading it when i buy it, however i saw that a lot hate it, why???

[coolestnerdever]

If you're going to say that you hate a book, explain why. Otherwise everyone is going to think (quite possibly correctly) that you are one of those who reads nothing but popular drivel.

[Joreads]

I have no problem with people not liking a book but you need to explain why it is that you don't like it or otherwise why bother posting. If you want a lively discussion give us something to discuss.

[kilted exile]

I would say I hate this book, problem is despite attempting 6 times to read it I just cant get through it. I am sure it must have some redeeming qualities to it that I have either not got to or not understood. Yes, Austen is witty, however when the subject matter is so decidedly boring to be it doesnt matter how witty she is. I love Dickens and his biting satire, Austen however, does nothing for me.

I am in agreement with the article Scher posted in this thread (http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23055)

[Gladys]

Giving up too early? For me, the book became funnier and funnier towards the end.

[Teffi]

however when the subject matter is so decidedly boring
I wonder what you consider to be the subject matter in "P&P". Let's define your view of the subject and then go on discussing.

PS: I am absolutely shocked to hear that someone finds Austen's book boring!

[kilted exile]

I wonder what you consider to be the subject matter in "P&P". Let's define your view of the subject and then go on discussing.

The subject matter is love & marriage. Now whilst Austen uses this as a way to attack the social constraints at the time & the role of (a certain subset of) women in society, it doesnt change the fact that it is still at the heart of the novel a love story. I am not interested in the subject matter (love), whilst Austen does a good job of using this setting to portray her views, I would be more likely to pay attention to her if she coaxed them with a different template.

Once it is a story of rich people's loves & marriage for me it loses all interest. It neglects the situation affecting the majority of women in her time whose issues in that regard where hampered by worse problems. In general I feel Defoe in Moll Flanders does a far better job of highlighting the plight of women in pre-victorian society than Austen does.

The article I linked to in my earlier post says it better than I possibly could & I will quote the exact part here:


"There is no poverty in her novels, no corruption, ambition, wickedness or war. Yes her wit is enchanting and her human observations enduringly accurate, but the world she writes about is so tiny. I find it claustrophobic."

It's all too graceful and lacks guts, says writer Zoe Williams........"Austen's popular because everyone likes a good costume drama and with Austen you know what you're getting. You're guaranteed a manor house, daughters, dresses and weddings. You're not with authors like Gaskell and Dickens, their stories are not so pretty."

[Gladys]

it is still at the heart of the novel a love story It's also a humorous and satirical story about the way people feel and behave towards each other, which is not so trite. Besides, isn't there a time for comedy too?

[Nightshade]

humm actually I cant say that I like P&P all that much, oh I loved it the first few times I read it and I just LOVE the seen between Lizzy and Lady Catherine towards the end of the book, but really its just a load of mush, or the original Mills & Boons as my mum would have it ( inspite of this its her all time favourite book).
But really I dont know why they study it at school there cant be all that much to say about it, theye should make people study North and South I think.

[naomi moon]

I personally liked "Pride and Prejudice" better than "Great Expectations" of Dickens, the wit, and the satire. I had much more fun while reading it, and I believe that Jane is a great writer.
Don't get me wrong I love Dickens too but "Great expectations" kind of blow me away.

[kilted exile]

It's also a humorous and satirical story about the way people feel and behave towards each other, which is not so trite. Besides, isn't there a time for comedy too?

There is always time for comedy;) I may be one the least serious people I know. As I've said the humour and satire in Dickens is what makes him my favourite writer, and although I appreciate the wit in Austen I am somewhat put off by the love story aspect (this may be because I am a knuckle-dragger).


humm actually I cant say that I like P&P all that much, oh I loved it the first few times I read it and I just LOVE the seen between Lizzy and Lady Catherine towards the end of the book, but really its just a load of mush, or the original Mills & Boons as my mum would have it ( inspite of this its her all time favourite book).
But really I dont know why they study it at school there cant be all that much to say about it, theye should make people study North and South I think.

hehehe, original Mills & Boon, gonna have to remember that one.


I personally liked "Pride and Prejudice" better than "Great Expectations" of Dickens, the wit, and the satire. I had much more fun while reading it, and I believe that Jane is a great writer.
Don't get me wrong I love Dickens too but "Great expectations" kind of blow me away.

I dont believe GE is the best example of Dicken's wit and satire, try Hard Times (couldnt stop laughing the entire first chapter), Oliver Twist or Bleak House.

[Gladys]

There is always time for comedy I may be one the least serious people I know. As I've said the humour and satire in Dickens is what makes him my favourite writer, and although I appreciate the wit in Austen I delight in the paradoxical and monumental humour of Dostoevsky and the great, Australian author, Patrick White. Both are considered heavy going. In Pride and Prejudice there is a sparkle, a lightness, in the humour, which combines with almost Shakespearean language in this entrancing novel. I must read Emma soon.