630. The History of England (Jane Austen)

1870 engraving of Jane Austen, based on a portrait drawn by her sister Cassandra

Synopsis from Amazon Canada:
Aficionados of Jane Austen and of historical satire will delight in this spoof on the history of the British monarchy from 1399 to 1649. Austen's note that this history is "By a partial, prejudiced & ignorant Historian (Note: There will be very few Dates in this History)" hints at the tone of the work. What follows are brief, opinionated pieces, ranging from two sentences on Edward V "who lived so little a while that nobody had time to draw his picture" to 19 sentences on Elizabeth, of whom "It was the peculiar Misfortune... to have had bad Ministers -- Since wicked as she herself was, she could not have committed such extensive Mischief, had not these vile & abandoned Men connived at, and encouraged her in her Crimes." This publication contains a transcription as well as a full-color facsimile of the handwritten journal of 16-year-old Austen and small cameo paintings of the royals by her older sister, Cassandra, showing the early developed talent and wit of both sisters.

My rating: 5 stars

209. Northanger Abbey (Jane Austen)

The first edition was published with Persuasion.

Synopsis from Amazon UK:
During an eventful season at Bath, young, naive Catherine Morland experiences the joys of fashionable society for the first time. She is delighted with her new acquaintances: flirtatious Isabella, who shares Catherine's love of Gothic romance and horror, and sophisticated Henry and Eleanor Tilney, who invite her to their father's mysterious house, Northanger Abbey. There, her imagination influenced by novels of sensation and intrigue, Catherine imagines terrible crimes committed by General Tilney.

My rating: 4 stars

Publication information:

• [AUSTEN, Jane]. Northanger Abbey: and Persuasion. By the Author of “Pride and Prejudice,” “Mansfield-Park,” &c. With a Biographical Notice of the Author. In Four Volumes. London: John Murray, 1818. First edition. Four twelvemo volumes (6 5/8 x 4 inches; 169 x 101 mm.). xxiv, 300; [4], 331, [1, blank]; [4], 280; [4], 308 pp. Complete with half-titles. Volume IV bound without the final blank leaves P7 and P8.

153. Sense and Sensibility (Jane Austen)

A very good adaptation of the book.

Synopsis from Amazon:
The story revolves around the Dashwood sisters, Elinor and Marianne. Whereas the former is a sensible, rational creature, her younger sister is wildly romantic--a characteristic that offers Austen plenty of scope for both satire and compassion. Commenting on Edward Ferrars, a potential suitor for Elinor's hand, Marianne admits that while she "loves him tenderly," she finds him disappointing as a possible lover for her sister:

Oh! Mama, how spiritless, how tame was Edward's manner in reading to us last night! I felt for my sister most severely. Yet she bore it with so much composure, she seemed scarcely to notice it. I could hardly keep my seat. To hear those beautiful lines which have frequently almost driven me wild, pronounced with such impenetrable calmness, such dreadful indifference!

Soon however, Marianne meets a man who measures up to her ideal: Mr. Willoughby, a new neighbor. So swept away by passion is Marianne that her behavior begins to border on the scandalous. Then Willoughby abandons her; meanwhile, Elinor's growing affection for Edward suffers a check when he admits he is secretly engaged to a childhood sweetheart. How each of the sisters reacts to their romantic misfortunes, and the lessons they draw before coming finally to the requisite happy ending forms the heart of the novel. Though Marianne's disregard for social conventions and willingness to consider the world well-lost for love may appeal to modern readers, it is Elinor whom Austen herself most evidently admired; a truly happy marriage, she shows us, exists only where sense and sensibility meet and mix in proper measure.

My rating: 4 stars

148. Mansfield Park (Jane Austen)

One of the few cases where the movie is better than the book.

Synopsis from Amazon:
At the age of ten, Fanny Price leaves the poverty of her Portsmouth home to be brought up among the family of her wealthy uncle, Sir Thomas Bertram, in the chilly grandeur of Mansfield Park. There she accepts her lowly status, and gradually falls in love with her cousin Edmund. When the dazzling and sophisticated Henry and Mary Crawford arrive, Fanny watches as her cousins become embroiled in rivalry and sexual jealousy. As the company starts to rehearse a play by way of entertainment, Fanny struggles to retain her independence in the face of the Crawfords' dangerous attractions; and when Henry turns his attentions to her, the drama really begins ....

My rating: 3 stars

25. Emma (Jane Austen)

The one Gwyneth Paltrow movie in which she does not get on my nerves

Synopsis from Amazon UK:
Often said to be Jane Austen's most perfect novel, "Emma" is also the perfect read - with a very imperfect - but loveable - heroine. Beautiful, clever and rich, Emma Woodhouse thinks she knows best. She only wants to help others arrange things as she thinks they should be done, and convinced she's just not destined to find true love herself, she believes that she must instead devote herself to playing Cupid for others. But absolutely nothing goes to plan - and in the process, Emma has a lot of learning to do: about others, but most of all about herself ....

My rating: 5 stars

Publication information:

• First published in 1816 by A. Bertrand

13. Persuasion (Jane Austen)

Sadly, the movie wasn't as good as the book.

Synopsis from Amazon UK:
At twenty-seven, Anne Elliot is no longer young and has few romantic prospects. Eight years earlier, she had been persuaded by her friend Lady Russell to break off her engagement to Frederick Wentworth, a handsome naval captain with neither fortune nor rank. What happens when they encounter each other again is movingly told in Jane Austen's last completed novel. Set in the fashionable societies of Lyme Regis and Bath, Persuasion is a brilliant satire of vanity and pretension, but, above all, it is a love story tinged with the heartache of missed opportunities.

My rating: 5 stars

Publication information:

• First published in 1818 with Northanger Abbey by John Murray, London
• First edition: Four twelvemo volumes. xxiv, 300; [4], 331, [1, blank]; [4], 280; [4], 308, [4, blank] pp. Bound with the half-titles in all volumes and with the final blank leaves P7 and P8 in Volume IV.

1. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)

The best Mr. Darcy ever?

Synopsis from Amazon UK:
When Elizabeth Bennet first meets eligible bachelor Fitzwilliam Darcy, she thinks him arrogant and conceited; he is indifferent to her good looks and lively mind. When she later discovers that Darcy has involved himself in the troubled relationship between his friend Bingley and her beloved sister Jane, she is determined to dislike him more than ever. In the sparkling comedy of manners that follows, Jane Austen shows the folly of judging by first impressions and superbly evokes the friendships, gossip and snobberies of provincial middle-class life.

My rating: 5 stars

Publication information:

• First published on January 28, 1813