Jane Austen's Novels: The Art of Clarity

by Roger Gard

Although Jane Austen has long been England's best-loved novelist, much current criticism tends to ignore the appeal and accessibility of her novels and instead treats them as mere material—the preserve of academics, feminists, historical specialists, and would-be radical theorists. This book by Roger Gard is at once a thoughtful and detailed discussion of Jane Austen's oeuvre and a provocative and witty commentary that will stimulate all readers. Gard offers lively and perceptive discussions of the six major novels, together with the early Lady Susan and the unfinished Sanditon . The precise nature and scope of Jane Austen's realism, her particularly English approach to the world, and the characteristic blend in her work of a sharp skepticism about human nature and its banality with an idealism about human virtue are themes that recur throughout Gard's study. The book is moreover notable for the original and striking links it makes between Jane Austen and other authors ranging from Shakespeare to Flaubert, Lawrence, George Eliot, and Barbara Pym. Gard has something new to say in every chapter, and he says it with authority and style.

Genres: Literary Criticism

272 pages, Paperback

First published April 22, 1992

Reviews

[Plateresca · Rating 3 out of 5]

'It may sound absurd to say that a novelist sometimes needs to be preserved from her admirers.'

This book, as the author confesses, 'would not mind' being described as following a scheme which another critic described thus: '... a short introduction proposing that the Austen novels were a pinnacle of human achievement, followed by six chapters which read each of the six finished novels in loving detail.'
Well, yes, I agree that:
'Jane Austen is one of the most challenging moralists in European fiction and one of its most brilliantly accomplished creative practitioners.'
So, am always interested in what others think about how great Jane Austen's novels are :)

Paradoxically, though, the main drift of this book is that one does not really need to read anything else in order to understand Jane Austen.

Roger Gard talks about Jane Austen's methods; her characterisation; tracks her growth as a novelist; and discusses her 'unique kind of realism', comparing her to other authors, for instance, Flaubert.

It is certainly a very informative book. For instance, he claims that Jane Austen is 'very English' not only in her 'general good taste', but also in being 'unpolitical'.
In talking about Lady Susan, he draws comparisons with Dangerous Liaisons; and it struck me that we probably have more hints of that in Mansfield Park, don't we?
It helped me understand why in our family Sense and Sensibility is considered a harsh novel (so much as anything by Jane Austen can be harsh, of course): 'Against the small core of the good-hearted... not all of whom are intelligent... the other characters... are more or less ingenious variations on meanness of mind and spirit. They make up jointly a social disaster which is seen in a hard, bright light.'

'The titles of novels are in any case often their weakest feature.'
So true, isn't it?

Pride and Prejudice and 'Sanditon' are discussed in the format of a 'book chat', i. e., a dialogue between two fictional (but well-read) characters. I suppose this helped the author summarize and rebuff that part of the critique of Jane Austen's work that he doesn't agree with, and I understand that this was probably expected of him by his colleagues and quite appropriate; but I personally felt a little bogged down by fragments of literary arguments I'm not really interested in following.

All in all, this is definitely a less entertaining (forgive me, less 'light, and bright...') read than John Mullan's What Matters in Jane Austen?: Twenty Crucial Puzzles Solved, but there are interesting insights and, although I do not agree with every word of it, I think it does help to better understand and enjoy Jane Austen's art — even though the clarity of this art makes it very understandable and enjoyable on its own :)

[Cinta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great addition to any collection of non-fiction essays on the works of Jane Austen. It's really insightful and makes very good points about Austen's style. Very recommended for all those people who think Jane Austen is a very difficult author to read. Spoiler alert: she's not.