Austenesque Lovers TBR Challenge 2023 discussion

Starting this year off with something from Jane sounds just the thing. Perhaps you haven't had the opportunity to read all her completed novels or you want to dive into her minor works or letters. Maybe you want a re-read...or enjoy in a new format like audio. All are welcome.

Make your pick from among her fiction and non-fiction writings then leave a comment here with your choice. Spend the month of January immersed in Jane Austen's writing.

Feel free to choose an incomplete novel or one of the completed versions by Austen and another author.

I will either be listening to the Naxos edition of Emma with Juliet Stevenson narrating or I'll be reading A Completing of The Watsons by Rose Servitova.

I’ve been trying to reread Pride and Prejudice again since November 1. I haven’t had the concentration and keep getting distracted by JAFF. I’ll probably stick with that. I’m glad to be in this group for my second year.

Anne wrote: "I’ve been trying to reread Pride and Prejudice again since November 1. I haven’t had the concentration and keep getting distracted by JAFF. I’ll probably stick with that. I’m glad to be in this gro..."

My concentration is shot once the holiday season gets under way, too, Anne. So, yay that our first group read matches your goal. :)

Woohoo that you can join in the group this year, Anne!

Anne wrote: "I’ve been trying to reread Pride and Prejudice again since November 1. I haven’t had the concentration and keep getting distracted by JAFF. I’ll probably stick with that. I’m glad to be in this gro..."

Have you tried immersion reading? I find it helps me with concentration and comprehension.

I LOVE the monthly group activities.

I shall read (or more likely listen to) Mansfield Park in January as it is a long time since I last spend time with dear Fanny Price.

CindySR wrote: "Anne wrote: "I’ve been trying to reread Pride and Prejudice again since November 1. I haven’t had the concentration and keep getting distracted by JAFF. I’ll probably stick with that. I’m glad to b..."

What is immersion reading? I’ve never heard of it. I’m dealing with rheumatoid arthritis and its attendant brain fog etc.

I can concentrate on other reading it’s just some that I can’t.

I'll go with an audiobook, but I haven't decided which.
Maybe Northanger Abbey

Anne wrote: "What is immersion reading? ..."
Anne, sorry to answer so late, I just saw this!
Immersion reading is a fancy way of saying you are reading along with an audio version. I did this with Sense and Sensibility and got a lot more out of it than with reading alone.

How are you doing with this winter weather?

Craftyhj wrote: "I LOVE the monthly group activities.

I shall read (or more likely listen to) Mansfield Park in January as it is a long time since I last spend time with dear Fanny Price."

I will too. MP is the Austen I am the least familiar with.

I will read Persuasion since I have been enjoying the variations such as Never Inconstant by Lyndsay Constable and the various film versions

I have the six published books on Audible but have not listened to all of them. I may not get through all six in January, but I will commit to finishing them before the end of the year.

I got a lovely version of Persuasion for Christmas, so I will be reading this and enjoying all the letters and papers included.

Persuasion: The Complete Novel, Featuring the Characters' Letters and Papers, Written and Folded by Hand

Oooh, that sounds grand, Bsao!

there are P&P audiobook versions in at least german and spanish on Spotify, I thought I might do one of those. I'm not fluent in either language but I find it's easy enough to follow when you know everything that will happen

Clever way to hone up on another language, Katja!

Bsao wrote: "I got a lovely version of Persuasion for Christmas, so I will be reading this and enjoying all the letters and papers included.

[book:Persuasion: The Complete Novel, Featuring the Characters' Let..."
It's a beautiful keepsake, I looked on Amazon. There are versions of a few different classics just like it. My sister would love that as a gift!

I got the Pride and Prejudice one for Christmas last year. There's a theme running here of easy gifts from my husband! I do like coming across the letters and opening them to read :)

I think I will re-listen to them all and then also listen to Sanditon, that last I’ve only watched the TV series.

I think I might go with Northanger Abbey! I've only read the graphic novel! lol!

I think you’ll have a lot of fun with NA, Victoria. Henry Tilney is my favorite hero!

Melanie Nicklin wrote: "I think I will re-listen to them all and then also listen to Sanditon, that last I’ve only watched the TV series."

You will have a truly Austen January, Melanie. :)

Ooh, looking forward to hearing what you all think of your choices for the January challenge.

Somewhere up the thread, someone mentioned immersion reading, and I'd love to hear if that works for you! As an English teacher, I'm especially interested in how people find their way into books, especially books with language or syntax that is substantially different from contemporary writing. I know that reading parts of P&P aloud in my class last year seemed to help students pick up on the humor and subtly of Austen's writing.

I think I'll attempt Jane Austen's letters; for my birthday, my mom bought me the collection edited by Deirdre Le Faye. It's actually a used copy with a single post-it note stuck inside: "What is this First Impressions to which she refers?" :)

I wonder what Jane Austen would think of all of this -- scholars poring over her letters, writers doing all sorts of things with her characters, readers all around the world gaining such joy and insight from her work. (I think she'd love the last; not sure she'd be so pleased with the first two!)

I got a false start and already did my German challenge in 2022. Eva Mattes narrated it really well I think. Her voice is clear and different characters are differentiated excellently. Would listen to the phonebook if she narrated.

Started with the Spanish version too, I don't know what the narrator's name is but she's pretty perky.

Pride and Prejudice completed!! Did a slow read w JASNA-AL starting in the fall. Just finished the last three chapters!! If I get into the JASNA AGM in Denver in Oct, I'll reread it again!

Here's my first:
Love and Friendship 4 Stars

Wow! Jane was "so severe on her own sex" in this!
It is hard to believe she was a young teen at the time.

Way to go, Katja, Kirk, and Rose!

Off to a fab start.

@Rose- you intrigue me. I've not read Love and Freindship yet. :)

The Audible was free with Audible Plus.

wosedwew wrote: "The Audible was free with Audible Plus."

Good to know. Audio is my new best friend for getting to more books.

Rose, I love your comment about "Love and Friendship." I haven't read any of the juvenilia...something I need to change one of these days!

Good luck to everyone on the challenge, and congrats to all of you who have already finished. Wow!

I'm wading slowly through Austen's letters. Here's a blog post on the 1796 letters, if you're interested!

Will be reading Pride and Prejudice :)

Great pick to start the year, Lisa!

I swiped this one from Kirk's list: Frederic & Elfrida.

The Audible of Love and Friendship contained other stories of Austen's early writing:
Love and Freindship
Unfinished Novel in Letters
The History of England from the Reign of Henry IV to the Death of Charles I
A Collection of Letters
Scraps

wosedwew wrote: "I swiped this one from Kirk's list: Frederic & Elfrida.

The Audible of Love and Friendship contained other stories of Austen's early writing:
Love and Freindship
U..."
Great!!

wosedwew wrote: "I swiped this one from Kirk's list: Frederic & Elfrida.

The Audible of Love and Friendship contained other stories of Austen's early writing:
Love and Freindship
U..."

Wasn't her History of England a hoot? Fun that you got some extras with the book.

I'm about halfway through my choice, Mansfield Park. I had forgotten just how much I love this book! It is often the forgotten "poor relation" but it is so much more.

I am listening to the audio, narrated by Frances Barber (an amazing actress btw).

Craftyhj wrote: "I'm about halfway through my choice, Mansfield Park. I had forgotten just how much I love this book! It is often the forgotten "poor relation" but it is so much more.

I am listening to the audio, ..."I'm on chapter 16 of my first time read of MP. The play is dragging and everyone is unlikable except Fanny. But it is funny!

@Craftyhj and @CindySR

I have always found MP hilarious with all those self-absorbed people providing comic relief and Fanny as the straight guy in it all.

I'm not sure if it counts as a spoiler but I do sometimes wonder whether Fanny could have done better. Sir Thomas is so gloriously strait-laced too.

Sophia wrote: "wosedwew wrote: "I swiped this one from Kirk's list: Frederic & Elfrida.

The Audible of Love and Friendship contained other stories of Austen's early writing:
Love ..."
For the 12th year, please please PBS create an one hr version of History of England!

Craftyhj wrote: "I'm not sure if it counts as a spoiler but I do sometimes wonder whether Fanny could have done better. Sir Thomas is so gloriously strait-laced too."

Haha, you would not be the first to think so! I think that is why I actually enjoy a few of the fanfic and published variations that properly redeem Henry Crawford for her and have Edmund and Mary work out their differences. Normally, I'm not a fan of redeeming a rake character with Austen variations, but this is the exception.

I finished my audio pick of Emma and it was a delightful start to my 2023 Austenesque reading year. I love spotting elements I didn't notice before and there were a few this time around.
Plus, another listen with a favorite Austen narrator, Juliet Stevenson (who so happened to play Mrs. Elton in an Emma movie adaption back in the 90's).

Sophia wrote: "I finished my audio pick of Emma and it was a delightful start to my 2023 Austenesque reading year. I love spotting elements I didn't notice before and there were a few this time around.
Plus, anot..."

I'm glad you had fun with Emma. Some of the Audible Austen's do have great narrators. I haven't listened to that Emma yet but I must do.

I have finished Mansfield Park - audio version read by Francis Barber. The tabloids of the time must have had a field day with the Bertram family. I wonder where Jane got the idea from?

I am determined to read some Mansfield pre imaginings this year. All suggestions welcome.

Craftyhj wrote: "I have finished Mansfield Park - audio version read by Francis Barber. The tabloids of the time must have had a field day with the Bertram family. I wonder where Jane got the idea from?

I am dete..."

Here's the ones on the Mansfield Park list: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7...

Sophia wrote: "Craftyhj wrote: "I have finished Mansfield Park - audio version read by Francis Barber. The tabloids of the time must have had a field day with the Bertram family. I wonder where Jane got the idea ..."

Thanks for the link - lots of goodies there! I am quite tempted by the Contrary Wind series.

Craftyhj wrote: "Sophia wrote: "Craftyhj wrote: "I have finished Mansfield Park - audio version read by Francis Barber. The tabloids of the time must have had a field day with the Bertram family. I wonder where Jan..."

You have good instincts. I've only read the first one, but it is taking the MP story in an interesting direction.

Sophia wrote: "Plus, another listen with a favorite Austen narrator, Juliet Stevenson (who so happened to play Mrs. Elton in an Emma movie adaption back in the 90's).

I have such fond memories of this audiobook version! Juliet Stevenson is great, and I got to listen to the book on the way to a "Jane Austen" weekend at a bed and breakfast where we discussed Emma. Thanks to having listened to the audiobook on the way up, I won the trivia quiz! (I was much worse at trimming my own bonnet and country dancing, though that was fun, too!)

So glad you enjoyed the listen, Sophia! Any new insights into the book after listening?

Craftyhj wrote: " I am quite tempted by the Contrary Wind series.

Like Sophia, I've only read the first book, but I loved it. I thought author Lona Manning did a great job finding a good balance between respecting the spirit of the MP and giving the characters some new ways to develop. If you read it, I'd love to hear what you think!

Christina wrote: "Sophia wrote: "Plus, another listen with a favorite Austen narrator, Juliet Stevenson (who so happened to play Mrs. Elton in an Emma movie adaption back in the 90's).

I have such fond memories of ..."

Well, for the first time I noticed that Mrs. Elton and her family are abolitionists and supported Wilberforce which left me thoughtful b/c before this I was inclined to see her as all annoying, comical, and didn't care for a thing about her. After hearing that, I really looked at her actions and not her boasting and saw that she and her husband didn't shirk duty to their parish and she really meant well by Jane Fairfax to find her a situation. She was floundering in a new environment and home and her boasting was her glaring way of establishing her credentials. Emma saw her as vulgar and petty, but Augusta Elton saw Emma in equally unfavorable light since she knew Emma had rejected for a husband a man she thought fine enough to marry and Emma made it clear she was above the people in the village of whom Mrs. Elton was a member. In truth, I think she was vulgar, but she didn't grow up with Emma's advantages. So, yes, I have softened toward Mrs. Elton.

Sophia wrote: "She was floundering in a new environment and home and her boasting was her glaring way of establishing her credentials... In truth, I think she was vulgar, but she didn't grow up with Emma's advantages. So, yes, I have softened toward Mrs. Elton.

What an astute observation, Sophia! And I love how you were able to have sympathy for this character so many of us love to hate -- to see past her boasting, as you put it, and recognize that she might have been trying her best to create a community in her new home.

How easy it is to forget what it must have been like for a young woman who had always lived in one place to marry and give up everything and everyone she loves to create a new life with a man she may not actually have known well!

I'm curious about the abolitionist connection. I once read an article from JASNA's Persuasions on Mrs. Elton and went back to find it today because your post was so thought-provoking; in that article, author Mary DeForest suggests Mrs. Elton's one mention of abolition was actually a deflection from the fact that her family likely was at some point involved in the slave trade. However, the article is from 1987, so it's likely there are many other, more recent interpretations out there.

So fascinating! Thanks for sharing these thoughts!