Books I Loathed discussion

I may be in the minority on this. It may not be fair of me to post on this topic, as I've never been able to actually get through one of her alleged novels. I try, but within a couple of pages I just want them all to shut up and just get married already.

SENSE AND SENSIBILITY? I lasted five pages. PERSUASION? Six pages. That goddamn PRIDE AND PREJUDICE thing? I lasted three pages before I fled.

I'll take Dickens over this tired spinster bitch any day of the rest of my life.

Tom:

Ha Ha

If you read my comments you will see that I cannot stand Jane Austen. But you have to be careful here or you will get nasty notes from people, especially if you spell her name wrong, which I unintentionally did; I spelled it Austin instead of Austen and someone jumped down my throat. lol

Now I'm going to check out your profile. :)

I am the same with Austen! I completely misunderstand her and have never gotten past chapter 3 in any of her books.

IN FACT I was an english major and was assigned Pride and Prejudice at least 4 times in my academic life and NEVER read it. The language seems obtuse to me and makes my brain melt. Ugh.

Glad I am not alone!

For years I went around saying how much I hated Austen's Pride and Prejudice, but recently I began to re-read it and so far have found it to be quite amusing. It's still on the back-burner as I am reading a couple of other, more compelling novels at the same time...but at least I won't say any more that I HATE Jane Austen as an author.

Pride and Prejudice made me want to stab myself in the ovaries. After that I was done with Jane Austen forever.

I tried Emma and could only make it through a few pages. I tried Northanger Abbey because it was supposed to be different from her other books. I only made it through a little of that too. I always thought it was a weakness on my part. I'd much rather read Henry James or Louisa May Alcott.

I adore Austen, and there is not one of her novels that I haven't read multiple times. However, everything she writes occupies this very, very small world. They are comedies of manners, dissections of interpersonal politics. To read them you have to be willing to accept that stuff like whether someone visits you or not is of the utmost importance. If you're used to lit on a grander scale, Austen just might not work for you.

But I think what she does within that teeny little sphere is amazing.

I absolutely love two of her books I have managed to make it through (P&P and Persuasion), but I have a hard time making it through everything else. Northanger Abbey is amusing as it makes fun of the three-volume novels of the day, but that doesn't mean I've been able to force myself to finish it yet. Is it a cop-out to say I'd rather read more Georgette Heyer than try to finish my Austen novels?

Can't stand Jane Austen either! Its only the chick lit of the day!

OMG I've always felt like a alien for loathing Jane Austen. Even in high school, all my nerdy friends adored her and I just couldn't stand her. Every time I tell people this, they stare at me like I've grown another head and try to tell me that I don't "get" Austen and explain it to me. No, I get it - I just don't like it. Dang.

Tom wrote: "I may be in the minority on this. It may not be fair of me to post on this topic, as I've never been able to actually get through one of her alleged novels. I try, but within a couple of pages I ..."

Wow, such strong views. I completely understand your outrage. Austen is a good storyteller but her characters suck. I hated the ending of P & P. Haven't read any of her other books yet.

Kat wrote: "Pride and Prejudice made me want to stab myself in the ovaries. After that I was done with Jane Austen forever."

This is potentially my favourite comment ever.

Ive always been told Im strange for not liking Austen. One of my friends even stopped talking to me for a week over it.

I started reading pride and prejudice in high school and got through about 30 pages before I decided it wasn't worth the pain. The female characters inspired nothing but a deep loathing for how pathetic they were.

Kat wrote: "Pride and Prejudice made me want to stab myself in the ovaries. After that I was done with Jane Austen forever."

OMG I laughed hysterically when I read this.

I really don't like Jane Austen since I was forced to "read" one of her books in school. Don't ask me which one because I blocked it all out. All I remember is the Mr. Darcy character, so whatever book he is in is the one I read.

I really don't like classics in general, only a selected few. My sister is the one whose all into them

Classics aren't bad at all. But I hated the ending of this book. Darcy was cardboard, Elizabeth's arguments never really had any merit and I don't know why the Bennet family was so condoning of Lydia. Honestly she was such a bitch. Ruined the book for me.

Wow! there's actually haters that will actually say what they have on their minds and how much they loathe Jane's works! Wow! just Wow!

It took the Keira Knightley movie adaptation of Pride and Prejudice to really open my eyes to the wit embedded into Austen's writing. Having had to read it as part of my University degree, I came to loathe her writing due to their tepid domesticity. Give me the Bronte sisters any day at least Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre have exaggerated passion and Dickens is nearly always a hoot. While Austen isn't one of my favourites and certainly not a go to writer, I have come to appreciate her genius, performing cutting societal critiques from within through her use of strong female characters.