Your favourite Austen?

[ThursdayLast]

By dreadful coincidence I've finished my library book and audio book on the same day

I'm visiting the library tomorrow, so to tide me over I'll probably pick out an ancient old Austen but I can't face the decision!

Which is your favourite?

I much preferred the premise of Longbourne to the writing. Excessively flowery.

I didn't much mind Death... But thinking in it now I don't remember much either which must be quite telling!

The only one I really rate is Persuasion. I did Emma for O Level and detested it - I found the whole set up with Mr Knightley very creepy.

I never got a creepy vibe from Mr. Knightley I have to say.

Colonel Brandon was more creepy, IMO.

But then I found Edward quite drippy so I'm just not a fan of the men of S&S.

Colonel Brandon and Elinor would have made a much better couple.

I'm so glad that I'm not the only person to say Mansfield Park. It's my favourite by a long way, and I actually really like Fanny as a character.

After MP, I'd then go for either Sense & Sensibility or Pride & Prejudice depending on how I was feeling, then Persuasion.

Don't really like Emma (E is too annoying), nor Northanger Abbey (Catherine ditto).

I normally stay away from Jane Austen sequels, prequels etc but I thought Longbourn was excellent.

I loathed, 'Longbourne' - far and away the worst book I've read so far this year.

S&S and Persuasion are my favourites, although I love them all except, 'Mansfield Park'. Can't be doing with Fanny prissy Price or silly sissy Edmund, although I'm very fond of the Crawfords.

Emma is my favourite.

Can't see any point at all in reading any of them to a 10 year old, tbh. Wait until she's 14 or so and can enjoy them for herself.

Tricky but probably in this order
Northanger Abbey
Emma
Pride And prejudice
Sense and sensibility
Persuasion
Mansfield Park

Mansfield Park - Fanny is fascinating to me and I like that she is properly religious but I adore [reading about] Mrs Norris and the horrible girls, Mrs Bertram, the naughty sexy Crawfords and I find the ending so dark, I think it's riveting. I also think that Susan replacing Fanny is both quite postmodern and a comment on women's status at the time.

To be fair I am influenced by the BBC Mansifleld Park of the 1980s with Sylvestra Le Touzel. I'd agree that the 95 Persuasion is overall the best adaptation of any Austen, but the Mansfield Park series is absolutely wonderful. I made DH watch it with me and it is the only Austen he has sat through watched or read and he said he genuinely enjoyed it.

Remus, come and join my gang!

'Did' Mansfield Park for A level and it nearly put me off Jane Austen for life. I would go for Pride & Prejudice or Sense and Sensibility

There's a short, genuinely effective Mansfield Park sequel by Joan Aiken called Mansfield Revisited, if anyone's interested. Generally I regard modern sequels and prequels with horror (and with good reason) but I first read this as a child and think it stands up to rereading. This takes Fanny and Edmund, now happily married, briskly offstage, reinvents Julia Bertram as a latter-day Aunt Norris, reintroduces the Crawfords, William Price, Tom and dozy Lady Bertram, and has Susan Price as the main character.

Mansfield park for me. I visited the Jane Austen centre earlier in the year and the person in the gift shop could believe it. I also love Northanger Abbey and that was the first I read.

I've read all of them at one time or another but those are my favourites from the novels. I've also got a copy of all her shorter works.

I hated the updated Northanger abbey - because I think she missed the point, which was to do a shortened version of book Northanger was based on (mysteries of udolpho by Ann radcliffe) which at the time was massively popular (I recommend reading it if you can get a copy - its huge mind) I didn't like the updated sense and sensibility either. I think the updated ones rely too much on social media which, frankly, I think will be gone in ten years time to be replaced by newer programs or at the very least if still used will be vastly different. I've not read the update of Emma. I will buy it though. I want to own all the updated ones and at least read them once.

I have all of them on audio abridged (severely in some cases), I also have the mansfield radio play (which I just cannot get into at all no idea why!) and the pride and prejudice one which I enjoyed. I have an unabridged audio book of mansfield park which I love.

Ive not read the mansfield park sequel as ive been dreading it but have a copy on my kindle waiting to be read (along with various other austen related books I downloaded for free).

My favourite used to be Persuasion, but I've gone off it, heroine too wilting and passive. I've lost all patience with droopy women in fiction.

These days it would be P&P for the always sparky argumentative Lizzie, followed by Emma for the bossy irritating but not-remotely-passive Emma.

Mansfield Park is the one I have never liked, Fanny is far too passive. L always want to shake her.

Persuasion
Pride & Prejudice
Sense & Sensibility

The S&S film (Ang Lee / Emma Thompson) is by far the best adaptation of an Austen book that I've ever seen. Have never seen an adaptation of Persuasion or P&P that comes close (although I did enjoy the BBC P&P of course!)

On further consideration, I think my top three is

Persuasion
P&P
And actually the rest all inspire the same level of affection in me

Happy to join your gang, Bertrand. :)

My eldest dd was a very early, and very voracious reader, but I honestly don't think she'd have got anything out of the lovely Jane at 10. She loved them in her early teens, though.

If anybody wants a fun Austen-related read, try, 'Bitch in a Bonnet.' I got it for pennies on Kindle and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I recommend 'Longbourn'. Normally avoid Austen-inspired books at all costs, but DH gave it to me as a gift and I really enjoyed it. Think it works because it tells the story of different characters - it's not trying (and inevitably failing) to be an Austen book.

Persuasion. Autumnal, mellow, lovely Anne.
Then P&P

Then the rest, with MP leading, just reread it, and Emma which I loathe at the bottom. The only bits I enjoy at all are the boiled egg not being unwholesome and the magnificent Shandyesque speech about strawberries. Emma makes me cringe and recall my own sins of commission.

Have been rereading quite a lot and can't see why people think that there is no sex in her. Other than in Emma, it's all about sex and viciousness, or rears and vices.

Don't like most of the follow ups but can recommend Mr Darcy's diary. If I say he was at Harrow with Byron I don't think that is too much of a spoiler.

ancientbuchanan: "Emma makes me cringe and recall my own sins of commission."

Yes, I feel a bit like this too. It makes you go hot and cold remembering the awful things you said to people.

John Mullan's book, What Matters in Jane Austen? has a chapter about sex, iirc.

" ah, but madam, but there may be a difficulty. Pardon me, but you will be limited as to number- only three at once.".

Real kicking the bedclothes at 3 in the morning stuff!

I usually put MP in my bottom 2 along with S&S but I think I'll have to give it another go following all the love on this thread!

That's not to say I don't like them obviously just not as much as the other 4.

What's that quote from Bertand?