Crinoline_Laphroaig's review on Lady Susan

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When people think of Jane Austen, they think of the Big Six: Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Northanger Abbey, Mansfield Park, Emma, and Persuasion. And seem toforget that Lady Susan is a completed novel.

Not overly long, it's written in Epistolary form, which is not easy to read format. IMHO doesn't work well on audio. Reading aloud of who it's from, who received, and where it's written gets tiresome very quickly. ⬇️

Crinoline_Laphroaig Lady Susan was probably written when Jane Austen was 19 years old. Before she wrote Sense and Sensibility. Introduction of Penguin Clothbound Classic points out that "Jane Austen wrote at a turning point in morals of the nation - that half of her belongs to the outspoken, coarse eighteenth century, and half to the prudish and discreet nineteenth century. " Lady Susan is definitely 18th century work 'showing the mind of a 'wicked woman'. ⬇️

3y

Crinoline_Laphroaig Why did she never pursue publishing? Did she lose interest? Or was it because Epistolary went out of fashion? Will never know but you can see the brilliance. Imagine if she had given it a rewrite ala Sense and Sensibility. It could have been a Masterpiece.

Lady Susan is often included in with The Watsons and Sanditon, both of which are Unfinished, that may contribute to it being overlooked. ⬇️
3y

Crinoline_Laphroaig Maybe because it's short, it's in both Clothbound Classics of Love and Friendship Juvenalia and Sanditon

And to add to the Confusion, Kate Beckinsale movie(who is brilliant as Lady S) borrowed the title Love and Friendship from Juvenalia and attached it to the movie of Lady Susan.⬇️ 3y

See All 7 Comments

Crinoline_Laphroaig #ayearwithjaneausten 3y

TheBookHippie I‘ve always wondered about this too. 3y

CarolynM I love the movie (I'm a Whit Stillman fan) 3y

Crinoline_Laphroaig @CarolynM I'm going to watch again. Hopefully this evening or tomorrow. 3y

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