Even though “Emma” is not my favorite Austen I still really enjoy it. The reasons for it are that I feel it’s relatable because Emma is a flawed individual and even her privilege and status in society can’t hide that she makes mistakes just like any human being...so it was refreshing that Austen didn’t hide that and decided to show case it. Also, it was nice to see Emma chose to learn from those mistakes and not continue to think she knew best all the time, her experiences humbled her which I enjoyed seeing she didn’t stay an immature individual but grew into becoming a mature women.
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The thing for me about Emma is the calling out of her mistakes by those closest to her. She has to sit with it and learn from it. And it's not that that idea and plotline isn't available or isn't better done in other books, but there's something about it with her particular character that it feels rewarding to the reader to see her go through it after watching the setup for so many pages. -Les
I loved hearing your thoughts! I agree about the mini-series format being generally better suited for bookish adaptations than films. Emma is my favorite Jane Austen, and one of my favorite books overall, so I thought I'd share haha. Mansfield Park is the only Austen novel I've yet to read, so I can't comment on how those two compare or why MP is not more popular, but I think part of Emma's enduring popularity is due to the character development being very modern. Since the conflict comes from Emma's flawed but well-meaning character rather than a clash of different characters' personalities, it's more about how she as an individual interacts with the world/community instead of the community itself and there is more of a character arc, which I think resonates with a lot of people nowadays. The clever humor also holds up very well (although that is true of most of Austen's works). If one pays attention (or upon reread) one can see the dissonance between Emma's view of the situations and what is actually going on, and again I think that's very current and well done in the novel (and generally hard to do, even in 3rd person narratives). Now personally, Emma was the first character I related to and loved, and I just really enjoy all of the storylines and characters, I never tire of them. That said, I do want to get to Mansfield Park and I think I'll love it too. So far the only Austen I haven't really liked is Persuasion.
Your dislike of Emma, love for Mansfield Park, and acknowledgement of the under appreciated greatness of Anne Bronte is yet another reason why I love watching your videos. ☺️
abookolive We are! I never understood the appeal of Emma (and Persuasion is my most favorite novel, ever!), and Fanny Price-as well as the depth of Mansfield Park in its themes-doesn’t get the recognition she (it) deserves. There was an Kate Beaton comic about the Bronte sisters, where Charlotte and Emily are swooning over this mysterious and dangerous man, and Anne is essentially like, “WTF, he’s an a**hole!” It was funny by itself and even funnier after I read Anne Bronte for the first time.
Great video, this is a fun tag! I really like Emma, but agree that Knightley is overrated. Here's why it's my second favourite Austen: We get an insight into the main character's mind like we do in none of her other novels. We are so directly in Emma's mind, that we, along with her and everyone else gets fooled by Frank Churchill, gets disgusted with Mr and Mrs Elton, get way too invested in the foolish quest to marry off Harriet. It's the most personal of her novels for me. In addition, it features my favourite Austen mean girl, Mrs Elton, and my favourite tragicomic spinster, Miss Bates. But I can also see why people don't enjoy Emma - it is very long-winded, slow paced and features a rather underwhelming romantic interest. The Importance of Being Earnest is one of my favourite ever classics adaptations too. I think they even included scenes from the fourth act which was cut from the original release of the play. It's such a fun and dynamic adaptation and perfectly cast. 100% agree about Anne Bronte's Tenant of Wildfell Hall. I actually prefer it to Jane Eyre and it's one of my favourite ever classics. It reads so modern and I was astounded when I read it that I hadn't heard much discussion of it before.
I agree with you about The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. I read it a few years ago, and it became my favourite book I had read of the Brontë's (up until that point). I look forward to reading Shirley for Victober!
I also love Mansfield Park! I was introduced to it very young while watching the 1983 miniseries version, in my opinion this is the only true adaptation all the others change the characters far too much. It moves slowly and you can tell it was made in the 80's but the actors who do the Crawfords and Aunt Norris are fantastic in their villainy and Fanny is just the quietly strong Fanny I expect.
I also loved this adaptation! I loved it before I loved the book. Fanny is not a favorite character of mine (I have a frustrated fondness for her, though) and I loathe Edmund, but the book is brilliant and this adaptation handles it really well!
Good morning Olive! Read Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, which was good, but I think the main character was not a very nice person and alternately deserved pity and what she ultimately got. I read it in about a month. I think the best Russian classic I ever read was The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky. It's a long but great story of three brothers that includes murder, romance and intrigue.
"Cranford" is my favourite comfort read! It and connected short stories were wonderfully adapted into 2 TV series, "Cranford" and "Return to Cranford" - I highly recommend both.
The Tenant of Wildfell hall is my favourite Bronte! Thank you for promoting how wonderful it is to others. I’m reading Emma at the moment after watching this years film adaptation, which I really enjoyed. It helped me to understand the humour, especially her hypochondriac dad. If you haven’t already seen it, you might enjoy it!
The BBC series of adaptations from the 1980’s are my very favorites. Try to find them. Mansfield Park (1986); Pride and Prejudice; and Jane Eyre (with Timothy Dalton) are all so, so fantastic.
I’m currently reading Col Comfort Farm and it’s quite clever. I think you’ll like it. Also have you read Master and Margarita? That’s a modern Russian classic and I love that book so much. It’s just so great and has so much in it that I think whatever is in your wheelhouse you’re gonna find in that book. Personally I love the giant walking talking black cat.
I am reading the Tenant of Wildfell Hall at the moment and I am loving it as I have not loved a book in maybe YEARS. The "Preface to the Second Edition" that's included in my edition is wonderful as well. On the criticism she received about her depicting life too harshly: "Is it better to reveal the snares and pitfalls of life to the young and thoughtless traveller, or to cover them with branches and flowers? Oh, reader! if there were less of this delicate concealment of facts - this whispering, 'Peace, peace,' when there is no peace, there would be less of sin and misery to the young of both sexes who are left to wring their bitter knowledge from experience". On rumours of her being a woman: "All novels are, or should be, written for both men and women to read, and I am at a loss to conceive how a man should permit himself to write anything that would be really disgraceful for a woman, or why a woman should be censured for writing anything that would be proper and becoming for a man." This is the mid-19th century we're talking about! Girl was on fire. I tried looking for a copy in all five bookshops in my city and it was NOWHERE to be found. I actually complained about it to the bookshop at the station (which is basically a stationery shop, so the "booksellers" gave me a bit of a vacant look when I mentioned the Brontës) saying I was READING it and it was BETTER than Jane Eyre?! I said it with a smile though - no booksellers were harmed in the expression of this opinion.
I love your videos and listening so much. You could be reading an owner's manual for a car and I'd listen...lol. I haven't read too many classics other than in school and I am 44, so I will have to work on that.
Gotta find that owner's manual for my car and get to work on a new video, hehe :) Give the classics a try! I promise you, when you're reading them for yourself and not because they're assigned, it's a whole different ball game. They're absolutely delightful!
Emma is one of my very favorite books-probably partly because I read it when I was thirteen or so and have read it frequently enough since then that I feel my whole growing up years are interleaved in the story. Some other folks here have commented that Emma’s flaws (and her ability to start understanding them and work past them) makes this book feel modern to a lot of readers. And her annoying but wonderfully high-spirited spunkiness is another draw. I am thrilled to hear your feelings about The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. I can’t believe I have not read it yet, but it is high on my Victober TBR.
1) I've read Emma twice by choice and retained nothing. Pride and Prejudice FTW. 2) Had to read Candide twice for school. Hated it. 3) I'll enjoy pretty much any version of Cinderella, The Rough-faced Girl being one of them.
I once really loved "Emma" and still have a soft spot for it, especially when it comes to Emma Woodhouse. She is a challenging character and maybe not everyone's cup of tea. When it comes to her marriage to Knightley, I once LOVED it, but rereading it last year, my opinion completely changed. I found them mismatched and was weirded out by the fact that Knightley knew Emma since she was a child and developed romantic feelings for her. On my rereading, I found myself more invested in Emma and Harriet's friendship, and shipped them together, or wanted Emma to remain single. I still think it's a good book/story, but I can understand your dislike of it.
Im about 70% of the way through Anna Karenina. I use a free app called Serial Reader to work through several classics each year that I might not otherwise read. You choose one classic at a time, and each day it sends you a short segment from it which takes you about 10-15 minutes to read. It’s been great.
Oh my goodness - Serial! I used that several years ago for a reread of The Importance of Being Earnest (oh, how I love that play). I might need to get back into using it - thanks for this reminder!
I can understand why someone would have a hard time with Anna Karenina. It is long and layered. However, the story, or stories are wonderful. The story line of Levin and Kitty is just so wonderful; I believe better than the Anna and Vronsky story. I think, and this is a personal opinion, that this novel may be one of the perfect novels. You probably will enjoy it.
I loved both Emma and Mansfield Park. Emma is relatable, you love her some times, you hate her at other times. To me, she was that friend that makes my eyes roll because she think she knows it all but that I still care about and want to see succeed.
Finally you did the classics tag lol!! I’m glad you showed Anne some love. I love the Bronte sisters but poor Anne always gets the shaft imo I’m trying to read more “offbeat” classics this year. Bluebeard by Vonnegut and The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe are my next reads.
I always feel so bad for Anne :( Reading offbeat classics is a fantastic idea - I hope to follow your lead with that before too long - I do want to get more of the mainstream ones under my belt first, though. Gotta read all those Wishbone books, haha!
abookolive Yeah poor Anne. Although didn’t Charlotte publicly diss Emily when WH dropped? I think my old English teacher mentioned it once. Yeah “cult classics” classics lol. Show some love to the lesser known books :) Oh I love your Wishbone “series.”
Emma is my least favorite Austen novel, too, and I'm also confused when people say it's their favorite. I mean, to each their own of course, but................WHY. But then, my fave is Northanger Abbey and most people seem to loathe it, so what do I know, LOL
I'm over here rooting for you to enjoy Anna Karenina whenever you get to it 😆Not going to lie, it took me about 3 months to read it and there were definitely sections that dragged, but on the whole I ended up really liking it! I think one of my potentially controversial classics opinions is that I found Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea incredibly dull, but that's potentially just my own taste 🙈He just listed so many fish! I couldn't handle it!
I’m surprised that my favorite classics author DH Lawrence hasn’t been more discussed on booktube. He was way ahead of his time in so many ways. I saw an Adaptation of a play he wrote in 1912. The widow of of Mrs. Hollyroid And was enthralled.A sidenote is that George Bernard Shaw watch the play a few years later and said it made him ashamed of his own writing because Lawrence’s Words were so gorgeous. I’m paraphrasing here. I’m in the process of rereading all of his books plays And short stories and hope to make a video about one or more of them. I’ve yet to read Anne Bronte And plan to rectify that situation very soon. Wonderful video as usual aloha
Yeeeees 1995 Pride and Prejudice is everything. Have you seen the Richard Armitage/Daniela Denby-Ashe version of North and South? If not I'd highly recommend it, it's perfection. How did I not know about that adaptation of The Importance of Being Earnest, I'm adding it to my list. Emma is probably my least favourite Austen, but it's my mum's favourite. She says she really likes Emma because of the details of every day life Austen includes. She likes the descriptions of the village and other aspects of life. I think Austen herself had a soft spot for Emma, so maybe trying to understand why Austen likes Emma (as a character) makes the reader like her more. Emma also has perhaps the most character development, Emma grows a lot as the novel progresses. She knows she's done wrong and tries to make amends. As with all of Austen's books, the social commentary is great, how insular and suffocating small communities can be, but how everyone has to learn to get along and live with each other. Hmm maybe I should give Emma a reread 😂 Totally agree about adapting Mansfield Park, it's a bit like Villette, they're difficult to adapt well because they're so internal. I love The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Anne Brontë was brave to explore the story she did. The only Russian classics I've read are Anna Karenina (which is good!) and One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Solzhenitsyn, which is harrowing, but very good too. Hope you find a Russian classic you like!
I've seen parts of the North and South adaptation here on TH-cam, but I need to watch the whole thing! And yes, you must watch The Importance of Being Earnest! It's so hilarious. I've actually read One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich! I read it for a class in college and really enjoyed it...as much as you can enjoy such a thing.
I keep meaning to read Wives and Daughters. It’s on my bookshelf but for some reason I haven’t yet. Perhaps my next fiction book to read! Love your videos.
I just enjoyed reading “Cold Comfort Farm” two weeks ago. When you start to read it don’t bypass the author’s note opposite the dedication page. Otherwise, there are a few citations in the text that will be confusing. The story is pretty funny and since you are a fan of 1920’s writers you will enjoy the parody. Yes, I am very surprised you haven’t read AK especially since you filmed that video ages ago on how to pronounce the names of so many Russian authors. I really enjoyed AK. The plot is akin to “Age of Innocence” but more melodramatic (of course!). David Murphy has read it several times and has a video where he compares translations. For my own enjoyment I just read the edition available in the library when I was in college. I knew nothing about translation variants at the time. I thought it was a great story. There is a section about agricultural labor on an estate that runs a bit too long.
Sandee S: Yes, it can get confusing initially. That happened to me when I read Crime & Punishment. Since, then I learned that many Russian surnames add an “A” when referring to a woman family member. Anna Karenina, for example, is the wife of Karenin.
@@abookolive As to Cold Comfort Farm - it's an absolute riot. Also maybe check out the movie w/ Kate Beckinsale (from many years back) because the characters are brought to life perfectly.
I loved Cranford. Very delightful characters. No real plot, more a series of events in a small insular village. I think it would be a wonderful movies with character actresses. Cold comfort Inn is also very good. I think there is a movie version. There is a modern version (movie) of Great Expectations set in Florida that is very atmospheric with Gweneth Paltro I really enjoyed. Huckleberry Finn, to me, seems an interesting version of the Odessy (which I didn’t like) and I reread it every few years. It would be a good companion to Uncle Tom. No longer well considered but the stories of Uncle Remus are delightful. Lots of discussion points on how slaves were/are depicted versus the folklore of Rabbit and Fox.
Omg I loooove Emma!! It’s my Favourite Austen!! I love it because the heroine is very very different from other Jane Austen heroines! And I might disagree with you on the chemistry between Emma and Mr. Knightly. Yes they do seem to quarrel a lot and disagree, but that’s what attracts them to each other, because no one else challenges them but themselves! And as the book continues, Emma starts becoming intrigued by Mr. Knightley’s kind actions with Harriet and the farm family. But of course I understand you, it’s your opinion. Like myself, I’m not too fond of Mansfield Park, it’s one of my least Favourite Austen. I didn’t like that one much because of the obvious reason, the heroine is too quiet and I didn’t get much of a personality from her. But I do need to re-read it. I read that one a few years ago in college. I love your videos!! Your taste in books is soooo similar to mine!! Been watching your videos non stop! Lol. Great reviews!!
I’m curious as to why you seemed to be more creeped about Emma and Mr. Knightly than Fanny Price and Edmund who are first cousins. For me, it is all the side characters that makes Emma my second favorite Austen. I find her father really funny. I like Emma in all her vanity and the fact that she gets so many things wrong. I do agree about the lack of chemistry between her and Knightly. Of course, it could also be that I am swayed because of the adaptations.
I'm fairly positive I never said Emma and Knightly creeped me out "more" than Fanny and Edmund. I didn't mention the romance in Mansfield Park at all, so I'm not sure where the opening of this comment is coming from. I do, however, appreciate your take on Emma - thanks!
@@abookolive I was just saying that you seemed bothered by Emma and Knightly as a couple and you said that you favored Mansfield Park. I like Mansfield Park. I really like Fanny Price as a character. I have a hard time with the fact that Edmund and Fanny end up together. I just recently reread it and the whole time I am bothered by Fanny's feelings toward Edmund and the fact that she is jealous. It is really kind of icky. The age difference between Knightly and Emma is a little icky too, but for some reason I get past that because they are not really related.
I don’t like Emma either. Though I only started once. I plan to reread eventually to see if I missed something since so many people do love it. I listened to the audible version for Cold Comfort Farm. The narrator was fantastic. It’s a lot of fun. As for Russian classics, I do love them but can understand how they are not for everyone. Have you tried The Master and Margarita? Part of the plot is that the Devil visits Stalinist Russia and mayhem ensues from there. It’s fantastical and bizarre and I loved it.
I'll make a mental note to listen to a sample of Cold Comfort Farm on audio - if it's as good as you say, I'd love to experience it that way! Indeed I have tried The Master and Margarita - I think part of my problem is that I don't like bizarre fiction or discussions of religion...and that makes up a big part of Russian literature, in my experience! I don't doubt I'll read through the Russian classics someday, but apparently I'm not there yet in my evolution as a reader.
If you have time check out Dario and Motley Reads and his review of Emma. He brought up so many things that I had never thought about in regard to Emma herself. Worth your time.
I have yet to read any Jane Austen. Do all her books feature romantic main plots? I do want to read her because I am tired of missing out. But romance in books has never been a draw for me.
I've always felt bad about not liking "Emma" and Anna Karenina." I felt like I was missing something. Since you liked "Uprooted" by Naomi Novik, have you ever read "Spinning Silver"? I loved it.
Hi Olive! Thanks for your videos, i enjoy watching them a lot! Speaking of Russian classics, and being a Russian myself, i’d like to recommend you a great novel by Mikhail Lermontov “A Hero of Our Time”. It was written in the 1-st half of XIX cen, but it’s relevant today, and I believe is one of the best Russian novels.
Well I just finished Emma and give it almost 5 stars, so kskks I had already watched the movie and clueless as a teenager so what I liked was how misguided Emma was while so certain she was right and how all of this was so well constructed by Austen. Plus it gave me a lot of nostalgia of clueless so there's that. And Knightley just gave so much shade all the time. I love shade kskskks he would definitely be a drag queen today.
haha I think you're the first person I've heard say they liked "Mansfield Park". And about Russian classics - have you tried reading "Dead Souls"? I've read it years ago but remember it being very funny. Or if you want a similar vibe to Jane Austen, I'd recommend Turgenev - First Love and Asya. I myself (as a Russian) have a lot of books to go through, like Karamazov Brothers (is that the English title?) and have had bad experiences (Crime and Punishment I had to DNF in high school cause i was growing depressed reading it) The Importance of Being Earnest is one of my favourite as well! So funny!! Loved this tag and your video! Love your content!!
Mansfield Park has fans here on booktube! We're just a very small club, haha! I know Katie from Books and Things loves it as well. I have tried reading Dead Souls, but I haven't tried Turgenev - I'll give First Love and Asya a try at some point. Thanks for the suggestion :)
I did not love Emma the first time I read it, but then I watched the BBC mini series with Romola Garai and fell in love with Emma Woodhouse. Like Lizzy Bennet and Cathrine Morland she is a growing charakter who makes mistakes and then growths on them. That, in my opinion, is what Fanny is lacking, she is the same person from beginning to end and therefor, at least to me, is totally boring. I recommend: 'A truth universally acknowleged. 33 authors on why we read Jane Austen'.
Even though “Emma” is not my favorite Austen I still really enjoy it. The reasons for it are that I feel it’s relatable because Emma is a flawed individual and even her privilege and status in society can’t hide that she makes mistakes just like any human being...so it was refreshing that Austen didn’t hide that and decided to show case it. Also, it was nice to see Emma chose to learn from those mistakes and not continue to think she knew best all the time, her experiences humbled her which I enjoyed seeing she didn’t stay an immature individual but grew into becoming a mature women.
Thank you!
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The thing for me about Emma is the calling out of her mistakes by those closest to her. She has to sit with it and learn from it. And it's not that that idea and plotline isn't available or isn't better done in other books, but there's something about it with her particular character that it feels rewarding to the reader to see her go through it after watching the setup for so many pages. -Les
Thanks for your perspective, Les!
I loved hearing your thoughts! I agree about the mini-series format being generally better suited for bookish adaptations than films.
Emma is my favorite Jane Austen, and one of my favorite books overall, so I thought I'd share haha. Mansfield Park is the only Austen novel I've yet to read, so I can't comment on how those two compare or why MP is not more popular, but I think part of Emma's enduring popularity is due to the character development being very modern. Since the conflict comes from Emma's flawed but well-meaning character rather than a clash of different characters' personalities, it's more about how she as an individual interacts with the world/community instead of the community itself and there is more of a character arc, which I think resonates with a lot of people nowadays. The clever humor also holds up very well (although that is true of most of Austen's works). If one pays attention (or upon reread) one can see the dissonance between Emma's view of the situations and what is actually going on, and again I think that's very current and well done in the novel (and generally hard to do, even in 3rd person narratives). Now personally, Emma was the first character I related to and loved, and I just really enjoy all of the storylines and characters, I never tire of them. That said, I do want to get to Mansfield Park and I think I'll love it too. So far the only Austen I haven't really liked is Persuasion.
Thank you so much for your take on Emma! Lots of good food for thought.
Your dislike of Emma, love for Mansfield Park, and acknowledgement of the under appreciated greatness of Anne Bronte is yet another reason why I love watching your videos. ☺️
Aww, thank you! I'm assuming we're on the same page with those things, haha :)
abookolive We are! I never understood the appeal of Emma (and Persuasion is my most favorite novel, ever!), and Fanny Price-as well as the depth of Mansfield Park in its themes-doesn’t get the recognition she (it) deserves. There was an Kate Beaton comic about the Bronte sisters, where Charlotte and Emily are swooning over this mysterious and dangerous man, and Anne is essentially like, “WTF, he’s an a**hole!” It was funny by itself and even funnier after I read Anne Bronte for the first time.
Great video, this is a fun tag! I really like Emma, but agree that Knightley is overrated. Here's why it's my second favourite Austen: We get an insight into the main character's mind like we do in none of her other novels. We are so directly in Emma's mind, that we, along with her and everyone else gets fooled by Frank Churchill, gets disgusted with Mr and Mrs Elton, get way too invested in the foolish quest to marry off Harriet. It's the most personal of her novels for me. In addition, it features my favourite Austen mean girl, Mrs Elton, and my favourite tragicomic spinster, Miss Bates. But I can also see why people don't enjoy Emma - it is very long-winded, slow paced and features a rather underwhelming romantic interest.
The Importance of Being Earnest is one of my favourite ever classics adaptations too. I think they even included scenes from the fourth act which was cut from the original release of the play. It's such a fun and dynamic adaptation and perfectly cast.
100% agree about Anne Bronte's Tenant of Wildfell Hall. I actually prefer it to Jane Eyre and it's one of my favourite ever classics. It reads so modern and I was astounded when I read it that I hadn't heard much discussion of it before.
I agree with you about The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. I read it a few years ago, and it became my favourite book I had read of the Brontë's (up until that point). I look forward to reading Shirley for Victober!
Totally agree about Mansfield Park! It’s my favorite Jane Austen, but a lot of people hate it. I don’t understand them! 🤷🏼♀️
I also love Mansfield Park! I was introduced to it very young while watching the 1983 miniseries version, in my opinion this is the only true adaptation all the others change the characters far too much. It moves slowly and you can tell it was made in the 80's but the actors who do the Crawfords and Aunt Norris are fantastic in their villainy and Fanny is just the quietly strong Fanny I expect.
I haven't seen that one! I need to watch that ASAP - thanks for the suggestion!
I also loved this adaptation! I loved it before I loved the book. Fanny is not a favorite character of mine (I have a frustrated fondness for her, though) and I loathe Edmund, but the book is brilliant and this adaptation handles it really well!
Good morning Olive! Read Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, which was good, but I think the main character was not a very nice person and alternately deserved pity and what she ultimately got. I read it in about a month.
I think the best Russian classic I ever read was The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky. It's a long but great story of three brothers that includes murder, romance and intrigue.
"Cranford" is my favourite comfort read! It and connected short stories were wonderfully adapted into 2 TV series, "Cranford" and "Return to Cranford" - I highly recommend both.
Those will be on my list of things to watch the moment I finish the book (I'll hunt down the short stories, too) - thank you! :)
The Tenant of Wildfell hall is my favourite Bronte! Thank you for promoting how wonderful it is to others. I’m reading Emma at the moment after watching this years film adaptation, which I really enjoyed. It helped me to understand the humour, especially her hypochondriac dad. If you haven’t already seen it, you might enjoy it!
I need to see the new adaptation! It looked gorgeous, that's for sure. Those COSTUMES!
The BBC series of adaptations from the 1980’s are my very favorites. Try to find them. Mansfield Park (1986); Pride and Prejudice; and Jane Eyre (with Timothy Dalton) are all so, so fantastic.
I’m currently reading Col Comfort Farm and it’s quite clever. I think you’ll like it. Also have you read Master and Margarita? That’s a modern Russian classic and I love that book so much. It’s just so great and has so much in it that I think whatever is in your wheelhouse you’re gonna find in that book. Personally I love the giant walking talking black cat.
I am reading the Tenant of Wildfell Hall at the moment and I am loving it as I have not loved a book in maybe YEARS. The "Preface to the Second Edition" that's included in my edition is wonderful as well.
On the criticism she received about her depicting life too harshly: "Is it better to reveal the snares and pitfalls of life to the young and thoughtless traveller, or to cover them with branches and flowers? Oh, reader! if there were less of this delicate concealment of facts - this whispering, 'Peace, peace,' when there is no peace, there would be less of sin and misery to the young of both sexes who are left to wring their bitter knowledge from experience".
On rumours of her being a woman: "All novels are, or should be, written for both men and women to read, and I am at a loss to conceive how a man should permit himself to write anything that would be really disgraceful for a woman, or why a woman should be censured for writing anything that would be proper and becoming for a man."
This is the mid-19th century we're talking about! Girl was on fire.
I tried looking for a copy in all five bookshops in my city and it was NOWHERE to be found. I actually complained about it to the bookshop at the station (which is basically a stationery shop, so the "booksellers" gave me a bit of a vacant look when I mentioned the Brontës) saying I was READING it and it was BETTER than Jane Eyre?! I said it with a smile though - no booksellers were harmed in the expression of this opinion.
(looked for more copies to instantly gift all my friends)
Thinking about committing part of next year to Russian classics - would love to know you thoughts on Anna Karenina.
I love your videos and listening so much. You could be reading an owner's manual for a car and I'd listen...lol. I haven't read too many classics other than in school and I am 44, so I will have to work on that.
Gotta find that owner's manual for my car and get to work on a new video, hehe :) Give the classics a try! I promise you, when you're reading them for yourself and not because they're assigned, it's a whole different ball game. They're absolutely delightful!
Yes!!! Tenant of Wildfell Hall is awesome
I’m very happy you did this tag too!
Emma is one of my very favorite books-probably partly because I read it when I was thirteen or so and have read it frequently enough since then that I feel my whole growing up years are interleaved in the story. Some other folks here have commented that Emma’s flaws (and her ability to start understanding them and work past them) makes this book feel modern to a lot of readers. And her annoying but wonderfully high-spirited spunkiness is another draw. I am thrilled to hear your feelings about The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. I can’t believe I have not read it yet, but it is high on my Victober TBR.
I'm really not a fan of Russian classics, but I've read Anna Karenina and I liked it. It was surprisingly readable and engaging. Give it a go!
Totally agree with you about Emma and Mansfield Park.
Anna Karenina is amazing, I hope you enjoy it!
I’m with you on Emma! How does Mansfield Park get dwarfed by that basket of crazy?
1) I've read Emma twice by choice and retained nothing. Pride and Prejudice FTW.
2) Had to read Candide twice for school. Hated it.
3) I'll enjoy pretty much any version of Cinderella, The Rough-faced Girl being one of them.
I once really loved "Emma" and still have a soft spot for it, especially when it comes to Emma Woodhouse. She is a challenging character and maybe not everyone's cup of tea. When it comes to her marriage to Knightley, I once LOVED it, but rereading it last year, my opinion completely changed. I found them mismatched and was weirded out by the fact that Knightley knew Emma since she was a child and developed romantic feelings for her. On my rereading, I found myself more invested in Emma and Harriet's friendship, and shipped them together, or wanted Emma to remain single. I still think it's a good book/story, but I can understand your dislike of it.
subscribed because want to see what you make of Metamorphoses - it's one of my favourite books and Ovid doesn't get the love he deserves
Im about 70% of the way through Anna Karenina. I use a free app called Serial Reader to work through several classics each year that I might not otherwise read. You choose one classic at a time, and each day it sends you a short segment from it which takes you about 10-15 minutes to read. It’s been great.
Oh my goodness - Serial! I used that several years ago for a reread of The Importance of Being Earnest (oh, how I love that play). I might need to get back into using it - thanks for this reminder!
I can understand why someone would have a hard time with Anna Karenina. It is long and layered. However, the story, or stories are wonderful. The story line of Levin and Kitty is just so wonderful; I believe better than the Anna and Vronsky story. I think, and this is a personal opinion, that this novel may be one of the perfect novels. You probably will enjoy it.
Loved hearing your take on AK - thank you!
I think you'll like Jules Verne's Around the World in 80 Days - much better than Journey to the Centre of the Earth!
I loved both Emma and Mansfield Park. Emma is relatable, you love her some times, you hate her at other times. To me, she was that friend that makes my eyes roll because she think she knows it all but that I still care about and want to see succeed.
Finally you did the classics tag lol!!
I’m glad you showed Anne some love. I love the Bronte sisters but poor Anne always gets the shaft imo
I’m trying to read more “offbeat” classics this year. Bluebeard by Vonnegut and The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe are my next reads.
I always feel so bad for Anne :( Reading offbeat classics is a fantastic idea - I hope to follow your lead with that before too long - I do want to get more of the mainstream ones under my belt first, though. Gotta read all those Wishbone books, haha!
abookolive Yeah poor Anne. Although didn’t Charlotte publicly diss Emily when WH dropped? I think my old English teacher mentioned it once.
Yeah “cult classics” classics lol. Show some love to the lesser known books :)
Oh I love your Wishbone “series.”
The Importance of Being Earnest is one of my favourite movies and one of the only plays I have enjoyed the experience of reading too!
Emma is my least favorite Austen novel, too, and I'm also confused when people say it's their favorite. I mean, to each their own of course, but................WHY. But then, my fave is Northanger Abbey and most people seem to loathe it, so what do I know, LOL
I'm over here rooting for you to enjoy Anna Karenina whenever you get to it 😆Not going to lie, it took me about 3 months to read it and there were definitely sections that dragged, but on the whole I ended up really liking it!
I think one of my potentially controversial classics opinions is that I found Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea incredibly dull, but that's potentially just my own taste 🙈He just listed so many fish! I couldn't handle it!
Maybe 20,000 Leagues will be an interesting follow up to Why Fish Don't Exist lol!
I’m surprised that my favorite classics author DH Lawrence hasn’t been more discussed on booktube. He was way ahead of his time in so many ways. I saw an Adaptation of a play he wrote in 1912. The widow of of Mrs. Hollyroid And was enthralled.A sidenote is that George Bernard Shaw watch the play a few years later and said it made him ashamed of his own writing because Lawrence’s Words were so gorgeous. I’m paraphrasing here. I’m in the process of rereading all of his books plays And short stories and hope to make a video about one or more of them. I’ve yet to read Anne Bronte And plan to rectify that situation very soon. Wonderful video as usual aloha
Yeeeees 1995 Pride and Prejudice is everything. Have you seen the Richard Armitage/Daniela Denby-Ashe version of North and South? If not I'd highly recommend it, it's perfection.
How did I not know about that adaptation of The Importance of Being Earnest, I'm adding it to my list.
Emma is probably my least favourite Austen, but it's my mum's favourite. She says she really likes Emma because of the details of every day life Austen includes. She likes the descriptions of the village and other aspects of life. I think Austen herself had a soft spot for Emma, so maybe trying to understand why Austen likes Emma (as a character) makes the reader like her more. Emma also has perhaps the most character development, Emma grows a lot as the novel progresses. She knows she's done wrong and tries to make amends. As with all of Austen's books, the social commentary is great, how insular and suffocating small communities can be, but how everyone has to learn to get along and live with each other. Hmm maybe I should give Emma a reread 😂
Totally agree about adapting Mansfield Park, it's a bit like Villette, they're difficult to adapt well because they're so internal.
I love The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Anne Brontë was brave to explore the story she did.
The only Russian classics I've read are Anna Karenina (which is good!) and One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Solzhenitsyn, which is harrowing, but very good too. Hope you find a Russian classic you like!
I've seen parts of the North and South adaptation here on TH-cam, but I need to watch the whole thing! And yes, you must watch The Importance of Being Earnest! It's so hilarious.
I've actually read One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich! I read it for a class in college and really enjoyed it...as much as you can enjoy such a thing.
Oooh love this tag!
Anna Karenina is a massive soap opera, so I hope you like it when you get to it!
I hope so, too - I am INTO soap opera-type books, haha!
I feel the exact same way about Emma. I really liked this video! 💜
You definitely have a knack for finding beautiful classics 😁
I spend far too much time in used bookstores, haha!
I keep meaning to read Wives and Daughters. It’s on my bookshelf but for some reason I haven’t yet. Perhaps my next fiction book to read! Love your videos.
Oh, Wives and Daughters is just a JOY! I'm so jealous that you get to read it for the first time, haha!
I hope you love Cold Comfort Farm as much as I did, excited to see you read it!
I hope so too! If it makes me laugh, it'll very likely win me over :D
Anna Karenina is definitely on my aspirational TBR as well! 😅
Aspirational TBR, indeed!!
This is why I love your channel. Cheers to your honesty!!!
Thank you! I know it doesn't always win me love, but I'm happy it has value on occasion, haha! :)
I just enjoyed reading “Cold Comfort Farm” two weeks ago. When you start to read it don’t bypass the author’s note opposite the dedication page. Otherwise, there are a few citations in the text that will be confusing. The story is pretty funny and since you are a fan of 1920’s writers you will enjoy the parody. Yes, I am very surprised you haven’t read AK especially since you filmed that video ages ago on how to pronounce the names of so many Russian authors. I really enjoyed AK. The plot is akin to “Age of Innocence” but more melodramatic (of course!). David Murphy has read it several times and has a video where he compares translations. For my own enjoyment I just read the edition available in the library when I was in college. I knew nothing about translation variants at the time. I thought it was a great story. There is a section about agricultural labor on an estate that runs a bit too long.
I enjoyed it as well. My only problem was all the Russian names being so similar to each other I got confused about who was who sometimes.
Sandee S: Yes, it can get confusing initially. That happened to me when I read Crime & Punishment. Since, then I learned that many Russian surnames add an “A” when referring to a woman family member. Anna Karenina, for example, is the wife of Karenin.
Thanks so much for the heads up re: the author's note! Much appreciated.
@@abookolive As to Cold Comfort Farm - it's an absolute riot. Also maybe check out the movie w/ Kate Beckinsale (from many years back) because the characters are brought to life perfectly.
I loved Cranford. Very delightful characters. No real plot, more a series of events in a small insular village. I think it would be a wonderful movies with character actresses. Cold comfort Inn is also very good. I think there is a movie version. There is a modern version (movie) of Great Expectations set in Florida that is very atmospheric with Gweneth Paltro I really enjoyed. Huckleberry Finn, to me, seems an interesting version of the Odessy (which I didn’t like) and I reread it every few years. It would be a good companion to Uncle Tom. No longer well considered but the stories of Uncle Remus are delightful. Lots of discussion points on how slaves were/are depicted versus the folklore of Rabbit and Fox.
Omg I loooove Emma!! It’s my Favourite Austen!! I love it because the heroine is very very different from other Jane Austen heroines! And I might disagree with you on the chemistry between Emma and Mr. Knightly. Yes they do seem to quarrel a lot and disagree, but that’s what attracts them to each other, because no one else challenges them but themselves! And as the book continues, Emma starts becoming intrigued by Mr. Knightley’s kind actions with Harriet and the farm family.
But of course I understand you, it’s your opinion. Like myself, I’m not too fond of Mansfield Park, it’s one of my least Favourite Austen. I didn’t like that one much because of the obvious reason, the heroine is too quiet and I didn’t get much of a personality from her. But I do need to re-read it. I read that one a few years ago in college.
I love your videos!! Your taste in books is soooo similar to mine!! Been watching your videos non stop! Lol. Great reviews!!
I’m curious as to why you seemed to be more creeped about Emma and Mr. Knightly than Fanny Price and Edmund who are first cousins. For me, it is all the side characters that makes Emma my second favorite Austen. I find her father really funny. I like Emma in all her vanity and the fact that she gets so many things wrong. I do agree about the lack of chemistry between her and Knightly. Of course, it could also be that I am swayed because of the adaptations.
I'm fairly positive I never said Emma and Knightly creeped me out "more" than Fanny and Edmund. I didn't mention the romance in Mansfield Park at all, so I'm not sure where the opening of this comment is coming from.
I do, however, appreciate your take on Emma - thanks!
@@abookolive I was just saying that you seemed bothered by Emma and Knightly as a couple and you said that you favored Mansfield Park. I like Mansfield Park. I really like Fanny Price as a character. I have a hard time with the fact that Edmund and Fanny end up together. I just recently reread it and the whole time I am bothered by Fanny's feelings toward Edmund and the fact that she is jealous. It is really kind of icky. The age difference between Knightly and Emma is a little icky too, but for some reason I get past that because they are not really related.
I don’t like Emma either. Though I only started once. I plan to reread eventually to see if I missed something since so many people do love it. I listened to the audible version for Cold Comfort Farm. The narrator was fantastic. It’s a lot of fun. As for Russian classics, I do love them but can understand how they are not for everyone. Have you tried The Master and Margarita? Part of the plot is that the Devil visits Stalinist Russia and mayhem ensues from there. It’s fantastical and bizarre and I loved it.
I'll make a mental note to listen to a sample of Cold Comfort Farm on audio - if it's as good as you say, I'd love to experience it that way!
Indeed I have tried The Master and Margarita - I think part of my problem is that I don't like bizarre fiction or discussions of religion...and that makes up a big part of Russian literature, in my experience! I don't doubt I'll read through the Russian classics someday, but apparently I'm not there yet in my evolution as a reader.
If you have time check out Dario and Motley Reads and his review of Emma. He brought up so many things that I had never thought about in regard to Emma herself. Worth your time.
I will absolutely do that - thank you for bringing it to my attention!
I have yet to read any Jane Austen. Do all her books feature romantic main plots? I do want to read her because I am tired of missing out. But romance in books has never been a draw for me.
Yeah, they all have romance story lines. It's not always central to the plot the, but each one has it's own romance (& happy ending).
@@abookolive
Cool, thanks. Actually if it's a happy ending, I wouldn't so much mind.
I've always felt bad about not liking "Emma" and Anna Karenina." I felt like I was missing something. Since you liked "Uprooted" by Naomi Novik, have you ever read "Spinning Silver"? I loved it.
Indeed I have read Spinning Silver - I didn't enjoy it quite as much as Uprooted. Did you hear she has a new book coming out later this month?
@@abookolive Yes, I'm hoping my library will obtain some copies.
Don't focus on Knightley. The point of Emma is the relationship between Emma and Harriet.
Do you mind sharing the publisher of your classics books? I love the way they look. Thank you.
Readers Digest! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World%27s_Best_Reading
I've only read the first two Bridget Jones, how are the rest of the books in the series?
I've only read the first two, as well! I started the third one, but it was so strange that I didn't want to continue. 😕
Hi Olive! Thanks for your videos, i enjoy watching them a lot! Speaking of Russian classics, and being a Russian myself, i’d like to recommend you a great novel by Mikhail Lermontov “A Hero of Our Time”. It was written in the 1-st half of XIX cen, but it’s relevant today, and I believe is one of the best Russian novels.
Thank you! I'll give A Hero of Our Time a try :)
💙
Well I just finished Emma and give it almost 5 stars, so kskks I had already watched the movie and clueless as a teenager so what I liked was how misguided Emma was while so certain she was right and how all of this was so well constructed by Austen. Plus it gave me a lot of nostalgia of clueless so there's that. And Knightley just gave so much shade all the time. I love shade kskskks he would definitely be a drag queen today.
Clueless is the BEST!
haha I think you're the first person I've heard say they liked "Mansfield Park".
And about Russian classics - have you tried reading "Dead Souls"? I've read it years ago but remember it being very funny. Or if you want a similar vibe to Jane Austen, I'd recommend Turgenev - First Love and Asya. I myself (as a Russian) have a lot of books to go through, like Karamazov Brothers (is that the English title?) and have had bad experiences (Crime and Punishment I had to DNF in high school cause i was growing depressed reading it)
The Importance of Being Earnest is one of my favourite as well! So funny!!
Loved this tag and your video! Love your content!!
Mansfield Park has fans here on booktube! We're just a very small club, haha! I know Katie from Books and Things loves it as well.
I have tried reading Dead Souls, but I haven't tried Turgenev - I'll give First Love and Asya a try at some point. Thanks for the suggestion :)
@@abookolive yay excited to hear your thoughts! They're small novels, dare I say novellas? Easy and fluffy :)
@@LanaExLibris Oh, you're speaking my language there! I think I need to *ease* into the Russian classics haha
Did you watch Enchated april as a film? I have seen the film but not read the book.
I have! I actually made a video comparing the book and the movie: th-cam.com/video/nbU8WHHkrRE/w-d-xo.html
I need to read Anna Karenina too. Buddy read 2021?
yes please!!
I did not love Emma the first time I read it, but then I watched the BBC mini series with Romola Garai and fell in love with Emma Woodhouse. Like Lizzy Bennet and Cathrine Morland she is a growing charakter who makes mistakes and then growths on them. That, in my opinion, is what Fanny is lacking, she is the same person from beginning to end and therefor, at least to me, is totally boring. I recommend: 'A truth universally acknowleged. 33 authors on why we read Jane Austen'.
Do you read the Russian classics in Russian?
I felt the same for Emma as you did! She is so annoying!😅
I didn't like Emma also.
At least it's not just me!
Most overrated in my opinion are The Great Gatsby and Jane Eyre
Oh my- HOW, HOW? IS JANE EYRE overrated? I loved each sentence in that book. Weird how tastes differ huh? Which books do you like?