My Head Is Full of Books: Austen in August

"Outside a dog a book is man's best friend, inside a dog it is too dark to read!" -Groucho Marx========="The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid." -Jane Austen========="I don’t believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book."-JK Rowling========"I spend a lot of time reading." -Bill Gates=========“Ahhh. Bed, book, kitten, sandwich. All one needed in life, really.” -Jacqueline Kelly=========

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Austen in August

Today I am embarking on a summer reading challenge: Austen in August hosted by Roof Beam Reader. This is a one-month event focused on all things Jane Austen, including her primary texts, any re-imaginings of her works, biographies, critical texts, etc. Follow the link for details. You are welcome to join in, too.

This August I will read What Matters in Jane Austen? Twenty Crucial Puzzles Solved by John Mullan, is a professor of English at University College in London. He says in his introduction that "accuracy is Austen's genius" and she had an "exquisite touch." In these twenty essays he will answer twenty questions which should help me to better understand her accuracy and exquisite touch. I'm looking forward to it.

My reading goal is to read an essay a day. Each one appears to be approximately fifteen pages, which seems quite doable. After I finish the Introduction I shall delve into the first puzzle, "How Much Does Age Matter?" I also hope to blog about my progress weekly.

I'm off to feed my Jane addiction.