Review: Tales of Jane
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 15, 2011
Jane Austen. Her name is practically synonymous with classic, understated romance, as well as comedies of manners with a subtle, sly sense of humor.  And "Jane Austen: The Complete Collection" brings together the full complement of Austen's, from her little-known nonfiction to the classic bestseller "Pride and Prejudice" (and everything in between) -- lots of lovably flawed heroines, beautiful formal prose, and some rather unconventional love stories.The collection includes Austen's most famous six novels, which explore love, societal demands, honor and independent thought -- a girl meddling in people's lives, two sisters with completely different romantic approaches, an "old maid" whose fiance returns to England, a poor relation whose moral standards are challenges, a hyper-romantic gothic-novel fan whose imagination runs amuck, and a slow-blooming love between a proud man and a prejudiced woman.That's normally where people's acquaintance with Austen ends. But she actually wrote a number of other things -- a brilliantly manipulative widow who seduces, plots and schemes; her "History of England"; two unfinished novels, "The Watsons" and "Sanditon"; some letters; and some bits of her juvenalia, including some funny early spoofs and her "scraps."This collection displays the range and depth of Austen's writing skill beautifully; though each story is very unique they're laced together by common themes. Her main novels are all love stories, tempered with some clever commentary on the society of Austen's day (example: entailment), and a biting, sharp-edged wit. But we also see her more openly comedic side ("Love and Freindship," a parody she wrote early on).And despite the formal stuffiness of the time, Austen's writing was brilliant -- there's a bit of roughness in "Lady Susan" and "Persuasion," but nothing too dramatic. Each one has powerful emotions and vivid splashes of prose ("The wind roared round the house, and the rain beat against the windows"), as well as deliciously witty dialogue ("I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine"). But she also writes some intensely romantic moments as well ("Dare not say that man forgets sooner than woman, that his love has an earlier death. I have loved none but you").Austen also had an interesting range of heroines -- quiet ones, melodramatic ones, intelligent ones, naive ones, and mildly spoiled ones who think they know best. But each one has a major character flaw that must be overcome before she can find true love and happiness And she has an equally fascinating range of love interests: quiet, shy older men, sexy clever ones, blunt ones, generous honest ones, and especially the smart, sexy Mr. Darcy (who has a flaw of his own to overcome alongside Lizzie)."Jane Austen: The Complete Collection" draws together almost all the work that Jane Austen ever produced, and let readers explore the mannered society and obstacle-filled love lives of her heroines. Brilliant, and a must-read for any reader.