"Persuasion" is my favorite, both of the novels and of the movies! Don't bother with the recent BBC adaptation, though. The actress who played Anne was a sniveller.
I've often noticed the lack of visual detail in Austen's novels. In particular, she really doesn't like to describe people's personal appearance any more than absolutely necessary. She'll usually tell you whether or not they have a healthy complexion, and sometimes she'll comment on the brightness of their eyes, but that's about it. It's a huge contrast to 20th-century Regency novels, which usually tell you a lot about people's clothing and accessories. I suspect it's because Austen came from a family in which it was considered vulgar to talk or think too much about appearances to anyone outside the immediate family. This is particularly noticeable in "Northanger Abbey" (which I think you'll enjoy very much), where the characters who care about fashion are all vain and stupid.
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Date: Tue, Oct. 27th, 2009 10:07 pm (UTC)I've often noticed the lack of visual detail in Austen's novels. In particular, she really doesn't like to describe people's personal appearance any more than absolutely necessary. She'll usually tell you whether or not they have a healthy complexion, and sometimes she'll comment on the brightness of their eyes, but that's about it. It's a huge contrast to 20th-century Regency novels, which usually tell you a lot about people's clothing and accessories. I suspect it's because Austen came from a family in which it was considered vulgar to talk or think too much about appearances to anyone outside the immediate family. This is particularly noticeable in "Northanger Abbey" (which I think you'll enjoy very much), where the characters who care about fashion are all vain and stupid.