Complete Novels of Jane Austen

Sense and Sensibility

This to me feels like a proto-Pride and Prejudice, showing flashes of the genius for sly wit and sardonic character observations that P&P is renowned for but not the same skill with plot and pacing and a surprisingly anaemic set of romantic interests for the young sisters. It reminds me of reading early Shakespeare; it shows promise of what is to come later but on its own it doesn't justify the author's reputation.

Pride and Prejudice
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/482260764

Mansfield Park
This is allegedly Austen's least popular work and Pride & Prejudice must surely be the most popular. Why? Comparison may be instructive.

P&P's romantic heroes are a dashing, rich, titled, educated and intelligent man and a pretty (but not the most beautiful), educated, intelligent woman who knows here own mind and insists on being appreciated for that mind. Mansfield Park's romantic heroes are a stick-in-the-mud boring but kind and principled second son likely to be comfortably off but not set to inherit the Estate and a timid, shy, submissive, boring girl who at least grows enough spine to not accept a loveless marriage to a morally defective but rich suitor.

The tone of P&P is one of wit, sardonic humour and sly social observation. There is little of this in Mansfield Park. It is replaced with a preachy moralising.

That's probably enough right there. I just don't think modern readers are nearly as receptive to the ideals presented by Fanny and Edmund as compared to those of Lizzy Bennet and Darcy and similarly, wit goes over better than sermons these days.

I struggled with much of the first 4/5ths, at times finding it hard to differentiate all the characters, especially the two Misses Bertram and to establish the connections between them all - especially so in the amateur theatrical week which proves crucial to all that comes later. Eventually I found myself intrigued as to how it was all going to resolve, making the final (sensational) fifth much more interesting.

Emma ***
By just a few pages, the longest Austen novel is a stodge sandwich: 150p of very heavy going where nothing appears to be happening and any concept of advancing plot is lost is bracketed on either side by 50p of lively stuff. That makes for 2/5ths of real fun, compared to just 1/5th of Mansfield Park.

The trademark Austen humour is present in abundence, helping one get through the sagging middle section. Unlike the other Austen novels I've read, the humourous pokes are not restricted to secondary characters; Emma gets it from the start and throughout - she's a flawed character for sure and one has to see the funny side or really not like her. Of course, she learns her lessons by the end and is suitably remorseful for her failings. Contrastingly, Mr. Knightley is really held up as the Ideal Man and his lack of flaws make him somewhat annoying. I thought for a long while his given name was Gary Stu. Turns out it's George.