Autumn Adventures

I read this to broaden my literary horizons by participating in the 'A Taste of Victorian Literature' adult reading program sponsored by the Kansas City Public Library. For my thoughts and recollections from the lecture and discussion held at the Plaza Branch on the evening of Wednesday, February 16, 2011, please visit my Toasting (or Roasting) Fanny Price blog post. I am grateful for the guidance of the group and the lecturer, as I probably would have never read this nor understood it in context so well without them. I learned last night that many Austen fans (avid readers more like) prefer nearly any other novel by her than this one. Having never read any other novel by Jane Austen, I had no such illusions or prejudices. While Fanny at times seemed overwrought emotionally yet steadfastly passive or reticent, I liked how she navigated the reefs and shoals of her life's course. What else could she have done, and yet still be true to herself? As for the supporting cast of the Bertrams, the Crawfords, the Grants, the Prices, etc., Austen used her character brush to paint us an impression of England on the cusp of social change.