Reading Log #7

Every week I edge closer and closer to accomplishing my number one goal for the semester: reading all of the novels written by Jane Austen.  Unfortunately, this being my last reading log, I have fallen slightly short and have just begun the final novel on my journey, Mansfield Park.  I spent the week finishing the last 50 pages of Emma and beginning the first 50 of Mansfield Park.  Although I have not accomplished my goal by the end of the semester, I plan to finish Mansfield Park this summer.  This book has truly fascinated me because it has taken a completely different view point than Austen’s other books.  Fanny Price is a young girl who was raised by her rich aunt and uncle and is treated terribly by all of her cousins except Edmund whom she secretly loves.  Although the same basic themes and motifs remain the same, the difference in plot line and emphasis on the theme of family has truly taken a new light in this novel.  I’m excited to continue reading it and see how Austen plans to travel down this peculiar plot line.  Reading all of these novels by Austen has really made me evaluate my own life because I have seen the various factors that have affected her characters.  I’ve found myself considering what positively and negatively affects my life and what ways I can relate to the characters in Austen’s novels.  Since all of the settings in her novel are based in early 1800 England, I feel as though I’ve learned a substantial amount about the culture and lifestyle of the Romantic Era.  Not only has reading these books expanded my personal evaluation of life, but also my knowledge on Britain’s history.