A Jane Austen Education

Although swimming in half-finished books, a recent vacation necessitated the purchase of a book. (The thought of losing a library book absolutely terrifies me since my sister’s dog chewed up one of my library books when I was about 11; they didn’t revoke my library card like I thought they would, but, oh, the horror of the very idea.) I knew I didn’t want just any book; it had to be classy and cool (so I wouldn’t be embarrassed if an authentic New York hipster saw me reading it), entertaining (because it was for a vacation after all), and be the type of book I would actually like to own (although that point may be moot since I buy all sorts of books to entice the children to read). What I finally decided on was A Jane Austen Education: How Six Novels Taught Me About Love, Friendship, and the Things That Really Matter by William Deresiewicz.

A Jane Austen Education is part literary analysis, part memoir, and (a very small) part self-help book. William Deresiewicz shares his transformative experience with Austen as a graduate student. Like many others, Deresiewicz was quick to write Austen off as the author of fluffy romance novels. After a reluctant reading of Emma, however, he began to see the genuine talent and valuable insight in Jane Austen’s work. His respect and admiration continued to grow as he read (and re-read) each of her novels. In his book, Deresiewicz extrapolates a life lesson from each of the novels and shares how it helped him to reconsider his goals and priorities.

Unlike Deresiewicz, I’ve loved Austen from my first reading of Pride and Prejudice in 9th grade, and while he doesn’t seem to be making an intentional effort to convince readers of her merit as an author, Deresiewicz does an incredible job of pointing out the small things that make Austen great. His analysis is meaningful and interesting but is also short and to the point. A few of the reviews I’d read online felt that he had too much summary of the novels, but I didn’t feel like that was the case as they were always relevant to the point he was illustrating.

I really liked the way that Deresiewicz presents the lessons he learned from the novel. He clearly outlines his interpretation of Austen’s novels and then talks about how they helped him to solve one of the many problems of growing up, most of which involve our relationship with others. His tone in discussing these lessons isn’t forceful or preachy, but I felt like I was being challenged to live up to Austen’s expectations of me. If you need inspiration for improvement, imagining what Austen’s cutting wit might come up with to describe your failings will certainly do the trick. I enjoyed Deresiewicz’s stories, and, honestly, loved the idea of someone consciously applying lessons from the novel they’ve just read. In fact, my only complaint with the book is that I sometimes felt like Deresiewicz didn’t tell enough about his life or how certain situations worked out after his Austen-inspired revelations struck him.

A Jane Austen Education ended up perfectly fitting my vacation book requirements. It was a fun, intelligent read that kept me thoroughly entertained. If you are an Austen fan, you’ll most likely love it, and even if you’re not, you’ll probably enjoy it. This book gets 4 stars, and, to back that up, an offer to lend you my copy.