Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Reading Jane Austen Makes Me Want To Throw My Romance Novels Out the Window

I love my trashy romance novels. They bring me so much joy with such little time or thinking involved. But you know what I love even more? Captain Wentworth writing poignant love letters to Anne Elliot.

You might recall how much I loved Persuasion when I read it for the first time last year. Well, I just reread the book again for a special project for a special friend, and I loved it just as much this time around. Suddenly, all my romance books just seem so darn stupid in comparison. The pain found in the past between Anne and Captain Wentworth is waaaay more acute than any trashy plot, and the happy ending so much more satisfying than the one in your usual romance. So I have to say: rereading Persuasion has made me swear off trashy romances for the rest of the month. We'll see if that actually happens...

Anyway, once again: Read Persuasion! Captain Wentworth is as dreamy as any romance hero ever written. Trust me.

3 comments:

  1. Oh, Captain Wentworth... I reread Persuasion (yes, again) while I was in Bath last month, and it was as wonderful as ever. Could there be a more perfect pairing? Their temperaments are so perfectly suited, and they really do earn their happiness.

    Funny that you're swearing off romance novels for the rest of the month; by the end of the month, I'll be in my Readers Advisory class, having to read a variety of genres so I'm exposed to a larger variety of books. I'm going to use your "Trashy Reads" section to choose my romance novel title. Any particular suggestions?

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  2. Lord of Scoundrels, by Loretta Chase! It's my favorite historical romance. And the Smart Bitches, Trashy Books bloggers always use it tostart people off on reading romance, so clearly, it's an astute example of the genre :) Seriously, it works as a nice summary of the romance genre in general. It has all the cliche set-up (bad boy hero with sad past, cool heroine who changes his ways, wealth and titles), but with a wittiness that keeps it fun and a satisfying emotional pay-off in the end.

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  3. I do love that book. I have all of her books.

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