Austen, origfic, awesome conference calls

[enemyofperfect]

READ

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. I wasn't sure I'd have better luck with this than I did with the last few non-fannish novels I've tried to read, but I was underestimating the sheer power and charm of Austen's snark.

(Spoilers for a novel published in 1817?)

Catherine, though a complete sweetheart, isn't my favorite Austen heroine -- that has to be Lizzie, for her self-possession and the very confidence that permits her the Prejudice her book is named for. I don't think Northanger Abbey will be my favorite Austen book, either -- I would have liked to get to know Eleanor better, as well as we did get to know Isabella for example, and I wasn't quite as gripped by the second half of the novel as by the first -- but I love that after explicitly mentioning the belief that women shouldn't presume to fall in love until a man has deigned to fall in love in love with them, Austen just goes ahead and says that Henry's feelings for Catherine grew from the initial pleasure of noticing her marked preference for him. Subversive Jane!

I'm a little glad that I have now read all of Austen's finished novels -- I was saving this one until I had at least a glancing familiarity with the Gothic novels she plays with, until finally I realized I enjoy reading Austen much better -- but also, I'm sorry that I don't have more to read. Maybe I need to reread Pride & Prejudice sometime soon...

Familiar Thing by the_ragnarok is 33k of kinky, magical, polyamorous origfic, chock full of lovely bespoke relationship negotiation. I'm especially fond of Henry, whose favorite geometric shape is a scalene triangle, and who thoughtfully integrates his Jewish faith with his magic practice. Abusive exes, painful miscommunications, and agonizing chronic pain flare ups each make their appearance in this story, but the care the main characters all bring to their relationships still gave it a restful feeling for me.

A fascinating article about Hmong language radio shows implemented as never-ending conference calls. Sometimes I really love human ingenuity and dedication.

I have also read and enjoyed some fanfic this week -- e.g. scaramouche's Steve/Tony Binary System and (via oracne) thedoubteriswise's Steve & Natasha friendship fic the way a traveler knows a traveler -- but I feel like with the onset of obligatory familial togetherness season, I haven't really been able to give it more than half my attention, unfortunately.

WATCHED

The Good Place 1x09, "The Answer". January 9th is so far away!

And this two hour video about the genius of Pathologic, which is a more than a decade old Russian video game that is apparently as grueling as it is beloved by the rare souls who manage to finish it. I found myself seriously wondering whether watching this would give me nightmares -- which I do not often have! -- but it never failed to hold my interest. Um, content notes on request?

Comments

[stringlights]

Pride and Prejudice is one of my favourites, and its the only Austen I've read. I find it a slog to read though, no matter how much I love the story so I've never thought about reading any of her others. Should I try?

[stunt_muppet]

If you're still interested in reading Gothic novels after finishing Northanger Abbey, the one that it's most directly based on is The Mysteries of Udolfo, which I read as part of the same unit I read Northanger Abbey in. It's a bit long and not as sharply written as Austen (of course), but it was still a fun read.

I actually own the more recent remaster of Pathologic; I had to pick it up after reading Rock Paper Shotgun's 2008 "Butchering Pathologic" article, but I've yet to get up the nerve to actually play it, given how famously draining it is. Maybe I could stream it, but I'm not even sure how much fun it would be to watch!

[enemyofperfect]

Hmm, it's been long enough since I read most of them that I can't do a direct comparison, but I would guess that if you find the Regency writing style difficult going, that's probably going to hold true whichever of her books you pick up. I hate to discourage anyone from reading her work, because I love her wit! But I also found Pride & Prejudice a genuine delight from page one, so my experience is probably not a good predictor of yours.

Are there any adaptations of her works you particularly enjoy? I've seen a few, but I'm sure there are many more!

[enemyofperfect]

Thank you for the Gothic rec -- that's actually the one I tried to read! And it was very interesting in some ways, but unfortunately I didn't get very far. It's in illustrious company, at least: Frankenstein and The Count of Monte Cristo have met the same fate. Maybe someday I'll have better luck.

I meant to read that Rock Paper Shotgun article after it was mentioned in hbomberguy's video review, but then holidays happened and it completely slipped my mind, so thank you for linking it! There are some things I love reading about even if I'll never experience them directly, and this game definitely seems to be one.