January selection: The Once & Future King, by T. H. White

We won't be meeting again until January 20, so that gives us plenty of time to read the 639 pages of T. H. White's classic Arthurian tale.

This is, according to The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature, actually a "quartet of novels ... published in a single volume in 1958. The quartet comprises The Sword in the Stone (1938), The Queen of Air and Darkness -- first published as The Witch in the Wood (1939) -- The Ill-Made Knight (1940), and The Candle in the Wind (published in the composite volume, 1958). The series is a retelling of the Arthurian legend, from Arthur's birth to the end of his reign, and is based largely on Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte Darthur." It was also the basis of the play, "Camelot." And, we're reminded by Wikipedia, the Disney animation, "The Sword in Stone." We get to read the real thing!

The Canopy, by Angela Hunt

While I didn't think the writing was particularly fine, it is a good story and we enjoyed a good discussion about it. The story takes you into the Peruvian rainforest and into the lives of natives and explorers. Sadly, most of the characters are not well developed, so other than providing background information, there's not much to say about anyone but the two main ones -- Alex and Michael.

Alex is a skreechy, high-strung woman, too intelligent for her own good. As Michael constantly ruminates about her, at least she's good to her daughter. To everyone else, she must be moodily enigmatic. He is strangely drawn to her.

Michael has been in South America for several years and hasn't bothered to learn the language. He's there on a part humanitarian, part personal quest -- to get over the loss of his wife. Up until the crisis point in the story, he hasn't seemed to integrate his Christianity with his medicine, but when the shaman asks him to give his tribe the Gospel, he steps up in a marvelous way.

I'm always wary of how this is going to get done. In many Christian novels, the author's fear of dogmatism or preachiness (or just plain ignorance) gets in the way and you're left with a fog of vague statements about God's love and our need of . . . something.

Angela Hunt does a fine job here. Not only was the Good News clear, but so was the Bad News. In the mouth of Michael, who doesn't seem to have given cross-cultural communication much thought prior to this point, it is a powerful and simply spoken revelation.

Of course, in a novel like this, (spoiler alert) you know the main characters are going to get together. The question here is, how will Alex the Agnostic come to agreement with Michael about Christianity? Will it be believable and biblical? This was the topic of much of our discussion, and I think we left a little up in the air on both points.

I guess we could say, if you suspend all critical judgment, it was believable. It fell out much the same way that The Shack handled disbelief. It was believable if that's what she experienced. There's no other way she would have accepted it. Okay. But it's only biblical in the sense that this is the kind of thing that happened when Jesus was around, healing and saving all in one motion. It's not what we would say was "normative" for all, for today. Okay.

And then there's the matter of this tree and total healing, and faith. It leaves one with the idea that healing is dependent on your degree of faith, and faith is in . . . what? Lots of questions.

So, we're left with a good story, interesting facts about plants and bugs in the rainforest, anthropological information about tribes in the jungle, and a wonderful moment when the tribe as a group accepts Michael's word. Fabulous. But still maybe not recommended for those without faith. I don't know.

November's selection: The Canopy, by Angela Hunt

Lisa said books by Angela Hunt are thought-provoking, and gave The Canopy as her first choice of the three she's read. It's in the church library, and there seem to be plenty of copies in the KDL system. Reviewers have said:

"Award-winning, best-selling author Angela Hunt combines the unique rainforest setting, modern science, and a thrilling race for a cure into a powerful message of faith and redemption."

"Science and faith meet in the search for a cure for Mad Cow Disease and other encephalopathies as two doctors venture through the Peruvian jungle."

Hmmm. Sounds interesting. I have my hold placed. See you November 18!

Barchester Towers, by Anthony Trollope

I've just begun reading Trollope's autobiography, and I'm searching for insight on how he got to be such a fine observer of character as evidenced in Barchester Towers. From reading only so far as his youth and education, I've found a few clues. One, he was a lonely boy, set aside from the boys at school by his family's poverty. He said of those times,

I suffered horribly! I could make no stand against [his fellow's cruelty]. I had no friend to whom I could pour out my sorrows. I was big, and awkward, and ugly, and, I have no doubt, sulked about in a most unattractive manner. Of course, I was ill-dressed and dirty. But ah! how well I remember all the agonies of my young heart; how I considered whether I should always be alone; whether I could not find my way up to the top of that college tower, and from thence put an end to everything.

Misery, indeed. Being such an acute sufferer, he could sympathize with the likes of Mr. Harding and recognize the abuses of a Slope and Grantly.

But keen observation doesn't explain his artistry. I can't think of Trollope's equal in his ability to amuse and enlighten in a few deft words. He is a master. I hope that readers can appreciate the following quotes from Barchester Towers even though they're out of context:

Of the dying bishop: "If he did not do much active good, he never did any harm."

Of the new bishop's wife: "I cannot think that with all her virtues she adds much to her husband's happiness."

"The great family characteristic of the Stanhopes might probably be said to be heartlessness, but this want of feeling was, in most of them, accompanied by so great an amount of good nature as to make itself but little noticeable to the world."

Of Mr. Harding: "The whole tendency of his mind and disposition was opposed to any contra-assumption of grandeur on his own part, and he hadn't the worldly spirit or quickness necessary to put down insolent pretensions by downright and open rebuke."

"Mr. Slope was not in all things a bad man. His motives, like those of most men, were mixed, and though his conduct was generally very different from that which we would wish to praise, it was actuated perhaps as often as that of the majority of the world by a desire to do his duty." How many do we know of these types?

Of Mr. Arabin: "Too apt to look down on the ordinary sense of ordinary people."

"There was nothing poetic in the nature of Mrs. Quiverful." Which is ironic, given that it comes after a paragraph in which the author waxes exceedingly poetic about her.

How does Trollope know us so well, and yet have the audacity to remark "how little our friends know us!"? In describing Mr. Arabin, the author notes,

Considering how much we are all given to discuss the characters of others, and discuss them often not in the strictest spirit of charity, it is singular how little we are inclined to think that others can speak ill-naturedly of us. . . . [W]e all of us occasionally speak of our dearest friends in a manner in which those dearest friends would very little like to hear themselves mentioned, and that we nevertheless expect that our dearest friends shall invariably speak of us as though they were blind to all our faults, but keenly alive to every shade of our virtues. It did not occur to Mr. Arabin that he was spoken of at all. It seemed to him, when he compared himself with his host, that he was a person of so little consequence to any, that he was worth no one's words or thoughts.

And then,

Wise people, when they are in the wrong, always put themselves right by finding fault with the people against whom they have sinned. . . . A man in the right relies easily on his rectitude and therefore goes about unarmed. His very strength is his weakness. A man in the wrong knows that he must look to his weapons; his very weakness is his strength. The one is never prepared for combat, the other is always ready. Therefore it is that in this world the man that is in the wrong almost invariably conquers the man that is in the right, and invariably despises him.

Too true. Trollope is not fooled by the mask of religion either. And he can have his most odious characters speak the most truth, as when Slope says, "A Christian should have a reason for his faith -- should not only believe, but digest -- not only hear, but understand."

Then, in the mouth of the signora, in the midst of the seduction and destruction of Slope, he puts these words: "You preach a doctrine which you know you don't believe. It is the way with you all. If you know that there is no earthly happiness, why do you long to be a bishop or a dean? Why do you want lands and income? . . . I will believe in no belief that does not make itself manifest by outward signs. I will think no preaching sincere that is not recommended by the practice of the preacher."

I will also be watching, in his autobiography, for clues to how Trollope developed his view of the church and its clergy, for what led him to say in Barchester Towers, "We are not forced into church! No: but we desire more than that. We desire not to be forced to stay away."

And this brings me to one other thing I enjoy about Trollope's novels: the little asides by which he tells us what he thinks and his reasons for certain writing choices. One reviewer said he felt these could be skipped through in order to get on with the plot. I'm sorry for him.

Finally, I encourage you to read the backstory for Barchester Towers, The Warden. It's a sweet tale; read Page Turner's blog post for her review.

Next up: Barchester Towers

Anthony Trollope has something like 47 novels to choose from, but this one is abundantly available in the KDL system, so that's why I chose it. You shouldn't have trouble getting one if you request a hold now. You can also find it in Google Books and Project Gutenburg.

I'll warn you ahead of time this book plops you into the middle of a series. It comes after The Warden in Trollope's Barsetshire series, but it's possible to catch on. Just keep reading, and Trollope will fill you in. The hardest thing about it is it's an ecclesiastical tale. The plot centers around the inner-workings of a cathedral town, and if you don't know the Anglican church -- like me -- it's easy to get lost in all the titles. What is a warden, after all? And an archdeacon, or preceptor? Doesn't really matter.

DailyLit calls it "A wry tale of posturing and clerical politics — and one very overbearing wife named Mrs. Proudie — in nineteenth century England." Victorian Web calls Mrs. Proudie "Trollope's greatest creation." Well-drawn characters are one of the things I love about Trollope.

Review of The Last Chinese Chef

If you're going to discuss a book about Chinese food, it should be at a Chinese restaurant. While China Chef in Standale doesn't serve Dongpo Pork or Spongy Tofu with Crab Sauce, we did find dumplings (pot stickers) and Shrimp in Bird's Nest on the menu. I had my camera with me, but did I remember to take my own photo of this lovely dish? No. The fillings shown here approximate what we had, but the "bird's nest" was not crisped noodles or shredded potato as the menu described, but a delicate "taco salad" shell. Very tasty, though, and highly recommended.

But this is a review of The Last Chinese Chef, by Nicole Mones, not a restaurant review. The book engendered good discussion, despite what I thought was flat writing and a predictable plot. The first failing is ironic, given the main character's job as a magazine writer her several notebooks full of Sam's cooking. Why do we only get one paragraph or so on their meal at that famous restaurant? Why don't I feel as though I'm smelling and tasting the food? Why don't I ever get a sense of place? I think it's because Mones' descriptive skills are sorely lacking, even though she herself has written for Gourmet magazine and won prizes for other novels.

As for the plot, Mones arouses no suspense over matters with which good writers usually have a field day: Will the child belong to Maggie's husband? Will she and Sam wind up together? Will he win the contest? At each turn there's a feeling of inevitability. You easily guess every answer correctly before the characters arrive at their revelation, or at least sense they won't be too terribly affected by negative outcomes. Maybe this is another post-modern novel. It contains no commitment, no passion, no drama. Okay, Sam is passionate about food (or at least we're told he is) and Maggie mourns her husband's loss, but do we feel it?

Nevertheless, the book raises interesting topics: about the place of food in our lives, our relationships with family, how to handle grief, feelings of belonging, etc. We enjoyed comparing what we learn of Chinese society and culture to our own. Discussion questions provided with the book club kit from the GR library system helped. Could we really spend as much time on food preparation as the Chinese do? (Is it possible all Chinese cook this way?) What are the merits of living to eat as opposed to eating to live? Is it an American (Western) trait to want to care for a child from another culture, even if that child is the product of an unfaithful spouse's relationship? Chinese manners for handling business seem inscrutible, but to what extent do Americans hide reality?

Post script: I returned to China Chef the next day for Egg Fu Yong (hubby feeling Chinese food-deprived), and had a chat about the book with the owner Melissa Tran and one of her servers. She described how in China chicken and fish would always be cooked and served whole, bones and all. Chinese are adept at taking a bite and feeling carefully for bones. This way, they take full advantage of the calcium provided. For this reason, Chinese are very strong, she said. Or at least they have been. Fast food -- Western food habits -- are taking over. They now fillet their fish and get most of the bones out.

I mentioned we were interested in the foods made to look like something else (a chicken skin stuffed with vegetables, for example). She said, oh yes, that's done for vegetarian dishes. We got to talking about tofu, and she said it was wonderful the shapes they could form it into. You'd never know it wasn't a chicken leg or fish. The server said they're so beautiful you don't want to eat them.

Add your own comments here, or on our Facebook group page.

September selection: The Last Chinese Chef

September will begin of our third year, and we'll again rotate our selections among us; that seemed to work well this past year. Becky is taking September, and her selection is an intruiging title: The Last Chinese Chef.

The description on the author's web page says, "You may know Chinese food; you may even love it. But The Last Chinese Chef will take you into a world of Chinese food you never even knew existed. Here is the hidden universe of one of the world's great cuisines. Its philosophy, its concepts, and its artistic ambitions are all illuminated in a story that's entertaining, emotionally satisfying, and erudite. . . . This is a novel of food, friendship, and falling in love, one that will forever change the way you look at Chinese food."

I do love Chinese food, but don't know it well. Am looking forward to being enlightened. To tempt more members to join us, we're planning to discuss the book at China Chef restaurant, 4335 Lake Michigan Dr. NW. We'll meet Thursday, September 16 23 9th at 6:30 pm. (Note the change of date to avoid conflicts with the HHBC women's retreat at Lake Ann and the True Woman conference in Indianapolis. And please note we are meeting one half hour earlier so we can enjoy a Chinese dinner together!)

July meeting

Three of us met Thursday, July 29, to share what we've read so far this summer. We didn't meet in June, and we'll also take August off. In a couple weeks I expect one of us will take the plunge and reveal our selection for September. (We'll continue taking turns making selections. Get yours ready!) Watch this space for that news.

Here's a rundown of books, with brief descriptions and recommendations (or not). Becky read (or plans to read):

• Ahab's Wife - not recommended. This prequel or sequel to Moby Dick takes liberties that push boundaries.
• Let the Great World Spin, by Colum McCann - historical novel about the 1974 feat of tightrope walking between the World Trade Center towers, but strangely focuses on the spectators rather than the principals. But I think Becky said it was interesting.
• Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe - This is a rather well-known novel set in Nigeria, with shades of The Poisonwood Bible.
• Lark and Termite - about a girl who takes care of her disabled brother; some sexuality.
• This may be Becky's selection for the year - The Last Chinese Chef. It goes into the culture of Chinese food (we may have to meet at China Chef for our discussion). It's also a love story. Sounds yummy.
• The Spy Wore Red - along with The Spy Went Dancing, a true-life spy memoir. (I read the latter; it's good.) A WWII-era James Bond in silks.
• Becky is intrigued by this title given to her by a bookstore owner when he found out she was from Michigan - Forever and Five Days, by Lowell Cauffiel, about the Michigan nursing home murders. Kind of sordid, but interesting.
• Also The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, the Epidemic that Shaped Our History.
• Recommends The Giver, a young adult fiction about utopian society, a la Brave New World.

Penny is reading or has read:

• Rena's Promise: A Story of Sisters in Auschwitz - probably the most accurate and graphic memoir of survival of the Holocaust; perhaps too accurate and thus disturbing. Still would make a good discussion. Link here to the Facebook page.
• The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, by Maggie O'Farrell - a study of the worst of all characters, or of mankind.
• Lavender Morning, by Jude Devereaux - a light romance/mystery, perfect for the beach.
• Great Expectations
• Picking Dandelions, by Sarah Cunningham - Penny actually met this Michigan author at Barnes & Noble, and I believe she said she was enjoying the memoir.
• The Devil in Pew Number Seven - based on a true story. Facebook page.

I've been reading these by Anthony Trollope:

• The Way We Live Now (currently) - a satire on wealth and greed; 480 pages
• Cousin Henry - a novella offering psychological/spiritual insights into a character who just can't do what he knows is right. Amazing and agonizing. Absorbing and nuanced.
• Miss Mackenzie - what's a formerly penniless young woman to do when she falls into wealth?
• Barchester Towers - a classic on ambition in church life.

Something by Trollope will certainly be my selection this year. (Find Facebook Anthony Trollope Society here.) But I also read this one not by Trollope:

• Dancing to the Precipice: The Life of Lucie de la Tour du Pin, Eyewitness to an Era, by Caroline Moorehead. The era in question is Louis 16-Marie Antoinette (during which Lucie was a lady-in-waiting), the French Revolution (part of which Lucie spent safely in America), Napoleon and after (during which everyone seemed to dance on pins and needles). The biography is based on Lucie's own memoirs and letters; Lucie has understood and described history's significance to her own life, to those she loved, and to the world. The author is careful not to overdo the background information while giving sufficient insight and flavor. Lucie is a remarkably spirited, educated, and moral person, considering the culture in which she was raised. (The grandmother who raised her was harsh and mercurial, and had as a long-time lover a Catholic bishop. Infidelity was "the thing," but Lucie remained faithful and enjoyed a long, satisfying marriage.) I would probably re-read this one in a couple years. It's that good.

Laddie, by Gene Stratton-Porter

The author's dedication -- "The way to be happy is to be good" -- encapsulates the book. From beginning to end, Little Sister tries to figure out how to be happy and good. The author wants us to know that each pursued separately doesn't satisfy as much as finding one through pursuit of the other.

The way to happiness through goodness -- righteousness -- is not always readily apparent to the narrator, but by close observation of her loved ones (especially older brother Laddie) and neighbors -- their failures and triumphs of love over selfish ambition -- she continually makes discoveries.

Late in the book, Little Sister asks, "Father, when you pray for anything that it's all perfectly right for you to have, does God come down from heaven and do it Himself, or does He send a man like Laddie to do it for him?" Father answers, "Why, you have the whole thing right there in a nutshell, Little Sister. You see it's like this: the Book tells us most distinctly that 'God is love.' Now it was love that sent Laddie to bind himself for a long tedious job, to give Leon his horse, wasn't it?" Little Sister responds: "Of course! He wouldn't have been likely to do it if he hated him. It was love, of course!" "Then it was God," said father, "because 'God is love.' They are one and the same thing."

Near the end of the book, Little Sister concludes that the problem with their neighbors the Pryors is they didn't know how to love each other, and that because they didn't love God. They didn't know what "proper love" was, "because God is love, like father said."

The book is full of lessons in love -- loving one's family, one's spouse, one's children, one's neighbors, one's land and animals, one's work and hobbies, one's country -- including strangers and future generations. Even education ought to be loved. Father comments about the system of the day: "We re not going at children in a way to gain and hold their interest, and make them love their work. There must be a better way of teaching."

As an aside, this is a purely American book, and pointedly draws distinctions from the "old country." It tells of a time in our history when the land was still being settled, yet there already were established laws and culture.

My favorite chapter is The Garden of the Lord. The family sees their farm as a parallel to the Garden of Eden, as a place to tend and steward. This chapter describes their vision of paradise didactically, yet beautifully. A simple choice about leaving bushes to grow at the edges of their land is deliberate, allowing cover for birds, which keep down insects. Mother explained to Mr. Pryor: "Always we have planned and striven to transform this into the dearest, the most beautiful spot on earth. In making our home the best we can, in improving our township, county, and state, we are doing our share toward upbuilding this nation."

When he complained about taxes for bridge upkeep, mother expounds its value: "A good bridge and fine road add to [travellers'] pleasure, and when they leave, the improvements remain. They will benefit us and our children through all the years to come."

Stewardship begins in the home, from the way treasures are stored to the way leisure time is spent. Evening hours are spent around the hearth reading, studying, and quizzing. The household is as productive then as they are at work in the barn or kitchen. But it's not all stoical toil; it's so they can lavish joy on weddings, holidays, and other family celebrations.

Great care is taken of people's feelings, as well. Laddie exemplifies this best when he declares his intention to seek the Princess' hand to a house full of hangers-on after Sunday dinner -- church-folk, neighbors, and family. This tactic seems assured to bring out the most scrutiny and hilarity, but Little Sister observes that it has stripped the gathering of the need to gossip. He has spared himself and the Princess by being direct and honest.

Life with the is painted in the rosy hues of mother's fancy window shades, but is not sugar-coated. There are, literally an figuratively, snakes in the garden -- dangers and temptations. Disaster is sometimes a hair's-breadth away. Sometimes a response must be carefully considered and the timing of a confrontation patiently awaited. But the rewards author gives the reader steers us unerringly toward the desired path.

---

Something I wish we had done in our discussion was compare and contrast this family with some of the others we've met in book club selections such as Angela's Ashes, Gilead, Jim the Boy, The Glass Castle, even Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. And, of course, we can't help but think of Wendell Berry and Hannah Coulter.

May selection: Laddie, by Gene Stratton Porter

On May 18, we'll be discussing Lisa's choice:

Laddie, A True Blue Story (1913) by Gene Stratton Porter is a wonderful and semi-autobiographical novel of siblings, family bonds, struggles and loves, learning and nature, and the complex joys of growing up in the country at the turn of the past century. Little Sister tells us the story of her brother Laddie, and the whole family is glimpsed through her loving eyes. A classic uplifting tale of self-discovery for all ages.

Gene Stratton-Porter (1863-1924), American novelist and naturalist, was born on a farm in Indiana and became one of Indiana's best-known authors. Writing fiction to support her passion for observing natural habitats, she also wrote non-fiction works that extensively dealt with birds, flowers, and other natural wonders. She fought for the conservation of the Limberlost Swamp and took up other cases of public welfare as well. A Girl of the Limberlost (1909) and Freckles (1904) are two of her most famous works. Amazon product review

You shouldn't have any trouble finding this in the library, but it can be read and downloaded several places online: Project Gutenburg (ebook), Google books, The Literature Network, Classic Reader, Questia.

Page Turner's review of The Book Thief

From Heather's Lines From the Page blog, posted December 17, 2008: "In the past few weeks I mentioned to a few people that I was reading a book that was narrated by Death. That got a few odd looks, so I'd quickly try to explain that it wasn't as morbid as it sounded; it was really quite good, in fact. Maybe I convinced some of them..." Continue reading

Page Turner's take on Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

I'm sorry I couldn't make it to the March meeting, but thank you for humoring me with the April selection. You can read my thoughts on Animal, Vegetable, Miracle here (and check out the other things I've been reading, too). Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

I'll see you in a few weeks!

Page Turner (Heather)

April selection: The Book Thief

The author's website says: "It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . . Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau. This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul."

Hmmmm . . . very intruiging. Next meeting: April 15.

March selection: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

HistoryBuff made the March selection of bestselling author Barbara Kingsolver's non-fiction Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (written with Camille Kingsolver and Steven L. Hopp). She and her family documented a year of procuring as much of their food as possible from neighboring farms and their own backyard. "Hang on for the ride: With characteristic poetry and pluck, Barbara Kingsolver and her family sweep readers along on their journey away from the industrial-food pipeline to a rural life in which they vow to buy only food raised in their own neighborhood, grow it themselves, or learn to live without it. Their good-humored search yields surprising discoveries about turkey sex life and overly zealous zucchini plants, en route to a food culture that's better for the neighborhood and also better on the table. Part memoir, part journalistic investigation, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle makes a passionate case for putting the kitchen back at the center of family life and diversified farms at the center of the American diet."

Having enjoyed The Poisonwood Bible in our first year, we have reason to expect good things. Our next discussion is March 18.

The Genius Factory, by David Plotz

I've put my review of the book on BFL's Pro-Life Pastors' Corner blog. Our February club meeting was well attended, with lively discussion of this compelling topic. I hope other members will post their thoughts.

The Woman in White, by Wilkie Collins

"Frailty, thy name is woman!" Hamlet Act 1, scene 2

Wilkie Collins doesn't hold women in much higher regard, despite his ability to paint a strong, able, intelligent Marian. Yet even she succumbed to severe illness, brought on by a cold and fever. Okay, they didn't have antibiotics, and they had to wear corsets, but please! Poor Laura was brought down by the mere sight of her friend's illness. Too much of the story hinges on this frailty.

But don't let my impatience on this minor point hinder you from a gripping tale. It is a "sensation" novel. It does have well drawn characters (Fosco). Every chapter leaves you hanging. It would have been fascinating to receive every installment in serial form.

Our discussion Thursday, January 21, plumbed this subject and others. Group members, add comments and posts here! Be sure to read Page Turner's review on her blog, Lines from the Page.

What Would Jane Do?

Today's readers tend to appreciate Austen despite her didacticism rather than because of it. She can be positively priggish, and that is an embarrassment. The contemporary reader who loves Jane Austen sort of blips over the moralizing sections and tells himself that they don't really count. It is possible to ignore this aspect of her work, just as it is possible to discuss a religious painting with hardly any reference to the artist's religious intent. But this seems absurd: Ignoring a writer's central concern is a strange way to attempt to appreciate and understand her.

The question arises, then, of how to reconcile Austen's moralism with modern sensibility. To address this problem, it would be useful if we could find someone with this modern sensibility who actually reads Austen for her moral instruction (in addition to the literary pleasure she provides). How convenient that we have someone who fits that description available to us: me.

By James Collins, from A Truth Universally Acknowledged (Random House), excerpted in the Wall Street Journal