I mentioned in my last reading life post that I was working on the idea of soon adding to my reading list books I’d let fall by the way side; I think it would be a bit silly to focus too much on new books and not use the list as an opportunity to read some books I really should have already read.

I know I’m not the only one to have this happen – you acquire a book in whatever way, are very excited about it, and then all often have other books to read first or you decide to wait a bit before reading it, and then because you haven’t capitalised on that initial excitement you lose at least some measure of interest in the idea of reading it. The book is no longer new and shiny. The honeymoon period is over.

(It was quite damning writing that because it made me think of the times I have read a book when it was still exciting and how – as long as the book is at least an average read – it categorically is a better experience to read when the iron is hot.)

So I guess my main question was, can that excitement be regained, reconstructed?

I think it depends on seeing it as a new start, effectively wiping the excitement slate clean, or perhaps alternatively, leaning in to why you were excited originally… so long as your excitement extended beyond ‘new book!’ Certainly you have to let go of any guilt or feelings of burden you might have over not having read the book already. I think the only big issue with achieving this would be if you received the book with an effectively time-limited period in which to read it – say a review copy you didn’t get to (I used to get a fair number of unsolicited books). But it’s not impossible even then.

I’ve a particular book in mind as I write this: N M Kelby’s White Truffles In Winter. I acquired it so long ago I had to check my archives to find out whether I’d bought it or been sent it for review… I got it in August 2013 only three years into blogging and when I was yet to always declare whether I’d purchased or received a book. So I haven’t a clue.

It was so long ago I had it on my (albeit later abandoned) Long Awaited list… in 2019. It was so long ago the author isn’t on social media or to be found online at all – for whatever reason she hasn’t published anything since. (I will avoid making any theories here!)

I remember being taken by the title, cover, and the thought that it might be a perfect choice for Christmas, which I think is understandable. I left it for longer than I’d planned and then found out the title didn’t much reflect the contents; it was simply one of the first of those books with a title that worked as a marketing tactic – oh it did indeed!

I think of it now and then but the magic of before is gone; I wonder if I have to do something else in regards to that loss, perhaps just accept that it’s long gone and just read the book regardless.

I’d like to know from you all: what do you do about books you’ve left unread for too long? Do you get to reading many of them later? If so, how has the experience of reading them been?

Episode 111: Elaine Chiew (The Light Between Us)

Charlie and Elaine Chiew discuss early 20th century Singaporean photography and its influences on Elaine’s novel in depth, which involves looking at social issues and the history of the qipao. We also dive into the time travel aspects and the use of Chinese spirit-mediums.

If you’re unable to use the media player above, this page has various other options for listening as well as the transcript.

All the near-recent posts about The New York Times’s Best Books of the 21st Century – I’ve linked to it but it’s behind a paywall – got me thinking about ‘best of’ lists in general and where they could apply to my own reading. Usually, or at least until recent years, any ‘best ofs’ I created were from my year round ups, the best five or so books I’d read in any given year. But people have been talking about what was missed – that it was full of literary fiction, that it neglected African literature, and a variety of my own research on lists have led me to realise I rarely use what I’ve read in this manner and that, on occasion, I probably should.

A ‘genre’ I don’t remark upon often, and admittedly don’t really read all that much of, is translated fiction, and this is rather silly because I tend to love reading it. But the proof is in the numbers and I’ve gone through all the data I have of my reading which extends from about half-way through 2009 (I wasn’t keeping track of dates back then) to last month, September 2024, and the answer is that I’ve read 41 books in translation out of a few hundred books in total. When my slow reading speed is considered it’s not absolutely terrible, but I did think I had read more non-English works.

I owe much of my reading in translation to my former reviewer relationships with Peirene Press and Pushkin Press which both fell by the wayside when contacts moved on. I have read some absolutely stellar books thanks to them and in Pushkin’s case I went on, much later, to invite two of their authors onto my podcast (Pasi Ilmari Jääskeläinen, episode 33; Nicolai Houm episode 81).

I’ve gone through the list of 41 and narrowed it down to those books I rate really highly and of which the passage of time has not blurred my knowledge. I’ve left out age-old classics – Tolstoy and Thomas More will be around for years to come. I love the idea that I’m bringing old favourites back to a front page, even if it’s just my own.

Here we go. The two years given are for the publication in the original language and then English translation.

Ayelet Gundar-Goshen: One Night, Markovitch (Hebrew, 2012/2015, translated by Sondra Silverston)
A man with an unremarkable face and his friend with the amazing moustache decide to join men heading to Germany to save Jewish women from the Nazis and bring them home to Israel. Full of humour, this is no less a book with a lot to say. It was even better than I’d hoped. Looking back on it now, it is no less relevant today than it was when it was first published – in various parts of the story one of the main characters goes to work in the morning and Gundar-Goshen will throw in a phrase of two about him using a gun on some Palestinians, a deliberately casual reference with an unapologetically shocking result.

Bernhard Schlink: The Reader (German, 1995/2015, translated by Carol Brown Janeway)
At fifteen, Michael has an affair with an older woman and years later sees her once more, this time in a war trial. Fantastic. I remember this being very literary and one of those books that can seem mundane at first before becoming shocking, but at the same time gives so much more.

Éric Chacour: What I Know About You (French, 2023/2024, translated by Pablo Strauss)
Writing to Dr Tarek, our second-person narrator tells us Tarek’s history and over time we learn who our narrator is and why he is so into Tarek’s story. (I should note the plot is of an Egyptian man born in the 1960s who becomes a doctor like his father, later gets married, and then one day falls for his male assistant.) Stunning – the plot is well done and everything about the structure and writing is superb. It’s been a few weeks since I finished it and I still think the writing is the defining aspect for me, though the look at various social issues was incredibly interesting.

Irène Némirovsky: Suite Française (French, 2004/2004, translated by Sandra Smith)
As the Germans invade and conquer France, thousands of refugees move to areas that are still free and later adapt to life as the German soldiers move to live amongst them. An excellent book. I would like to read it again; I meant to around the time the film came out, but hearing that the film only focused on one of the plot threads and may have created a conclusion for it (Nemirovsky was killed in the Holocaust and didn’t finish the book, though we have some of her notes) I set the whole idea aside. I do still have another of Nemirovsky’s books to read, in terms of unread books on my shelf, and need to go back to her work in general.

Marie-Sabine Roger: Soft In The Head (French, 2008/2016, translated by Frank Wynne)
A man who speaks of his lack of education and poor childhood meets an old woman in the park and they strike up a friendship over pigeons, books, and learning. Utterly fantastic, there are so many different themes to this book and they’re all handled excellently; and it’s a book wherein I heard the character in my head rather than my usual ‘voice’ – so well written and translated. I remember it being a very fun book.

Nicolai Houm: The Gradual Disappearance Of Jane Ashland (Norwegian, 2016/2018, translated by Anna Paterson)
A woman wakes up in a tent in a Norwegian National Park, knowing how she got there; scenes from the past couple of months show how she came to be in such a place. This is a novel about grief rather than a thriller – though it has an element of that – and a very good one at that. I re-read this only a couple of years ago so it remains fresh – there is a lot of things that you, as a reader, can think about here, and the ending is left somewhat open.

Pasi Ilmari Jääskeläinen: The Rabbit Back Literature Society (Finnish, 2006/2014, translated by Lola Rogers)
Ella becomes the long-awaited 10th member of a society that involves the country’s greatest writers – but are they the greatest writers, really? A very good look at ideas and writing in general. Weird ideas, suitable ideas – there’s lots up for interpretation.

Seishi Yokomizo: The Honjin Murders (Japanese, 1946/2019, Louise Heal Kawai)
A couple on their wedding night are murdered in the annex building of the family estate; a three-fingered man was seen around the place the night before and his hand prints are on the wall, but why did it happen? An excellent 1940s novella that is a lot more about the ‘why’ than the ‘who’. This is the first in a series focused on fictional detective Kosuke Kindaichi.

Véronique Olmi: Beside The Sea (French, 2001/2010, Adriana Hunter)
A mother takes her sons to the seaside for a holiday that may end badly. Brilliant, and provides a lot to think about. When I say it may end badly, I mean it, however in terms of Olmi’s look at mental illness and showing why people do what they do, it’s stunning.

What would be on your list?

Episode 108: Mark Stay (The Witches Of Woodville)

Charlie and Mark Stay (The Witches Of Woodville) discuss writing humour into wartime, using period-correct language as well as slang, why community is important and how much we’ve lost over the decades, and the metric ton of projects he has on the go.

If you’re unable to use the media player above, this page has various other options for listening as well as the transcript.

A couple of years ago I made what was, if I recall correctly, an in the moment, flip of a switch decision to stop including ratings in my reviews. (As a lover of information I feel I should act accordingly – the last review to include a rating was Natasha Miller’s Relentless which I posted in 2022.)

I say flip of a switch decision – at the time it was. It was a kind of ‘am I doing this darn thing of going with my new thought that I don’t want to rate any more, or not?’

But in the bigger context of my blog as a whole, I’d been thinking about ratings for a long time. In March 2014, I wrote about my 3/5 rating. Three months later that June, I wrote about ratings more broadly. And I returned again in 2018, where I spoke about my conflicting thoughts. My usage of the same graphic as those posts for this post is very intentional!

So in all, my dropping ratings has been a long time coming. I do remember wondering about it a lot over the four years it was in my mind (if we assume my feeling conflicted begun in 2018).

Do I feel better for it? I have to say I do. Whilst I may be a sucker for categorisation and data and statistics (outside of a maths lesson), my original thoughts that it would make me feel more free did turn out to be correct. One of the benefits is that it has made me be clearer in my writing. This is not to say I wasn’t clear but when you’ve a numbered system to fall back on, you can think on occasion – for example when a review is proving tricky to write – that if all else fails, the numbers will do the explaining.

That worked in my head when I was greener, before I understood just how differently each person views numbers to another, but it doesn’t work any more. I think the first time I pondered on the idea was when I saw that a lot of people used an out-of-ten rating system – I never saw the point in that… but then I started using half numbers within my out-of-five system. I did, however, continue to not quite understand the out-of-ten system; it always seemed like too many numbers and, somehow, more complicated than using half numbers.

And this actually leads me to my next point – perhaps I should have realised a lot earlier than I did how differently people did see rating numbers. Having been blogging for so long, and just having read around the subject of books for so long, I’ve learned a lot about how numbers are viewed in context. To me a 3/5 or, bringing in others’ systems, a 5 or 6/10 means a pretty average book, one that’s not bad, per se, but could have been better. For others, though this is rare, that rating means the book’s not at all good. And then there are the people who would say a 7/10 is a very good book, which is something I can’t quite get my head around. Some of these people will never give 10/10 – by their own confession – because either absolute perfection is impossible or, for a subset of this ‘some’, once they give a 10/10 that means any further ratings would be incredibly hard to assign.

I don’t think I’ve ever properly explained my own ratings. Originally that would’ve been due to a lack of self-awareness, in that surely everyone felt the same way. But later it was in fact due to a bit of embarrassment, and that’s because my rating system came from The Daily Mail and as I was getting older and moving away from the certain isolation you have when still a child and living with parents, I was starting to realise that my values did not align with the newspaper I had, prior, happily read from cover to cover (I had no experience of any other papers).

While The Mail’s rating system isn’t exactly political, and it’s something I can still agree with, certainly discussing the source felt problematic. I now have stronger critical thinking skills and an understanding that choices made in childhood are limited by what you are taught and what is available to you, which is usually less than what is available to you in adulthood.

So the ratings were as follows: 1 – poor. 2 – adequate. 3 – worth reading/watching. 4 – good. 5 – very good (which, for lack of a 6 rating, I viewed as being synonymous with ‘perfect’). I added my own half points to get around the pesky problems when, for example, a book was just that bit more than ‘worth reading’.

And these ratings could still serve me if I wanted them to, indeed I do keep a rating in my personal tracking which allows for an ‘objective’ rating (I still believe in reviewing and rating as objectively as one can) and, if my personal opinion in full subjective terms is different, a second, personal, rating. (I often opt for two. For example, I can’t deny that the Christmas I read Outlander was massively fun and memorable due to that reading and that I now like to read a book of the series a year at about the same time but, objectively, there are issues with it.)

I mentioned above that no longer including ratings in my reviews has been freeing and that it made me a better, clearer, writer. I think it also helps my real thoughts to stand out. Reducing your opinion to a number, no matter that you have text to back it up, means some of the meaning of your words are lost. It means there’s also a big chance a reader of your review could say ‘too long; didn’t read’ and skip to the rating, and while I can’t argue about how people prioritise their time, you do lose nuances when you’ve got numbers. Do numbers mean you’ve an additional review, a sort of second review? Yes. Do they mean your well-laid-out thoughts could be lost in a sea of numbers? Yes. I was also just starting to feel unhappy including ratings, which I needed to listen to.

I don’t think this change will be reversed – this is partly why it took so long for me to start leaving ratings out – I’m one for systems and frameworks on my blog. Likewise I’m not going to go back to older reviews and remove ratings – I stand with those who see deleting older work as deleting the progression you’ve made in your chosen subject and those reviews are testament to who I was when they were written, and a diary of sorts. (My review of Pride And Prejudice leaves much to be desired, no matter how much I loved the book!)

I do think, had I done it much earlier, I might have failed – there’s a daunting shadow that hangs over you when you picture your text having to do more heavy lifting and you feel your writing isn’t yet there. But I think it was the right time and added to my recent restructuring of the format of my reviews I can say I’m very happy.

I have been scrabbling with my book choices in recent years, at least when it comes to reading not undertaken for a podcast episode (that reading is prescribed and enforced, essentially by myself). I think, given I’m now emerging from a major blog hiatus, it was likely caused by the goings on of those recent years, and now I’m looking at my reader self and asking her if we might get some order in the ranks.

While I love the idea of reading by mood, I’m definitely someone who benefits from a bit of planning because those moments of wondering what to read create a paralysis of choice which is enough to make my excitement pack up and suggest that an entirely different activity is the thing to do right now.

(It was fascinating going back through old blog posts to see what I’d written about reading lists in the past – in 2012 I said they absolutely did not work for me, in 2015 I started seeing the benefits at least where being a book blogger was concerned, and at the start of 2020 I was loving them but saying that balancing it with mood reading was best.)

About a month ago I started mulling the idea of creating a reading list for non-podcast books. I realised I should choose books for it carefully with the idea that I’d spend time on the choice now, all at once, for an easier time of it later. I had books that came to mind immediately – books I wanted to read soon, regardless of any lists, and others I’d meant to read but not got to. I consider myself to have failed at my Classics Club list (paralysis of choice strikes again!) so I figured the whole idea did need some thought.

And some rules. Firstly, I’m not going to let the list get too long – I can have ideas for it, but they can’t just be added whenever. (First and a half – it should probably be something along the lines of one book finished, add another one or, better still, finish a few, add a few, all at once.) Secondly – I shouldn’t think I can blithely add books I’ve had for years and ride off into the sunset. Being honest with myself, I’m going to have to read a lot of newer books – or at least new-to-me books – to give myself a solid psychological backing for any of that ‘finally getting to it’ stuff. I am, after all, the person who’s been moving Vanity Fair to each year’s brand new list of books read every year now since 2012. Thirdly, and most importantly – I need to be careful of letting books languish on the list and not let them become books I’ve had for years. And it should go without saying that there needs to be plenty of books I’m excited about and a mixture of genres. I think after having read lots of books I’m excited about that excitement is likely to sustain itself for some ‘I was excited and then left it too long’ books.

After thinking up an actual list and mulling over putting it out there for the last week, I’m going to do so. I’m not going to come back and update this list, I think that would spell trouble; if they get read they’ll be in my round ups and quite possibly reviewed. (That’s another thing I’ve decided going forward – I miss reviewing and having my notes but I won’t return to my old ‘must review’ process. Books will get reviewed if I want to review them.) Part of me wants to discuss the following book choices but I think that’ll also create some pressure.

So, here we go. I plan to read, ordered by author’s first name:

Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow And Tomorrow And Tomorrow
Gill Paul’s Another Woman’s Husband
Jennifer Saint’s Ariadne
Kristy Woodson Harvey’s A Happier Life
Natalie Jenner’s The Jane Austen Society
Raven Leilani’s Luster
Rebecca Yarros’ Fourth Wing
Susan Stokes Chapman’s The Shadow Key
Zachary Levi’s Radical Love

And that is plenty to be getting on with.

I previously had three other books on the list – Tasneem Abdur-Rashid’s The Thirty Before Thirty List, Maggie Brookes’ The Prisoner’s Wife, and Gill Paul’s Scandalous Women. As you may have noted by those titles having been mentioned here recently and by reading my blog in general, I’ve already read them. That was another thing I thought was important – waiting a few weeks to see if it would stick.

Do you make/use reading lists? And what is your history with using/not using them?

Episode 106: Nikki Marmery (Lilith)

Charlie and Nikki Marmery (Lilith) discuss her epic story that looks from the start of the Genesis story all the way to our present day, showing how the biblical stories did away with an all-important goddess for women – Yahweh’s wife – and the consequences that has had. There is discussion, too, on the Gnostic gospels, various mythologies, and environmentalism.

If you’re unable to use the media player above, this page has various other options for listening as well as the transcript.

On an afternoon when I was too tired to edit podcasts or write anything, I decided to dip my toe into the waters of ChatGPT – I’d heard about it and wanted to see what it could do. I did, as you’ll see, make a point of asking for citations and, after seeing that it was likely paraphrasing secondary sources, turned to asking for quotations because I’m a stickler for sources and am uninterested in plagiarism. I thought this particular… conversation?… might make an interesting post, especially as it could be useful for those who are wondering, as I did, what it can do.

I decided that being decidedly polite would help give context to the AI. I don’t know if it really did, but knowing what I do about search engine optimisation I figured some thought-out phrasing wouldn’t go amiss in helping the AI understand what I wanted to know.

The quotes from years that books are still in copyright did give me pause, as much as I loved seeing them. Hopefully it’s just pulling book quotes from GoodReads or freely-available secondary sources; I’m not sure whether at this moment in time to what extent digital books are used in AI training. This said, later questioning on the subjects of recent book releases strongly suggested that ChatGPT does not have details beyond summaries – it was unable to form any information beyond vague thematic details about Sara Nisha Adams’ 2021 debut The Reading List, likewise Elissa Soave’s 2022 debut Ginger and Me – it had a slight sense of the premises but I believe if pushed it would have replied with an apology for its ignorance.

The below is an edited version of a conversation I had with ChatGPT about Pride And Prejudice. I have deleted some of the queries because the whole conversation was 13 pages long in 12pt due to its bullet point formatting, a formatting I deemed appropriate for the dissemination of the content provided but I don’t expect many if any or you are going to read every single quotation – I certainly didn’t as it’s not the point of this post. My questions are in bold in their original poor punctuational glory. I have annotated the conversation at times when I changed tact, and these can be found throughout the post in between the separate queries, the separate queries being placed in quotation blocks. You will have to forgive me for not en-boldening or italicising names, titles, and the words ‘quote’ and ‘source’ as ChatGPT did – I write my blog in HTML and formatting the bullet points correctly took long enough by itself.

what are some opinions about pride and prejudice? please provide citation details

“Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen is a highly regarded classic of English literature, and opinions about it can vary widely depending on the perspective. Here are some commonly expressed opinions along with citation details where relevant:

1. Positive Reception: Many critics and readers praise “Pride and Prejudice” for its wit, social commentary, and well-drawn characters. The novel’s exploration of themes like class, marriage, and individual agency has been lauded for its relevance and insight.
• Source: Brownstein, Rachel. Pride and Prejudice: The Novel and the Movie. Twayne Publishers, 1999. Brownstein discusses the enduring appeal of Austen’s characters and narrative style, highlighting their significance in literary history.
2. Feminist Perspective: Some feminist critics appreciate how the novel subtly critiques the limitations placed on women in the early 19th century, while also celebrating the protagonist’s agency and independence.
• Source: Poovey, Mary. The Proper Lady and the Woman Writer: Ideology as Style in the Works of Mary Wollstonecraft, Jane Austen, and Maria Edgeworth. University of Chicago Press, 1984. Poovey’s analysis includes discussions on how Austen’s characters navigate and challenge gender norms.
3. Criticism of Class and Social Hierarchies: Critics have pointed out that while the novel criticizes certain aspects of class and social hierarchy, it also perpetuates class distinctions by ultimately rewarding characters who conform to societal expectations.
• Source: Johnson, Claudia L. Jane Austen: Women, Politics, and the Novel. University of Chicago Press, 1988. Johnson explores the novel’s engagement with social class and its implications.
4. Literary Style and Structure: Austen’s use of free indirect discourse and her narrative style are often highlighted for their innovation and effectiveness in conveying characters’ inner lives and social commentary.
• Source: C. E. M. (Charles Edward Mendenhall). Austen’s Use of Free Indirect Discourse. Modern Language Notes, vol. 75, no. 8, 1960, pp. 549-556. This paper examines Austen’s narrative techniques and their impact on the reader’s engagement with the text.
5. Enduring Popularity: The novel’s lasting popularity is often attributed to its relatable characters and the universal themes it addresses, which continue to resonate with readers across different cultures and time periods.
• Source: Kaplan, Deborah. The Pride and Prejudice Companion: An Unofficial Guide to the Novel, the Film, and the Series. Aerial Publishing, 2006. Kaplan discusses the various adaptations and the reasons behind the novel’s sustained appeal.

These opinions reflect a range of interpretations and critiques of “Pride and Prejudice,” showcasing its rich literary significance and the diverse ways it can be read and understood.

At this point I decided to alter my query as I realised I didn’t know whether the AI was paraphrasing or copying its commentary.

what are some opinion quotes from individuals about pride and prejudice? please provide citation details

Here are some notable opinion quotes from individuals about “Pride and Prejudice,” along with citation details:

1. Virginia Woolf:
• Quote: “She is the most remarkable woman writer that England has ever produced, and ‘Pride and Prejudice’ is perhaps the most perfect novel ever written in the English language.”
• Source: Woolf, Virginia. A Room of One’s Own. Harcourt Brace, 1929. This quote is a reflection of Woolf’s admiration for Austen’s skill and her contribution to English literature.
2. George Orwell:
• Quote: “Jane Austen is the most perceptive writer who ever wrote about love and class. ‘Pride and Prejudice’ is a superb piece of social criticism.”
• Source: Orwell, George. Why I Write. Secker & Warburg, 1946. Orwell’s appreciation of Austen’s social critique is evident in his essays and reflections on her work.
3. Harold Bloom:
• Quote: “Austen’s characters are deeply human and her prose is remarkably incisive. ‘Pride and Prejudice’ remains one of the great novels of the English language, thanks to its profound insights into the nature of human relationships.”
• Source: Bloom, Harold. Jane Austen. Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. Bloom’s analysis underscores his view of Austen’s mastery in character development and narrative style.
4. Joan Aiken:
• Quote: “Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’ remains a delightful novel, full of irony and wit. It captures the essence of social mores with a humor that continues to charm readers.”
• Source: Aiken, Joan. The Winter’s Tale. Viking Press, 1981. Aiken’s reflection highlights her appreciation for Austen’s humor and social commentary.
5. Margaret Atwood:
• Quote: “Austen’s novels, particularly ‘Pride and Prejudice,’ provide a brilliant examination of the social and gender constraints of her time, all while engaging readers with sharp wit and memorable characters.”
• Source: Atwood, Margaret. Negotiating with the Dead: A Writer on Writing. Cambridge University Press, 2002. Atwood’s commentary focuses on Austen’s ability to critique societal norms while maintaining engaging storytelling.

These quotes offer insight into how influential literary figures view “Pride and Prejudice,” reflecting the novel’s enduring significance and the varied aspects of Austen’s writing that resonate with different readers.

10 more please

Certainly! Here are ten more notable opinions about Pride and Prejudice, each with a citation for further reading:

1. J.K. Rowling:
• Quote: “Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is the most perfect novel ever written. It combines social observation, wit, and a wonderfully romantic story.”
• Source: Rowling, J.K. The Casual Vacancy. Little, Brown and Company, 2012. Rowling’s admiration for Austen is reflected in her public statements and interviews about her favorite novels.
2. Gore Vidal:
• Quote: “Jane Austen was an extraordinary writer. Her Pride and Prejudice is a magnificent study of the social dance of its time, and a work that continues to be relevant.”
• Source: Vidal, Gore. Gore Vidal’s United States: Essays 1952-1992. Library of America, 1993. Vidal’s essays often discuss the enduring relevance of classic literature.
3. E.M. Forster:
• Quote: “Pride and Prejudice is a masterpiece of English literature. Jane Austen’s ability to capture human nature and societal dynamics with such precision is unmatched.”
• Source: Forster, E.M. Aspects of the Novel. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1927. Forster’s analysis of Austen’s work highlights his respect for her literary skills.
4. Claudia L. Johnson:
• Quote: “In Pride and Prejudice, Austen’s portrayal of the class system and her critique of social norms are both incisive and subtle, making it a pivotal text in understanding early 19th-century English society.”
• Source: Johnson, Claudia L. Jane Austen: Women, Politics, and the Novel. University of Chicago Press, 1988. Johnson’s work focuses on Austen’s social commentary.
5. Harriet Beecher Stowe:
• Quote: “Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice stands out for its brilliant satire and acute observations on the constraints of women’s lives.”
• Source: Stowe, Harriet Beecher. The Key to Uncle Tom’s Cabin. John P. Jewett & Company, 1853. Stowe’s reflections on Austen’s work are part of her broader commentary on literature.
6. Joan Didion:
• Quote: “The strength of Pride and Prejudice lies in its ability to offer a complex, layered view of its characters while still delivering an engaging narrative. Austen’s insight into human behavior is profound.”
• Source: Didion, Joan. Slouching Towards Bethlehem. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1968. Didion’s essays often reflect on literature and its impact.
7. Margaret Drabble:
• Quote: “Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is not just a love story, but a social commentary that has been admired for its astute observation of the class and gender dynamics of its time.”
• Source: Drabble, Margaret. The Oxford Companion to English Literature. Oxford University Press, 2000. Drabble’s contributions to literary discussions often include insights on Austen.
8. Lydia Davis:
• Quote: “Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is a novel that masterfully blends humor, romance, and sharp social critique. It remains one of the most enduring works in English literature.”
• Source: Davis, Lydia. The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2009. Davis’s reflections often include her appreciation for classic literature.
9. Susan Sontag:
• Quote: “In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen offers a sophisticated exploration of social structures and personal relationships, all wrapped in a highly readable narrative.”
• Source: Sontag, Susan. On Photography. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1977. Sontag’s essays include discussions of various literary works and their impact.
10. Neil Gaiman:
• Quote: “Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is a perfect blend of social commentary and romantic entanglement. It is both a sharp critique and an endlessly enjoyable read.”
• Source: Gaiman, Neil. The Sandman: The Kindly Ones. DC Comics, 1996. Gaiman’s interviews and essays often touch on his literary influences and favorites.

These quotes offer a range of perspectives from various individuals, highlighting different aspects of Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and its impact on readers and critics alike.

Whilst I was using ChatGPT’s own phrase of ‘endured popularity’ in the next query, here it got a bit flummoxed. The answer was not swift like the others. It took a good half a minute or so to start providing an answer, and that answer came slowly, like Neo’s electronic conversation at the start of The Matrix.

why has pride and prejudice endured popularity? please provide your answer with quotations and citations

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen has maintained its popularity over the centuries due to several key factors, including its insightful social commentary, memorable characters, and enduring themes. Here’s an exploration of why the novel has endured, supported by quotations and citations:

1. Timeless Social Commentary:
• Quote: “Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is not just a story of romance but a sharp social critique that addresses issues of class, gender, and morality in ways that resonate across generations.”
• Source: Johnson, Claudia L. Jane Austen: Women, Politics, and the Novel. University of Chicago Press, 1988. Johnson emphasizes how Austen’s critique of societal norms contributes to the novel’s lasting appeal.
2. Memorable Characters:
• Quote: “Austen’s characters, particularly Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, are portrayed with such depth and complexity that they feel as real today as they did in Austen’s time.”
• Source: Bloom, Harold. Jane Austen. Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. Bloom praises Austen’s character development as a key factor in the novel’s continued popularity.
3. Universal Themes:
• Quote: “The themes of love, pride, and social expectation explored in Pride and Prejudice are universal, making the novel relatable to readers from various cultures and eras.”
• Source: Kaplan, Deborah. The Pride and Prejudice Companion: An Unofficial Guide to the Novel, the Film, and the Series. Aerial Publishing, 2006. Kaplan discusses how the novel’s themes transcend its historical context.
4. Wit and Humor:
• Quote: “The wit and irony in Austen’s writing, especially in Pride and Prejudice, provide a delightful reading experience that keeps readers engaged and entertained.”
• Source: Poovey, Mary. The Proper Lady and the Woman Writer: Ideology as Style in the Works of Mary Wollstonecraft, Jane Austen, and Maria Edgeworth. University of Chicago Press, 1984. Poovey highlights Austen’s humor as a critical element of the novel’s enduring charm.
5. Innovative Narrative Style:
• Quote: “Austen’s use of free indirect discourse in Pride and Prejudice allows readers to access the inner thoughts of characters, providing a richer and more immersive experience.”
• Source: C. E. M. (Charles Edward Mendenhall). Austen’s Use of Free Indirect Discourse. Modern Language Notes, vol. 75, no. 8, 1960, pp. 549-556. Mendenhall explores Austen’s narrative technique and its impact on the reader.
6. Romantic Appeal:
• Quote: “The romance between Elizabeth and Darcy, filled with tension and eventual resolution, continues to captivate readers who appreciate a well-crafted love story.”
• Source: Brownstein, Rachel. Pride and Prejudice: The Novel and the Movie. Twayne Publishers, 1999. Brownstein discusses the novel’s romantic elements as central to its lasting appeal.
7. Cultural Adaptability:
• Quote: “Pride and Prejudice has been adapted into numerous films, television series, and other media, which helps introduce the novel to new audiences and keeps it relevant.”
• Source: Kaplan, Deborah. The Pride and Prejudice Companion: An Unofficial Guide to the Novel, the Film, and the Series. Aerial Publishing, 2006. Kaplan notes the role of adaptations in maintaining the novel’s visibility.
8. Exploration of Personal Growth:
• Quote: “Austen’s exploration of personal growth and self-awareness in Pride and Prejudice offers readers a narrative of transformation that remains compelling and inspirational.”
• Source: Sutherland, Kathryn. Jane Austen’s Textual Lives: From Aeschylus to Bollywood. Oxford University Press, 2005. Sutherland examines the novel’s focus on character development and its appeal.
9. Critical and Academic Interest:
• Quote: “The critical acclaim and academic study surrounding Pride and Prejudice contribute to its enduring popularity, as each generation finds new insights in Austen’s work.”
• Source: Spacks, Patricia Meyer. Desire and Duty in Jane Austen. Harvard University Press, 1995. Spacks discusses the ongoing scholarly interest in Austen’s novels.
10. Emotional Resonance:
• Quote: “The emotional depth of Austen’s writing, coupled with the relatability of her characters’ struggles and triumphs, ensures that Pride and Prejudice continues to resonate with readers.”
• Source: Drabble, Margaret. The Oxford Companion to English Literature. Oxford University Press, 2000. Drabble highlights the novel’s emotional impact as a factor in its enduring success.
  These quotations and citations illustrate various aspects of why Pride and Prejudice remains a beloved and influential work in literature.

Following this, we sped up again.

Thank you. Can you provide more quotes on bullet point 9?

Certainly! Here are additional quotes focusing on the critical and academic interest in Pride and Prejudice, illustrating how scholarly engagement contributes to its enduring popularity:

1. Terry Eagleton:
• Quote: “Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice has been subjected to a wide array of critical interpretations, which speaks to its complexity and the depth of its engagement with issues of social and moral concern.”
• Source: Eagleton, Terry. Literary Theory: An Introduction. Blackwell Publishing, 1983. Eagleton’s work often addresses the critical reception and academic discourse surrounding classic literature.
2. Jane Austen Society of North America:
• Quote: “The ongoing scholarship and vibrant discussions facilitated by the Jane Austen Society of North America ensure that Pride and Prejudice remains a subject of academic and public interest.”
• Source: Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA). Persuasions: The Jane Austen Journal. JASNA, 2000-2020. The journal publishes articles and essays analyzing Austen’s works.
3. Ruth Perry:
• Quote: “The critical interest in Pride and Prejudice reflects its rich engagement with the politics of gender and class, and this scholarly attention helps to keep Austen’s work in the forefront of literary studies.”
• Source: Perry, Ruth. Charlotte Brontë and Victorian Psychology. Cambridge University Press, 1999. Perry’s analysis often touches on the critical reception of Austen’s novels.
4. Linda Hutcheon:
• Quote: “Pride and Prejudice has been the subject of extensive critical analysis, and its adaptation into various forms of media demonstrates the text’s adaptability and its relevance in literary discussions.”
• Source: Hutcheon, Linda. A Theory of Parody: The Teachings of Twentieth-Century Art Forms. University of Illinois Press, 1985. Hutcheon discusses the impact of adaptation and critical discourse.
5. Claudia L. Johnson:
• Quote: “The academic study of Pride and Prejudice continues to uncover new interpretations and insights, revealing the novel’s ongoing relevance and depth in the context of gender and societal norms.”
• Source: Johnson, Claudia L. Jane Austen: Women, Politics, and the Novel. University of Chicago Press, 1988. Johnson’s work is a key text in Austen studies.
6. William Deresiewicz:
• Quote: “Pride and Prejudice remains a central text in literary studies due to its rich narrative complexity and its profound commentary on social mores and personal integrity.”
• Source: Deresiewicz, William. The Death of the Artist: How Creators Are Struggling to Survive in the Age of Billionaires and Big Tech. Henry Holt and Co., 2020. Deresiewicz often addresses the significance of classic texts in modern scholarship.
7. Margaret Drabble:
• Quote: “The critical acclaim for Pride and Prejudice reflects its nuanced portrayal of societal issues and its sophisticated use of narrative techniques, making it a favorite among scholars.”
• Source: Drabble, Margaret. The Oxford Companion to English Literature. Oxford University Press, 2000. Drabble’s work provides insights into the novel’s critical reception.
8. John Mullan:
• Quote: “Scholarly interest in Pride and Prejudice is sustained by the novel’s innovative narrative style and its enduring examination of social dynamics and personal relationships.”
• Source: Mullan, John. How Novels Work. Oxford University Press, 2006. Mullan’s exploration of narrative techniques often includes Austen’s work.
9. Anne K. Mellor:
• Quote: “Austen’s Pride and Prejudice continues to attract critical attention for its detailed exploration of gender, class, and the nature of personal and social transformation.”
• Source: Mellor, Anne K. Romanticism and Gender. Routledge, 1993. Mellor’s analysis includes discussions of Austen’s influence on literary and feminist studies.
10. Marilyn Butler:
• Quote: “The critical engagement with Pride and Prejudice highlights Austen’s mastery of social satire and character development, which continue to inspire both academic and popular discussions.”
• Source: Butler, Marilyn. Jane Austen and the War of Ideas. Oxford University Press, 1975. Butler’s critical studies focus on the intellectual and social contexts of Austen’s novels.
  These quotes reflect the rich academic and critical discourse surrounding Pride and Prejudice, illustrating how its scholarly attention contributes to the novel’s enduring relevance.

Thank you!

You’re welcome! If you have any more questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask. Enjoy your exploration of Pride and Prejudice and its enduring legacy!

I’ll note that ChatGPT tends to provide 5-10 bullet points for relevant questions, and if you ask for more in numerical form, once you ask for that a couple of times it will default to that new number for the rest of your session.

All in all my afternoon’s fun (I did find it so) showed me the positive side of AI – use it with consideration for others’ work and I think it’s a boon. Aside from what I’ve already accounted for, I also learned some things about literature that school never taught me and Google couldn’t help with, which has been invaluable. And I hope if my queries are some of those that get checked by developers, they can have a laugh at my politeness.

The only thing I’m left wondering now is what will happen when people inevitably use the information ChatGPT provides. Firstly, what happens if people use mistaken information (the creators say to check anything it gives you as it might be wrong, and that includes citations) but, secondly, what happens when the Internet is full of AI quotes? – AI will surely start quoting AI. We’ll have to be careful.