English literature boasts a wealth of genres. The great writers of England are known throughout the world. The works of many of them have become internationally recognized classics. Until now, the tops of books of all centuries and peoples fill the creations of English writers.
Acquaintance with the author
The English writer Jane Austen wrote in the genre of realism, she also liked to use satire in her works and wrote novels about mores. Her books are considered masterpieces all over the world, and each generation is read by them with rapture. What is the secret of this writer? The thing is that Jane Austen wrote in an individual manner - she did not seek to please someone and squeeze into certain literary frames. Her books are sincere, simple, deep and psychological novels, in the heroes of which each reader recognizes himself. It is impossible not to mention the original English humor - soft, ironic, which has a touch of good fun.
In addition, the name of this writer belongs to the title of "First Lady" of English literature. Her creations are included in the required course of study in almost all secondary and higher educational institutions.
About the novel "Lady Susan"
To begin with, it should be noted that the novel was written in an epistolary style. It tells of a complex story and difficult characters. The novel in letters was written at the very beginning of Austin's difficult career. The young girl wrote an amazing story, which is not at all characteristic of her then age. Many are struck by deep psychologism and a detailed insight into the character and characteristics of each hero of the story.
Apparently, the writer did not plan to publish a book at all. Jane Austen never offered it to publishers, unlike her other works. A copy of the 1805 novel was preserved exactly in the version in which the author most likely would like to publish it. This assumption is expressed by most researchers of the work of Jane Austen. It was in this form that the book was published. The novel in letters tells about the gall widow, who by all means achieves her goals. The whole story takes 41 letters.
main characters
The novel in letters introduces the reader to very interesting, outstanding heroes. Each of them has a certain character trait. The interaction of such ambiguous characters is pretty funny to watch. At the same time, Austin carefully approached the display of the internal state of each character. So, let's start the acquaintance.
The lead role is played by Lady Susan Vernon, a 35-year-old woman who lost her husband. This is a hypocritical sly person who wants to marry her daughter. The main quality of the future spouse, according to the mother, is a high position in society and wealth. Susan Vernon in itself is not worth anything, but she used to achieve a lot by flattery and flirting in relationships with men. She considers her daughter Frederick to be dull, mild and slow, and also unable to organize her future life.
Frederick Suzanne Vernon is a 16-year-old girl, the daughter of Lady Vernon. By nature, shy, shy and calm. She is afraid of her mother, who despises her from childhood. Has a secret sympathy.
Charles Vernon is Lady Susan's brother-in-law.
Reginald de Courcy is the brother of Mrs. Vernon, who at the beginning of the story is in love with Lady Susan. After a certain time, the true essence of the hypocritical woman is revealed to him.
Mrs. Katherine Vernon - is the wife of Charles Vernon. She has a burning hatred of Lady Susan since her youth, when she tried to destroy the family happiness of a young family.
Lady de Courcy is Reginald's mother, who is worried about her son, because she perfectly understands Lady Susan's intentions.
Alicia Johnson - is a close friend of Lady Susan, despite the fact that her husband is against communication. It is for her that Susan trusts all her secrets and does not hide her true face.
Book storyline
“Lady Susan” is a book that strikes with the intricacy and cunning of the plot. Already a middle-aged Susan Vernon lost her husband. Despite this, the woman does not despair, but tries to establish all areas of her life by any means, walking "over the corpses." The family estate, in which the whole family lived, was sold for numerous debts. Because of this, the widowed lady is no longer accepted in decent houses around. This circumstance significantly spoils the life of a pretentious lady who is used to attention, flattery, and expensive furniture. It is because of this that the main life goal of Lady Susan is to improve her financial situation. One of the possible ways leading to the implementation of this plan is the successful marriage of a young daughter.
Suddenly, the widow receives an invitation to stay with her deceased husband’s brother. Lady Susan takes this as an interesting opportunity and immediately agrees. Having looked in advance for the young daughter of a rich lord, the mother leaves her former life, acquaintances, friends and goes to a new place - to try her luck. The brother's family lives in the province. The attentive reader understands that the invitation to stay was exclusively formal, so the relatives are not at all enthusiastic about the new arrivals. However, following the rules of good manners, they are received well-mannered and friendly.
The young lord, whom the lady looked after for her daughter, is unimaginably stupid. He is not at all interested in the young and impressionable Frederick, he even causes disgust. The Lord, in turn, is more interested in the older lady than in the young, naive creature. Meanwhile, a brother comes to Lady Susan - Reginald de Courcy - a wealthy and well-mannered man. Having learned about the excellent financial condition of a relative, Lady Vernon believes that he can become a worthy candidate for the role of second husband. From this moment, the lady begins to weave a stunning network of intrigues, into which absolutely everyone, even her own daughter, is involved. However, her cunning by the end of the book is exposed. The true face of the schemer is revealed to everyone. Struck by such cunning and anger, many turn away from it, good triumphs over evil.
Positive reviews
The book by Jane Austen “Lady Susan”, reviews of which are very numerous and varied, is considered a classic of world literature. Many readers pay tribute to the writing skills of the author.
Mostly positive reviews of the book agree that the work is an excellent, comprehensive source of information about the characters of people. The diverse images of the characters allow you to make a detailed impression of each. However, many of them are so different that they represent an amazing contrast. The most interesting point is that some heroes themselves contain a set of conflicting qualities. It is very interesting to observe that in man will prevail - good or evil.
Criticism
Criticism of the work is based on the fact that a very trivial fact is put in the plot. The described events were very typical for the heroes of that time. Many women, having lost their husband, did not want to give up the benefits of wealth and the benefits of entering the upper strata of society. Due to the fact that the woman was actually unable to earn, she could only get an impressive inheritance or get a rich husband.
Novel in the light of other works of the author
The book “Lady Susan” is one of the first works of Jane Austen. It is amazing how much psychologism the author put into history at the very beginning of her creative activity. In his subsequent work, Austin rarely resorted to portraying such conflicting characters. As a rule, she paid more attention to the inner experiences of modest, rational heroes who did not seek to occupy a prominent place in society or to get a rich husband.
Modern look
Despite the fact that the book was written a long time ago, it remains very relevant. It has not changed that many women are trying to find a profitable party by intricate intrigues. Probably, such thoughts and desires will never disappear. It is not even known what motivates women to build such chains - a thirst for money or a desire to diversify life with events and people.