I hope you will forgive my facietiousness about
happy endings and
love conquering all Amy, when I say it was just that. One of my many faults. (-:
I've stated before that apart from
Persuasion, I don't regard any of Jane Austen's stories primarily as romance works in the Barbara Cartland pink fluffy cloud land of romantic nonesense fiction, but intellectual studies ( or the much quoted social commentaries) in humour and everyday middle class life. If they were not so, I doubt many men would read them, for starters. I most certainly would not. I am quite happy to read good books by anyone, male or female (indeed Catherine Cooksons gritty northern sagas are utterly excellent and her
Fifteen Streets very reminiscent of the area I grew up amongst in Lancashire) ), and Jane Austen indeed wrote good books. The very fact that we argue and have different interpretations of things shows that there is much content to do that over in her works and views. Historically, someone who lived the period they wrote of, Austen, Bronte, Dickens, Conan Doyle etc, I devour the works of for the very authentic historical revelations of travel, transport, waggon wheels and candle-lit, quill-written letters that they contain and were part of their everyday lives. That said, and despite the major social differences the era makes, many internal feeling are no different than today and probably we'll always argue over those as part of the human condition. Such is life. (-:
Re Mrs Reynolds, an excellent lady indeed, but a servant nevertheless. The faitful old housekeeper/family retainer beloved of all who can see no wrong in her Lord and master (he is paying her wages after all (-
Her Christian attitude almost tells us she is not someone to find fault in much.