Regret Nothing, Especially Your Own Bad Behavior

Lady Susan - Jane Austen

One of her lesser known works, Lady Susan was never truly completed and never published in Austen's lifetime. It is a little choppy compared to some of the author's other novels but remains interesting because of the title character.

Lady Susan Vernon is almost entirely unlike any other 19th century heroine I've come across. Indeed she really falls into the category of anti heroine because as opposed to the wilting, helpless maidens of contemporary gothic novels like Radcliffe's, the virtuous Pamela of Richardson, or even Austen's other sprightly heroines, Lady Susan is an absolute minx!

The novel, which is written in the epistolary style popular at the end of the 18th century, introduces us to Lady Susan (a woman between 30 and 40 who is considered extremely beautiful, clever, and charming) who is obliged to leave the area she has been staying in because of a scandalous flirtation with two men simultaneously (one of them married). She is trying to force her only child, a daughter named Frederica, into marriage with a rich nincompoop (with one of her own former admirers) and because of Frederica's continued refusal has packed the girl off to London to a boarding school she hates so that she may learn to be more agreeable towards the match. Meanwhile, Susan descends upon her in-laws since she has no money of her own to live on.

There she immediately snares her sister-in-law's much younger brother Reginald in her web, while still leading on her married admirer, and promoting Frederica to the idiot Sir James. The only character who can see past her deceit is her sister-in-law, Catherine Vernon, who tries to protect her pitiful niece, open her brother's eyes to his danger, and warn her extended family of the possibility of Susan adding herself to their ranks. Eventually, on a trip to London, Reginald and Mr. Manwarring (her married lover) both visit her at the same time and the game is up! Her wicked, selfish deeds regarding her own bad behavior and her cruelty towards her daughter are revealed.

The ending is not very well edited, and it seemed to me as if it had not been properly finished, but everyone ends up well. More or less. Frederica eventually goes to live with her aunt and uncle and marries Reginald, when he has recovered from being in love with her mother, and Lady Susan remarries...to Sir James. The bumbling fool she had tried to foist upon her daughter.

Dangerously, you almost find yourself liking Lady Susan. She wants comfort and stability, but not at the expense of her own freedom. And though her motives are purely selfish and often cruel, she is so good at being bad! She even ends well, most adulterous characters of this age died in a poorhouse, contracted smallpox/syphilis, or at the very least were cast out of polite society never to be heard from again. But Lady Susan survives and, one gets the feeling, absolutely never amends her ways.

This book is obviously not great literature, but it's a quick read and a good way to round off Jane Austen's writings.

Alchemy a' la Amazing

The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho

For those of you who don’t know, alchemy (according to Wikipedia) is both a philosophy and a practice with an aim of achieving ultimate wisdom as well as immortality, involving the improvement of the alchemist as well as the making of several substances described as possessing unusual properties. The practical aspect of alchemy generated the basics of modern inorganic chemistry, namely concerning procedures, equipment and the identification and use of many current substances. Now that you know what alchemy is, we can continue.

Originally published in 1988 in Portuguese as O Alquimista, The Alchemist is the tale of Santiago, a young shepherd who finds himself on a journey to find his heart’s desire. Santiago has a dream while in a church where a tree has grown through the altar that a girl will point him to a treasure located at the pyramids. Living in Spain, Santiago first puts this off as a silly dream and something totally unattainable. However, Santiago became a shepherd because he wanted to travel, and this desire to travel leads him to decide to seek the treasure. He meets an old king named Melchizedek, who asks for ten percent of what his sheep are worth to help him find his treasure. Santiago agrees, and the king begins to tell Santiago of the personal myth, saying "when you really want something to happen, the whole universe conspires so that your wish comes true." The idea of the personal myth is that everyone has a journey or a purpose. Some people find that purpose and others wander without finding it. The idea is that this journey to find the treasure at the pyramids will be Santiago’s personal myth.

Santiago continues his journey, being robbed out of his money and working in a foreign land to earn enough to continue. He helps others along his way, eventually meeting a young Englishman who is studying alchemy. This young man is on a journey to find the alchemist, or one who has mastered alchemy. This journey is taking him in the same direction as Santiago’s journey is taking him, so they travel together through the deserts of northern Africa. Halfway through their journey, they come across an oasis, where Santiago meets his soul-mate. She agrees to wait for him while he finds his treasure, saying "I love you because the whole universe conspired for me to come close to you."

Santiago also meets the alchemist, who sees that the young man is on a journey to find his personal myth, and agrees to take him through the rest of the desert to the pyramids. He teaches him some things about alchemy and leads him within sight of the pyramids. As he arrives, Santiago is accosted by some men. One of them scoffs at his dream, saying he had had a dream about a treasure under an altar with a tree growing out of it. This is the place where Santiago had his dream, and her realizes his personal myth has been a journey to find himself and his true love. He travels back to the church, digs up an enormous treasure, and goes back for his true love, where they live happily ever after.

A simple book, The Alchemist is a tale that is surprisingly deep. In response to this criticism, Paolo Coelho stated that "simple things are the most valuable and only wise people appreciate them." The storyline is easy enough to follow, and can go as deep as the reader wants to go. The symbolism ranges from traditional religious symbolism to smacks of Shakespearean allusions. When reading the book, I found it hard to put down. Though written much like Steinbeck’s The Pearl or Hemingway’s Old Man and the Sea, it is the fable-like story that lends the wisdom to open the reader’s eyes to some deep, soul-searching topics. The Alchemist has become the most widely translated work by a living author for a reason: the simple yet profound story moves people. I have talked to several people who have read the book and have yet to receive a negative review. Some people will enjoy it more than others, but its peaceful style reminded me of being led gently by the hand. I borrowed the book from Calliope, but this is definitely on my “must own my own copy” list. It’s a good book to read with someone, and its reading level is simple enough that junior high age children could appreciate it. So, as you can tell, I recommend you go read it right now!

Please excuse us whilst we take a small hiatus

Calliope may or may not have gotten married this week, and I may or may not have tag-teamed the best bridesmaids ever club. This being the case, we have taken a bit of a hiatus. Expect an entry from me shortly, and we'll give Calliope a break for a bit so she can do the newlywed thing. In the meantime, I will throw down a challenge. We would love to post guest book reviews by anyone who wishes to review a book. Let us know that you want to do so and we'll get you guest blogging in no time. Woo, books!