If you've exhausted every Austen and Bronte and are pining for something new - I have the answer!

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

You know who you are. You've read every Austen multiple times. You've pawed through even the lesser Brontes like "Villette" and "Tenant of Wildfell Hall." You stand by the window on a rainy day, pining for just one more volume about unrequited love, British wateringholes of the nineteenth century and women making do with just a single lady's maid.

By chance I tumbled upon the "Window Barnaby" by Mrs. Fanny Trollope, published in 1835. Absolutely loved it! Angelic orphan taken in hand and introduced into society by harridan aunt. It's like Mansfield Park and Persuasion smooshed together, although the niece Agnes is not as sickening as Fanny Price and Aunt Barnaby is somewhat in the vein of the vain and foolish father in Persuasion.

I highly recommend it and just hated turning the last page today.

[sallylou666]

1. LEAVE FANNY ALONE!!!!

Slandering Fanny Price? Why does everyone hate Fanny?

I watched the BBC version of Mansfield Park last night. The actress that played Fanny made her look psycho. Not as crazy as Mrs. Bertram, of course, but still psycho.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

5. Fanny is just simply the most boring of all Austen's heroines

She has no character developement arc at all. She starts off sweet and pious, she ends up sweet and pious.

I saw an absolutely bizarre movie version of Mansfield Park that introduced some exceedingly strange and very unJane type touches like a love of porno by Tom Bertram - his sketch pad is filled with his drawings of naked island women, etc. Very unsettling for an Austen fan. I got the vapors.

[bread_and_roses]

8. She's the only one of Austen's heroines who I find totally dreary and boring?

(Though Elinor in "Sense and Sensibility" is a close second, and Anne in "Persuasion" a close third.) But both S & S and P have an abundance of wit to offset the somewhat tiresome goodiness of the two main characters. "Mansfield Park," on the other hand, has its moments (far fewer than any of the other novels, I think) but none of them that I recall belong to Fanny Price, and unlike the others it is almost uniformly dreary and preachy.

I have read all the Austen novels many multiples of times - even including "Mansfield Park" - in its case eagerly awaiting the next appearance of one of the delicious Aunts Bertram/Norris. However, as someone says below, it's all a matter of taste, and if you love Fanny, that's fine too - reading Austen is a good thing, in my view, whichever of her many pleasures most suits you.

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

2. Quite different, but I just wondered -

are you a fan of Edith Wharton?

[enough]

3. I just re-read The Reef, The Age of Innocence, and The House of Mirth,

and found them all extremely interesting and entertaining.

(I know your question was directed at the OP, but couldn't help stepping in here.)

[Tangerine LaBamba]

4. Good, great, feel free to cut in line -

any reader is my friend. :hi: :)

I went through the Austen girls at an early age, and never found them re-readable, although I know zillions do.

Edith Wharton, though, I find that I can visit over and over.

It's just a matter of taste, I guess.

Did you ever see the film version of "The House Of Mirth"? I loved that movie, and thought Gillian Anderson was excellent. If you've not seen it, I urge you to give it a gander. It's really gorgeous, in every way......................

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

6. But of course.

House of Mirth is a great favorite and I too thought Gillian Anderson was top notch in the movie.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

7. I'm not surprised -

they have much in common.

You've got great literary taste, my dear................

[sueh]

10. Thanks for the recommendation. Good to know there is another "find" out there.