Currently Reading 7/13/26

[00:00:00]Hi, I'm Elizabeth at a Literary Princess. If you are new here, welcome.

[00:00:05]I have a PhD in English literature with a focus on Victorian women novelists and as you might expect, I love to read.

[00:00:12]Today I have a currently reading video for you. I am reading four books, all physical copies once again.

[00:00:20]Editing Elizabeth has had a very nice time with the currently reading videos for the last few months cuz it has not required much.

[00:00:30]So, let's jump in. First up, you all know it's coming. Say it with me now.

[00:00:36]Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. Still in volume one, shocking, I know.

[00:00:43]I have made progress, kind of. I am on page 259.

[00:00:52]So, marching my way slowly toward the 300 mark.

[00:00:58]You know, it's progress. Progress is progress, no matter how slow.

[00:01:02]I am now with Fantine. Um she is in this group with seven other people. Um three other girls and then the four lovers of these women.

[00:01:16]And her lover is I don't know how the hell to pronounce this.

[00:01:22]>> [gasps] >> Tholomyes?

[00:01:27]I'll write it here because I don't know what to do with that.

[00:01:32]I mean, I read French. I don't speak it.

[00:01:36]I have no idea how to pronounce most of these words.

[00:01:40]So, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. And [laughter] I am assuming because I have knowledge of the musical that this man is going to be the father of Cosette, which means that right from the get-go he sucks cuz he abandons them.

[00:01:55]So, waiting for that to happen. Right now, we're just like out in Paris on a Sunday enjoying ourselves. So, you know, I'm just kind of waiting for the other shoe to drop.

[00:02:08]Wouldn't it be great if I could finish this volume this month? Is that going to happen?

[00:02:14]Doubtful, but I can dream. I can really dream.

[00:02:18]And these other three books are all for Jane Austen July, which I am participating in this month. The first is The Elopement, which is from the library and is therefore very shiny.

[00:02:29]This is by Jill Hornby. It is a work of historical fiction, um focused on um it's one of her books that is focused on the Austen family. So, in this one, we are focused on Fanny Knight, the daughter of Jane Austen's brother, Edward Knight.

[00:02:48]Um and I am only in on the first chapter. I'm literally 11 pages in. I just started it this morning.

[00:02:55]But, she has just gotten a marriage proposal from Sir Edward Knatchbull, who we know due to history that she did marry.

[00:03:05]And I think a large part of this is going to be focused on her stepdaughter, um Mary Dorothia, who uh is one of the people in the titular elopement.

[00:03:21]So, I'm interested to see where this goes because I don't really I like I know who these people are from reading about Jane Austen, but I don't really know anything of the story. Like, what what happens? How is this marriage between Fanny and Sir Edward? What happened with Mary Dorothia? Who's she even eloping with? I don't know.

[00:03:44]I also really liked that at the beginning we have a prologue that's from um the point of view of Cassandra Austen, Jane Austen's sister. And the final final sentence of it is Cassandra could not help but wonder, what would Jane have made of it all? Because this whole book takes place after Jane Austin has died.

[00:04:04]So, very interested to keep going with this. I have read both of Jill Hornby's other books about Austin and the Austin family, um Miss Austin and Godmersham Park. So, I actually know a bit about Fanny from Godmersham Park, where she is a I think a child/young teenager.

[00:04:26]And so, it's very interesting now to see her grown up. She is 28 at the beginning of this. So, I'm very much looking forward to this. Next up is some non-fiction. This is What Jane Austen's Characters Read and Why by Susan Allen Ford. This is an academic work looking at the um literature Jane Austen references in her novels and why she is specifically referencing them. What does it say about the character reading that book? Um what does it say about the character not reading that book or starting that book and then putting it down?

[00:05:03]This has been fascinating so far. I have only read the first two chapters. The first which is an introduction about Jane Austen as a reader. And then the second which is looking at Northanger Abbey and Sense and Sensibility. Which of course are two books that are very um focused on reading. Northanger Abbey being probably the more obvious because it is satirizing the Gothic novel and Catherine Morland and Isabella Thorpe are reading not these Gothic novels constantly, particularly Mysteries of Udolpho.

[00:05:36]But Sense and Sensibility is um references poetry quite a lot and is really kind of in conversation with the the sentimental novel and sentimental poetry that was popular.

[00:05:51]So, that was super interesting. The next chapter is on reading conduct books and Pride and Prejudice. So, of course, Mr. Collins picks up Fordyce's Sermons to Young Women and Lydia Bennet is in the garden.

[00:06:09]>> [laughter] >> So, I'm really interested to continue with this book. It's so good, so fascinating. I'm like writing down each of the works and of course, so many of them I don't know.

[00:06:19]And there's ones I've read, obviously, Mysteries of Udolpho. Yeah, and there's poets that I've heard of, but some of these books I'm like, >> [laughter] >> "Who ever heard of that?" Not me. So, it's giving me some things to look up and maybe potentially read. And then the final book that I am reading is, of course, Mansfield Park by Jane Austen.

[00:06:41]This is the group read for Jane Austen July.

[00:06:45]I am Where am I?

[00:06:49]I am on chapter seven um and I'm enjoying it very much. This is my third time reading Mansfield Park.

[00:06:58]Um the first time, I felt very meh about it. The second time, I really loved it and I'm loving it again this time.

[00:07:05]Although, oh my god, I'm at the part where Fanny isn't getting to ride her horse because Edmund is bringing it out for Mary Crawford to learn to ride and so Fanny is like getting ill because she's not getting her um proper exercise >> [laughter] >> and I'm so mad.

[00:07:27]I hate Edmund so much.

[00:07:30]I'm never going to like this guy.

[00:07:33]Like reading this is just like an exercise in me being like, "Girl, you deserve so much better."

[00:07:44]But I love Fanny. She's so sweet. She Is she a little bit of a doormat sometimes?

[00:07:49]Yes. But can you really blame her considering the situation she's in? She is the um considerably less wealthy cousins cousin of these people that she lives with. So, she's been taken on kind of like as charity to her family. So, she doesn't really feel like she can ask for what she wants or even say no to Mary Crawford borrowing her horse, which is technically Edmund's horse, although he bought it for Fanny, but she feels since it's his and he would had bought it for her, but he can use it in any way he wants and she really doesn't feel she has a say. Like, I get it. I get why she's like this.

[00:08:36]And I really like her. I think she's very strong person despite the fact that she seems so passive.

[00:08:45]But she puts up with a lot throughout this book.

[00:08:48]So much.

[00:08:50]And I'm really just happy to be reading it again and loving it again. Because like I said, the first time I didn't like it that much. And I love my beautiful new copy that I just bought.

[00:09:03]So, that is what I am currently reading.

[00:09:06]Let me know down in the comments. Have you read any of these? What did you think? What are you reading right now?

[00:09:12]If you enjoyed this video, please don't forget to give it a thumbs up and subscribe to see more of my bookish content. It has been great chatting with you. I will see you soon. Bye.