So while I thoroughly enjoyed "A Jane Austen Education," I didn't entirely buy it. Its narrative seemed constrained by the very American (and fairly puritanical) notion that culture proves its worth by demonstrating that it leads to self-improvement. This approach, at its worst, can make literature seem like some dull but nutritious foodstuff that must be dutifully chewed and swallowed, however little pleasure it may give. That's not why I read Jane Austen -- it's not even why I read "A Jane Austen Education" -- and I suspect it's not why Deresiewicz reads her, either. Something tells me that he has gotten a lot more out of those six novels than life lessons, and I'd like to read about that, too.I definitely believe reading makes you smarter (duh) - nothing makes my brain turn to mush more than going for a stretch without reading something of substance. And I also believe reading fiction makes you more compassionate (as a recent study suggested.) But I'm also guessing that you can't read your way out of being an asshole, so.
Of course, while I loves me some Elizabeth Gaskell, you couldn't fucking pay me to read Austen, so I guess I'm an asshole.
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