What was most fascinating was seeing the influences on Jane Austen. It was further fascinating to see her describing the cruelties and caprices of the gentry, and the ways the heroines refused to bend their own moral proprieties to, say, survive. In some ways her attitudes were very forward-thinking about women's roles, and in others, not so much. Burney was making some very valid points about these limited opportunities that demonstrated how wrong they were then, as today. It is fascinating, however, to see the attitudes about women's' place in society and their limited opportunities, while being made constantly aware of the different eras between her era and mine. Burney want to drive it over and over and over. If there is a way to drive the point in, Ms. In all the books, the heroines get caught in compromising positions every few pages in a VERY long book. If one example of the oppressions or adventures of these young women is good, then a hundred examples are better. What makes this a hard read, besides archaic vocabulary, is that she seems to feel if a few words describe something, a thousand words will describe it better. She had agendas for these women that depends on their "propriety", which is demonstrated ad nauseum. The woman just did not know how to edit herself. I have read three of the four books in this volume.
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