A Fine Brush on Ivory: An Appreciation of Jane Austen

Better than any other book about Jane Austen's craft that I have read, this book puts Ms. Austen's accomplishments in perspective. Jenkyns eliminates much of the superfluous agenda that other modern critics have devised in order to put Austen in her place. His explications leave his reader with a greater understanding of how it happens that Austen's work continues to delight us and why it is possible that it has inspired so many other works of fiction. I originally bought this to read on my Kindle. But I later bought a hardcover version for easier use of the index.

Richard Jenkyns' 2004 "A Fine Brush On Ivory" is the very best kind of literary criticism, an elegant and fascinating exploration of the art and artistry of romance novelist Jane Austen. Austen's fans know that her novels are entertaining through repeated readings; Jenkyns explores the why of that happy fact. Although Jenkyns does not quite come out and say so, Jane Austen was something of a perfectionist in her writing technique. Her stories are authentic, closely crafted, and subtle comedies of manners. She wrote for her own times, and Jenkyns helps us appreciate what might not be visible to the modern reader by peeling back the stories to examine the fine details of character and plot underneath. Jenkyns surveys the published novels and some of the juvenalia, but, inevitably, "Pride and Prejudice" gets much attention as her most succesful work. Jenkyns explores the advantages of seeing the story through Elizabeth's eyes, including the result that Darcy remains something of a fascinating mystery to the end of the story. Supporting characters suggest surprising depth even with very brief appearences in the novel. Austen's characters successfully advance the storyline while behaving "in character", without the need for exotic events or circumstances. Austen was not afraid to experiment within the narrow range of her experience and her improving technique. Jenkyns carefully disassembles "Mansfield Park" to reveal the complexities of its difficult plot. The conundrums inherent in the potential pairings of Mary and Henry Crawford with, respectively, Edmund Bertram and Fanny Price reveal the subtle workings of Austen's writing technique. The outcome suggests that Ausen deliberately set out to build a story around an atypical heroine and succeeded. "Emma", perhaps the most straight forward of Austen's romantic comedies, turns out to have unexpected heroes and villains. Jenkyns notes that "Persuasion" was very possibly wrapped up in some haste as Austen began to succumb to the disease that would kill her, but still manages to combine the essential elements of her style in a successful if shortened novel. "A Fine Brush On Ivory" is very highly recommended to fans of Jane Austen as a delightful and detailed exploration of her art. Readers need not agree with every item to appreciate Jenkyns' enthusiasm for the topic. Students with less familiarity with Austen will also find this book to be a fascinating and accessible introduction to her style.

It has been over a year since I read this book, but I thought I had to write something seeing the horrible single review it's received so far. Briefly, I enjoyed this book more than any other Austen criticism I've read. My background with Austen is that I did not read her in college, though I was an English major, but discovered P & P and then read the rest of her novels when I was about 25. I found that reading this book was a bit like that experience, letting me revisit the characters and settings I had enjoyed so much. Moreover, the author's analysis lead me to consider all the novels in ways I hadn't before. These ways were not radically different, but I thought this book built wonderfully on a variety of the author's subtle observations (not unlike Austen's own style, eh?). I especially liked the bit on Pride and Prejudice, which is often thought of as Austen's simplest novel. The idea that Mr. Bennet is a sort of villain darkened the novel a bit, and made me think about how easily P & P could have been as brooding as Mansfield Park. The author's analysis of the character's interaction revealed how complicated and insightful Austen is even in her lightest and brightest work.