Books Quote by Jane Austen
“I will not adopt that ungenerous and impolitic custom so common with novel writers, of degrading by their contemptuous censure the very performances, to the number of which they are themselves adding?joining with their greatest enemies in bestowing the harshest epithets on such works, and scarcely ever permitting them to be read by their own heroine, who, if she accidentally take up a novel, is sure to turn over its insipid leaves with disgust.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: Northanger Abbey, 1817
Austen criticizes the habit of reviewers who harshly condemn novels, often aligning with the work’s enemies and denying readers, especially heroines, the chance to engage with them.
In simple terms: Critics sometimes unfairly attack novels, preventing readers from appreciating them.
Key Takeaway
Consider the impact of criticism on literary reception.
Themes
literary criticism
authorial intent
reception
gender
novel reading
Mood
reflective
critical
thoughtful
Type
analytical
literary
When to use this quote
- book clubs
- academic courses
- publishing reviews
- author workshops
Key Concepts
Aesthetic judgment
power dynamics
censorship
Questions to Reflect On
- How does harsh criticism affect a work’s legacy?
- Should readers seek works despite negative reviews?
A Different Perspective
Criticism can also highlight valuable flaws and guide improvement.
![“Everybody is taken in at some period or another. [...] In marriage especially. [...] There is not one in a hundred of either sex, who is not taken in when they marry. Look where I will, I see that it is so; and I feel that it must be so, when I consider that it is, of all transactions, the one in…” quote by Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/37a/jane-austen-39_marriage_everybody-is-taken-in-at-some-period-or_7175.jpg)
