Read Online All Roads Lead to Austen by Amy Elizabeth Smith - Free Book Online

something you can learn from a book.
    Since Nora knew me best, after a beat she nudged me, laughing, and the others joined in. I may not teach in the same school, but I was a teacher, after all.
    â€œYes, it’s true, there are norteamericanos at the school who aren’t very polite,” Mercedes said. “Let’s face it—our students are living at a different economic level from us, a better level.”
    â€œAnd some are arrogant, very arrogant,” Élida murmured as Mercedes talked, unable to resist seconding the point.
    Nora overlapped her as well. “Rich people sometimes actually have the worst behavior, like Darcy and Bingley’s sister at that first dance. Other people were just trying to be nice to them!”
    While I let the conversation unfold naturally, there was one specific thing I wanted to ask. “Are there any elements of this story that are specific to England, things that wouldn’t happen here?”
    Ã‰lida shook her head. “There are some differences with our lives today but that’s more because of the times, not culture, I think. People back then were much more formal and ceremonious.”
    â€œWe’re courteous but not so formal,” agreed Mercedes. “Even husbands and wives referred to each other then as Señor, Señora .” I was glad I’d asked, because before our food could arrive to shut down conversation, the roving musicians did.
    â€œâ€˜You’re like a thorn in my heart,’” Nora leaned over to translate the lyrics of the ballad. “I think this song is Mexican. A lot of the best songs are.”
    â€œWell, anyway,” Mercedes again took the initiative as the talented musicians moved off to serenade other diners, “I wanted to say that I like how Austen shows you that some pride is good, like pride in your accomplishments or your family. But you can’t let pride make you think you’re better than others.”
    â€œThat’s our problem here,” Nora offered. “That’s exactly where discrimination comes from. Whether it’s because of money or because of race, it’s no good.”
    Ã‰lida, Flor, and Ani nodded agreement, and we fell into a satisfied silence. The flow of our discussion had led us there, it seemed, as a kind of conclusion about the novel’s themes and Austen’s contemporary relevance. I thought back to Larry and to my California students and the many connections they’d drawn between their lives and Austen’s romantic entanglements and family dramas. While no one in Antigua had offered to smack any of the characters, they’d certainly enjoyed seeing Mr. Collins knocked down to size by Lizzy and Charlotte.
    And it was clear that for these women, Austen’s world—however far from Guatemala—was still familiar territory.
    After the meal, as we savored our coffee and desserts, I noticed Flor surreptitiously check her watch. Better get to the presents. The whole evening I’d been toting along a large paper bag with string handles, which each of the ladies would eye at random moments. One by one, I removed smaller festive bags from inside and placed them on the table.
    â€œFlor, this is for you!” I started with her, and soon each member of the group was carefully removing tissue paper and probing into a package.
    If you’re really an Austen fan, a true Janeite in the nerdiest sense, you know that there’s quite a lot of Jane stash out there. Before the Internet, to get it you had to visit hot spots like Bath, where she lived for a stretch, or Chawton Cottage, her last residence, or Winchester, where she died. Now from the comfort of home you can order Austen coffee cups, tea cozies, aprons, kitchen towels, key rings, pens, necklaces, notepads, mouse pads, pillows, bobbleheads, and for the adventurous fan, the Jane Austen action figure (complete with quill pen and paper). I’m proud to say, however,