Walter Allen remarked about Jane Austen in The English Novel, 'You don't accidently blunder on perfection six times.'
I understand what he means, but I am biased because I regard Jane Austen as the greatest author that has lived.
But is there such a thing as perfection in English or Foreign literature? I think not.
Why I Write, by George Orwell.
In his book of four excellent short essays, he claims that,
'All books are failures.'
Louise.
The best books are character driven. It is what sells contemporary and traditional books.
If you find the characters in Jane Austen's books uninteresting, fair enough.
But the traditional English novel is usually about a character finding fulfillment in society
I completely agree with Victoria - you have to stop sometime. Maybe that's the secret of good writing; knowing when to stop.
Bit of work to do yet, then :)
George Lucus says 'You never finish a film, you merely abandon it.' I think that goes for books too. You could endlessly tweak and change your work to reach its best, but at some point you have to just let it go and move on. I have to say this is not something I'm good at. I'm never able to say my books are finished. I always have one last read through to do.
I can't believe the greatest novelists of the past weren't exactly the same. You have to wonder what Jane Austen would change, though.