A Man's Perspective On The Pleasures of Reading Jane Austen.

Sitting down to read the opening pages of Jane Austen's Persuasion is like slipping into the cosiest of slippers, fresh soft new felt dressing gown, and sitting beside a glorious crackling fireplace in the dead hours of the dead months of deepest winter with an enormous mug of cinnamon hot chocolate.

If you, reader, have no experience yet of what is meant by the words "exquisite diction", you have only to turn to these pages and read them aloud to instantly drink in the liquid music of pure English tones. They are such pure tones that they flow past the ear with no sense of labor or effort, but with a complete ease which might deceive the uneducated listener as to their simplicity. But have no illusions! every word is placed precisely where it belongs, and no word is used without art, and any word is omitted with strategy.

Fall silent as you read slowly. Doff your hat; bow your heads. For we are in the presence of literary royalty in these first pages of Jane Austen's Persuasion.

PS - The movie of this book is by far the best Austen movie I've seen, fyi.