A Bit of Brontës, a Dollop of Dickinson, an Offering of Austen

A Dab of Dickens, Book 2

By: Elliot Engel

Narrated by: full cast

They are icons of the literary world whose soaring works have been discussed and analyzed in countless classrooms, homes, and pubs. Yet for most listeners, the living, breathing human beings behind the classics have remained unknown - until now. In this utterly captivating audiobook, Dr. Elliot Engel, a leading authority on the lives of great authors, illuminates the fascinating and flawed members of literature's elite. In lieu of stuffy biographical sketches, Engel provides fascinating anecdotes.

You'll never look at these literary giants the same way again.

©2002 Elliot Engel (P)2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

English Literature made Easy

Would you try another book from Elliot Engel and/or full cast?

If you don’t know much about the writers who are covered here then this book is for you, especially if you are an eight grader. Prof. Engel sounds like he is teaching an 8th grade class, which was surprising since nothing in the explanation mentions that this is for a juvenile audience. I got a little tired of Prof. Engel sounding out and pronouncing words as if I were too young, or not smart enough, to understand them. While talking about the Brontes the author states that Ann Bronte was not as good of a novelist as her sisters, but he never explains why. He also never explains why the other two sisters are superior to their sibling. He does a bit better with Jane Austen and Emily Dickenson in explaining what made them tick. The best part of the book is when Mr. Engel is finished with the historical/biographical part of the chapters and other readers take over and read excerpts of books and poems.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

A bit abrupt of an ending.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Yes

What else would you have wanted to know about Elliot Engel’s life?

Nothing really about Prof. Engel's life, but a lot more about Austen, Bronte's and Dickinson.

Any additional comments?

The best part of the book are the excerpt readings.

Quasi-fiction by a PHD

Dr Engel appears to be more concerned with establishing his feminist bona fifes (Is that a blue hair caught between his teeth?) than he is with being accurate. Going on and on about how Jane Austin was the first female Author in the English language may seem like praise by today’s woke standards- but it diminishes the works themselves. Her works are great. No matter what parts are housed between her legs.
I found the information on the Bronte sisters to be fascinating. And then I listened to Dr. Engel speak about Emily Dickinson and he got SO MUCH wrong- that I now doubt everything else that he said. These are a few of the things he got wrong re Dickinson:
1. He says Emily Dickinson never left Amherst except for a brief stay in Boston. (She actually spent the spring of 1855 in Washington DC- but Dr Engel apparently didn’t know that.)
2. Emily’s Sister, Lavinia, did not find her poems in a box in her closet. They were entrusted to their household servant Margret Maher.
3. None of the poems in the “fascicles” were typed.
4. The editor/ former neighbor of Dickinson was NOT named Mabel Loomis and her Husband was NOT David Loomis- they were Mabel Loomis Todd and David Todd. Much like today- the married couple did not take the wife’s maiden name after their marriage (no matter how things work in Engel’s private fantasy land). How could Engel get this wrong??? If you type Mabel Loom” into a Google search engine- it will complete Mabel Loomis Todd for you! It doesn’t require ANY research AT ALL!
5. Possibly worst of all: he criticized “Mabel Loomis” for changing Dickinson’s poetry and for giving them titles (I agree with that.). Then says we are lucky to have the original manuscripts (I agree with that too). We are then treated to a selection of Dickinson poems, read by has-been celebrities (apparently Gary Coleman wasn’t available to do a reading), a good portion of which were the versions EDITED AND GIVEN TITLES BY MABEL LOOMIS TODD!!
What is WRONG with this maniac? How are we supposed to believe a single thing he says? What correspondence school gave him his PhD?