For The Love of Jane Austen
I
never fail to be amazed when I mention my love of Jane Austen novels in
conversation only to be met with a tell-tale blank stare indicating that the
person with whom I am speaking has no idea who she is. I then proceed to rattle
off at least three of the five completed Austen novels by name. I am fully
aware, that even well-read individuals have rarely heard of her epistolary work
Lady Susan or her incomplete novel Sanditon, named so by Austen’s family
and “completed” by numerous authors, so I do not mention those. Probably about
half of the time this ends with me ranting about how Jane Austen is one of the
most celebrated English authors in history, because she is. In fact, she has
been referred to as the first great woman novelist (Bagnuolo), because she is.
Born in 1775, Jane Austen was the
daughter of a clergyman and had seven siblings, only one of whom was a sister.
She was brought up in an environment in which her father encouraged education
of his daughters as well as his sons. Austen was allowed the use of her
father’s library and he encouraged her writing by maintaining a supply of
books, paper, and pens. Later, he even attempted to get one of her works
published, but without success. Jane was said to have been very close with her
father, and especially close with her sister Cassandra. Readers see glimpses of
this relationship in her novels when they experience the bond between
characters such as Elizabeth and Jane Bennett or Elinor and Maryanne Dashwood. Jane Austen never married. She loved one man,
Mr. Tom Lefroy but the two were not permitted to marry because, though Austen
was a gentlewoman, her family was not well to do (Alex). Surely, this
experience provided fuel for her novels, in which, the heroines always married
for love not for money and lovers were united against the odds without regard
to fortune or connections or a lack thereof.
Austen was successful because she
wrote about what she was familiar with. She wrote about her own era and the
society in which she lived. She had a thorough knowledge of the composition and
characteristics of the social classes because she lived it. She wrote of places
she knew and had experienced. These are what she drew on for inspiration; her
surroundings gave birth to her settings and characters (Bagnuolo). Incidentally,
one will never see dialogue quoted in one of her novels unless there is a
female in the conversation. Austen’s style is to summarize conversations taking
place between men and save her detailed dialogue for the ladies. I have always
attributed this to keeping with the pattern of working with what was familiar
to her. Even though Austen’s work did not gain widespread popularity until long
after her death, her contemporaries acknowledged this key ingredient which made
her novels so splendid. In a review printed in 1816, the year she released her
third novel, Sir Walter Scott wrote, “The author's knowledge of the world, and
the peculiar tact with which she presents characters that the reader cannot
fail to recognize, reminds us something of the merits of the Flemish school of
painting. The subjects are not often elegant, and certainly never grand; but
they are finished to nature, and with a precision which delights the reader”
(Melani).
This give Austen’s writing an authentic
quality that cannot be duplicated. Sanditon
makes this point perfectly clear. While every effort was made to complete the
work seamlessly, in true Jane Austen style, even meticulous study of her
writing could not make up for the lack of firsthand knowledge in the version I
read, which was completed by Another Lady. The authenticity was not there and
it is obvious to the reader where it disappears.
“The
widespread appeal and popularity of Austen’s novels shows that her work,
although written in a different era, addresses issues that are timeless”
(Strout et al.). It is interesting to note that her novels are popular, and
considered the epitome of romance in spite of being wholesome. Unlike the racy
romance novels of our day, her novels never mention sexual encounters, kissing
or even touching (Harman). On the contrary, Jane’s novels are written in a time
when eloping was wrong and couples were chaperoned and they remain true to
those high moral standards. Yet, each one is a page turner, keeping the reader
wanting more. At the same time, any of her novels would make a lovely, classic
bedtime story for a little girl.
Of course, when I rattle off the
names of three of the five Jane Austen novels prior to my rant Pride and Prejudice is always included and
always first. It was originally titled First
Impressions, but after revising this epic romance Austen had it published
in 1813 with the title it bears today. This was her most celebrated and
popular novel while she was alive, and though her other works are very popular
today Pride and Prejudice still has
the largest fan base. Her
works generally deal with the same issues and questions, though she explores
them from different perspectives, under different circumstances, and with a
variety of consequences (Melani). However, Pride
and Prejudice has a significantly different theme woven together with the
familiar Jane Austen fare and one might say there is a moral to this story. The
underlying, serious tone is to be wary of being judgmental and presumptuous. It is absolute brilliance how Austen teaches
readers the folly in pre-judging people based on stereotypes or hearsay,
addresses pressing issues such as the importance of duty to society versus duty
to oneself, and then marries them both to comical satire in Pride and Prejudice.
The characters are all real and
memorable even though not much time is spent describing them. The reader always
gets to know Austen’s characters through their speech and actions. Thus, Elizabeth
Bennett and Mr. Darcy are one of literature’s most beloved couples and Caroline
Bingley is hardly more than a heartless villainess. Mr. Bingley and Jane
Bennett are cherished as the sweet unsuspecting couple, Mr. Collins irritates
the audience and the rest of the Bennett family makes them laugh.
Austen’s character selection
helps tell the story, but it also speaks to the issues. Elizabeth Bennett’s
parents are the product of society, it is implied that their marriage, in
keeping with the norm was based on the ideals of the world around them, namely
money and connections. It is apparent throughout the story that they are
ill-suited for one another and they have regrets. The same holds true for Mr.
and Mrs. Hurst, while Louisa is wealthy and was able to maintain her social
stature in marriage, she is not happy. In this way, Austen makes clear her
thoughts on what truly makes a happy marriage.
Mr. Collins represented what
society dictated a young woman in the Bennett girls’ position should pursue, a
secure income, comfortable home, a husband with a respectable career and
eventually a family. His character was deliberately designed to be everything
Elizabeth thought was undesirable, in order to expose the ridiculousness of
following a culture that would encourage incompatible marriages based on compatible
circumstances, in essence putting survival over living. In Regency era England,
single men had open access to money. What they did not inherit, they could
earn. The only way for a single young lady to get money was to marry it
(Newton).
The reader gets another dose of
Austen’s money-does-not equal-happiness stance in Lady Catherine de Bourgh and
her daughter, Anne. In this case, we see that money does not always equal
manners either. Lady Catherine is just plain rude, feeling as though because
she is a woman of rank she has a right to be so. Her daughter is sickly and
fragile, and they live a very lonely life together other than occasional
company.
Mr. Wickham’s character points
out the dangers put upon young women of good breeding and fortune, in a society
that values both above all else. These young women are set up to be preyed upon
by men who seek to advance themselves without earning it. This scoundrel
Wickham must have been quite interesting to readers in Austen’s day, when
families tended to be more on guard against less-than-worthy girls trying to
seduce their sons into marriage for their money. Why would families be less
concerned about their daughters being preyed upon in this manner? Men of the
day did not need to get married. They
could do so if they chose, but it was not a necessity for a man to have a wife.
Men made their own money, and moved about as they pleased. (Newton) Society
looked upon married and single men indiscriminately. Young ladies, however, needed to marry in order to provide for
themselves financially and secure a respectable place in society. Even women of
wealth were expected to be married at least once. Spinsters, women who had
never married, were looked down upon to some degree regardless of their
financial status.
Even with all the flaws of the
world she knew up for examination, Jane Austen still manages to entertain
readers and endear herself and her characters to them, nearly two hundred years
after her death. Her work is extremely popular today and has been translated
into over 30 languages including Japanese, Hebrew, Icelandic, Bengali, Tamil,
and Telugu. Her complete works are among the most read and beloved books in the
English language. Austen’s novels have been either directly made into big
screen movies or used in adaptations (i.e. Clueless (1995) adapted from Emma)
many times. There are also numerous made for television movies based on her
work, (Harman) even her own life story has become a major motion picture.
I, therefore, feel perfectly
within my rights to be aghast when one of my peers does not know who Jane
Austen is, or cannot at the very least recognize the title of one of her world
renowned novels. One may as well say they have never heard of Shakespeare, for
Jane Austen is the first great woman novelist. She is, without a doubt one of
the most famous, celebrated English authors in history.
