Hello,
Today our dear Jane would be 234 years old. As I've discussed before, I think that many of us female readers consider Jane Austen to be "our Jane." I think the fact that she died so young, didn't marry, and never sold out, means that I will always see her through a positive prism. She never fell from grace or let me down. Because I like her smart aleck, witty, narrative voice I feel as if I know her. But in reality all I know is a picture of her that I've created in my head. If she was still around today I am convinced that she would still be unmarried. Perhaps she'd appreciate the wit of Wes Anderson and moon over George Clooney. She'd enjoy the social commentary of Mad Men but also the lustiness of True Blood. At this point we are almost 200 years after the publishing of Sense and Sensibility in 1811. I want to add one more adjective to the discussion of Miss Austen's influence: revolutionary.
Consider that in the early 19th century the idea of the novel was fairly new. Sure you had Don Quixote, Henry Fielding, and the gothic world of Radcliffe. Novels were largely written in epistolary or Journal form. Fiction was still an evolving art form. Being an avid reader Austen was able to read literature critically with a discerning eye. This is evident in her satirical critiques of books and reading. I think her finest sections in North Hanger Abbey involve her discussion of the effects of too much reading has had on the characters. Also remember that Emma decides to read more when she sets upon her own self improvement. (Of course the joke lies in the fact that it didn't do Emma much good. So clever.)
However her revolution goes even further. While it is obvious that she was not as interested in Romanticism as her peers were, she does not completely discount it. Austen showed an austere pragmatism in her realization of the world she inhabited. But rather than be as cynical as Voltaire or Wharton her stories wrap up in happily ever afters. Generally the lovers find suitable partners, villians get there comeuppance, and society goes on.
One has to ask: Where did this approach come from? It's not immediately evident in the literature of the time. Robinson Crusoe was too busy finding God. Radcliffe was more interested in creeping people out. Ivanhoe was fighting in the 12th century. So that leaves us with the clearest influence on "our Jane"-William Shakespeare.
Shakespeare's comedies display in theatrical form all the aspects that Jane Austen would later bring to the novel form. Lovers long separated, misunderstandings, and even the obligatory marriage endings. She clearly saw that this is what the reading audience would want. That's some forward thinking, considering there wasn't even a massive literary distribution in place at that time. There was no promise of money or notoriety in being an author. In fact the profession was notorious, especially for women. So what motivated her? She just had to write. In her eyes there was no other option.
What a blow it must have been to have her first 3 novel attempts end up going nowhere. No wonder she stagnated for a few years while suffering in Bath. In the end her talent and foresight was so strong that eventually a publisher gave it a chance. It still took until 1811 that Sense and Sensibility got published. Austen had to wait for the literatti to catch up with her. By 1811 Gothic had played itself out. Audiences wanted a secularization of literature. And "our Jane" brought it.
Jane Austen found a new way to tell the stories that she wanted to tell. And didn't give up. That's a revolutionary act in and of itself.
Here's a fun Jane Austen entry from the past: Teach Me Jane I'm Willing to Learn...
Happy Birthday Jane!
Have a great day, Book Slave.
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