It's still Jane's World. We just live here.

Hello
In anticipation of Masterpiece Theatre's new adaptation of Emma, which screened Part 1 last night, my mom and I had a little Austen discussion yesterday. My mom and I have shared a love of "Jane" ever since I was teen. Luckily I was a teen during the Austen revival of the mid 90s. Her and I breathlessly saw all the various movie adaptations that were released at that time. I read the books for the first time, as she revisited them with each new adaptation.

Yesterday's discussion began with a debate about whether Clueless should be compared with more straightforward adaptations of Emma. I argue that it shares enough in common with say 1996's Emma (that's the one with Paltrow) that it should be considered. Her argument was that it set a dangerous precedent. Would we allow Bridget Jones's Diary to be compared with 1994's Pride and Prejudice? Not to mention all these hybrids which are adding zombies and sea monsters to our Jane's original texts? I did see her point, however I think Clueless is the best adaptation thus far of Emma for the screen. I guess I'm okay with making an exception in this case. My very literate mom held her ground, respectively.

Moving on... I then threw down a gauntlet: Rank Your Austen Novels. Although it's a bit silly and arbitrary, it's also kinda fun.
Surprisingly my mom topped her list with Persuasion. Now this was fairly shocking to me. I just assumed that P&P would be the tops for both of us. Isn't P&P universally loved and held on a pedestal by all us Jane-ites? Apparently not. Perhaps Persuasion is rising in people's estimations with the more information that we find out about Jane herself. I've always seen Jane as being an "Elizabeth Bennett"-esque character, but maybe she is more like Anne Eliot. With her use of writer's voice Austen is as much a character in her books as Emma Woodhouse. It is not difficult then to graft our own love for "our Jane" to certain characters that she has created. I feel that this emotional transference is starting to occur with the character of Anne Eliot, a woman who believes that she made a mistake in love years ago.

Persuasion was Austen's last finished book and it clearly reflects a more adult world view. Anne Eliot is Austen's most mature character. She is full of regret, world-weary, and lost. The return of Captain Wentworth is a chance at redemption. I think a part of us wants to believe that maybe Austen sought a similiar redemption as she was dying of what was most likely Addison's Disease. However I am also starting to believe that Austen, while she was in dire straights, was evolving as a writer. Persuasion was a step towards more adult subjects such as death, war, and lost chances. Will she settle for William Eliot? The stakes are more personal as Anne Eliot feels that she has blown her chance at happiness.

I prefer to believe that Jane Austen regretted nothing about her life. Perhaps she would have liked to make more money and write more books. But otherwise I'm not interested in the tragic view, we'll leave that to the Brontes. I think this is why my favorite is Pride and Prejudice because it reflects a convergence of comedy, commentary, and pure joy. As her first written book P&P, originally known as First Impressions, I still marvel at how different it is than any other books of the time. I've written about this at length here. But today I revel in the humor and knowing winks that Jane gives us through her 3rd person narrative voice. She is our guide in this 19th century country society world. And although she'll show us the silliness of this societies culture, she also shows us the nobility that exists. You get the feeling in P&P that Austen loves it, flaws and all.

Of course this entire discussion is highly subjective. With only 6 novels available in her literary oevre us Jane-ites have the ability to really dwell on all the nuances. The fact that so much discussion could be pulled from so little material is a testament to her skill. It's undeniable.

For anyone interested here's our respective lists:
(BTW In all fairness I have not read Sanditon or Mansfield Park and my mom has not read Northanger Abbey, so these have been omitted)
Mom
Persuasion
Pride and Prejudice
Sense and Sensibility
Emma
Mansfield Park

Me
Pride and Prejudice
Emma
Persuasion
Sense and Sensibility
Northanger Abbey

Have a great week! Book Slave.

Teach me Jane, I'm willing to learn...

Hey World Out There,
How lucky are you? Yes, an extra entry this week. I am introducing a new feature:

Lessons I’ve Learned From Classic Lit: Jane Austen


1. Beware those who speak cleverly. Whether it’s Wickam, Willoughby, or Mr. Elton watch out for men who are dangerously attractive. Let’s not forget the Crawfords as well. Austen throughout her 6 books continuously drills this point home.

2. Sisters are important. Of course in her own life Austen depended upon her sister Cassandra and one can’t help but see parallels between two different sets in her books. The relationship between the sisters Dashwood and Bennett play this out. Both sisters are opposites of each other whether it is sense/sensibility or intellect/beauty. They may disagree with each other from time to time, but when a sister is under attack the other sister is there to defend her.

3. Beware mothers who are focused on wealthy marriages rather than happiness. Mrs. Bennett, Mrs, Farrers, Lady Bertram, Enough said.

4. Watch out for false friends who seem to have your best interests at heart. Throughout all six books the main protagonists have their happiness thwarted by their supposed best friend. Cheekily in Emma the false friend is the main character making it a change up in formula. Be paranoid of your friends folks.

5. Marry for love and happiness, not wealth. This is obvious to us today but back in her day marriage meant security. Without marriage you could end up dying penniless in a cottage with your mom and sister. Considering her own personal situation I find it astounding that her books are relentlessly optimistic.

6. True love takes time to develop. Throughout her books, especially in Persuasion, Austen implies that loving relationships require a certain amount of maturity. Elizabeth Bennett has to turn down Mr. Darcy when she does because they are both not ready. In Persuasion, Anne Eliot and Captain Wentworth prove that love may require a long wait.

Well there’s a few, I know there are many more. Jane Austen managed to cram an immense amount of life into 6 books. I’ve never read Lady Susan or Sanditon because I don’t like reading books not finished by the original author. Hence they are not included her. In the future I’ll feature some more eclectic authors, but I thought I’d start with something easy.

Have a great week. Book Slave.