| 7s | Whether she’s describing bickering families, |
| 10s | quiet declarations of love, |
| 12s | |
| 13s | Jane Austen’s writing often feels as though it was written just for you. |
| 18s | Her dry wit and cheeky playfulness informs her heroines, |
| 22s | whose conversational tone welcomes readers with a conspiratorial wink. |
| 27s | It’s even been said that some readers feel like the author’s secret confidante, |
| 31s | trading letters with their delightfully wicked friend Jane. |
| 36s | But this unique brand of tongue-in-cheek humor |
| 38s | is just one of the many feats found in her sly satires |
| 42s | of society, civility, and sweeping romance. |
| 46s | Written in the early nineteenth century, |
| 48s | Austen's novels decode the sheltered lives |
| 51s | of the upper classes in rural England. |
| 54s | From resentment couched in pleasantries |
| 56s | to arguing that masks attraction, |
| 59s | her work explores the bewildering collision of emotions and etiquette. |
| 63s | But while romance is a common thread in her work, |
| 66s | Austen dismissed the sentimental style of writing so popular at the time. |
| 70s | Instead of lofty love stories, |
| 72s | her characters act naturally, and often awkwardly. |
| 77s | They trade pragmatic advice, friendly jokes |
| 79s | and not-so-friendly barbs about their arrogant peers. |
| 83s | As they grapple with the endless rules of their society, |
| 86s | Austen’s characters can usually find humor |
| 89s | in all the hypocrisy, propriety, and small talk. |
| 92s | As Mr. Bennet jokes to his favorite daughter, |
| 95s | “For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbors |
| 98s | and laugh at them in our turn?” |
| 101s | And though her heroines might ridicule senseless social mores, |
| 104s | Austen fully understood the practical importance of maintaining appearances. |
| 109s | At the time she was writing, |
| 110s | a wealthy marriage was a financial necessity for most young women, |
| 114s | and she often explores the tension between the mythical quest for love, |
| 118s | and the economic benefits of making a match. |
| 122s | The savvy socialite Mary Crawford sums this up in "Mansfield Park;" |
| 127s | “I would have everybody marry if they can do it properly: |
| 129s | I do not like to have people throw themselves away.” |
| 133s | Unsurprisingly, these themes were also present in Austen’s personal life. |
| 138s | |
| 140s | she lived in the social circles found in her novels. |
| 144s | Jane's parents supported her education, |
| 146s | and provided space for her to write and publish her work anonymously. |
| 150s | But writing was hardly lucrative work. |
| 153s | And although she had sparks of chemistry, |
| 155s | |
| 157s | Elements of her circumstances can be found in many of her characters; |
| 160s | often intelligent women with witty, pragmatic personalities, |
| 165s | |
| 167s | These headstrong heroines provide an entertaining anchor |
| 170s | for their tumultuous romantic narratives. |
| 173s | Like the irreverent Elizabeth Bennet of "Pride and Prejudice," |
| 177s | whose devotion to her sisters’ love lives blinds her to a clumsy suitor. |
| 182s | Or the iron-willed Anne Elliot of "Persuasion," |
| 185s | who chooses to remain unmarried after the disappearance of her first love. |
| 190s | |
| 191s | who fiercely protects her family at the cost of her own desires |
| 195s | in "Sense and Sensibility." |
| 197s | These women all encounter difficult choices |
| 199s | about romantic, filial, and financial stability, |
| 203s | and they resolve them without sacrificing their values– |
| 206s | |
| 208s | Of course, these characters are far from perfect. |
| 212s | They often think they have all the answers. |
| 214s | And by telling the story from their perspective, |
| 217s | Austen tricks the viewer into believing their heroine knows best– |
| 221s | only to pull the rug out from under the protagonist and the reader. |
| 226s | In "Emma," the titular character feels surrounded by dull neighbors, |
| 229s | and friends who can’t hope to match her wit. |
| 233s | As her guests prattle on and on about nothing, |
| 235s | the reader begins to agree– |
| 237s | Emma is the only exciting character in this quiet neighborhood. |
| 241s | Yet despite her swelling ego, |
| 243s | Emma may not be as in control as she thinks – in life or love. |
| 249s | And Austen’s intimate use of perspective |
| 251s | makes these revelations doubly surprising, |
| 254s | blindsiding both Emma and her audience. |
| 258s | But rather than diminishing her host of heroines, |
| 261s | these flaws only confirm “the inconsistency of all human characters.” |
| 266s | Their complexity has kept Austen prominent on stage and screen, |
| 270s | and made her work easily adaptable for modern sensibilities. |
| 274s | |
| 275s | new readers will continue to find a friend in Ms. Austen |
| 278s | |
