Happy 250th birthday, Miss Jane Austen! Throughout this year in England and other countries, including the U.S., fans are celebrating with festivals, parades, balls, and exhibits.
Why all the fuss?
Her stories may be set in the 18th-century landed gentry, but the themes of class, morality, and romance remain timeless.
Furthermore, Miss Austen’s popularity has endured partly because her novels have rarely been out of print.
Miss Austen was born in 1775 and wrote six novels before she died in 1817 at the age of 41. During her lifetime, four of her novels — Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), and Emma (1815) — were published anonymously, and the other two — Northanger Abbey (1818) and Persuasion (1818) — posthumously.
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” — Pride and Prejudice, 1813
If you have never read a Miss Austen novel, I suggest starting with Pride and Prejudice and the Bennet family. Five unmarried daughters! Plus, Lizzy and Mr. Darcy will capture your heart. Read the book with your eyes and your ears for the best experience. Rosamund Pike narrates a fantastic edition. Then watch the 2005 movie with Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen. A six-part series is in production for Netflix, and the casting looks fantastic.
Miss Austen’s themes are universal, and writers frequently draw upon them. Goodreads lists 343 books as Austen retellings! One of my favorite novels is Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin, a modern-day Muslim Pride and Prejudice. The most well-known retelling may be Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding. This retelling led to a movie franchise starring Renee Zellweger. In 2018, Hallmark Channel used holiday twists on Austen themes in several of its Countdown to Christmas movies.
“It isn’t what we say or think that defines us, but what we do.” — Sense and Sensibility, 1811
Clarence Brown Theatre play
Women in Regency England were in a perilous position, and Miss Austen did not shy away from writing about it. The Dashwood sisters of Sense and Sensibility exemplify how poor relations were treated under the rule of primogeniture. Despite the seriousness of their predicament, she wrote their story with humor and witty dialogue. My friend and I attended a wonderful adaptation at the Clarence Brown Theater on Sunday. Go before it ends on October 5.
In September 2023, I visited Chawton, Hampshire, where Miss Austen spent the last few years of her life, living with her sister, Cassandra. Here at a small writing table, she wrote the stories that still fascinate readers today.
Jane’s writing table in the dining room
I have offered only a handful of Austen suggestions today. For more, contact me at thebookwhisperertn@gmail.com.
Look for these recommendations and other books at Knox County Online Library or your local independent bookstore each week.
Linda Sullivan is an avid reader and wants to inspire you to become one, too. For more recommendations or to talk books, reach out to her at thebookwhisperertn@gmail.com. She can also be found @thebookwhisperertn on Instagram.
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