What Would Jane Think?

Keira Knightley and Rosamund Pike in the 2005 film "Pride and Prejudice"

It is interesting to think about Jane Austen and what she would have thought about her fame today. Could she ever have imagined the extent of it?   It is amazing to think of all the movies, television series and books that have been based on her novels and her life.  She is one of the most beloved and well-known writers in the world and her future fame was surely beyond her imagination.  She would certainly have been astonished and delighted by all the attention the 200th anniversary (on January 28) of "Pride and Prejudice" is getting.  She called this book her "darling child." There are lectures, newspaper and magazine articles, radio programs, exhibitions, and even a BBC television special which recreates the Netherfield Ball as described in "Pride and Prejudice." (Read more here.)   It was shot on location at Chawton house in Hampshire, England, the home of Jane Austen.  All of these programs and articles are examining the reasons for and celebrating the enduring popularity of this novel.

Take a look at this short film about Jane Austen called The Divine Jane.  It was part of an exhibition I saw at the Morgan Library in New York two years ago, A Woman's Wit: Jane Austen's Life and Legacy.   In this excellent film, actors, writers and scholars talk about Jane Austen and what she has meant to them.      

Part one of "The Divine Jane"

Part two of "The Divine Jane"

I hope you enjoy it!

Happy 200th Anniversary, Pride and Prejudice

Happy Anniversary, Jane Austen!  Congratulations on the 200th anniversary of "Pride and Prejudice," the book that you called your "darling child."

"Pride and Prejudice" was published two hundred years ago on January 28, 1813.  It is a truth universally acknowledged that it is one of the most beloved books ever written.  It is Austen's most popular novel and, in fact, Jane Austen herself was very happy with it.  She wrote her sister Cassandra: "I want to tell you that I have got my own darling child from London" on receiving her first copy of the book.  Since then the book has become a celebrated classic.  Its original title was "First Impressions" which refers to the book's main theme:  the problems that occur from acting on first impressions of people, without getting to know them better.        

The first line of the book is one of the most famous first lines in literature.

"Pride and Prejudice" was published in three hardcover volumes costing 18 shillings. The publisher was T. Egerton of London who paid 110 pounds for the rights.  He soon made more than four times that from the first two editions of the book, both published in 1813.

Anne Hathaway as Jane Austen in the film "Becoming Jane Austen"

All six of Jane Austen's novels have been made into multiple films and television mini-series.  In 1995 "Pride and Prejudice" was made into a five-hour British mini-series starring Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth Bennet and Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy.  This version is often sighted as the best screen adaptation of the book.  In 2005, the book was made into a sumptuous film adaptation directed by British director Joe Wright.  It starred Keira Knightley as Elizabeth and Matthew Macfadyen as Darcy.  There was even a film made about Jane Austen's life (a romanticized version with more fiction than fact) in 2007 --  "Becoming Jane," which starred Anne Hathaway as Jane Austen and James McAvoy as her romantic interest Tom Lefroy.  

The 2005 film of "Pride and Prejudice"

In "Pride and Prejudice" Austen created the unforgettable Bennet family -- five daughters anchored by the intelligent, witty and sensible Lizzie Bennet, a silly mother whose goal in life is to get her daughters married, and the long-suffering father Mr. Bennet who hides from them all in his library.

Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth Bennet

With Elizabeth Bennet, Austen created one of the most beloved heroines in literature

"I must confess that I think her as delightful a character as ever appeared in print, and how I shall be able to tolerate those who do not like her at least, I do not know."  Jane Austen in a letter to her sister Cassandra, January 29, 1813

"Mr. Darcy had at first scarcely allowed her to be pretty; he had looked at her without admiration at the ball; and when they next met, he looked at her only to criticize.  But no sooner had he made it clear to himself and his friends that she hardly had a good feature in her face, than he began to find it was rendered uncommonly intelligent by the beautiful expression in her dark eyes.  To this discovery succeeded some others equally mortifying.  Though he had detected with a critical eye more than one failure of perfect symmetry in her form,he was forced to acknowledge her figure to be light and pleasing; and in spite of his asserting that her manners were not those of the fashionable world, he was caught by their easy playfulness.  Of this she was perfectly unaware; to her he was only the man who made himself agreeable nowhere, and who had not thought her handsome enough to dance with."

Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy

And with Mr. Darcy, she created one of the most romantic heroes

  

I have always loved the novels of Jane Austen.  With the 200th anniversary of "Pride and Prejudice" coming up, it has been interesting to think about why this book is so popular and why it has stayed eternally fresh.  Maybe it is because Austen's themes are as relevant today as they were at the time of the novel:  love, friendship, money, reputation and personal happiness.  Though she spent most of her life in a small village in the English countryside, Jane Austen understood more about human nature than most.  As the narrator, she communicates her observations about people and delivers her funny social satire in a voice that is wise, ironic and sisterly.  The comedy and wit of the book are as appealing today as they were 200 years ago.  With Elizabeth Bennet, she created a heroine with whom women can identify and most readers love.  And although customs and costumes have changed, this book (as well as her others) contains universal truths that never go out of style.   

But perhaps the theme that keeps readers coming back for more and filmmakers endlessly adapting this book into films is the romance.  In Austen's time, arranged marriages and marriages of convenience were common and yet her heroines are determined to find true love.  "Pride and Prejudice" contains one of the world's most cherished love stories, and, as in most love stories, the hero and heroine have to deal with many stumbling blocks along the way before they can find true happiness.  Like all of Austen's books, "Pride and Prejudice" ends with a marriage and the reader is swept away into the romance and the promise of life lived happily ever after.  And, if truth be told, we all love a happy ending.

We know from her letters that Jane Austen was pleased with "Pride and Prejudice" and her delightful heroine Elizabeth Bennet.  But it would have been hard for her to imagine that 200 years later her book is still being read and adored by millions of fans around the world and is considered to be one of the greatest novels of all time.

Photos one, three, and six via here,  four, eight and ten via here, seven via here, nine via here, and others via pinterest.  

Picnics and Jane Austen

"They had a very fine day for Box Hill...Nothing was wanting but to be happy when they got there.  Seven miles were travelled in expectation of enjoyment, and everybody had a burst of admiration on first arriving..."

-- "Emma" by Jane Austen

The Cotswolds, England -- June, 2010

Books and travel take us places.  Sometimes when we travel, we notice things that remind us of something we have read in a book.  In fact, we may be at our travel destination because of a book.  After all, we read for images and we travel for images, and those images can stay with us forever.  It is not surprising that they intersect.

When I was in the English countryside for a garden tour and saw this vista in the Cotswolds, I was reminded of the Box Hill Picnic from Jane Austen's novel "Emma."  "Emma" is one of my favorite books and has always been a book that can take me to a cozy place.  No matter how badly behaved she is, I think we all love Emma.  Her heart is in the right place, though it is sorely tested during the episode of the Box Hill picnic.   And even though the Box Hill picnic was in another part of England, I thought that this vista in the Cotswolds with the verdant hill in the distance looked as if it could have been the setting for the misguided outing that forms the core of Jane Austen's great novel.

Image via here

All the main characters were part of that expedition to Box Hill -- Emma, Mr. Knightley, Miss Bates, Mr. and Mrs. Elton, Frank Churchill, and Jane Fairfax.  They made the leisurely trek, chatting as they walked along, pointing out the beautiful highlights of the surrounding landscape.  It was an idyllic scene.  Mr. Woodhouse would have been safely deposited in an armchair in front of the fire at Donwell Abbey (Mr. Knightley's residence), happily looking at Mr. Knightley's books as he awaited the group's return.

Travel and books supply us with vast amounts of images to store in our memory bank.  It is exciting when the two worlds intersect.  In many respects, Jane Austen led me to the English countryside.  I already knew that part of the world from her books before I ever visited.  Those novels sent me there.  I hope these images from the English countryside and Jane Austen inspire you to get outside this month of June and have a picnic.  It is one of the quintessential summer pleasures and a great mood lifter.  Throw a blanket on the grass and be sure to include strawberries and champagne.  It will lead you on a beautiful journey of images and you may find yourself remembering a special scene from one of your favorite books.

"All I Really Need To Know I Learned From Jane Austen"

I have always loved the novels of Jane Austen.  My favorites are "Emma," "Pride and Prejudice," and "Sense and Sensibility."  I have often been amazed that a woman who rarely ventured beyond her small village in England could write about important issues filtered through the  microcosm of her small, circumscribed world.  She wrote with humor, irony, and sharp insights into human nature and filled her novels with unforgettable characters.

When I heard that UCLA professor Charles Linwood Batten was giving a talk on Jane Austen entitled, "All I Really Need to Know I Learned From Jane Austen, " and that it was being held at the beautiful Robinson Gardens in Beverly Hills, I signed up.

Pool Pavilion at Robinson Gardens

I have heard Professor Batten speak on many different topics, but my favorite is his lecture on Jane Austen.  

Charles Batten

Professor Batten manages to be both an erudite scholar and a witty storyteller, with a twinkle in his eye and a wonderful sense of humor.  He is someone you'd love to have at a dinner party.   In his lecture he asks the question, why do movie makers and television producers continue to make films out of Jane Austen's books and life and why do writers continue to rewrite her novels?  ("The Three Weissmanns of Westport" by Cathleen Schine and "The Cookbook Collector" by Allegra Goodman are two recent examples of books.) What is Jane Austen doing that is so universally and timelessly appealing?

The 1996 film version of "Emma" with Gwyneth Paltrow

The 1995 film version of "Sense and Sensibility"with Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet

The 1995 television production of "Pride and Prejudice" with Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth 

The 2007 film "Becoming Jane," with Anne Hathaway

Professor Batten argues that she is giving us truths about life.  Truths about people, human behavior, and self-knowledge.  In our own lives we know the people that populate Austen's novels.  These are characters we recognize as being true.  We face many of the same challenges her characters face.  Considering that in her whole life, Jane Austen never travelled further than one hundred and fifty miles from home, it's amazing that she knew so much about life and human nature.   As readers, we have the satisfying experience of watching the education of Austen's characters, and at the same time, of gaining wisdom to apply to our own lives.

Batten challenged us to list all the characters from Jane Austen's novels and to find their counterpart in our own lives.  The way a birdwatcher, after spotting a bird, checks it off his list, we could do the same with her characters.  We all know a Mrs. Bennett, Emma Woodhouse, Harriet Smith, Marianne Dashwood, or Mrs. Elton.  I've started my own list, and it's amazing to discover how many people I know that are similar to the characters in her books.  I challenge you to start your own.  It's a revelation and a lot of fun.

I guess you could say that "It is a truth universally acknowledged" that if Professor Batten is speaking about Jane Austen, laughter, education, and insight will prevail.  Now I just have to figure out, which Jane Austen character am I?  Hmmm...