Jane_Austen

Jane Austen; Her Influence on American Authors The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is the tragic basis for many love stories. The tale of the two star-crossed lovers inspired Stephanie Meyer to write Twilight. Edward and Bella came from two different worlds, but made it to the end still in love and breathing. Bella read Jane Austen novels to try to unwind and relax. Jane Austen’s novels are not easy to read, but they have inspired authors to write similar situations and sequels of what they want to have happen next. It is necessary to know about Jane Austen’s life to understand her writing. Jane Austen’s life and literature can relate to life in America today. This has influenced many American authors, both male and female, to write stories similar to hers. The most important to inspired Jane Austen’s writing was her family life. Her sister was her closest friend. Cassandra Austen was Jane Austen’s only sister. With only two years between them, it is not astonishing the two were best friends. They were inseparable from the day Jane Austen was born. Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775 (Spence 21). She lived with her parents and siblings at the Rectory House, in Steventon, a little village in North-East Hampshire. Jane Austen and Cassandra were fortunate enough to have a father who cared about education. Women were not usually given the opportunity to receive an education; only the boys were allowed in schools (Bagnuolo). Sense the family was not wealthy; Cassandra Leigh believed education was the only way to get the two girls married. Jane Austen and Cassandra were homeschooled with their brothers (Bagnuolo). After they finished homeschooling with their brothers, Jane Austen and Cassandra went on to Oxford in Southampton and finally to the Abbey School in Reading (Bloom 9). It was during her time away from home that Jane Austen first began writing. She wrote about the other children using creative poetry (Spence 23). The schoolchildren were not the only people who inspired her. When Jane Austen was eleven, she met her cousin, Eliza and immediately thought highly of her because Eliza amused her. She even wrote a play about Eliza entitled ‘Jack & Alice’, which was meant to tease Eliza about her interest in her brother, Henry. In 1794, Eliza came to stay with Jane Austen’s family in Steventon (Spence 80). Eliza’s easy flirting now seemed to be filled with desire. Jane Austen feared her brother’s feelings for Eliza were stronger than Eliza’s for him. Eliza turned Henry down the first time he asked her to marry him. Angrily, Jane Austen wrote Cassandra a letter explaining the situation saying, “I have never really been her friend, and she has never cared for me.”(Spence 80) She also denied that Eliza had ever amused her, inspired her, or excited her (Spence 80). Cassandra knew this was a lie, for Jane Austen had dedicated her play ‘Love and Friendship’ to Eliza. “I do not want people to be agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them.” Jane Austen most likely said this, referring to Eliza. However, Henry did propose to Eliza a second time and his persistence paid off; she accepted. Jane Austen rewrote ‘Jack & Alice’ as ‘Henry and Eliza’. Jane Austen also wrote, but never completed, Lady Susan based on her brother and her cousin’s life in love (Spence 79). Marriage was not always based on love in Jane Austen’s time. Marriages were often arranged only a few months after birth to secure financial stability. Jane Austen was fortunate her parents made no such arrangements. She was able to make the decision of marriage on her own. Jane Austen first met Tom Lefroy during the Christmas season 1795. Tom Lefroy was visiting his aunt and uncle in town; who were good friends of her parents. Jane Austen flirted and danced with him at four balls (Spence 95). Jane Austen never bothered to hide her interest in him as most girls did in these times (Honan 107). Jane Austen wrote Cassandra telling her Tom Lefroy was “a very gentleman like, good-looking, pleasant young man” (Spence 95). Cassandra was concerned about Jane Austen’s interest in Tom Lefroy and warned her sister the relationship could be risky (Honan 109). Of course, her sister’s warning could not stop Jane Austen’s feelings. She was in love with him and he returned her feelings (Spence 95). Jane Austen based many of the lead male characters on him and always made the leads marry happily in the end. Harris Bigg-Wither was not as amicably written in her novels. During the time Jane Austen was flirting with Tom Lefroy, Harris Bigg-Wither began courting her. The Bigg’s were also friends of the Austen’s. Harris Bigg-Wither was six years Jane Austen younger, but this made little difference then. Harris Bigg-Wither tried to act more mature than his age, but Jane Austen saw through it. Jane Austen saw Harris Bigg-Wither at a few balls while she was dancing with Tom Lefroy (Honan 191). In 1802, only a week after Jane Austen had come to stay a Manydown manor for a few weeks, Harris Bigg-Wither proposed (Bloom 26). Jane Austen was astonished and refused his hand (Honan 191). Tom Lefroy was the only proposal of marriage she cared for. Sadly, Tom Lefroy’s aunt would not allow the two to be together. Out of fear of being cut off from his inheritance, Tom Lefroy listened to his aunt and moved away. It is unknown whether the two ever met again (Spence 96). This event brought upon a second proposal from Harris Bigg-Wither. Once again, to her parent’s dismay, she refused. Jane Austen’s idea of marrying Harris Bigg-Wither was that she did not care for him and she felt it would divide her spiritually and emotionally from the chief human source of happiness she had left; her family (Honan 194). She also felt that he was merely in a hurry to be married and she was convenient (Honan 196). This was the last known proposal that was made to her. If there were any others, Jane Austen refused them. Cassandra found love as well, but he died in battle before they were married (Knight). Jane Austen was never able to be with the one she loved. This, luckily, did not stop her from having all her characters find love and happiness at the end of her novels. Jane Austen based her novels on her life and her family and friend’s lives (Honan 33). In her novels, she proved how important love and social status meant to her (Honan 30) and in society. Jane Austen was enlightened by the ease she experienced while in Kent and Bath, though she claimed to hate living in Bath. She decided to write novels about families who lived there. In 1790, Jane Austen had written the first drafts of her first three novels, Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, and Northanger Abbey. Jane Austen began writing ‘the Watsons’, but most likely did not finish when her father passed away (Bloom 27). Jane Austen’s first novels were published while she lived in the Chawton Cottage, provided by her brother, Edward Austen-Knight. Of her six great novels, four were published anonymously during her lifetime. Jane Austen had troubles with her publisher, who wanted to alter her love scenes in Pride and Prejudice. Like most men, Jane Austen’s publisher believed love scenes should be in romance novels. In 1811, her publisher wrote Thomas Egerton saying, "You say the book is indecent. You say I am immodest. But Sir in the depiction of love, modesty is the fullness of truth; and decency frankness; and so I must also be frank with you, and ask that you remove my name from the title page in all future printings; 'A lady' will do well enough." Jane Austen found her publisher to be a rude man, who seemed to feel women knew nothing of writing and certainly could not write of love. Sense and Sensibility, first written as ‘Elinor and Marianne’, was the first to be published in October 1811 (Knight). “There is something so amiable in the prejudices of a young mind, that one is sorry to see them give way to the reception of more general opinions.” This was a story about two sisters and their romantic adventures (Bagnuolo). Pride and Prejudice, first written as ‘First Impressions’, was published next in January 1813 (Knight). "Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us." This story was about the five Bennett sisters and their search for husbands (Bagnuolo). Mansfield Park was the third her novel published in 1814 (Knight). “Life seems nothing more than a quick succession of busy nothings.” This was a story about a quiet girl and her secret admiration of the one she thought she could not have. Emma was her fifth novel published in 1815 (Knight). “There are people who the more you do for them, the less they will do for themselves.” This was a story about a nosy, upper class woman who makes a few mistakes about love and learns from them. Northanger Abbey, first written as ‘Susan’, was her fifth novel published in 1817 (Knight). The novel was supposed to be published sooner; Jane Austen became famous from her first two novels before the time the book was finally published after her death. “A woman, especially if she has the misfortune of knowing anything, should conceal it as well as she can.” This story was a satire of the popular gothic romances of the era. Jane Austen did not choose the title of the book, her brother, Henry did; she died before it was published (Bagnuolo). Persuasion, Jane Austen’s last completed novel was published in 1818 by Henry (Knight). "You pierce my soul... I am half agony, half hope." This was a story about a girl who makes a mistake in love and wants a second chance. Mansfield Park, Emma, and Persuasion all deal with romantic entanglements of strongly characterized heroines (Bagnuolo). Sandition was never completed because Jane Austen fell too ill to finish it (Bloom 68). Jane Austen was never able to take credit for her novels before she died on July 18, 1817 (Spence 245). It was unfit to see a female writer in these times (Bagnuolo). Jane Austen’s father tried to get Persuasion, ‘Susan’, published before he died, but failed. Therefore, Jane Austen had to rely on a different, trusted, male friend to get her novels published (Bagnuolo). Jane Austen died peacefully in Cassandra’s arms possibly from Addison’s disease (Knight). She was buried in Winchester Cathedral a few days after her death (Bagnuolo). Cassandra, Henry, and Edward wanted people to know it was their sister who wrote the novels. After her death, they let it be known it was she. This inspired women of her generation to read, write, and pursue employment in areas they had not known to be open to them. The growth of female reading audiences in the early nineteenth century represents both a vital era in women's history and a highly significant factor in shaping the literary production of the period. Representation in literature examines both historical women readers, such as Jane Austen, and a wide range of texts in which the figure of the woman reader is important. Jane Austen gave women of her time hope that they too could accomplish more than just being respectable wives. Although not all the women wanted to write, Jane Austen opened a window of opportunity to women then and inspires authors to write today. Many authors write what they consider a sequel to some of Jane Austen’s novels. Like most sequels, none of them can outshine the original. Most Jane Austen sequels are rated poorly. Preferred are the ones authors write as modern twists on the classic novels. Everyone’s opinion of what they think should happen next is different. A remake, however, can enhance an original and cause people to read what inspired the author. Robert Goolrick wrote his novel, A Reliable Wife, based on Jane Austen’s writing style (Roush). Goolrick said, “If anything, I was inspired by earlier writers. I’m always inspired by Jane Austen, curiously enough. She has a great thing that she does, which is her novels are about complicated romantic situations in which all the happiness comes at the end- like a magic trick. I love that about her, and wanted to write a novel in which people seemingly unable to be happy suddenly find redemption and happiness all in a second.” (Roush) Robert Goolrick is from Vermont and is said to be Jane Austen in Vermont. Although this is his title, Goolrick lacks the talent of writing as passionately as Jane Austen writes. The flow of the novel may be similar to hers, but he does not create a good enough plot to be considered like Jane Austen. Another writer lacking Jane Austen’s passion with words is Rosie Rushton. She wrote the novel, The Dashwood Sister’s Secrets of Love, as a modern twist on Jane Austen’s classic Sense and Sensibility, with a bit of Emma as well (Roush). Rushton was amazed how well Jane Austen’s novels could relate to life today. Sadly, she let her imagination run too far when she wrote Love, Lies, and Lizzie, a sequel to Pride and Prejudice in modern times (Roush). This was a flawed trial because writing a modernized setting as a sequel to a book from the past tends to lead to failure. Movies could also be disasters, but Jane’s plot lines helped. The fact that Jane Austen’s novels became movies proves how timeless her writing is. Helen Fielding was an English journalist with a column called ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’. When she saw the high ratings from the readers, she decided to write a book. Bridget Jones sold over four billion copies worldwide (Roush). Its popularity brought the attention of screenplay writer Richard Curtis. He transformed Fielding’s book into the movie Bridget Jones’s Diary. He saw Bridget as Elizabeth Bennett from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice (Roush). With a little work, Curtis pulled off a brilliant version of both novels of the authors who inspired him. Bridget Jones’s Diary is not the only movie inspired by Jane Austen’s novels. Paramount Pictures’ Clueless starring Alicia Silverstone as Cher is loosely based of Jane Austen’s Emma (Roush). Cher is Emma in modern Beverly Hills 90210. Cher gets into the same conflicts as Emma, only when she makes a mistake, everyone knows. This modern movie further proves Jane Austen’s writing is timeless. Miramax International’s Emma starring Gwyneth Paltrow as Emma is a take on Jane Austen’s Emma in her times, with cast of recognizable actors. Masterpiece Theater, on PBS, also made Emma into a movie. Unlike Gwyneth Paltrow’s performance in Emma, PBS stuck almost completely to the book. Masterpiece Theater, on PBS, made all of Jane Austen’s novels into movies, such as Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion, and Miss Austen Regrets, which is based on Jane Austen’s letters to her sister, Cassandra. Miramax Films’ Becoming Jane was also based on Jane Austen’s letters with a twist of a what-if factor at the end. In Columbia Pictures’ Sense and Sensibility, Emma Thompson starred as Elinor Dashwood and she won an Oscar for her screenplay. Kate Winslet also starred as Marianne Dashwood. In Focus Features’ four star rated Pride and Prejudice, Keira Knightley stars as Elizabeth Bennett and Matthew MacFadyen plays Mr. Darcy. All these movies stayed to the content and clothing styles of the early nineteenth century. The movies, however, can never compare to the books from which they were produced. Jane Austen is an inspiration to many authors in America and other nationalities. Her books are a statement on society to a culture that had many rules. She brought domestic romance to the forefront of attention as well as to gothic romances of her era. She gave life to some of the best-known characters in the history of literature. Some people may not like her, but this is only because they do not understand her writing technique. Jane Austen is not an easy author to follow. Developing an understanding of literature is the only way to succeed in understanding her novels. Jane Austen wrote about her life and influenced others to write because she is one of the best authors of all time.