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30/10/2024
This lecture/PowerPoint was made as part of my live literature module, but was revised and extended for the website.
It's no secret that I love Jane Austen. The first book I ever 'borrowed' from my school library was 'Pride and Prejudice' (don't worry, I did return it), and whilst I didn't understand anything, and it took me half an hour to decode what the first half page meant, I knew there was something about it that kept pulling me in. For all of year 8, I kept floating back to the library at lunch, scouring shelves for that old battered novel, so old in fact the pages had yellowed, and could fall right out if not handled gently.
It wasn't until year 12, when I was making a video for world book day (a duty I had given myself as English prefect (I was the only person to apply.)), and had asked my teachers what their favourite novels where. It was Miss Duffy who said 'Pride and Prejudice,' and after combing the internet for about 5 minutes, I came up with a short summery and acted out the part of Lizzy. That video that I will never ever open, and the audio file, I would burn it if I could, it's so embarrassing.
That video never left my google drive, owing to the fact I realised I had no clue whatsoever what 'Pride and Prejudice' was actully about. So I made a goal to find and read 'Pride and Prejudice' by the time I finished college.
Flash forward 4 years and here I am, in a 'Pride and Prejudice' sweatshirt with a bag full of the copies of the novels I will one day hand down to my kids, who will be named after Jane's characters.
I'm taking live literature as a module this semester and, for that, I've been making different types of presentations, and for this week I've made a lecture on Jane Austen! A couple of weeks ago it was a seminar on Taylor Swift, so if you'd like to see that then let me know! Anyway, I thought I'd share it here for you all to see! It's a passion project, so I'll be throwing a lot of info at you, but I hope you enjoy!
Jane Austen is a legend. Even if you haven't read her works, you've heard her name. Today we're going to have a look at the influence Jane has had on our writing, romance, and media, spanning from the days she was writing, to now!
Jane Austen was born on the 16th December 1775 in Steventon, Hampshire and died on the 18th July 1817, in Winchester, aged only 41.
We're not actually sure what killed her. Some people think it was Typhus, Addison's disease, or Hodgkin Lymphoma. Some people also like to suggest that she was murdered, as arsenic was found in her hair. Arsenic, however, was a common element in many household solutions, and so it's highly likely that she came into contact with it, but it's most likely not what killed her.
In her life she only saw 4 of her novels published, supposedly only earning £575 (after tax). In todays money, that's only £45,000, and considering the average income of a full time fiction author today is £37,000, that's really not much! (1).
I know we're basically a cashless society, but if you happen to have a £10 note in your wallet, take a look! That's... Jane?
You know, we're not actually sure what Jane Austen looked like! This photo was taken from Jane Austen's 'author photo,' which was actually made after she had died, to be put in her books.
Jane's sister Cassandra had made many drawings and paintings of a woman we believe to be Jane Austen, but the only confirmed photo of Jane is an unfinished and pale watercolour sketch, which looks somewhat similar, but not identical.
At the Jane Austen centre in Bath there's two life size statues of what they believe Jane Austen looked like, one on the street, capturing Jane just about to adventure into the streets, and one inside, which was constructed using DNA analysis and is believed to be the most accurate model of her to date.
(I've got a little carrousel of photos from when I visited the centre back in 2021 where you can see both models!)
Jane only lived to see her first 4 novels published. Persuasion and Northanger Abbey were published in the December of 1817, and Jane passed away in the July of that year.
Sandition was unfinished when Jane died, but it was discovered and published in 1825. Only the first 11 and a half chapters were written, and no one knows what the plot of the novel would have developed into.
Jane Austen also wrote short stories and poems that have been published. Her writing from when she was a teenager has has also been published, and is called her 'Juvenalia.'
The first piece of writing Jane made, 'The History of England,' has also survived. It has been said that Jane had a great love for Mary Queen of Scots, and the drawing of her, done by Cassandra, resembles Jane, and Queen Elizabeth I resembles their mother.
Though Jane Austen didn't make much money in her lifetime, that didn't stop her from being a great influence to writers and readers alike.
At the time of Jane Austen, women holding careers was an uncommon, and sometimes frowned upon. Most writers, to that time, had been male, and the voice of women was minuscule to that of their male counterparts.
Jane's family were 'pseudo-gentry,' so not actually land owning gentry, but they wanted to appear like they were. For this reason Jane wasn't allowed to have a career, even as a governess, as it wasn't the upper-class thing to do.
The first time Jane's name appeared on any of her novels was with Persuasion and Northanger Abbey, published after her death. Instead Jane used her author tagline 'by a lady.' This kept her identity hidden, but showcased her sex.
In letters to her publishers about her disappointment in them not publishing her novella 'Susan' after selling it to them 6 years before, she used the pseudonym 'Mrs Ashton Dennis,' in order to sneakily make a jab at the publishers in the sign out.
'I am gentlemen &c. &c.
-MAD'
That's the kind of person she was. Witty, and ready and eeger to make jabs at people when she could. A real sarcastic queen.
Jane Austen was not the only great female author of the 19th century, but she was one of the first. I think Jane's greatness really set a precedent, and paved the way for other female writers.
Some notable authors of the century are as follows:
Mary Shelly, who is most well known as the mother of horror and science fiction, with her novel 'Frankenstein,' published in 1816.
Elizabeth Gaskell, whose most well known novel 'Mary Barton' was published in 1848.
The Brontë's, who published some of my favourite novels. Charlotte wrote 'Jane Eyre,' which was published in 1847, as well as others. Emily wrote 'Wuthering Heights,' which was published in 1846, and is considered the greatest Brontë novel and is the only novel Emily wrote before her early death. My personal favourite Brontë novel is 'The Tenant of Wildfell Hall,' and was Witten by Anne Brontë and was published in 1848. The sisters originally published under male names, Acton, Ellis, and Currer.
Another writer who originally published under a male name, and is still published under that name, was Mary Ann Evans, or better know as George Eliot, whose novel 'Middlemarch,' was published in 1872.
Jane Austen had a lot of influence over modern English literature, and whilst Jane is no Shakespeare, who helped modern English as we know it, but she did help popularise some styles and topics in future literature.
Jane writes with detached third person narrative, however she intertwined this narrative with snippets of the character's thoughts.
This was something that wasn't that popular at the time, and helped define Jane as a very skilled writer. We really get to understand many characters' minds and thoughts, and not just the main protagonist's.
Though the industrial revolution didn't officially start until the 1830s, the seeds of the revolution were being sown from the 1780s. This influenced many writers of that time, bringing about the beginning of greater literacy. As well as this, as an effect of the Romantic Movement was aiming to shine a light on under represented voices in society.
Jane wrote about the upper middle classes, showing that money does not a good man make, but rather it is people's ability to be kind that makes a great person.
Money and material needs are not the goal of Jane Austen's protagonists, but rather independence or love.
To this day, Jane Austen novels have lasting impacts.
One interesting piece of media I forgot to put into the PowerPoint was Janice Hadlow's 2020 novel 'The Other Bennet Sister,' which follows the story of Mary Bennet, the 'ugly ducking' of the Bennet family in 'Pride and Prejudice.'
It recently was announced that it's getting turned into a BBC series, which I thought was really cool! Can't wait to see it!
(I'm also planning a little novel similar to Hadlow's, following the story of Margaret Dashwood, the youngest Dashwood sister, after the events of 'Sense and Sensibility,' so its awesome to see such success for a similar project.)
Partially thanks to the easier accessibility to reading in the early 1800s, Jane's novels were very widespread, and the romances she penned became nationally known, after her death though, sadly.
This widespread access meant that more people could experience the great romances, and could form their own opinions on love. One of the main things Austen wrote about was marrying for love, not just money. Think of Lizzie in 'Pride and Prejudice,' and how she initially turned down Mr Darcy's proposal and despised hum, even though her marriage to him would secure her family's fortunes, which were in jeopardy.
Every Jane Austen novel has at least one adaptation for film or TV, or, in the case of 'Pride and Prejudice,' loads. My personal favourite is the 1995 'Sense and Sensibility,' directed by Ang Lee.
The Jane Austen film I wated was the 2005 'Pride and Prejudice,' and if you want to start getting into Jane Austen I would recommend it.
'Clueless,' the hit 1995 film, is an adaptation of the 1815 novel, 'Emma,' and brought her work into the modern era with a bang! Even my little sister, who won't read anything that doesn't have a sexy footballer on the front, loves this film!
Whilst 'Bridgerton' isn't a direct adaptation of a Jane Austen novel, the aesthetics of the regency period are characterised by Jane's novels.
Also, many books are built on the tropes of Jane Austen's novels, with writing their own stories with their own characters, but following the storyline of a Jane Austen novel.
And finally... Thank you Jane for this specific scene... and the hand flex scene... and the wet shirt scene... and Colin Firth...
Here are some photos from when I visited The Jane Austen Centre in 2021! It's definitely a highlight of Bath, and I 100% recommend it to anyone in Bath, or anyone planning a trip to Bath!
Links to more information (click to access) :
Jane Austen: Behind Closed Doors - Lucy Worsley
Ellie Dashwood on YouTube (Really great exploration about the social environments of Jane Austen's life and novels.
Lucy Worsley and Dan Snow on the death of Jane Austen (YouTube)
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