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A Short Introduction to Jane Austen: Part One

© Viola Ashford

When I first read Jane Austen's novels as a girl I enjoyed them mainly because they introduced me to a glittering, world of formal balls and dances in which romance and gallantry still existed. Women dressed exquisitely; men were, perhaps, just as hard to get but twice as polite; and there was a much greater sense of community. The Regency period was seemingly a quieter, slower time than the fast moving last years of the twentieth century. It was also a world of elegance and formality in which a high value was placed on good manners and civility. Courtship was more restrained, but no less passionate, and in a time when sex is over-emphasized, seems much more appealing.

However this was, in some ways, a mistaken view. The Regency was a difficult era of rapid change that saw the Napoleonic wars, the first glimmerings of democracy and feminism and the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Life was not easy, even for relatively wealthy daughters of the gentry, such as Jane Austen. Single women who were over 25 were not respected and had little status in society. Jane Austen, disappointed in love, and choosing to remain single, faced a destiny of living at home and caring for her mother. She lived a sad life by our standards. Yet her novels are, in the end, joyful and optimistic - novels which all finish with marriages that we know will be happy.

The seventh child of an Anglican minister and farmer, Jane wrote six famous novels: Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion. Superbly written with gentle irony and insightful about society and character, these novels are enjoyed by each new generation.

Pride and Prejudice is, undoubtedly, her most popular book. This sparkling novel tells the story of the Bennet sisters whose mother desperately tries to marry them off because their cousin, Mr. Collins, will inherit their estate. This means that if they remain single they will be forced out of their home and will not only become 'old maids' but poor 'old maids'. Elizabeth, the delightful heroine, first falls for the seemingly charming Mr.Wickham only realizing that she really loves proud, but noble Fitzwilliam Darcy when it is almost too late. The love story, with its twists and turns, keeps the reader's interest alive, as Elizabeth discovers that she has been deceived by appearances. Her influence mellows arrogant Darcy, leading him to overcome all prior objections to the match, including her embarrassing family, lack of money and status, and Miss Catherine de Burgh's wanting him to marry her daughter. The comic characters, such as Mr.Bennet, with his gentle sarcasm, the clumsy, sycophantic Mr.Collins, rakish Mr. Wickham and silly Lydia are exquisitely drawn.