Classic Authors: Jane Austen

Jane Austen, December 16, 1775 - July 18 1817

Hello, dear reader,


One never knows what will happen when they've died.
They can't see the effect they will have on the world. They might even think they'll go unnoticed.
Maybe they will. Or maybe, they'll change humanity.

Jane Austen lived the life of a writer, and I think she is one of the perfect people to think of when you decide to pursue it yourself.

Her first love would not marry her because she had no dowry to offer. She refused the only recorded proposal of marriage that she received, partly because she didn't love the man, and partly because she was wanting to pursue the life of a writer and author in a time where a woman was little more than a house keeper.
Four of her novels were published anonymously while she lived (she received little profit), and two were published after she died with a biographical note that identified her for the first time in her career.
She died unmarried, in poor living conditions, dependent on her family for money, in her early forties. Her last words were "I want nothing but death", said to her sister, Cassandra.
Doesn't sound like a very glamorous life, does it?

And yet, over two hundred years later, her work is now classical literature loved by thousands and has been adapted into films and television shows at least thirty times (and then there are all of the plays!), and she has a dozen or so statues and monuments.
Her brilliant heroines set examples for women, and her charming heroes set ideals.

I'd say Jane Austen has left quite an impact on the world.
But she didn't know she would come this far after her death, and now she never will.

I say all of this to remind you of something that you surely know already; the pursue of writing as a career does not promise a shinning life. Surely, it is easier to become published now then it was for Ms. Austen, we have many more options now, and equality has allowed women more careers and roles than in Jane Austen's day. But that doesn't mean you'll earn anything from your stories.

However...

Who knows what will happen to your work in ten, twenty, or even two hundred years? Surely, someone will find it. And surely, someone out of the millions of people on this earth will love it.
Your stories may impact thousands of people. Or, maybe they will impact just one person. Either way, isn't it worth it?

And then there is what writing itself brings to you.

When it isn't being a pain in the rear-end, and even when it is, writing brings so much to your life. Discipline, encouragement, it teaches you about yourself, it is a outlet for strong emotion, and for so many writers (and I daresay that this very strongly includes Jane Austen), it is a escape from reality. Something to turn to when you've reached your dark hours.
Though it won't relieve you of hardships, it can help you get through them.


I think Jane Austen is a wonderful example of this.
Her setting in Pride and Prejudice is my main source for such a thing.  A small (for the standards back then) farm house packed with people, a withdrawn father, and just enough money to get by, and a head-strong heroine, are all attributes of both the story and Ms. Austen's early life.

But similarities end around there.
One thing missing from the scene, is the fact that Jane Austen's family was so poor, that they gave their son to a wealthy family to raise him, because they could not.
Also missing is the events of her later life, which aren't the most uplifting.

Yes, Jane Austen and Lizzy Bennett's lives separate from there, and Lizzy goes on to do something Jane did not.


Jane Austen was considered to be a head-strong, witty, intelligent woman. The books that were published in her life time were well liked (even if she didn't get the recognition that she deserved), and her lover was not exactly well off himself and couldn't afford a marriage that didn't offer financial aid to him and his family (you see, it would be his job to care for his mother and siblings because he was the eldest, so by the standards of the day, marrying Jane was unacceptable).

Lizzy, on the other hand, goes on to first refuse the hand of a second-class man, the nephew to a noblewoman, and then to marry him after falling in love (despite still being poor), with lots of sass and pride (and prejudices, due to social standings and propriety and whatnot) in between.and are now adored by thousands of people.
Her work has effected many, it set the stage for bold heroines, it protested romance despite wealth, or lack there of, and it gave sweet and happy endings.

And it is worthy of note that the first draft for Pride and Prejudice was written within the year that Jane didn't receive the expected proposal from the man she, to some extent, loved.

So, through her fiction, Ms. Jane Austen was able to live the life she wanted but never received.


Jane Austen was incredible.
I'm sure her life wasn't terrible, she surely had sweet seasons and who knows, maybe she thoroughly enjoyed her life, poverty and all.
But she didn't get romance, wealth, or very much recognition, all of which most people can agree she was deserving of.

And yet,  Jane Austen lasted past that season and age when all was pinned against her, and is now thriving in the modern day and culture.
So, when you weigh the odds of pursuing the career of an author, consider Jane Austen's life, circumstances, and success. And decide what matters more, writing, or recognition.



I hope you enjoyed this, and found it informative or inspiring.
This is the first post of a series I'm working on, called Classic Authors. In it I summarize the classical authors, their inspiration, their lives, their views.
Edgar Allan Poe, Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare, Mary Shelly, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Agatha Christie are some on the list of authors I'm going to cover.
This is a huge and slow moving series, as I have to research each author individually, so I'm unsure of when the next post in it will come out, but I didn't want to wait to post this one anymore



Until I write to you again, I remain humbly,


                      ~ Edna Pellen


P.S. Here's a wonderful documentary about Jane Austen