If you can't beat 'em, grab your reticule, tie on your bonnet, and join 'em
A year of unexpectedly reading Jane Austen
It is a truth universally acknowledged that Jane Austen is currently absolutely everywhere.
This year marks 250 years since her birth (on the 16th December for fans of precision) and she remains one of a handful of British writers that the world holds in the highest esteem. And rightly so.
I’m a huge Austen fan, baked in since teendom, when I fondly built my first collection of her work from 1990s £1 Wordsworth classics. It felt like a very sophisticated next step from Sweet Valley High.
Certainly I’m a sucker for a myriad of perfectly plotted misunderstandings leading to the pay-off of a big old romantic ending, but my goodness Austen offers us so much more than that. She is whip-smart witty, and clear-eyed in her dissection of the realities and absurdities of society and the people who inhabit it—in ways that we recognise as inequalities of the time and as universal truths that are just as relatable now.
My last comprehensive immersion in Austen’s novels was 2020. Each of the six main novels reread to bring familiarity to the strangest of years, balm for the soul. What further enhanced the joy of that experience was my little lockdown housemate (then just 6, turning 7) joining me on this reading expedition. I found a brilliant set adapted for younger readers (which I’ve shared in a newsletter before) that were accessible but still retained the very Austen-ness of Austen. Although comforting in itself to reconnect with these old friends, my happiest memories of that rereadathon were in seeing the stories through my daughter’s eyes for the first time. She copied the beautiful Églantine Ceulemans illustrations from her books and we stuck pictures of Emma Woodhouse and Harriet Smith up in the kitchen. She gasped when Mr Darcy’s first proposal was refused, that wasn’t meant to happen! By the second or third book, she’d sussed Jane’s MO entirely and could accurately predict who would be together by the end of the book—but the getting there remained a lot of fun.
So, while I do enjoy a timely read and had started to register the steady increase in ‘Austenmania’ everywhere I turned, it still felt like it was only fairly recently that I’d ‘done’ Austen. Ticked her off the literary to-dos for a while. Also after a year of barely reading at all, I’ve been tentatively and carefully reintroducing a daily reading habit and with a pile of exciting to-be-reads that’s grown all the time my attention has been elsewhere, one thing I’d be unwise to do is get distracted into rereading all the Austens again this year. Surely.
Cut to: Monday morning.
The starting point for the year of reading is Northanger Abbey, and while it’s never been one of my absolute favourites, I’m already enjoying it immensely (and by ‘it’ I realise I mean both the book and the knowledge it’s part of a larger reading project). I eagerly anticipate my small commitment to Catherine Morland each day, and love that because I’ve read it so many times, I can really marinate in the detail. The quips and observations. Barely a few chapters in and my belief that Henry Tilney is perhaps the best of Austen’s leading men is being rapidly reignited. He is the king of witty banter, a gentle flirt, self-effacing and demonstrates his excellent knowledge of a good muslin (it may look pretty, but it won’t wash well).
I will report back as the readalong progresses, and if you’re joining in then do let me know in the comments.
The world of Austen has evolved to be so much more than her novels. A wonderful consequence of our mother-daughter lockdown Austenathon was that after the reading could come the adaptations. Period dramarama! Get some home schooling done in the morning, be rewarded by Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth in the afternoon—a well-earned treat for ‘teacher’ and pupil. We worked our way through the films and the BBC series—well, the ones that hadn’t been ‘Andrew Davies’ed to an un-six-year-old-appropriate level. When Miranda Hart turned up on the UK Strictly Come Dancing last year to support Sarah Hadland, my daughter hadn’t a clue about her comedy sitcom fame, but instantly recognised her as Miss Bates from Autumn de Wilde’s Emma—that’s my girl!
I love many of the Austen adaptations as much as I love the novels, and perhaps because of how much I love the novels. This Guardian article last weekend ranking the TV adaptations was a real treat—top hats off to the headline writer for Austentatious punnery (and yes my newsletter opening line was indeed in homage to this one!). Favouriting and ranking is definitely not one of my superpowers, but I’m not sure anyone can argue with the fact that the 1995 P&P is pitch perfect. I do like Rupert Penry Jones and Sally Hawkins’ Persuasion, particularly for the ‘sheltering in a shop from the rain’ scene and to see the alternative ending. I’m also a big fan of the Romola Garai BBC Emma adaptation, that cast is fantastic. I could no doubt offer detailed thoughts and opinions on them all, but we all have weekends to be getting on with, so I’ll throw that out to you instead. Favourite TV Austen adaptation and why? The comments section is awaiting your thoughts!
Aforementioned Andrew Davies is now utterly synonymous with the adaptation of Jane Austen’s work for TV. I really enjoyed this video of his thoughts on the process. (Yes, of course he mentions sex and soggy shirts!)
With particular reference to film adaptations of Austen novels, the video below was a wonderful find on YouTube. The dream team of Sam West (who actually appeared as William Elliot in the 1995 Persuasion discussed) and his partner, screenwriter and playwright, Laura Wade (most recently writer and Exec Producer on the sumptious Rivals) in lively discussion with Austen historian, Professor Kathryn Sutherland. It is a fascinating conversation between three people brimming with enthusiasm for and knowledge of all things Austen and filmmaking, and who fully appreciate the role of film adaptations in the continuation of her legacy. As Sam West says, adaptations drive people back to the novels.
Two favourite things I took from this discussion were Professor Sutherland’s beautiful comment that “heritage filmmaking turns text into artwork”, and a book recommendation from West and Wade of The Genius of Jane Austen by Paula Byrne (straight on my birthday list), which looks at the influence of theatre on Austen’s writing. I also thoroughly enjoyed the notion that ‘90s filmmakers used the pointiest sideburns as visual shorthand for ‘cad’!
Please don’t think I’m ignoring the BBC’s new drama Miss Austen, by the way. I’ve read nothing but excellent reviews, I just haven’t actually seen it yet (knee deep in season 1 of Pachinko at the moment), and it occurs to me that all things Austen-adjacent may be a good subject for another newsletter. If you have watched Miss Austen, you might enjoy this article from the BBC’s Writers blog about adapting Gill Hornby’s novel for the screen.
I can’t resist leaving you with one Austen-adjacent treat though (with a touch of Downton, Bridgerton and Braveheart thrown in for good measure). This BA safety video is a work of genius:
When I wrote to you this time last week, I had absolutely no idea I was on the precipice of a yearlong readathon and an opportunity to dive down a reassuringly familiar rabbit hole, but one that will doubtless lead to the discovery of many new and exciting connections and perspectives along the way.
Day one, chapter one of Northanger Abbey read, I picked up my (excellent) current read—Lore Segal’s Ladies’ Lunch—and lo and behold, two pages into reading, P&P’s Mr Collins and Emma’s Mrs Weston were referenced out of the blue.
What did I tell you?
Jane Austen, she’s everywhere.
And I, for one, will spend a year celebrating that.
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You may also enjoy these related newsletters:
Northanger Abbey: an Austen update
I am officially a sixth of the way through my year of (re)reading Jane Austen [insert small fanfare here].
a pan that has no notion of a flash, will not entertain such a notion, that's what you are! I'm pondering a reread of Mansfield Park, the one of the big six which I don't like and don;t get. But apart from that, I'm not planning a reread of any others.... I visited Jane Austen's house with my sister Clare (note spelling) in October and it was wonderful. The curation is delightful and it brought tears to my eyes.
Super post, Claire! I love Austen, too. I came across a super book called 'All Roads Lead to Austen' in a secondhand bookshop last year, and it was an utter delight. A university lecturer took the works of Jane Austen to South America and they were the catalyst for so much. Loved every page.
Have you ever visited Jane Austen's house at Chawton? This might make you laugh (the Austen part is in the latter half of the post): https://rebeccaholden.substack.com/p/133-the-museum-buffet