In Defense of Jane Austen

I have always considered myself to be an avid fan and devoted lover of Jane Austen and her seven novels. I’ve spent many an afternoon throughout the years pouring through her works and some of my fondest memories have been while I read her novels.

Strangely, I can recall the exact cities and places I have been in while devouring Austen’s many works. I remember spending many afternoons lying on the cool grass of a park in Cambridge, England plowing through “Mansfield Park”. I can still remember the feel of the bleachers of a track in Kirkwood when I began to read “Sense and Sensibility” while waiting for my brother to finish his Track and Field practice. I think fondly back to the sensation of pure joy that I experienced when I opened a package sent from my grandmother in California that contained Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”.

Why do I have such a devotion to Jane? I often ask this question of myself, considering the emotional response I experience while reading her works. I suppose it could be because of the wit, the satire, and the attention to socioeconomic conflicts within the class structure of 18th and early 19th century England. The plots and characters, truly, have proved themselves to be timelessly profound. This is evidenced by the slew of modern Austen adaptations in films: Clueless, Bridget Jones’ Diary, and the many Masterpiece Theatre adaptations to name a few.

Personally, I feel a strong connection to the heroines of Austen’s novels. I consider Lizzy Bennett, Elinor Dashwood, and Emma Woodhouse to be my close friends (that’s not weird, right?). I sympathize with the struggles of Fanny Price and wish I could advise Marianne Dashwood against her immature decisions. Who they love, I love. Who acts against them, I hate with every fiber of my being.

I would like to shift my focus to a matter not related to my passion for everything Jane: The Clayton High School English Curriculum. It truly disappoints me that an Austen novel is not included in the curriculum. I do understand that some of her novels are included on various independent reading assignment lists, but I wish to voice the opinion that that simply isn’t good enough.

While I do enjoy reading Austen independently, many students will not be able to fully benefit from the material without deliberate and analytical lessons from the teacher. Let’s face it- many teens in today’s society simply cannot recognize the satirical commentary and wit of Austen’s novels without some assistance. Without prior knowledge of the socioeconomic rigidity of the British class structure in her time, the blunt reality of Austen’s prose cannot be understood in an optimum manner.

I find that I gain more understanding of a work of literature in a discussion-based, learning environment. With teachers pointing out vital passages, students voicing opinions on characterization, and lessons on stylistic elements and historical background of a text, a work and author can be fully and completely explored. Austen’s novels deserve this depth of study and recognition at Clayton High School and deserve to be regarded as members of the Literary Canon.

I’m not trying to use the “feminist” tag as a scapegoat in my argument, but our curriculum simply does not include many female authors. Sure, I realize that men have traditionally written the greatest novels in early years (what curriculum cannot include Homer, Shakespeare, and Hemingway?). Indeed, many of my favorite authors are male. However, I do think that the female perspective in literature should be explored more in our curriculum and Austen’s novels would be the appropriate way to do so.

I believe that Jane Austen is not receiving the credit she deserves in our modern society. Many view her works as “chick-lit” simply because there have been commercially successful films concerning her life and works that have been targeted to a female audience. Her novels relate to both genders and many generations of people. Her intelligence, wit, and satirical commentary can surely be universally appreciated.

It’s time that the novels of Jane Austen become the central focus for “Austenites”. She should be appreciated for her literary merit rather than solely for her relatabilty to a modern, largely female audience. I really think that everyone can experience the same emotional response I feel if given instruction on her timeless wit and literary merit. Adopting one of her novels in the CHS curriculum can be one step toward destroying past stereotypes and revealing a perspective that has not been traditionally explored.