Today is Jane Austen's 250th birthday!
When I was in high school, we were assigned Jane Austen's most famous novel, Pride and Prejudice, in English class. For some reason or other, I failed to read it, a failure reflected in my subsequent poor grade. Of all the works of literature I was exposed to in my youth, Pride and Prejudice was perhaps one of the most worthwhile, and I have since then more than made up for my youthful failure both by reading Jane Austen's most famous novel and watching multiple film versions of it.
Jane Austen's stories are set in Regency Britain, yet have obviously acquired a universal appeal which makes her still one of the most popular authors today. Her writing reflected the world she lived in and the real day-to-day concerns for financial security in an insecure world (especially for women like herself). While social conditions are much altered in important respects, that basic preoccupation remains a reality for so many people. So does romance, the need for which and the complexities of which, remain regular realities as. much now as then - and often as interconnected with family dynamics and financial insecurities now as then.
Combine those perennial themes with beautifully written language, interesting and relatable characters so powerfully and poignantly portrayed, and a general ambience of good manners and attractive if flawed people and situations, what is not to like? The continued popular appeal of her novels and their filmed adaptations answers that question.
No comments:
Post a Comment