The Austen Project

In mid-March, a bright spot of unexpected happiness and came into my life in the form of a YouTube channel. Lizzie Bennet Diaries is a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice and I watched the majority of its 100 episodes in one sitting. I'm an enormous fan of Jane Austen and read all of her books before I was 21--maybe before I was 20. But I noticed something in LBD I hadn't in my last reading of P&P. Lizzie was, well, annoying. A little mean.  Just very--not the model of an Elizabeth (a name I hold in ridiculous esteem) she always had been to me. And then it occurred to me--I was a teenager when I last read it. Did I read it right? Have I ever really read and understood a Jane Austen book?  The answer is, I don't really know. So I'm being more thorough this time. Well, specifically with the heroines. Jane Austen was very good at creating complex characters. So I'm looking in exacting detail at what they do and say, and what that means about who they are. Why do the women who read Jane Austen books relate to these made-up girls from 200 years ago? That's what I'm hoping to find out.

I decided to start with Sense and Sensibility because it's my favorite (tied with Northanger Abbey). Or was. We'll see. It's taken me almost two months to get through the first 20 chapters (of 50) because I keep getting mad at Marianne. I always thought I "was a Marianne," but thankfully, so far, I'm finding that's not true. We just both  made really poor dating choices as teenagers.

When I've finished, I'm not sure how I'll process all the data I'll compile. (Any of my friends studying Literature or English want to help me out?) Either way, I'm glad to have a somewhat academic challenge on my own terms and in my own time (though I would like to finish by the end of the summer).

So, friends, is this project even worth doing? Any suggestions on how to do it better? Who are your favorite Austen heroines?

"Spinster" is a funny word.

Occasionally, my young relatives ask me why I'm single, and I have no good answer for them. Next time I'll tell them it's because being a spinster gives you superpowers. I even have evidence!

Condoleezza Rice, former Secretary of State

Jane Austen, Author

Elizabeth I

Joan of Arc

Fun fact: I'm totally procrastinating right now.

In Defense of Mr. Willoughby

I've mentioned before that I really cannot bring myself to hate Mr. Willoughby from Sense and Sensibility.


 Nobody else seems to like him. I got into an argument about it with a teacher once. We watched the movie version for Movie Night and the whole time my roommates kept asking me what in the world I saw in this guy. Marianne puts it quite nicely herself.


"That is what I like; that is what a young man ought to be.  Whatever be his pursuits, his eagerness in them should know no moderation, and leave him no sense of fatigue."

The guy's got a lot of passion.  He's charming and bright and everything a Marianne could possibly want. They share a passion for literature, for music, for life. He is absolutely captivating to her.

When he was present she had no eyes for any one else. Every thing he did, was right.  Every thing he said, was clever.  

 But his faults are by no means small. He ruined a girl's future and lost his fortune because of it. He abandoned love for money. He regretted it...

[...]But that he was for ever inconsolable, that he fled from society, or contracted an habitual gloom of temper, or died of a broken heart, must not be depended on--for he did neither.

Call me a fool, but I don't write him (and maybe guys like him) off. Past mistakes do not always require an unhappy future when dealt with properly. Mr. Willoughby didn't deal with it properly and was unhappy because of it. I've seen the Mariannes in my life lose their Willoughbys. I can forgive those guys. I really can. We all know that things work out very well for Marianne. While at first every reader wants him to be miserable forever, we know deep down that Mr. John Willoughby a good guy. He may have passed up the best, but he deserves some happiness. And I hope he finds it.

"If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more."

I adore Jane Austen novels. She had great characters, great stories, and killer sense of humor. I've only read four of her six, but I'm getting Mansfield Park and Northanger Abbey as late Christmas gifts for me.

I know sister-brother Chris hates Austen's style and can't understand why I like it so much, but he also enjoys Tolstoy.But I do think I know why we women like Jane Austen so much.

1. The Lifestyle

Women with any money or status in Austen's day had only a few duties: be pretty and accomplished so you can marry a nice rich guy and raise good kids. Sounds good to me!

2. The Men

Mr. Knightley. Colonel Brandon. Edward Ferrars.Mr. Willoughby (who I love despite his many shortcomings.) Captain Wentworth. Mr. Darcy. Need I say more?

3. We can RELATE.

Most women know what it feels like to have a secret they can't tell. Or how it feels to be led on. Or to maybe be in love for the first time. Or to be caught in a triangle. Or to really, truly, hate/love a guy. Or to play matchmaker and have it go wrong.Or to love and lose. So on and so forth. Austen finds a way for all of these to go right for the heroine and her loved ones. It gives us hope.

My favorite? Emma. #3 is a big factor for that. I see a lot of myself in Emma. I should be more like the heroine of my second favorite, Persuasion. Austen herself said that Anne Elliot was "almost too good for [her]." But I learn something about myself, those around me, and people in general when I read Austen novels. I could even sympathize with Fanny at the end of Sense and Sensibility! She's a horrid person, but it must suck to hate both of your sisters-in-law! Alright, I'm done now. I'm going to go read some more.