BONUS!!!! Episode 14 – Jane Austen!
Jane Austen was born on this day in 1775, and what better way to celebrate than sit down with two other Janeites to talk about how Austen’s work is still relevant to this day. For myself, I never read an Austen novel until I was 31 years old, but from the moment I opened the first page of Pride and Prejudice it was love. Why had I waited so long? I’d always thought her books would be dull, or difficult to read (and yet I read Jane Eyre at least 8 times before I turned 18). I certainly never expected I’d hear something like this:
“I do not want people to be very agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them a great deal.”
You guys this is how I feel most of the time. And then there was this:
“There are few people whom I really love, and still fewer of whom I think well. The more I see of the world, the more am I dissatisfied with it; and every day confirms my belief of the inconsistency of all human characters, and of the little dependence that can be placed on the appearance of merit or sense.”
I honestly never expected there to be anything in a 200+ year old novel that spoke to me so much as a person, especially not my cynical little heart. But there you have it. The fact that her humor, her wit, and her understanding of the human condition is still appealing to this day speaks volumes of her talent. Her novels (well, maybe not Northanger Abbey) hold up to this day.
So let’s all raise a cup of tea for Jane today. Happy Birthday, dear Jane.
p.s. Feel free to leave your favorite quote/Austen movie gifs in the comments!
Beth
http://weheartit.com/entry/21064966/via/Agnes_Slotvik?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=image_share&utm_source=tumblr
Robin
“All the privilege I claim for my own sex (it is not a very enviable one: you need not covet it), is that of loving longest, when existence or when hope is gone!”
― Jane Austen, Persuasion
Beth
That’s also the saddest Austen quote.