A Truth Universally Acknowledged

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” ~ Pride and Prejudice

Many people are surprised to discover that I’m a HUUUUUGE fan of Jane Austen – apparently the public image I present doesn’t quite fit the stereotype of Who Reads Jane Austen, but trust me, she’s my favorite author in the history of ever, and Persuasion is one of the most brilliantly written pieces of English literature that exists today.

“I can listen no longer in silence. I must speak to you by such means as are within my reach. You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone for ever." ~ Persuasion

To honor Jane this year, on the 200th anniversary of her death, I thought I’d put together a little something for you over on ThoughtCo: 7 Things You Didn’t Know About Jane Austen

Jane only finished six full length novels, as well as one epistolary novella, before her death at age 41, and left two partially completed manuscripts. But those nine pieces of work have formed the framework of the Regency canon, and set the gold standard by which many of us judge other novels of the era.

In July, it will have been two centuries since Jane died, and yet we’re still seeing endless reprints of her work (I own six different editions of Persuasion, and four of Pride and Prejudice), as well as movies, television miniseries, and even fan clubs. Her writing appears on high school reading lists – Emma should be required reading for any teenager, because Emma is kind of an asshole when we first meet her – and has spawned hundreds of literary adaptations.

"Though the accusation had been eagerly refuted at the time, there were moments of self-examination in which her conscience could not quite acquit her."~ Emma

Never read any Jane? Don’t worry – there’s quite a bit to choose from! If you want to get a better idea of what all that Regency stuff was about, pick up a copy of Jane Austen’s England or What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew to provide a bit of context, and then go forth and dive into Jane’s world!

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