Lost in Austenland

The thing about me and Jane Austen is that we are both women in love with a different kind of fantasy. This fantasy could be real for others but inevitably still remains just a fantasy for the both of us. No I'm not going to whine all day about how lucky Elizabeth Bennet is. Instead, I am going to say something about my two favorite novels by Jane Austen, an analysis of some sort. You see, I have been forever haunted with the story of the two young heroines that dominate Pride & Prejudice and Persuasion.

I must say in all honestly, Pride & Prejudice has been a constantly copied and remade story turned into modern adaptations but the original Victorian version, the root of all, still wins my heart. I love happy endings and I want them in every story I read. In this novel, Mr. Darcy, the hero, starts off really bad and in the middle it gets worse. But the real question is, how did it end? Hah! I got you there didn't I? It's remarkable how Jane Austen saw the future of women. In her time, women writing novels were considered preposterous just like how Ann Radcliffe conceived her Gothic novels. But Jane saw that there is equality between the two genders, that women were capable of anything. Mr. Darcy, I think, always thought of every woman as Caroline Bingley-- attention-starved and pathetic. But the moment he laid eyes on free-spirited and independent Elizabeth Bennet, his generalization of his opposite sex became something of a milder sense. That's why Elizabeth will always be an icon of women. Who would've thought at that time that women had a choice, that the consequences laid before them and decided by society was unfair? It's amazing how I realize these things just by reading Jane Austen beyond the pretense of her being a romantic novelist. She was a realist. Although her novels speak of love, the conflict speaks of how unruly the society was at her time. Nowadays, it is ridiculous for a woman to be uneducated. Oh how the times have changed.

Moving to a different Austen novel: Persuasion. Anne Elliot basically had a lack of conviction which characteristically differs from that of Elizabeth Bennet. Ann is easily persuaded by her godmother, her father and her sisters that she forgets what she really wants. And who is the poor soul that gets all the beatings? Poor Mr. Frederick Wentworth who loved her all his life. But Ann should not be the one to blame, in fact the society is always the one to blame. Society dictates her to take a man of a higher rank since she's of noble blood. Noble blood? What does that mean these days? I definitely oppose to that idea that marriage is all about security. How could you promise to be with a man all your life when that marriage is clouded with false civility and constant indifference? Marriage should have stronger foundations-- love, trust, respect. I guess Ann just wasn't that confident to take the leap and elope with Wentworth.

But you know what I love about Austen? It is that her novels are completely opposite to her real life. Here, in her little fantasy world in paper, her heroes and heroines get the jackpot. I love happy endings. Elizabeth Bennet gets to be married to Mr. Darcy and gets the estate. Ann Elliot marries Wentworth and also gets the estate. I guess in Austen's world property, a house and financial stability still matters. But love, yes it's still the root of all. She is, I'm afraid, my only escape from the harsh winds of reality and lovelessness. This is the reason why I will always love Jane Austen and her stories-- entertaining and heartwarming.

si j'taime. 

au revoir.

Nyma