Hey everyone, welcome to my continued blog on Jane Austen!
As I have written in my previous blog, Jane Austen wrote the <<Pride and Prejudice>>, which was made into movies since the novel was first published in 1813. I am actually excited for today's blog, which I will be talking more about Jane Austen's life as well as how her novels were written.
To start off, Jane Austen (1775-1817) was born in Steventon in England to a family in which she had six brothers and a sister. Like many families in those days, the family went to church regularly as her father was a rector in the town. Now, the reason why she chose her profession as a writer was that she was encouraged to write stories and poems from her childhood - her family was very supportive of it. She was like the literary one in her family - perhaps it was a natural talent, but definitely without her brother's or father's help, it would have had been very difficult to publish her novels.
So you might ask, what does her life and background has to do with her novels? After all, fictions are not really true stories. Or is it?
How I believe is a little different from here. After reading all of her six novels, I think I have come to understand Jane a little more. Perhaps you may have heard of the name Tom Lefroy from the movie <<Becoming Jane>>? Yes, that is right, it was her romance with Tom that inspired the famous Classic called <<Pride and Prejudice>>.
I may be imagining myself, but after learning about how their short-lived romance (it was only like a month) ended and how Tom named her daughter Jane, I think he must have had a large impact on her novels. Actually, I see him everywhere in her novels - Mr. Darcy, Captain Wentworth, Mr. Knightley, Edmund, Edward and Henry Tilney. Now that I think how a month of romance would have had consisted of countless flirtations, heart skips, and passion, I feel that the male protagonists in her novels were all based on her romantic relationship with Tom Lefroy. You might disagree with me, but that is how I perceive these characters at this moment.
That being said, my ultimate favourite character version of Tom would have to be Captain Wentworth from <<Persuasion>>. Considering the fact that Wentworth actually serves in the navy is very different from Tom Lefroy who studied law; however, I feel that he is the only character that is neither rich or prestigious in social standing. He worked his way up to become a captain of his ship and while he worked, he was going through many years of a bitter separation from Anne Elliot. Misunderstandings, bitterness of feelings of both parties, and the short duration of their relationship are all that was felt by Jane Austen by the time she has published her novel in 1818. This novel, in effect, had to be my favourite besides <<Pride and Prejudice>> for being a very realistic novel in comparison to all of her novels and also for portraying herself very much.
Mr. Darcy, on the other hand, is already a ready-made man. Rich, handsome, and well-educated with not lacking any single importance that was demanded by the society of all times. I love him though - his intelligence, his calm disposition, and his willingness to sacrifice to marry Elizabeth. Who wouldn't, right? Anyways, if you have read this novel, then you know Mr.Darcy is a real man.
At this point, you may not fully see that Austen's female characters reflect herself as well. However, the more I read them, the more I am convinced that every female protagonist is in fact Jane Austen. It's like trying to put puzzle pieces at the right place, but you will see that they are eventually. It's like musicians who write their own songs and their songs are really just another story of their lives. I feel that writers do the same thing, because inspirations come from your surroundings.
Hopefully, you all had a better knowledge about Jane Austen and how to approach her novels! I fully recommend you to read <<Pride and Prejudice>>, <<Persuasion>>, and <<Emma>> if you want to learn more about Jane Austen!
Thanks for reading and follow me if you like my blog posts. :)
*~*~*Next time I will talk about <<Pride and Prejudice>> and share some of my favourite quotes from the novel. Stay updated!*~*~*
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