Echoes of Austen

On December 16, 1775, in the small village of Steventon, UK, world renowned author Jane Austen was born. Though not known for her writing in her lifetime, Austen's six completed novels (Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey, and Persuasion) are well known. Each novel has been celebrated, shared, adapted, and reimagined for modern times again and again due to her focus on relatable characters, universal themes, astute social observations, and use of humor. Countless festivals, clubs, and societies are dedicated to honoring Jane Austen's memory and work. 

What is it about Jane Austen's work that attracts readers to this day? 

• Austen is a figure who can mean many different things to many different people. Some have argued she is an example of feminism, others a conservative figure. Her work is relatable to many people for a variety of reasons, a credit to her talents.
• Instead of focusing on perfection, Austen focuses on how a character grows throughout the novel. Though Austen's characters are flawed, which she often points out with humor, she maintains their innate worth and right to a happy life.
• She wove complex topics and themes into her stories rather than shying away from discussion. Discussing the political and social issues of her day, Austen illuminated how financial independence as a woman was limited, often criticizing the gender inequalities of the time.
• Though every heroine ends up married in each of Austen's novels, they examine much more than falling in love during the courting ritual. Heroines evaluate their potential husbands for suitability and practicality in addition to love, much like people do today.
• She is FUNNY! Full of satire, irony and her biting wit, her work is hardly dull. Check out this passage: “Elinor agreed to it all, for she did not think he deserved the compliment of rational opposition.” - Sense and Sensibility 

Looking to check out an adaptation? Check out our recommendations below or by clicking here.

	Austenland by Shannon Hale  Because her obsession with Jane Austen's Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of "Pride and Prejudice," is ruining her love life, Jane Hayes is delighted when she gets the chance to take a trip to an English resort catering to Austen-crazed women.
	Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin A modern Muslim adaptation of Pride and Prejudice finds a reluctant teacher who would avoid an arranged marriage setting aside her literary ambitions before falling in love with her perpetually single cousin's infuriatingly conservative fiancé.
	Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld  Returning with her sister, Jane, to their Ohio hometown when their father falls ill, New York magazine editor Lizzy Bennett confronts her younger sisters' football fangirl antics, a creepy cousin's unwanted attentions, and the infuriating standoffish manners of a handsome neurosurgeon.
	Jane Austen Ruined My Life by Beth Pattillo Professor Emma Grant travels to England to examine what are reputedly lost letters of Jane Austen and, after renewing her acquaintance with old friend, Adam Clark, must sort out her feelings about love and identity.
	Longbourn by Jo Baker A reimagining of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice from the perspectives of its below-stairs servants captures the drama of the Bennet household from the sideline viewpoint of Sarah, an orphaned housemaid.
	Love, Decoded by Jennifer Yen High school junior Gigi Wong is determined to be picked for a contest that could lead to an exclusive tech internship, but when her matchmaking app goes viral, Gigi must deal with the unexpected consequences of helping her friends find love.
	Mary B by Katherine Chen The awkward middle child of five, Mary Bennet, who loses herself in the secret pleasures of reading and writing in 19th-century England, soon discovers that her fictional creations are no match for the very real scandal, tragedy, and romance that come into her life.
	Sex, Lies and Sensibility by Nikki Payne There’s never a good time to learn you are your father’s secret child—especially not at the reading of his will. With their father’s affairs laid bare and Nora’s sensible reputation in tatters due to a viral video scandal, she and her free-spirited sister have nothing left but a rustic inn in the middle of nowhere and each other. What’s more, they need to revamp the inn before Labor Day, or they lose it all.