Jane Austin
Introduction
The novel Emma by Jane Austen is an outstanding literature work that primarily focuses on Emma Woodhouse, a young woman (Clucas). Emma is convinced that she will never find a marriage partner but can conjure love matches. Her belief in her abilities to find someone’s perfect match results in her efforts to seek a partner for her friend, Harriet. In the end, Emma marries Mr Knightley, her brother-in-law. On the other hand, Harriet marries Robert Martin, whom Emma was convinced that he was not the right partner for Harriet. Charlotte Bronte was beyond reasonable doubt critical to the works of Jane Austen, despite emerging as a novelist, long after Jane’s death. This article analyses the various responses by charlotte to the various Austen works, particularly Emma.
Why do you like Miss Austen so very much?
Her stories are timeless.
Jane Austen remains a famous novelist among the masses, due to the timeless nature of her stories. Such timelessness comes out in the considerable number of adaptations of the narratives over the years. The novel is initially set in the 1800 s; the various adaptations suggest how relevant the story continues to remain for centuries to come (Clucas). For instance, the film clueless stands out as one of the best Emma adaptations due to its ability to maintain Austen’s original themes. The movies uphold such themes while communicating their intended message to the audience at large. This situation explains why Charlotte Bronte remains puzzled by the story, despite the novel being written a long way before birth.
Austen offers a transformable narrative that results in interpretations and adaptations. Such adaptations are inspired by the original text hence crafted into new creations appealing to the society (Kingsley). Jane Austen bases her novels in the state of affairs of everyday life, making the story highly believable. The happy endings in most of her books are ones in which most people can relate entirely. For instance, in Emma, both Harriet and Emma end up finding their soulmates and lead happy lives. Harriet is much more comfortable to settle with Robert, despite being forced to propose for the second time. These novels’ relatable nature explains why people have continuously fallen in love with most of Austen’s literature pieces.
Jane Austen writes in such a way that makes it possible for the audience’s emotions to mimic those of the characters in the story. Such feelings make it possible for readers to be fully immersed in the novel and lost in time. One can hardly tell that the book is set in the 1800s due to the wide range of emotions that the story evokes (Clucas). Such sentiments are caused by real-life events that any particular individual can relate to while interacting with others. One of the main reasons that make the audience fully engrossed in Austen’s novels is her writing style. Jane composes most of her stories formally and straightforwardly that is readable by both the young and old society members.
Themes are real and relevant.
One other element that makes Austen’s novels thrilling and appealing to the audience lies in their themes’ real and relevant nature. Both Emma and Pride & Prejudice consist of three essential plot points that have been relevant for a considerable number of generations. Such include the struggle for love and romantic relationships, class and wealth in the society, and family conflicts between the various age groups and age sets.
The struggle for love and romantic relationships
Most people in the current world find it challenging to find stable and healthy relationships that can lead to marriage. In the story, Emma believes she can match various individuals with their soulmates. The fact that she can conjure love matches for other people without herself, not considering in love and marriage, reflects the different relationship struggles (Kingsley). Additionally, the battle for love comes out clearly through the story’s characters. For instance, Frank Churchill and Jane Fairfax encounter various challenges before finally settling down as a couple. In this way, Jane Austen brings out a fundamental theme that society can positively relate to both in the ancient and current worlds. Austen similarly brings out marriage and courtship as a significant concept in society in any particular generation.
Social class
Jane Austen brings out money and class-based situations as a significant plot point across all generations. She highlights the social class’s theme in most of his works, including Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Persuasion. The writer, for instance, brings out Miss Woodhouse as a wealthy member of society. Despite being of higher social class, Emma interacts and freely mingles with the less fortunate community members such as Harriet. The fact that Emma does not downgrade Harriet for being of a lower social class makes it more appealing to the audience (Kingsley). The real world is full of such money and class-based situations. It is prudent for the wealthy members of the society to assist the less fortunate ones and treat them as equals. Austen demonstrates such prudence through the various characters and themes in most of her works of literature. In this way, she can win the hearts of the masses.
Her values are as vital as the characters.
Jane brings out her stories’ characters in the most appealing and relatable way by the public. The character traits reflect Jane’s beliefs and values as a person, making her desirable by the audience. For instance, Austen brings out strong male characters with prominent roles in society. Such traits primarily appeal to the male audience and demonstrate the values that the writer holds towards these community members. The fact that Jane believes in social equality depicts her as a very compassionate woman. Equality is a critical element in the current world, as it enables access to opportunities regardless of gender and social class.
Austen wrote most of her works of literature basing on the real-world experiences during her time. Despite her fictional stories, the novelist brought out her characters in a way that is easily believable by the general audience (Roy). In some instances, Jane based her characters on real people. For example, in Sense and Sensibility, Jane and her sister Cassandra represent the heroin sisters in the story. The writer stresses the need for financial independence among women, as it saves them from a lot of oppression in society. For instance, in the novel Emma, Austen illustrates Fairfax’s lack of financial security due to her possession of wealth. She has to get married to become financially independent.
As a fictional character, Emma Woodhouse depicts the values and qualities of Austen, as one that highly believes in financial independence. In her lifetime, she turned down a marriage proposal to a wealthy one until the time she had a significant amount of wealth at her disposal. Her belief in financial independence makes her a desirable personality, particularly among the female audience. Thus, it is such qualities that make her a famous novelist, decades after her existence. Hence, it is questionable for charlotte Bronte to criticize Austen’s works for not having a real-world feeling.
Her writing is seamless.
If there was one particular thing about Austen’s narratives, lies in her seamless form of writing. Jane’s stories were continuous, with no loopholes, making it possible for the audience to be completely immersed in any particular novel. Most individuals take a significant amount of time to catch up with a novel’s rhythm and understand what the story is all about. The opening line from Pride and Prejudice captures the attention of the audience, making the reader anticipate for details about the narrative (Clucas). As one reads through Austen’s descriptions, an individual can relate to their personal experiences. Additionally, one can resonate with the stories characters, as they resemble individuals in the real-world. It is such fluidity that makes Pride and Prejudice to be more appealing and attractive than any of the Waverly novels.
Wrote about societal issues
Jane Austen’s legacy continues to live in primarily due to her ability to speak about some of the significant issues in society. In her works of literature, Austen wrote about critical topics such as women oppression and dysfunctional families. Such challenges were relevant during her era and are still present in the society we live in today. Austen boldly wrote about the limited options of women during the 1800s. Such is evident in Emma’s decision to stay as a single and independent woman. At the onset, Emma views marriage as an obstacle to diminish her social hierarchy. Despite being a wealthy member of the society, Emma’s role is only limited to playing the role of seeking for a love match for her friend Harriet.
Similarly, Austen vividly reveals what happens to socially dependent and financially insecure women like Miss Bates, Harriet and Jane. For instance, the writer exposes Jane Fairfax’s insecurities through her thoughts of becoming a governess. Jane was horrified about leading an inevitable life as a governess, an experience that she believed not to be worth living. This situation illustrates the hard life facing governesses at during that particular period. As such, the hardships serve as a perfect example of the various limitations that women have to endure in the society.
Austen vividly illustrates some of the issues women endure in marriage. Such is evident in the situation where she always reminds Harriet of the benefits of being a single independent woman. As a married woman, Harriet will not be able to enjoy her freedom, and will soon end up as an old maid like Miss Bates (Roy). In this regard, Austen wrote from what she knew, basing on the life experiences she underwent as a woman growing up in a particular era. Readers in the current world can relate to her thought process and insights, hence making Austen a household name.
Jane Austen was just an ordinary young girl who grew up in a middle-class family. Her hard work and relentless nature is something that is appealing to most people. Her ability to boldly speak about women empowerment set the pace for other novelists to champion for the same. Her depictions of Emma in the novel, vividly explains her take on gender equality and discrimination in society.
Conclusion
Jane Austen continues to stand out as a notable household name as far as writing is concerned. Her contributions to the field of literature remain significant, with her legacy continuing to live on decades after her death. There are a vast number of reasons that make Austen a likeable figure in the field of writing. Her timeless nature of narratives makes it possible for such stories to remain relevant for years to come. Additionally, Austen spoke about real-life issues that the society currently relates to, basing on the various life experiences. This situation explains the presence of a wide range of film adaptations, all of which communicate different messages to the audience.
References
Clucas, Ella. Emma: Truly Timeless Story from1817 to 2020. 4 Apr. 2020, cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk/quench/film-tv/review-emma-from-1817-to-2020-the-story-is-truly-timeless/.
Kingsley, Hannah. “What Makes Jane Austen Relevant to Modern Society?” What Makes Jane Austen Relevant to Modern Society? | Digital Austen, www.digitalausten.org/node/50.
Roy, Nilanjana. Why Do We Still Love Jane Austen so much? 10 Aug. 2018, www.ft.com/content/9d675b3a-9b26-11e8-9702-5946bae86e6d.