Inspiring Women: Jane Austen
Diane Shipley writes of the iconic women we love: past and present...
Jane Austen.
Okay, I know what some of you are probably thinking: Jane Austen? She of the crinolines and the swooning heroines? The woman who lived a sheltered life in a country parish, with only the occasional trip to London to brighten up her dull existence? Jane who never married (meaning she probably never had sex, let alone children) and died aged forty-one… she's a feminist icon?
To which I say: you betcha.
First of all, of course, she wrote six fabulous works of literature which are read and loved more today, 189 years after her death, than they were during her lifetime. Books which (especially Pride and Prejudice) continue to inspire academics as well as popular culture - everything from Bridget Jones’s Diary to Clueless to the latest P&P film adaptation. Her books have sadly often been described (often by men) as "fluff,” the suggestion being that Austen wrote cosy little romances based on her own narrow range of experience. But look again: Sense and Sensibility is about the unfairness of women not having any legal right to money, property or land. Mansfield Park is about slavery. Pride and Prejudice deals with social snobbery and issues such as young girls eloping with older men (akin to writing about prostitution now - Jane was no prude). Plus, they're funny! To jaded twenty-first century eyes, it's easy to assume that lines like "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a man in possession of money must be in want of a wife," are straight-faced rather than wry. Never assume in Austen - like her favourite heroine Lizzie Bennet, Jane constantly pokes fun at her characters and their situations, parodying history and popular novels of her time and generally being witty, fabulous and very intelligent fun.
Jane isn’t just inspiring as a writer but as a woman, too. Yeah, she didn’t get out much, as there just wasn’t the opportunity. But she made the most of her life, was personally fulfilled by her writing and close relationships (especially with her sister) and remained her own woman. Not only was it pretty rare to be a woman novelist back in 1805, it was rare to be in her impoverished situation and not marry for money. When she was finally proposed to by an eligible gent whom she had no feelings for, she knew the right thing in society’s eyes would be to marry him, so she accepted. But the next day, having regretted her decision overnight, she went back on her promise - not a huge deal these days but a scandal-making decision back then: women who broke off engagements were outcasts. But Jane had to do what she knew was right, and if people thought the worst of her, so be it.
Her life may have been short, her novels unfortunately few, but her impact on British culture will outlive us all - now that’s inspiring.
Who are your favourite female icons, past and present? Let us know!
Diane co-edits Shiny Media’s fabulous women’s fiction blog, Trashionista and contributes to TV Scoop and Catwalk Queen, as well as writing a personal blog, What Do You Do?
