The wicked wit of Jane Austen Iseult Gillespie
Whether she’s describing
bickering families,
quiet declarations of love,
or juicy gossip,
Jane Austen’s writing often feels as
though it was written just for you.
Her dry wit and cheeky playfulness
informs her heroines,
whose conversational tone welcomes readers
with a conspiratorial wink.
It’s even been said that some readers
feel like the author’s secret confidante,
trading letters with their delightfully
wicked friend Jane.
But this unique brand of
tongue-in-cheek humor
is just one of the many feats found
in her sly satires
of society, civility,
and sweeping romance.
Written in the early nineteenth century,
Austen’s novels decode
the sheltered lives
of the upper classes in rural England.
From resentment couched in pleasantries
to arguing that masks attraction,
her work explores the bewildering
collision of emotions and etiquette.
But while romance is a common
thread in her work,
Austen dismissed the sentimental style
of writing so popular at the time.
Instead of lofty love stories,
her characters act naturally,
and often awkwardly.
They trade pragmatic advice,
friendly jokes
and not-so-friendly barbs
about their arrogant peers.
As they grapple with the endless rules
of their society,
Austen’s characters can usually find humor
in all the hypocrisy, propriety,
and small talk.
As Mr. Bennet jokes
to his favorite daughter,
“For what do we live,
but to make sport for our neighbors
and laugh at them in our turn?”
And though her heroines might ridicule
senseless social mores,
Austen fully understood the practical
importance of maintaining appearances.
At the time she was writing,
a wealthy marriage was a financial
necessity for most young women,
and she often explores the tension between
the mythical quest for love,
and the economic benefits
of making a match.
The savvy socialite Mary Crawford sums
this up in “Mansfield Park;”
“I would have everybody marry
if they can do it properly:
I do not like to have people
throw themselves away.”
Unsurprisingly, these themes were also
present in Austen’s personal life.
Born in 1775,
she lived in the social circles
found in her novels.
Jane’s parents supported her education,
and provided space for her to write
and publish her work anonymously.
But writing was hardly lucrative work.
And although she had sparks of chemistry,
she never married.
Elements of her circumstances can be found
in many of her characters;
often intelligent women with witty,
pragmatic personalities,
and rich inner lives.
These headstrong heroines provide
an entertaining anchor
for their tumultuous romantic narratives.
Like the irreverent Elizabeth Bennet
of “Pride and Prejudice,”
whose devotion to her sisters’ love lives
blinds her to a clumsy suitor.
Or the iron-willed Anne Elliot
of “Persuasion,”
who chooses to remain unmarried
after the disappearance of her first love.
And Elinor Dashwood,
who fiercely protects her family
at the cost of her own desires
in “Sense and Sensibility.”
These women all encounter
difficult choices
about romantic, filial, and
financial stability,
and they resolve them without
sacrificing their values–
or their sense of humor.
Of course, these characters
are far from perfect.
They often think they have
all the answers.
And by telling the story
from their perspective,
Austen tricks the viewer into believing
their heroine knows best–
only to pull the rug out from under
the protagonist and the reader.
In “Emma,” the titular character feels
surrounded by dull neighbors,
and friends who can’t hope
to match her wit.
As her guests prattle on and
on about nothing,
the reader begins to agree–
Emma is the only exciting character
in this quiet neighborhood.
Yet despite her swelling ego,
Emma may not be as in control
as she thinks – in life or love.
And Austen’s intimate use of perspective
makes these revelations doubly surprising,
blindsiding both Emma and her audience.
But rather than diminishing
her host of heroines,
these flaws only confirm “the
inconsistency of all human characters.”
Their complexity has kept Austen
prominent on stage and screen,
and made her work easily adaptable
for modern sensibilities.
So hopefully,
new readers will continue
to find a friend in Ms. Austen
for many years to come.