Emma - Jane Austen - Episode 1- Meet The All Time Favorite Author Of The Regency Period And Modern Times
Emma - Jane Austen - Episode 1- Meet The All Time Favorite Author Of The Regency Period And Modern Times
Hi, I’m Christy Shriver and we’re here to discuss the books that have changed the world and have changed us.
I’m Garry Shriver and this is the how to love lit podcast. Today we begin our series that tackles arguably the most popular writer in the English language- Jane Austen. One significant critic, Brigid Brophy described Austen as “the greatest novelist of all time!” Wow! I’m sure that’s not uncontested, but suffice it to say she has done what few have done before or after her and that is to become beloved by both critics and general readers alike.
The great American critic, Harold Bloom, compares her to William Shakespeare. So, In other words- she scores high on the tomato-meter as well as the audience score- to use Flixster language- do you remember those old days when we went to movie theaters and checked the tomato review? I need to re-load the app on my phone I haven’t used it in so long. Poor Malco, in fact I didn’t even know until my daughter, Anna, told me that a version of Emma was released last year. And I will say, even during a pandemic, a Jane Austen movie will always deliver a win. The Jane Austen fan base is formidable- it’s an everlasting and ever-increasing band of brothers and sisters called “the Jane-ites”. I felt their presence as I prepared for this podcast today, and they frighten me.
“Jane-ites” are you making that up?
I am absolutely NOT making that up. The term was actually introduce in 1894 by a scholar who wrote the introduction to a new edition of Pride and Prejudice. But it has since taken on a life of its own- there are so many jane-ites. Send me a tweet if you are one. During WW1, Kipling published a story called “The Janeites” that was about a group of soldiers who were secret fans of Austen. I bring that up to show you, that’s it’s not just a bunch of old-marmie suburbanite English teachers that like Jane Austen. The Jane Austin Society of North America boasts thousands of members, but that’s just on the American continent. Obviously the Jane Austen Society of the UK is closer to home and is expectedly well-developed, but there’s a jane Austen society in Brazil, in Australia, in the Netherlands and in the Chech republic- those are the ones I know about.
So, you’re saying there is a global passion for all things Jane…and has been for a while.
She’s a legend- and a force to be reckoned with. Austen’s storytelling creates an intimacy and sense of humble confidence that endears us to her characters but also to her, but since she’s everyone’s best friend, it makes me nervous to try to talk about her- it’s intimidating. Her works, although readable and enjoyable on first pass, are anything but simple. Austen kind of reminds me how people who are really good at their job make things look deceptively easy- you know how Tom Brady makes throwing a football 50 yards across a field makes you think anyone can do it- I have often wondered during our annual family Thanksgiving game why my passes never seem as far-reaching , or how Tyra Banks makes smiling for a camera look simple- another task I find so much awkward than expected- or here’s a really good example, those people on Pinterest who make DYI projects look like an non-artist could ever make a gorgeous and modern light fixture out of a thirty year old lamp shade and a can of spray paint.
I know what you mean, but funny you bring up Tyra Banks and smiling.
I know- I never knew how hard modeling was until we started making these video clips for the podcast- I get so nervous and awkward. For those who don’t follow us on social media- and you should follow us- we really do try to be cutesy and entertaining- but dang- one thing I’ve learned, it’s definitely not as easy as yra baVnks makes it look.
No, it definitely is not.
And that’s how Austen is, that wiley Jane, makes you believe she’s just this little unintimidating Auntie sitting in her living room jotting down a few phrases about everyday life- and all the while, she’s building her cult.
She’s turning you into a Jane-ite.
She is.
It is certainly true that If you are reading in English you know her name.
If you read novels, you’ve certainly read hers, and if you like reading, there’s a good chance you’ve read one or more of hers more than once. There are people more knowledgeable than myself, listening, I absolutely know you are there, and respect you- and invite your input. This is episode one- so if there’s a tidbit we definitely should include, send us an email or a message on Instagram or Twitter. An Austen novel is like a Shakespeare play in that every time you read it, you’re going to be enchanted by yet another detail you hadn’t noticed, a turn of phrase you hadn’t appreciated or a nuanced of political irony you failed to be assaulted by. Her subtly is her power.
And truth be told, I have to admit, for me I know her better from the film versions than the book versions.
Well, I’m sure you are certainly not in the minority. There is no shortage of movie companies ready to monetize the gift that keeps on giving- the name- Jane Austen. Most of the ones I’ve seen are really pretty good- but honestly, it cracks me up how different the British ones are from the American produced ones. You can tell immediately that the 1997 Emma was American produced while Sensibility was done by the British.
You know for me, the biggest difference is that I don’t need subtitles on the Americans pretending to have British accents. But do you think one continent makes better Austen movies than the other?
Oh goodness, I’m not going to take a position on that. But, like everyone else in the world, I feel I know Jane a little, and I think she would be proud to be a box office success. Jane was a pragmatist and recorded every dollar her books brought in. She negotiated her own deals, and learned to favor commissions over selling the copyrights. I think she would have loved to know the commercial success of her legacy. In that sense, she’s very modern; perhaps even, middle class (for those of us who see that word in a positive light). But, have said that- she is perhaps the quintessence of Regency England, to the point that for many of us- or maybe I speak only for myself- but I’ve come to think I understand what it means to be English through the lens of Regency England- which of course, can only be a misguided simplistic understanding- and certainly a tribute to the great Jane. One immediately distinguishing element of coming from this Regency period is that Austen published all of her works anonymously- I think it might have been perceived as vulgar for a lady to put her name on the cover of a novel. She was not famous during her life, well- her brother did out her a little, but that’s kind of forgiveable and slightely endearing- how could anyone be expected to be that close to a celebrity without letting it slip on occasion. He was proud.
It’s kind of nice to think of him as being proud of her. In fact, their family seems to have been really close all of her short life. Her writing period was so short, and all of her books eventually became so popular. I’ve just finished listening to Emma on audible. It’s just easy to listen to.
True, in fact, if you are not a big reader, I really to recommend listening to her work on Audible. There are several amazing renditions. Emma Thompson was involved in the one we just listened, and it’s fantastic. Austen’s characters and dialogue are so natural; her novel writing almost feels like a movie script. I think everyone could enjoy it that way. We have chosen, Emma- for this series- although I know there are other very beloved choices= but interestingly enough- I have not found a single critic who does not steadfastly declare with absolute certainty that Emma is Jane Austen’s masterpiece= something I really didn’t know the first time I read the book as a young adult. I didn’t even read it for school, I read it because I had loved Pride and Prejudice and wanted to read another Austen novel. I liked the title – and thought it had a fun sounding name- a female hero.
Did you read Pride and Prejudice in school? I know many schools still put Pride and Prejudice at the top of the list of required reading.
True, and the sassy Elizabeth Bennett is many people’s favorite Austen heroine. My good friend, Paul Dooley, chair of the English department at Bolton High School here in Memphis for over 20 years, required all freshman to read Pride and Prejudice the summer before entering Freshman Honors English- and both of my daughters dutifully did so. And to be quite honest, for that reason alone I was going to pick Pride and Prejudice to do for the podcast until we got an email from one of our listeners Emeri from sunny San Diego. Emeri wrote us and recommended we feature Emma. Emeri said it was her all-time favorite for its cleverness, and after reading it again in preparation for this series, I must admit Emeri is right- it’s extremely clever. So, for those of you who are ready for a second Emeri recommendation, Emeri also gives a shout out to the new production of Emma starring Anya Taylor- Joy, Johnny Flynn and Mia Goth. It’s very charming in its musical choices, the costumes are fun and it uses quite a bit of Austen’s original dialogue. So, even though I will always be charmed by Pride and Prejudice’s famously sarcastic first line that just gets better with every century..
What is that?
I’ll tell you but let me quote it exactly, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”
So, she makes a matter of fact statement that society absolutely accepts, but says it in such a way that brings to your mind a sudden doubt as to whether it’s the kind of thing, society should accept or may actually be foolish to not question.
Exactly- it’s so subtle and what people love about her. it’s everywhere in a thousand different ways- and exactly what Emeri means when she references Jane being clever …and so in honor of the great Jane and Emeri, let’s time travel to Regency England explore the village life of Highbury and meet our heroine Emma Woodhouse. Garry, first of all, what the heck IS Regency England.
Sure- and for starters let me reference back to to the point you made about the way the Americans and the British recreate ages of English history. Shonda Rimes has produced this hit Netflix series Bridgerton- right now it’s one of the most popular tv shows around the world seen in over 82 million households- the latest portrayal of this time period- a shining period in many ways. From my view, after just finishing Emma, it seems to borrow concepts from Jane Austen novels and mix them with elements of hit American tv series, Gossip Girl. Of course she takes liberty with the music, the costuming and other modern elements to heighten the glamor, the preoccupation of the mothers and daughters with marriage proposals and balls and etiquette is absolutely on point and honestly, not frivolous although it may appear to us from this vantage point in history.
- let’s start with the years. Jane was born in 1775, but only lifed a few short years. She died in 1817. She published only six novels, and they were published between 1811-1817- again, an incredibly short period of time- although she wrote them over a 20 year period. But, just to put her in context, Garry, so those are her personal years- what does that mean for the world at large.
Quite a bit actually- The Regency years precisely were 1811-1820- not a long period of time and her life, obviously begins before the Regency period,- so let’s set this up to provide a little context. I would say the late 1700s early 1800s were a time of great change for the English- but that’s a ridiculous thing for any history teacher to say- every time is a time of great change- that’s what history is- change over time. But in the case of England or English society specifically- and for a country so rooted in tradition the changes in this period started picking up the pace- and of course that trend hasn’t stopped yet til this day- the pace of change has only gotten more exponential since then. But the war with France and the industrial revolution changed the rules of engagement between social classes and even genders. For many up and coming Englishmen and women, life was beginning to look very different….to use a word often associated with this period- it was looking much “improved”…but improvements, although even if incremental, are also turbulent, and we see that side of it when we read the history books. If you’re an American, you think of 1776 as a very important year because that is the year of our Declaration of independence. If you are French, you think of 1789 as the beginning of the French revolution. If you are English, these years are years where England is at the height of its Power. George III, yes, that’s the George, Jefferson had a beef with in the Declaration of Independence, but in spite of that small hiccup we call the American Revolution over here, King George III had a long and successful reign. He defeated Napoleon and founded the second British empire. King George III became an adept politician and as he got older eventually left a lot of the work to the capable administrator of one of Great Britains greatest prime Ministers, William Pitt, the Younger…this leadership left England on top of the Western world, so to speak. But at the same time, on a personal level, King George’s story was more difficult. He had a large family- 15 children from a wife he first met on his wedding day, but he seemed to be devoted to them. The problem was he also had a disease, many scholars think it was porphyria. Porphyria is a rare genetic condition that affects the liver causing toxins to be released into the body. One of King George’s symptoms of an impending attack of the disease was that his urine would turn blue. This disease left him, blind, deaf and eventually insane and incapable of running the country, even though he was alive and still king.
That would be a problem.
The period of time when he was still king but not capable of running the country is called the Regency- that’s why it’s a shorter period of time. George IV, was his son and was supposed to and eventually did inherit the crown but unfortunately, it seems George IV had the gift of making everyone despise him.
Oh my- that’s unfortunately.
Well, it is- and not the way I would want to stand out- Ultimately he would be one of the most detested of the British monarchs. Apparently his father thought this might happen because before ascending to the throne his father, although he loved him did not want him for his heir. No one from the government did. There was even talks of letting a woman take the reins to avoid his ascendency.
Well, I’m all for the girl- power. But What’s wrong with the guy?
Well, I’m not totally qualified to say, but it seems he wasn’t a serious person. He was good looking; no problem with that but he was a playboy, to use a modern day term for it- not interested at all in being a serious head of state. He became best friends with one his father’s most aggressive political rivals, Charles James Fox of the Whigs. He partied all the time, where his father was very pious. He scandalously and secretly married a Catholic girl named Mrs. Fitzherbert- who he loved but had to put her away as a mistress in order to marry someone more suitable o preferred.
Well, that’s a story that will occur over and over again with the British monarchs.
It will happen again that’s for sure. But, at the time it was actually against the law for a Catholic to be a monarch or the spouse of a monarch- so in George the 4th’s case, it was annulled. And He dutifully married Princess Caroline of Brunswick. Unfortunately They hated each other, didn’t live together and carried on endless affairs- bringing disgrace every which way to everyone concerned. When George III became permanently insane, George IV was declared regent to everyone’s fear- ultimately though, he did not make any real scandalous changes in the way things were being run. In 1820, when his father died, he became King. He only really ruled for 10 years, and honestly, although he played a public role, he seems to have left the government business alone.
Did he leave any positive legacy at all or was it all just a big nothing?
Well, he actually did- in his own way- and in particular to the arts. His most notable contribution was his collection of art. I find his most endearing legacy to be the imprint he left in terms of architecture, he had refined taste. He turned Buckingham into a Palace including the iconic archway now known as the marble arch which has since been relocated. He remodeled Windsor Castle, he is responsible for Regent street and Regent Park among other things.
All of those are big and grand things, but interestingly enough none of what you just talked about is in any of Austen’s work.
True, but if we overlay Jane’s Austen’s life to the life of the country, we see that they overlap this period exactly. Goerge IV was regent, not king during the years these books were published. The Battle of Waterloo where Lord Wellington beats Napoleon is in 1815. These are glory years in as far as foreign politics goes. As far as internal affairs, there is also a lot going on in the country. England was, what today we would call a developing nation. Although they had an upper and emerging middle class, 1/3 of the country, the laboring population lived permanently on the verge of starvation- think about that for a moment- that’s a lot of people. In 1819, the Peterloo Massacre stands out because over 60,000 people came out to protest poor conditions and were charged, as in physically charged by the calvary. This is social turmoil on a large scale. England, at this time, was an extremely political place. There was strong patriotism but also strong sentiments for social reform. Austen who is known to have read as many newspapers as she could get her hands on AND who had two brothers who were admirals in the Navy was clearly well aware of everything going on around her on this grand scale.
And yet, how interesting, there is almost none of it in her novels. Of course, Pride and Prejudice has soldiers, most notably Lydia Bennett running away with the scandalous Mr. Wickam,and in Emma there is a very interesting discussion about stamps that edges on the political.
Oh yes- the stamps- they weren’t received well in the American colonies either. It’s mentioned and for us that doesn’t seem like much of anything to pay attention to, but actually in Regency England this was a big deal and Austen’s reference to the stamps in Emma would not go unnoticed. As we know the government raised money to pay for all these wars by increasing the charges to mail letters. And Unlike today the person who had to pay for the stamp was the person who received the letter, not the person who sent it.
So, you are literally mailing a bill to your friend which is what happens in Emma when Jane Fairfax writes Miss Bates and one reason why poor Miss Bates values the letters so much. She paid for them. Plus, you had to pay by the number of sheets you mailed. So obviously good people wriote on every available space- saving the recipient any possible extra expense. Miss Bates in Emma says this “in general she fills the whole paper and crosses half”= meaning she was writing every where on it. And Mrs. Bates appreciated that
While we’re on the subject of letters, and there are quite a few letters in Emma, Another thing to notice, unlike today, letters were public things. You didn’t write a letter just to your mother or your sister or as private correspondence.
Today, if someone opens another person’s mail, even email, it’s considered a very rude privacy violation.
That is not the case in Regency England. A letter was understood in kind of the same way we think of a newsletter today. They are pubic documents- more akin to an Instagram or FB post. People read their letters to anyone and everyone and did so proudly. They contained news- and everyone in Highbury, just like in Memphis, likes news- politics, society, deaths, births, big events, anything. Remember, information in those days was a commodity. So, hopefully that gives you a bit of an overview of the world we’re getting into.
I’m reminded of Lorraine Hansberry when she talked about Raisin in the Sun- she said she was writing about the universal by looking at the particular. In other words, I’m speaking about all humanity by looking at a very small example of a few particular lives, and honestly, that is Jane Austen as well. No one reads Jane Austen to understand the global intrigue caused by Mr. Pitt’s war or Napoleon’s exile to Elba. They read Jane Austen to understand that at the end of the day, we are all concerned about our little village and our future prospects, a word she uses a lot. And although, it’s very un-American to admit such a thing, everyone, even here in democratic egalitarian USA is still interested in money and rank- and if you doubt that for one minute, watch Buzzfeed news- our hypocrisy revealed in every story.
Yes- and Regency England provides us with a wonderful context for this- they were more honest about this. The middle-class of this time period was actually a small group of people, estimated at around 25,000 families, but it isn’t a static society. People born poor could break into the group, and people did break into the group, and this is exactly what we are seeing through the entirety of Emma.
Robert Martin is an up and coming farmer getting a foot into the middle class. Mr. Elton openly admits everyone has their “level” to use his word, and he was very concerned about his.
Well, he’s right to notice that All kinds of merchants, tradesman and lawyers were acquiring wealth and mixing with those of higher ranked birth- Emma mixing with Harriet is an excellent example. Mr. Elton, like many before and after him, wants to use the age-old tried and true method of marrying into a higher level instead of doing the hard work of building one.
And not presented in a positive light I might add, We said at the beginning of the episode that this was The age of improvements, and I love that language. We see it in all the Austen novels, but it is very pronounced in this one. It’s at the core of the culture and is a driving force throughout all of Austen’s novels and one I hadn’t understood really the first time I read this book. I didn’t understand that when those girls are practicing their piano-forte, learning French, learning to draw, it’s because they were improving themselves, making themselves more fashionable, more acceptable, building a better future- more, in their words they are going from a poor girl to a lady.
And the same applies to men. It was so important to behave like a gentleman: more and more men could afford to drink tea (something that was expensive) in their own parlors- sometimes even two parlors, they could learn to write letters, learn to dance properly. When we understand the purposes of these routines, we understand the culture. We understand what’s happening in the book on a socio-political level. For me, if you don’t understand this, the book can mistakenly be understood as people in pursuit of idleness and wasting time by attending balls, they absolutely were not- they were improving- improving themselves, the lives of their children, the homes in which they lived and the landscapes of their community. People are fixing things up, making for themselves a better place for their children. In 18th and even 19th century England, social status and thus survival often depended not on money alone but on manners- culturally constructed markers that defined your place in your society. If you look closely at the hideous Mrs. Elton, Austen portrays an example of those people who are clearly working very hard at pushing her way upward in the world by snubbing everyone in the process.
And don’t we all know that person?- whatever time period we live in. We have those people here, and I assure you in the world of public school in Bartlett, Tennessee, these efforts are total vanity with no return.
If we look at these novels through these lens of social constructs, there is a lot that is political about Jane Austen in that form of understated satire that I referenced with the Pride and Prejudice quote.
She is absolutely, Jane, the political commentator, without ever bringing King George or William Pitt into the discussion.
She is also Jane Austen, the feminist. This comes through in every one of her novels- Austen is beyond frustrated in fact infuriated at the limited prospects of women being able to improve their lots- the ways in which women, especially intelligent women, were allowed to improve just weren’t fair,
This is something that Mary Shelley AND Emily Bronte bring up in their work.
Exactly, all of the women writers, likely writing for all under-educated women, but unfortunately a conundrum where Jane finds herself trapped in real life. In lots of ways, she’s better off than most. She’s not confined to what in Emma she compares to “slavery” of being a governess (obviously not a fair comparison and one that shows her ignorance of slavery, but reveals nonetheless frustration). Austen herself is not rich but finds herself confined even if it is by pleasant society. Her world is not designed for women like her- intelligent, aggressive, active women- who although interested in love for love’s sake- not really interested in love as a social climbing infrastructure- especially not one where love is the ONLY social climbing infrastructure. It’s where her irony is at its most witty. The restricted social vision for women IS the satire- but in Emma, unlike Sense and Sensibility or Pride and Prejudice, she looks at the plight of women not from the bottom up but from the top down. Emma, is the only novel where the title is the heroine. The title is not a place, it’s not a virtue- the title is a woman and this is important. Emma is not an ordinary woman.
I want to throw out a literary term here- Emma is what we call a bildungsroman. Although, you may or may not be familiar with that term, you absolutely know the concept. It’s what we often call a coming of age novel, although there’s a little more involved. It’s a very old archetype really. It’s about growing up. It usually involves a quest where a boy becomes a man through a series of tests- the book or story will follow his psychological development, his education, rebellion, ultimately his maturity and entry into manhood or adulthood. In terms of books, think Catcher in the Rye, Harry Potter, Great Expectations, Huckleberry Finn, The Outsiders- even Pinnocchio.
Well, Emma most certainly falls into this category. And when we think of the expectations of women in Regency England- Jane Austen is quite the critic and in Emma, she’s not just criticizing a woman’s path to professional or financial security, she’s questioning the very essence of what it means to be a lady. Just as there is a view of what a proper gentleman was to be, there is also a view as to what a proper lady is supposed to be and that’s what Emma is- a challenge to that concept. A proper lady was passive, selfless, no ambition, no personal agency. To quote one critic, “a demure young woman, with eyes downcast and lips pressed into a faint and silent smile.”
That description reminds me of all the girls presenting themselves to the queen as they bowed before the throne when they’re coming out in society…again another reference to Bridgerton.
Exactly, and Emma is none that. Jane Austen was always afraid of how the audience of her period who perceive Emma. She actually now famously says about Emma, “-"I am going to take a heroine whom no one but myself will much like.” Most people today love Emma, but the world today is different. Emma is a challenge to the status quo of her day. The flaws in her character are flaws that would not stand out if Emma were a man, but they annoy us to see them in a woman, even today, really. The stereotype of female heroine up to the point was the Cinderella trope- a poor woman, likely beautiful, poorly treated, rescued because of her beauty- inside and out- probably by a man. This is even kind of the schemata of Pride and Prejudice. But Emma defies that. From the very first sentence we see a different sort of woman. Let’s read sentence one.
Emma certainly defies every dictum in the conduct books of the day.
Yes- she is strong and assertive, but she’s also caring and sensitive to others. She wants to help Harriet, not hurt her. She’s highly protective of her father- a protector. She is going to grow in understanding of what it means to combine all these attributes together, and it will all be in the confines of her little world.
And in a sense, that’s why she doesn’t come across as obviously a feminist- she’s not taking a job or moving to London. She is not following the male path to maturity, and she doesn’t even want to.
Exactly, and in that way, Austen is asserting her worldview on all of us- on what a female heroine is about- what female strength and leadership is about. Emma views the world not as a hierarchy at all, but as a web of relationships that are interdependent. She doesn’t want to sacrifice her relationships at the expense of intellectual or financial independence. It doesn’t even occur to her. It’s interesting- she’s a domestic heroine, so to speak. Let’s read the next two paragraphs.
Read paragraphs 2-3
Emma, like many women, many modern women, is interested and views the world through her relationships: her father, Miss Taylor. She’s interested in intimacy. She is happy, clever, rich, handsome and interconnected. It’s also interesting to see that she is not unemployed- Emma does have duties. She is a manager of the her father’s home- and this is a job she does not reject or devalue. We may, as 20th century women, find this definition of female duties limiting- this is not something Austen is willing to do- she doesn’t devalue the importance of domestic life- although Jane herself never married and was in many ways what today we’d call a traditional professional woman.
The definition of a lady- in Emma- is really of an internal nature- strength of character, independence and choice, are at the core. There is an important place for things that are specifically feminine- -good taste and artistry are valuable- a choice to devote your life to what you choose is the freedom- but regardless of where you rank on the social scale- what makes Emma endearing at least to me is that in her we see that being a lady, or gentleman ultimately is defined as having the intellectual and emotional freedom inside to have humility, to be able to make mistakes and forgive yourself- to be a person who can grow- marriage may or may not fit into that- it’s wonderful perhaps for some, but not essential to one’s completeness as a human- as Jane found out was her own case- that’s what Emma’s about in many ways- the portrait of a lady who understands herself enough to assert power and personal morality within herself and her community. Next week, we’ll watch her do that very thing and delight us in the process. We’ll also get into just a little of Austen’s personal story.
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