Despite little recognition of her importance and quality in her lifetime (in fact, it wasn’t even known that she was the author of her novels until after he death so strong was the prejudice against women writers) Austen’s work has undoubtedly, stood the test of time. In fact her novels seem as fresh, relevant and true as they were in the early 19th century when they were written. Two hundred years after the first publication of, arguably her masterpiece, Pride and Prejudice might be a good time to look at her heritage and evaluate her impact on current artistic and social mores.
Born into the large family of a country clergyman there was little remarkable about Jane’s upbringing, though she was well-educated and encouraged to read and be creative. What she must have been doing that was remarkable, especially for the time, was observing and developing a healthy cynicism about the social structure and manners of the age – and deciding quite early in her life that is deserved only parody and mocking, however gentle and subtly delivered.
While Jane’s family would have been quite low on the social scale the fact her father was a clergyman would have opened some doors to the family that might otherwise have been firmly closed on them. This gave Jane the opportunity to experience first-hand how the social interactions of the day worked in practice and to watch,albeit from a distance perhaps, the effects and characteristics it produced, especially in the young people.
Jane Austen continued to write what might almost be seen as observational comedy today through her own illness to her untimely death at 42. Social sensibilities – and necessity – meant that she could never be overt in her criticism or parody. She was too close to the subjects and too dependent on the goodwill of others to be able to be openly critical. But it is the subtle nuances of her social comment that really stand her apart. She doesn’t indulge in Dickens’ caricatures or Wilde’s exaggerated manners. It is all understated and implied; and in that lies her true genius.
Perhaps that is why, 200 hundred years on, her work still appeals to a broad spectrum of society. Consumers are more sophisticated and worldly-wise nowand can usually recognizesatire when they see it. But Austen’s world is not populated with absolute heroes and villains -just flawed and sometimes quietly desperate people who make mistakes but, ultimately get it right. And maybe that is still what we all want.

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