Why do we love Jane?
The Editrix has been hearing from several journalists lately, all more or less wondering, “Why Jane?”
Why, indeed?
We think Karen Joy Fowler, the author of The Jane Austen Book Club, is on the right track with the first sentence of the book: “Each of us has a private Austen.” We all read Jane’s books in our own way and love them for our own reason; Ms. Fowler also has written that many of us read Jane Austen’s work differently at different times in our life.
So we are not sure if our love for Jane Austen’s work is quantifiable. That does not mean that we cannot try to quantify it, however; or even just gush. 
Alert Janeite/Brontëite Cristina wrote to tell us about an article by a high school senior who is just starting out on her journey of discovering her private Austen (and already planning that trip to England…take it from the Editrix, don’t wait till you are 40 to do it!) .
Yasmeen Murshed writes about her private Austen in the Daily Star.
Austen counts as a “great” because her work has a much more serious aspect of social and familial insight and it reveals in its own wry and witty fashion her deep understanding of human relationships — that alone is testimony to her enormous talent.
Feel free to tell us about your private Austen.
February 7th, 2006 at 12:18 pm
I guess this makes me a pain, but I don’t quite agree with the subjectivist argument that everyone has his/her own private Austen. While it may be true that everyone remembers different things from the works, and everyone will interpret things differently, to varying degrees, at the end of the day, the text is the text and it doesn’t change, no matter who reads it.
February 7th, 2006 at 12:21 pm
The text is the text is the text, but the different interpretations of the text do matter.
Just as twins raised by the same parents will grow up to have different perspectives on their childhood, everyone who reads the same words doesn’t necessarily take the same ideas from them.
February 7th, 2006 at 11:22 pm
The first time I was exposed to Austen was two years ago, when I was a freshman in high school, and my teacher assigned Emma. I was the only person in my class who loved it. Happily, my classmates enjoyed Pride and Prejudice this year- although they continue to insist that Emma was dreadful. I suppose it depends on when you read the books…..
My mission in life: to marry Mr. Knightley.
February 8th, 2006 at 12:34 am
I disagree with Sophia, although I do love her name. not only does each of us have a private Austen, but each time we read the book, we are a different person, and the transaction between the reader and book changes. Of course, in some ways the text is a closed circle, but as long as you don’t roam way out of the circle, you can meander through it any way that suits you. I teach Hamlet every year, and he is so complex that he changes practically daily. So does Austen and her characters. That is why I rank her 2nd only to Shakespeare.
February 9th, 2006 at 5:28 pm
I fist read Pride and Prejudice when i was 13, and quickly went through the rest of novels. I love her writings because no matter how many times I read the stories, it is just as exciting as the first time. I agree with Susan; for each person who reads her works there is something differnt going on in their life, so the stories will come across to them diferently.
February 9th, 2006 at 7:00 pm
Hi, this is the first time for me here. I’m Brazilian, so, pardon my English. Jane was the reason, together with C.S.Lewis and my English Literature teacher, for me to go back to college and graduate on English/Literature.
She is amazing, I have never read someone who could describe the women souls as she does.
I love her!