[JANE AUSTEN – THE MYSTERY OF 19TH CENTURY ENGLAND]

When discussing female writers, perhaps Jane Austen is still a relatively new name to the youth of Vietnam in the 20th century. However, to many generations of people worldwide, especially in England, Jane Austen has become a “legend”, a multigenerational childhood companion of many. To this day, her name is still of paramount impact on 20th and 21st century writers and poets, after 200 years of glory in the world’s literature tapestry. With all of her timeless and everlasting works of art, Jane Austen has made a name for herself as one of the greatest Western writers of all time. 

 “Hạnh phúc trong hôn nhân hoàn toàn là vấn đề may rủi”

(Jane Austen) 

The women archetypes in Jane Austen’s novels 

Varying from benevolent, elegant or extremely gifted women - Jane Austen’s girls are endowed with unique and remarkable personal characteristics. Nonetheless, Jane Austen did not aim at creating a cliché of an “ideal woman”. More than that, Jane allows her girls to live to their heart’s content, engrossing themselves in freedom in the context of a prejudiced society. Explicitly, they can and will always find a way to overcome constraints, be it a dolorous marriage or tragedies in life and family. But how did Jane’s girls do it? That is the marvel of Jane Austen.  

If Jane Austen, like every writer of her time, had written about a “damsel in distress” waiting to be saved and rescued, then her literary works would not have been so eternal. When we read through some of Jane Austen’s, we are easily amused and hypnotized by her witty writing, totally convinced that her stories are not just make-believe. As if, Jane Austen herself is sitting in front of our nose, chattering with us like old mates. But to those who are not familiar with Jane Austen’s works? Then, we shall take a look over “Pride and Prejudice”, one of the best classics of all time, and see how interesting Jane’s girls are! 

Scripted from 1796 to 1797 and printed in 1813, “Pride and Prejudice” is a story about love and marriage of a small aristocratic class of people of England in the 19th century. The story follows two characters, Elizabeth Bennet - daughter of a middle class family, and Fitzwilliam Darcy - a wealthy landlord. Their journey, however, did not start off with rose-tinted romance like we usually see. In fact, at the beginning, the lovebirds loathed each other. Darcy prides himself on his family’s legacy and social status, which explains why he recoiled from Elizabeth at first because of her lower class origin. Similarly, Elizabeth did not have a good first impression of Darcy either. She has her own pride and abhorred his annoying personality. We can clearly deduce that Elizabeth is an independent woman, whose opinions are invariable. Even later in the story, when she had accepted Darcy’s proposal, it was not until they had broken down prejudices they had for the other. Elizabeth is the epitome of female figures in Jane Austen’s novels - that all women are willing to stand up and fight for their love and own stance in the face of social prejudices.  

The mysterious life of Jane Austen

Darkness hidden behind the veil at the back of a glorious stage might be the perfect metaphor for Jane’s life. Besides her literary works, mails and basic information, we know virtually nothing about the life of this talented female novelist. Not until years later did Jane’s work start to become popular among the public. Still, we could see Jane Austen, at least through her literature, her humous mind and clever satires, her female characters’ personalities, or the entirety of which has created the one and only Jane Austen.  

The impact Jane Austen has on women and literature 

Jane Austen, the “girl next door” of English literature, is more than just a gifted writer, she is also a women's icon. She has proven that not only women can write, but they write very well!
Jane’s works, with her wit and humor, and a deep outlook on life, have helped her secure a place on the pedestal of literature history, contributing to changing society’s perceptions of women and women’s literature. Jane Austen had truly defied conventional stereotypes and continued to write books with a bantering, yet ironic and sharp tone. And, Jane’s girls are no ordinary, they have become powerful, independent women, who readily stand up against social barriers and prejudices of their time. 

Austen’s literature has been a source of inspiration for many generations, while subsequently broadening the border of literature, permitting women to have a position in the history of literature. Isn’t this something to take pride in? 

Authors: Nguyễn Thanh Ngân, Ngô Thị Thảo Ngọc. Translator: Moon Ji Eun