Our Fair Lady

On July 18th, 1817, the English novelist Jane Austen died. She was remembered as a pioneering writer and a literary role model who led the way for others. She played a vital role in establishing eighteenth century fiction, a genre of literature which was dominated by women. Women were not just prolific writers during that era, they were also prodigious readers. It was estimated that three-quarters of the reading public were women. Even today, women remain the biggest consumers of fiction, particularly romantic fiction.

Unlike poetry, novels and stories are still considered to be the primary domain of women. This longer form of literature is especially suited to women. Generally speaking, men tend to have a more concise mind while women approach, perceive and interpret the world in finer detail. Reason, theory and logic are the traditional preserve of men. Women are more interested in exploring the realms of sentiment, emotion and empathy. Feeling, rather than thinking, is at the centre of women’s territory.

It is extraordinary to consider that this uniquely feminine milieu was recognised as early as the late sixteenth century. One eminent and respected author from this period was Sir Philip Sidney. He prefaced his 1593 work “The Countess of Pembroke’s Arcadia” with a direct address to the “fair ladies” who were especially keen on his courtly romances. Romanticism was in itself a very human response to the excesses of scientific enlightenment, when it was feared that cold logic would supersede emotion and destroy human imagination for good.

Austen’s novels were exquisitely drawn character studies. She calmly dissected the components of distinct human personalities. She felt no qualms revealing the vain, haughty and even ridiculous types that inhabited genteel society. She used levity, a distinctly English idiomatic technique to highlight these traits. Underneath all of this, however, was a sense of barely suppressed rage.

The comic, satirical tone in her books masks Austen’s genuine intention, to expose a tragic state of affairs where feelings must be repressed to maintain outward civility. As she outlines in “Emma”, “the true English style..is burying under a calmness that seemed all but indifference, the real attachment”. It is unwise to dismiss her fiction as light or frivolous, there is a serious point underlining all of her work.

Very few of her characters have individual agency, they are trapped by society’s rigid expectations. Class, as well as gender confines them. It is an almost loveless existence. Relations between men and women are purely transactional. Engagements and marriages are only facilitated to enhance social status. Families are only concerned about their economic and social position and engineer their sons and daughters future lives in order to secure this, their feelings are rarely considered.

All of her six novels are set during the Regency period of English history. She paints a landscape of grand country houses and conspicuous material wealth. Most of the drama centres around social occasions like balls, where most of the matchmaking takes place.

Austen’s portraits have created a distinct template, often imitated but never matched by contemporary romantic authors such as Candace Bushnell and Helen Fielding. Bushnell’s stark portrayal of the vicious, heartless dating scene of Manhattan has been interpreted as a modern adaptation of Austen. Similarly, Fielding’s eponymous “Bridget Jones” novels detail the romantic exploits of a hapless, but relatable heroine attempting to navigate the harsh and often unforgiving landscape of late twentieth century London. This is a strangely familiar landscape. It is exactly the same as eighteenth century Hampshire, it is a place dominated by pompous, arrogant and shallow men. We continue to take these satirical novels for granted, but they would not have been written without Austen’s influence. We must remember her important legacy.