There’s no doubt that Jane Austen has inspired me although I freely admit that I do prefer the Brontes’ work to hers. Jane’s writing errs a little too much on the side of ‘telling’ rather than ‘showing’ for me to be supreme fan, although there’s no doubt she had an amazing grasp on not only communication through the written word, but also the social constructs of her time. Her understanding of behaviour in polite society and just what went on under the surface of all this careful use of manners is fascinating. I can only imagine what it would be like to live in a society where such politeness was expected and the suppression of passion and freedom to express yourself was equally demanded. I don’t think I would have been able to live within its confines. I think I would have been most like Marianne Dashwood, although I hope I might have been as self-controlled as Lizzie Bennet. If I’d had a daughter Elizabeth might have ended up being her name, and it would have been owing to the marvellous heroine of Pride and Prejudice. I am also proud of the fact that my maiden name is Bennett, although with two ‘t’s rather than one. Still, it has always made me feel a sense of kinship with Lizzie, although she would have bested me for self-control easily.
I love Jane for giving her to me, along with many other fascinating and intricate characters.
I’ve loved Jane Austen ever since we studied Mansfield Park in Grade Eleven English. I, unlike many of my fellow students, read the book from cover to cover & then sought out and read all her other books. I’ve had the joy of reading Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility and Northanger Abbey to my teenage daughter. Since then we’ve watched a plethora of BBC (& other) movies and series on Austen, including Lost in Austen & my daughter has discovered the Lizzie Bennet diaries http://www.lizziebennet.com/ So I guess I’m a fan 🙂
Cool that you shared the same surname with Lizzie 🙂
I was late in hopping on the Jane Austen train. I was quite intimidated by the classics, having had to read Moby Dick in high school, which I HATED and to this day could not tell you a THING that happened in that book. And then Wuthering Heights, which I also don’t understand to this day, though I’ve tried 3 times to read it. So I was skeptical of Austen’s works. So many of my friends raved about them, and I did love Jane Eyre when I read it in high school, so I decided as an adult to give P&P a chance and it’s one of my favorite novels now. I love all her works, but that one is my favorite, perhaps because it was my first, but also I LOVE the character of Lizzie! I love her wit and I love her relationship with Jane because I always wanted a sister to share things with the way they do. I relate to Lizzie in a way that I don’t always have with characters and I find her so brilliantly written. P&P is one of my go-to books for comfort reading when I need something familiar and safe. Austen is a GREAT author to have as an inspiration. At least in MY humble opinion.