“You may find me to be a bit hasty in my congratulations, Miss Austen, yet I cannot contain my enthusiasm! I must wish you a most felicitous semiquincentennial celebration, the 250th anniversary of your birth!”
Miss Austen is, of course, the beloved novelist, Jane Austen, and this dispatch is my poor attempt to honor Austen through imitation of her style, while showcasing, unfortunately, none of her iconic and ironic brilliance. Though her birthday is not until December 16, we, fans around the world, “Janeites,” have been celebrating all year long.
If you have not read any of her core novels—of which there are only six—I recommend you pick up one. It doesn’t matter which one; I happened to have read first, “Northanger Abbey,” a satire of gothic novels, and fell in love instantly with Austen’s masterful and subtle use of humor and wit. Austen’s novels are not all about love and romance, but are primarily about the social realities behind sentimental, romantic façades.
The publication of “Sense and Sensibility” came first in 1811; “Pride and Prejudice” followed in 1813, “Mansfield Park,” 1814, and “Emma,” 1815. Though separate works, “Persuasion” and “Northanger Abbey” were published together posthumously in 1817 by Austen’s brother, Henry, and it was he who named each novel.
In the years since her death at age 41, respect for her work has only grown, snowballing into the 21st century to such popularity that imitation and reimagining of her novels and writing style have come as flattery in its most sincere forms.
Books published this year are no exception. Coming to Smiley Library soon is a celebratory collaboration of ‘love letters’ from writers, actors, critics, and scholars alike, “Encounters with Jane Austen: Celebrating 250 Years.” The anthology features a vibrant mix of short stories, essays, interviews, and poetry contributed by over 30 writers and artists. It presents a delightful blend of both contemporary and classic works, accompanied by humorous illustrations and timeless quotes from Jane Austen herself.
Another tribute arriving in 2025 in a fresh format for our featured author is “The Novel Life of Jane Austen: A Graphic Biography,” a very approachable introduction for Austen novices and a textured, detail-packed delight for those already familiar with her life. Acclaimed Austen scholar Janine Barchas and New York Times bestselling graphic novelist Isabel Greenberg combine their talents to create this wonderfully unique glimpse into the novelist’s world with Jane as the heroine.
Greenberg’s sparkling illustrations in a muted blue-gray-yellow color scheme burst into vivid reds and purples when Austen imagines scenes in her novels. Told in three parts (Budding Writer 1796-1797); Struggling Artist 1801-1809; and Published Author 1811-1817), all the settings and scenarios presented are based upon the historical record, including the clothing, architecture, decor, and Regency locations.
For those of us who have read and enjoyed Miss Austen’s work so much that we seem to ache for ‘more Austen!,’ Rebecca Romney has brought us a gift in “Jane Austen’s Bookshelf: A Rare Book Collector’s Quest to Find the Women Writers Who Shaped a Legend.” Romney herself is the rare book specialist who investigates eight of Austen’s contemporaries, women authors who inspired her—Frances Burney, Ann Radcliffe, Charlotte Lennox, Hannah More, Charlotte Smith, Elizabeth Inchbald, Hester Lynch Thrale Piozzo, and Maria Edgeworth. She provides an overview of the publishing world in Regency England, addressing the restrictions of gender and social attitudes impacting women authors. We learn of these featured writers’ lives and works, while Romney highlights Austen’s artful references in her novels to these writers she admires. Book lovers may wish to delve into the comprehensive appendix which may well lead to the joyful addition of even more titles to their TBR (to-be-read) list.
I will take my leave of you now, dear readers, with a few more titles with which to enhance the J.A. festivities. I surmise that you may not have read “Lady Susan,” an epistolary novella written by Austen circa 1794, published in 1871. There are her unfinished novels, “The Watsons” (1804) and “Sanditon” (1817; recently completed by anonymous writer “Another Lady.”) Do you know of “Jane Austen’s Letters,” a compilation of her letters to others as an adult? “Jane Austen,” the 1913 biography by great-nephew William Austen-Leigh (yes, we have the 1913 edition!).
It may be time to explore Miss Jane’s juvenilia collection (written in her youth between 1787 and 1793) with the endearing “Love and Freindship and Other Youthful Writings.” The misspelling in the title is among several in these works, only endearing Jane Austen to us even more. Cheers to another 250 years!
Teresa Letizia is, obviously, a full-time Janeite, fitting around that her position as part-time library specialist at A.K. Smiley Public Library, 125 W. Vine St., Redlands.
