On Dec. 16, 1775, a girl was born in Steventon, England \u2014 the seventh of eight children \u2014 to a clergyman and his wife. She was an avid reader, never married and died in 1817, at the age of 41. But in just those few decades, Jane Austen changed the world.<\/p>\n
Her novels have had an outsize influence in the centuries since her death. Not only are the books themselves beloved \u2014 as sharply observed portraits of British society, revolutionary narrative projects and deliciously satisfying romances \u2014 but the stories she created have so permeated culture that people around the world care deeply about Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, even if they\u2019ve never actually read \u201cPride and Prejudice.\u201d<\/p>\n
With her 250th birthday this year, the Austen Industrial Complex has kicked into high gear with festivals<\/a>, parades<\/a>, museum exhibits<\/a>, concerts<\/a> and all manner of merch, ranging from the classily apt to the flamboyantly absurd. The words \u201cJane mania\u201d have been used; so has \u201cexh-Aust-ion.\u201d<\/p>\n How to capture this brief life, and the blazing impact that has spread across the globe in her wake? Without further ado: a mere sampling of the wealth, wonder and weirdness Austen has brought to our lives. After all, your semiquincentennial doesn\u2019t come around every day.<\/p>\n By \u2018A Lady\u2019<\/p>\n Austen published just four novels<\/a> in her lifetime: \u201cSense and Sensibility\u201d (1811), \u201cPride and Prejudice\u201d (1813), \u201cMansfield Park\u201d (1814) and \u201cEmma\u201d (1815). All of them were published anonymously, with the author credited simply as \u201cA Lady.\u201d (If you\u2019re in New York, you can see this first edition for yourself at the Grolier Club<\/a> through Feb. 14.)<\/p>\n Where the Magic Happened<\/p>\n Placed near a window for light, this diminutive walnut table was, according to family lore, where the author did much of her writing. It is now in the possession of the Jane Austen Society.<\/p>\n An Iconic Accessory<\/p>\n Few of Austen\u2019s personal artifacts remain, contributing to the author\u2019s mystique. One of them is this turquoise ring, which passed to her sister-in-law and then her niece after her death. In 2012, the ring was put up for auction and bought by the \u201cAmerican Idol\u201d champion Kelly Clarkson. This caused quite a stir in England; British officials were loath to let such an important cultural artifact leave the country\u2019s borders. Jane Austen\u2019s House, the museum now based in the writer\u2019s Hampshire home, launched a crowdfunding campaign to Bring the Ring Home and bought the piece from Clarkson. The real ring now lives at the museum<\/a>; the singer has a replica.<\/p>\n Austen Onscreen<\/p>\n Since 1940, when Austen had a bit of a moment and Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier starred in MGM\u2019s rather liberally reinterpreted \u201cPride and Prejudice,\u201d there have been more than 20 international adaptations of Austen\u2019s work made for film and TV (to say nothing of radio). From the sublime (Emma Thompson\u2019s<\/a> Oscar-winning \u201cSense and Sensibility<\/a>\u201d) to the ridiculous (the wholly gratuitous 2022 remake of \u201cPersuasion<\/a>\u201d), the high waists, flickering firelight and double weddings continue to provide an endless stream of debate fodder \u2014 and work for a queen\u2019s regiment of British stars.<\/p>\n Jane Goes X-Rated<\/p>\n The rumors are true: XXX Austen is a thing. \u201cJane Austen Kama Sutra,\u201d \u201cPride and Promiscuity: The Lost Sex Scenes of Jane Austen\u201d and enough slash fic and amateur porn to fill Bath\u2019s Assembly Rooms are just the start. Purists may never recover.<\/p>\n A Lady Unmasked<\/p>\n Austen\u2019s final two completed novels, \u201cNorthanger Abbey\u201d and \u201cPersuasion,\u201d were published after her death. Her brother Henry, who oversaw their publication, took the opportunity to give his sister the recognition he felt she deserved, revealing the true identity of the \u201cLady\u201d behind \u201cPride and Prejudice,\u201d \u201cEmma,\u201d etc. in a biographical note<\/a>. \u201cThe following pages are the production of a pen which has already contributed in no small degree to the entertainment of the public,\u201d he wrote, extolling his sister\u2019s imagination, good humor and love of dancing. Still, \u201cno accumulation of fame would have induced her, had she lived, to affix her name to any productions of her pen.\u201d<\/p>\n Wearable Tributes<\/p>\n It is a truth universally acknowledged that a Jane Austen fan wants to find other Jane Austen fans, and what better way to advertise your membership in that all-inclusive club than with a bit of merch \u2014 from the subtle and classy<\/a> to the gloriously obscene<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Austen Literary Universe<\/p>\n On the page, there is no end to the adventures Austen and her characters have been on. There are Jane Austen mysteries<\/a>, Jane Austen vampire series<\/a>, Jane Austen fantasy adventures<\/a>, Jane Austen Y.A. novels<\/a> and, of course, Jane Austen romances, which transpose her plots to a remote Maine inn<\/a>, a Greenwich Village penthouse<\/a> and the Bay Area Indian American community<\/a>, to name just a few. You can read about Austen-inspired zombie hunters<\/a>, time-traveling hockey players<\/a>, Long Island matchmakers<\/a> and reality TV stars<\/a>, or imagine further adventures<\/a> for some of your favorite characters<\/a>. (Even the obsequious Mr. Collins gets his day in the sun<\/a>.)<\/p>\n A Botanical Homage<\/p>\n Created in 2017 to mark the 200th anniversary of Austen\u2019s death, the \u201cJane Austen\u201d rose is characterized by its intense orange color and light, sweet perfume. It is bushy, healthy and easy to grow.<\/p>\n Aunt Jane<\/p>\n Hoping to cement his beloved aunt\u2019s legacy, Austen\u2019s nephew James Edward Austen-Leigh published this biography \u2014 a rather rosy portrait based on interviews with family members \u2014 five decades after her death. The book is notable not only as the source (biased though it may be) of many of the scant facts we know about her life, but also for the watercolor portrait by James Andrews that serves as its frontispiece. Based on a sketch by Cassandra, this depiction of Jane is softer and far more winsome than the original: Whether that is due to a lack of skill on her sister\u2019s part or overly enthusiastic artistic license on Andrews\u2019s, this is the version of Austen<\/a> most familiar to people today.<\/p>\n Cultural Currency<\/p>\n In 2017, the Bank of England released a new 10-pound note<\/a> featuring Andrews\u2019s portrait of Austen, as well as a line from \u201cPride and Prejudice\u201d: \u201cI declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading!\u201d Austen is the third woman \u2014 other than the queen \u2014 to be featured on British currency, and the only one currently in circulation.<\/p>\n In the Trenches<\/p>\n During World War I and World War II, British soldiers were given copies<\/a> of Austen\u2019s works. In his 1924 story \u201cThe Janeites<\/a>,\u201d Rudyard Kipling invoked the grotesque contrasts \u2014 and the strange comfort \u2014 to be found in escaping to Austen\u2019s well-ordered world amid the horrors of trench warfare. As one character observes, \u201cThere\u2019s no one to touch Jane when you\u2019re in a tight place.\u201d<\/p>\n Baby Janes<\/p>\n You\u2019re never too young to learn to love Austen \u2014 or that one\u2019s good opinion, once lost, may be lost forever.<\/p>\n The Austen Industrial Complex<\/p>\n Maybe you\u2019ve not so much as seen a Jane Austen meme, let alone read one of her novels. No matter! Need a Jane Austen finger puppet? Lego? Magnetic poetry set? Lingerie? Nameplate necklace? Plush book pillow? License plate frame? Bath bomb? Socks? Dog sweater? Whiskey glass? Tarot deck? Of course you do! And you\u2019re in luck: What a time to be alive.<\/p>\n Around the Globe<\/p>\n Austen\u2019s novels have been translated into more than 40 languages, including Polish, Finnish, Chinese and Farsi. There are active chapters of the Jane Austen Society, her 21st-century fan club<\/a>, throughout the world. <\/p>\n Playable Persuasions<\/p>\n In Austen\u2019s era, no afternoon tea was complete without a rousing round of whist, a trick-taking card game played in two teams of two. But should you not be up on your Regency amusements, you can find plenty of contemporary puzzles and games with which to fill a few pleasant hours, whether you\u2019re piecing together her most beloved characters or using your cunning and wiles to land your very own Mr. Darcy<\/a>.<\/p>\n #SoJaneAusten<\/p>\n The wild power of the internet means that many Austen moments have taken on lives of their own, from Colin Firth\u2019s sopping wet shirt and Matthew Macfadyen\u2019s flexing hand<\/a> to Mr. Collins\u2019s ode to superlative spuds and Mr. Knightley\u2019s dramatic floor flop. The memes<\/a> are fun<\/a>, yes<\/a>, but they also speak to the universality of Austen\u2019s writing: More than two centuries after her books were published, the characters and stories she created are as relatable as ever<\/a>.<\/p>\n Bonnets Fit for a Bennett<\/p>\n For this summer\u2019s Grand Regency Costumed Promenade<\/a> in Bath, England \u2014 as well as the myriad picnics, balls, house parties, dinners, luncheons, teas and fetes that marked the anniversary \u2014 seamstresses, milliners, mantua makers and costume warehouses did a brisk business, attiring the faithful in authentic Regency finery. And that\u2019s a commitment: A bespoke, historically accurate bonnet can easily run to hundreds of dollars.<\/p>\n Most Ardently, Jane<\/p>\n Austen was prolific correspondent, believed to have written thousands of letters in her lifetime, many to her sister, Cassandra. But in an act that has frustrated biographers for centuries, upon Jane\u2019s death, Cassandra protected her sister\u2019s privacy \u2014 and reputation? \u2014 by burning almost all of them<\/a>, leaving only about 160 intact, many heavily redacted. But what survives is filled with pithy one-liners. To wit: \u201cI do not want people to be very agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them a great deal.\u201d<\/p>\n Stage and Sensibility<\/p>\n Austen\u2019s works have been adapted numerous times for the stage. Some plays (and musicals) hew closely to the original text, while others \u2014 such as Emily Breeze\u2019s comedic riff on \u201cPride and Prejudice,\u201d \u201cAre the Bennet Girls OK?<\/a>\u201d, which is running at New York City\u2019s West End Theater through Dec. 21 \u2014 use creative license to explore ideas of gender, romance and rage through a contemporary lens.<\/p>\n Austen 101<\/p>\n Austen remains a reliable fount of academic scholarship; recent conference papers have focused on the author\u2019s enduring global reach, the work\u2019s relationship to modern intersectionality, digital humanities and \u201cJane Austen on the Cheap.\u201d And as one professor told our colleague Sarah Lyall<\/a> of the Austen amateur scholarship hive, \u201cWoe betide the academic who doesn\u2019t take them seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n W.W.J.D.<\/p>\n When facing problems \u2014 of etiquette, romance, domestic or professional turmoil \u2014 sometimes the only thing to do is ask: What would Jane do?<\/p>\n