Happy Janeiversary

Anne here, wishing you Happy Janeiversary — on the 28th January 2013 it will be two hundred years since the publication of Pride And Prejudice, arguably one of the best-loved novels in the world, with a first line that is undoubtedly the most oft-quoted beginning of a novel.

It was Jane Austen's second published novel — the first was Sense and Sensibility— but even so, it didn't have an easy passage to publication.

She started writing the novel, which she called "First Impressions" in October 1796 and finished it almost a year later, in August 1797. When her father wrote to a bookseller, Thomas Cadell, shortly afterward, asking him on his daughters behalf if he would read the manuscript, the man declined it, unread.

Like most aspiring authors, Jane didn't give up — she continued writing, revising and persisting.

Sense and Sensibility, Jane's first published novel — published anonymously "by a Lady" —was effectively self-published. She paid for 750 copies of the book to be printed and paid the publisher a commission on sales and indemnifying him against all losses. It was a huge financial risk — the cost of publication was more than a third of her annual household income of £460. She made a profit of £140 on the first edition, which sold out by July 1813, and a second edition was advertised in October 1813.

After the publication of Sense and Sensibility  Jane Austen revised "First Impressions" substantially, renaming it Pride And Prejudice in the process. But despite the success of Sense and Sensibility, the risk of self-publication must have taken a toll on her nerves, and in 1812 she sold Pride And Prejudice outright — selling the copyright — to Thomas Edgerton for a sum of £110 — £40 less than she'd originally asked for. Thus all the risks — and profits would be his. 

The novel was an instant success, the first edition, in three hardcover volumes, was sold out by October of the same year. A second edition came out in November 1813, and reviewers and fashionable London loved it — right up to the Prince of Wales. It came out in the same year in French and soon afterward in German, Danish, and Swedish. The publisher — not, alas, Jane Austen— did very well out of it.  (In 2010, by the way, a first edition of Pride and Prejudice in the original 3 volumes sold at auction for £140,000.)

In the last two hundred years Pride And Prejudice and the other novels of Jane Austen have only grown in popularity and apart from numerous film and television adaptations, recent years have seen an explosion of Austenitis, as the books have been cloned, grafted, twisted, added to sea monsters and vampires and keep coming back in all kinds of guises.

I haven't quite done that, but I must confess I, too have succumbed to the recycling of Jane (which I condemned here a few years ago) albeit in a very mild way. My new book — THE AUTUMN BRIDE —comes out in February, and one of the activities that takes place in the book is the formation of a literary society. Lady Beatrice Davenham's literary society isn't quite the usual kind of literary society, it's more — well, I'll let my characters explain:

“A literary society?” Lady Beatrice exclaimed, screwing her nose up. “Where they discuss books nobody wants to read, and everyone pretends they’re all very learned and compete to say the most intelligent things?” She grimaced. Her old friend nodded in agreement.

Abby leaned forward eagerly. “Ah, but this won’t be that sort of literary society. It will be fun.”

“Fun?” Lady Beatrice said doubtfully.

“It’ll be much the same as we already do—one of us will read a chapter at a time, aloud, and then we’ll have conversation, tea and cakes, just as we usually do.”

Lady Beatrice’s eyes narrowed. “No clever remarks? No looking for metaphors and themes and hidden dratted meanings?”

“Not if you don’t want them,” Abby said. “It will be your literary society, after all, and you will make the rules.” Lady Beatrice clearly liked the sound of that.

“Just for the story, then, and the company?” Lady Beddington asked.

Abby nodded. “What do you think?” It wouldn’t exactly introduce Jane to eligible men, but at least they’d have made some connections with their mothers and aunts.

“A literary society for people who don’t want to be improved,” Lady Beatrice said thoughtfully. “Just a good story, with wine and cakes . . . I like it.” She looked at Abby and added, “The kind of thing an eligible young man could be prevailed on to escort his mother to.”

Abby smiled. “I’m not so sure of that. It’s not really a young man’s cup of tea—”

“Nonsense, we only need to get them here the first time. Once they meet those pretty gels, they’ll be fighting to come back.”

Abby laughed. “I like your optimism.”

Because of course, it's all a Cunning Plan. . . The thing is, Lady Beatrice has been forbidden by her nephew Max, Lord Davenham, to take Abby and her sisters out into society. Their background is quite shady, you see. The literary society, however, enables society to come to them. . .

Does their plot work? Take it from an old gentleman who might be familiar to some of you:

Sir Oswald turned to Max. “Your aunt’s literary society is provin’ a great success.”

“A literary society?” Max repeated blankly. He’d been gone not quite ten days. How had his aunt established a literary society in that time? Besides, a literary society? Aunt Bea?

The old gentleman beamed. “Indeed, and not like the usual sort of literary society—all allusions and metaphorical whatsits and epigrammatic thingummies—frightful bore, that kind of thing, too clever for me by half. But this one . . .” He rubbed his hands. “Somethin’ to look forward to each visit—as good as going to the theater."

And here's the book they're reading:

“Chapter fifteen.” Her voice was low and clear and carried to all corners of the room. A ripple of pleasurable anticipation passed through the audience. A hush fell as she started to read: “‘Mr. Collins was not a sensible man, and the deficiency of nature had been little assisted by education or society. . . .’”

Any guesses what the book is? Yes of course, which is why I had to blog about this brilliant anniversary. So raise your glasses, and drink to the 200th anniversary of Pride and Prejudice and the many delights Jane Austen has given us. I just wish she'd made some of the money so many others made from her books.

So do you belong to a literary society or book cloub? And are you a fan of Jane Austen? Why do you think her books have lasted when so many of her more successful contemporaries are forgotten? And who's your favorite Austen character?

Comments

[Judy]

I belonged to a book club for a short time. It didn't last. "Pride and Prejudice" is my favorite Austen novel, and yes, I love Mr. Darcy! As to why her stories survived: Dry wit and a sense of timelessness to the story. She describes characters I could peg in people I've met.

Sir Oswald! I'm so looking forward to "The Autumn Bride."

[Jo Banks]

The only book reading club I have ever come near looked down their noses at Jane.As you can probably guess I never went back!!My favorite Austen Novel is Persuasion.It was a set book for O level and i think by the time we sat the exam I had read it about twenty times and I still pick it up now and then.I have the Autumn Bride on order can't wait !

[Anne Gracie]

Judy, I think that's partly it — her stories really do seem timeless. Many years ago I taught P&P to a group of Greek & Italian girls, and they loved it because it was very much their own reality — mothers scheming to get them married "well", relatives who gossiped and spied and reported back, and the importance of a good reputation.

Sir Oswald only gets a tiny walk-on part in my book, I'm afraid — you're now read most of it — but I couldn't resist.

[Anne Gracie]

Jo, I can't imagine any book-club looking down their noses at Jane!! Was it a bikers book-club perhaps? *G*

I love Persuasion, too. I never studied it or P&P at school — only Emma, I think— which I'm glad of because the way some novels were taught in school often killed the pleasure in the book. I also really like the TV/Film adaptation of Persuasion — I think it started off as a production for TV but was so good they released it as a movie. I'm talking about the one with Amanda Root as Anne, and Ciaran Hinds as the captain. I remember going to see that movie with my mother, my sisters and one of my nieces — three generations, who all loved it.

[Karin]

I think we love P&P because of Austen's great cast of characters, and her tongue-in-cheek style makes it feel modern. It's the best! Hopefully after the success of P&P she sold more copies of the earlier book and made some money.

[Anne Gracie]

Yes, Karin, I love the cast of characters in P&P especially — people like Mr Collins and Lady Catherine are so beautifully ghastly — they're a delight.

It does feel very modern, doesn't it? My theory is that it's because she uses a lot of direct dialogue, so instead of having the characters filtered through the author's voice, they speak for themselves. The old "show, don't tell" at work.

[Janice]

I love all of Jane Austen's novels - I would have to say she is my favorite author because I can drop into one of her stories any time at any point and immediately feel absorbed into it - into a time and place very different from my own, yet very much the same. Easy to find modern counterparts of many of her subsidiary characters - the frustration for me is that in my daily life, there is no Austen fan to share the laugh with when I find a Sir Walter Elliot, for instance.

I suppose I'm in the minority here, but my favorite character is Fanny Price. More and more I admire the quiet steadfastness of a girl who stuck to her principles under intense social pressure to do otherwise. Sure, she had different views about what was appropriate behavior than moderns do, but nobody ever made her do something she did not think was entirely right, even though she risked a great deal in refusing to bend to please others. She had backbone, Fanny did. I don't think she's a boring wuss as some have claimed; I think she's a regency superheroine.

[Anne Gracie]

Janice, I find the same thing with Georgette Heyer — no people in real life with whom I can share those fun allusions — and the humor. For years i've told people my dog was a Baluchistan Hound and no-one, not one single soul ever recognized the source. They'd nod and say a polite "really?" And then I'd confess it was from a book, and they'd nod politely and say, "really?" All quite tragic, LOL.

But at least we can share them on the web. I share your admiration of Fanny Price. I don't think a lot of people today recognize the pressure she was under — it was intense but subtle; maybe too subtle for those who are more used to bold, up-front conflicts and who have little idea of the nineteenth century mindset.

[Jo Banks]

Not a bikers book club Anne ! They wanted to read 'meaningful books'I was gently assured to which the reply was 'not Mills and Boon then!' and left!!MEANINGFUL whats more meaningful than Jane her characters definitely have their modern counterparts.
I know what you mean about Georgette Heyer I would have understood the allusion!There are still a few of us out here!

[Anne Gracie]

Yes, Jo, it's a different interpretation of "meaningful" I agree. I always think a character driven story is very meaningful and one with such sharply observed character, that's clever and funny and gently satirical is very meaningful. Their loss.

I have encountered books groups that have a tendency toward pretension — they want the group to force them to an appreciation of well known, "clever" books that they otherwise wouldn't read on their own. And so often a lot of the members don't finish the books, but they still can come away able to discuss them in a wider context. I don't understand that. What's the point of choosing to read and discuss books half the group don't enjoy and don't finish?
What, for heavens sake is wrong with reading books for pure enjoyment?

[Janga]

I'm late commenting here, but I couldn't miss the chance to join the discussion. Anne Elliot is my favorite Austen character and Persuasion my favorite of her novels, but Pride and Prejudice is the Austen I've read most often, beginning the summer I turned ten. I studied it in both undergrad and grad courses and taught it to groups ranging from high school students to high school teachers.

I think Austen translates so well across time and across cultures (Witness the success of Bollywood's Bride and Prejudice) because she creates engaging characters and because love and money, issues central to her books, are of concern to most humans. Despite the conventional wisdom that males would not read "girls' books," I always found my male students as eager to discuss Austen's treatment of those two subjects as were the females.