Sunday, July 18, 2021

The Most Agreeable Jane Austen on This Day in History

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies


This day in history: "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." (Or as they say in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains.") English novelist Jane Austen died on this day in 1817 at the age of 41. After Shakespeare, Austen may be the most popular and widely acclaimed literary figure in history. Her six novels are some of the most widely read literature in the world often outselling the books of top modern authors. Her works have also been made into movies, the best of which appeared in the 1990's and 2000's: Sense and Sensibility (1995), Emma (1996), Mansfield Park (1999), Northanger Abbey (2007). The newer movies (Emma [2020]; Love & Friendship [2016] and Pride, Prejudice & Zombies) fell flat for me.

In 2011 it was revealed that Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, is a distant relation of Austen. According to Ancestry.com, they are 11th cousins, six times removed, with their common connection dating all the way back to the 15th century and Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland.


Some believe that Jane Austen died as a result of arsenic poisoning: "She died on July 18, 1817 at the age of 41 following complaints of symptoms that medical historians have long felt pointed to Addison's disease or Hodgkin's lymphoma. In 2017, the British Library floated a different theory—that Austen was poisoned by arsenic in her drinking water due to a polluted supply or possibly accidental ingestion due to mismanaged medication. The Library put forth the idea based on Austen's notoriously poor eyesight (which they say may have been the result of cataracts) as well as her written complaint of skin discoloration. Both can be indicative of arsenic exposure." Jake Rossen

On an interesting side-note, Jane Austen has been cited in 27 written court decisions. Her famous line (see above) has been re-written as "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a recently widowed woman in possession of a good fortune must be in want of an estate planner."

Did you know: The Brontë sisters did not like Jane Austen...at all. "It’s a fascinating oddity of literary history that the great Victorian novelist of romantic love, Charlotte Brontë, despised that other great British chronicler of love, Jane Austen, and could not quite comprehend why Austen was valued so highly by critics in Brontë’s time. This seems counterintuitive: after all, both appear regularly at the top of lists of favorites compiled by readers, especially female readers, who love classic novels and all things romantic." Susan Ostrov Weisser


"Shakespeare has neither equal nor second. But, among the writers who have approached nearest to the manner of the great master, we have no hesitation in placing Jane Austen."—Macaulay.

"The realism and life-likeness of Miss Austen's Dramatis Personae come nearest to those of Shakespeare."—Tennyson.

"She produced novels that come nearer to artistic perfection than any others in the English language."—Harold Child.

“The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.” ~Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

The five things you didn’t know about Jane Austen
A holiday romance, a childhood illness and a secret brother — there’s a lot of things you didn’t know about Jane Austen.
https://goo.gl/xwxH3a

Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)