What is so good about reading a story in which everybody gets married?!
In Defence of Jane Austen
English literature readers are two categories; those who admire Austen and those who despise her. Not only nothing is wrong with either category, but also this duality is helpful and proves my point. Jane Austen is a phenomenal literary figure.
My Path
I began my serious journey towards English literature in the territory of poetry when I was fifteen. I read poems by Shakespeare and Dickinson and had a really hard time understanding them. No matter how difficult, I managed the self-study and started composing my own poems.
For a long time, I sought masters to help me with my English literature journey. They asked the same question; have you read “Pride and Prejudice”? “No!”, I had said and thought to myself what is so important about these two human characteristics and why should I know about them if I want to write about love? (Yes, I thought it is some moralistic theoretical book!)
Little did I know that “Pride and Prejudice” was the monumental manifestation of the most elevated form of human emotions. Nobody can shoot prose directly at the heart as meticulously as Jane Austen does.
I finally got my copy from Tehran International Bookfair. Then, I realized the must-read is not only a novel (!) but also an awesome page-turner one.
The Happily-Ever-After
Judging by the Cover
At the surface level, all her stories are just tales of a typical, almost cliche, desperate search to be settled. But a keen reader cannot ignore the great attention that has been paid to the social circumstances of the 18th century England, along with the humanist perspective towards the psychological features of humans’ relationships with themselves and others.
Technique vs. Content
The wonderful writing style of Austen is still a guide to thousands of enthusiast prospective writers. One question remains in the air, why is a cliche worth reading? Truth is our mind respects order and the predictable. While many of you are now screaming at the screen how adventurous and risk-taking you have been all your life, we all know that we want to be “satisfied” and “happy” by the end. All the talk about enjoying the adventure and not just the destination is completely based on this feeling of satisfaction and not necessarily outcome.
Let us not blame Austen for reflecting the social trend of her time in her novels. Besides, we need to keep in mind that her personal lifestyle failed the system and brought about brighter horizons for independent women. Happily-ever-after stories are still written and performed in multi-media formats. Enjoying such guaranteed happiness, even if fictional, in our chaotic world can be of great help to the mind for letting go of tensions, at least for a few moments.
Validation
Austen’s admirers are probably nodding along as they proceed reading my claims (thank you!), while the sceptical Austen haters are sneering at each word and questioning my logic (you kept on reading, thanks!).
I have a fair offer for both. We have started an Austen journey on Ebiblo. You are more than welcome to join the interactive reading project and see for yourself what the fuss is all about. Maybe, you are right!
Ebiblo
Ebiblo is a mobile application which aims to put an end to the loneliness of reading by providing its users with all they need for comfortable intellectual interactions. The application is now available for iOS and Android beta test user. Get your Ebiblo and enjoy!
