This semester, I took Jane Austen. When I saw that this class was being offered this spring, I knew I had to be in it. Obviously, we read every single Austen novel this semester, and it was a feat. It is definitely an accomplishment. It was not easy, but it was very rewarding. I learned so much about Austen, history, literature, and myself.Â
One of the most unexpected things I learned was time management. I was already a very organized person, but in order to keep up with reading for this class and assignments for all of my other classes, I definitely had to expand my skill. As an English major, I am used to heavy reading but this was a little different. Reading six decently long novels in one semester, in addition to taking four other classes, and having an internship is a lot. I also grossly underestimated exactly how much time it would take me to get through each reading. But once I got it figured out, I was able to keep up.Â
I also learned that Jane Austen has some sleeper hits. I don’t hear anyone talking about Northanger Abbey the way we talk about Pride and Prejudice. I went into this class having only read Emma, which remains my favorite Austen novel, but some of her lesser known works are right behind Emma on that list. They are just as dramatic, ironic, funny, and romantic as the rest of them. Hot take, but instead of another Pride and Prejudice adaptation, I would 100% rather have a Northanger Abbey one. You guys are seriously missing out.Â
Finally, I learned that although Austen was primarily a marriage plot author, she also explicitly wrote about a lot of social and historical issues. She writes about slavery, she critiques the aristocracy, and even criticizes the institution of marriage. She writes a lot about real estate and personal finances, and not just as background plot. These themes drive the plots of several of her novels. We know from her few letters that remain that she had insight, opinions, and knowledge about the events of her time.Â
These are just a few of my personal takeaways from my time in this class. If you ever get the chance to take a similar class, please do it. If you’re interested in learning more about Jane Austen’s life I completely recommend one of our required readings The Real Jane Austen: A Life In Small Things by Paula Byrne. It is fun, easy to read, and I have learned a lot about Austen from this book.