“Perhaps heartbreak is sometimes necessary to revel in the joy.”
Pride and Possibilities editor Sophie Spruce discusses the tough stuff behind the romance.
When you think of Jane Austen, you probably think of witty heroines, swoony, romantic male leads, and heart-fluttering romance. Austen has arguably set the blueprint for modern day romance novels with her timeless works that have seen numerous adaptations both Regency period and modernized. However, it would be a mistake to think of Austen’s novels as simply “chick lit,” a genre targeting women or to dismiss her as an old romance writer.
You can read for the romance and only the romance, which is usually the centerpiece of Austen’s stories. I certainly have and enjoy a good love story every now and then. But it is more than the love story that makes Austen’s writing good. There is the beautiful prose, intricate relationships, and complex character arcs. Beneath the surface of her love stories are a myriad of painful and twisted circumstances her characters experience before the happy endings to their tales. There is a realism to Austen’s romance. Something that begs the question of why? Why did Austen create such a realistic world within her novels when the point of a romance is to escape reality?
Persuasion, 1995
A character I think is worth looking at to answer this question is Anne Elliot from Persuasion. Anne is the middle daughter of a baronet who has fallen on hard times after an extravagant lifestyle. The novel opens with the family in disarray as their home, Kellynch Hall, is being let so they can improve their finances. Anne is already experiencing a great trauma: being forced out of her home. But she is also subject to mistreatment by her family. Austen describes Sir Walter Elliot as, “[having] no affection for Anne,” and her sister, Elizabeth, coldly dismisses her, saying, “nobody will want her in Bath.” It is not merely the dislike of her family Anne suffers but even verbal abuse when Sir Walter grows angry that she is going to visit a recently impoverished friend rather than their rich cousins, the Dalrymples. “Upon my word… you have the most extraordinary taste!” he says. “Everything that revolts other people, low company, paltry rooms, foul air, disgusting associations are inviting to you.”
Austen paints a grim and lonely world that Anne lives in, especially after breaking off her engagement with Captain Wentworth seven years prior. It is somewhat horrific for the reader to know her family does not care about her. She contrasts sharply from her father and sisters with an “elegance of mind and sweetness of character” no one else in her family possesses. Yet, Anne is living her life the best she can in a passive acceptance of her circumstances. However, Austen does not leave Anne in her passivity. She lets these situations grow Anne’s character as our own troubles often grow us. No one is exempt from pain, and how we handle that pain can determine the outcome of our stories.
Anne and her sisters, Persuasion, 2007
Anne’s situation is not the only realism in Persuasion. It is important to note although the novel was published posthumously in 1817, Austen was writing it between 1815-1816, during the end of the Napoleonic War, and much of its plot revolves around Captain Wentworth’s navy service. The British Navy was important during this time period—remember Britain was at war with Napoleon—and navy service was one of the few ways a low ranking man could distinguish himself and improve his circumstances by capturing enemy ships. By the time Anne and Captain Wentworth meet again seven years later, he has transformed from a man with nothing to someone who is quite respected and well off despite his lack of a title. Perhaps with the Napoleonic War ending only two years prior, Austen’s readers might have assumed Wentworth’s rise as a self-made man corresponded with a war. Captain Wentworth even briefly refers to “taking privateers enough to be entertaining,” which would have earned him additional monetary rewards. It is both a strange and romantic backdrop to the novel. One that also incorporates fiction with reality.
“The encounter between the Dutch and British fleets during the journey of the Dutch flotilla to Boulogne, 1804”, Public Domain
Maybe before it was easy to read for romance, but now I find it impossible to ignore these subtle clues Austen has given us and the character arcs she sustains. Persuasion sees not only the reunification of Anne and Captain Wentworth, but also the growth of Anne from a victim to a hero, which brings us back to Anne’s passivity. In order for the two to rekindle their relationship, Anne must face her regrets of the past and learn to speak her mind, which happens because of all the uncomfortable situations Anne experiences throughout the novel. It is only her conversation with Captain Harville that gives Captain Wentworth the courage to reveals his own feelings to Anne, and it is Anne who must respond and give voice to the thoughts that have been hidden.
Perhaps that is the reason Austen chose to represent realistic situations that still resonate with readers. Regency readers may have found comfort in Persuasion or they may have recognized Austen’s historical clues that Captain Wentworth might have been a war hero. Persuasion is not the only instance where we see Austen write this way. In Mansfield Park, Fanny lives with a family even worse, if you can imagine, than the Elliots and is subjected to unkind words from her guardians, none of whom really want her. “Fanny live with me!” Mrs. Norris says upon the proposition. “Good heaven. What could I do with Fanny?” In contrast, Catherine in Northanger Abbey is a sheltered, naïve girl, who is learning to navigate the world and be true to herself, eventually confronting the deceitful Mr. Thorpe. “How could you deceive me so, Mr. Thorpe… You do not know how vexed I am.” My point is that the situations these young women face shape their stories. Fanny’s good character is what eventually draws Edmund to her, while Catherine stands up to her supposed but actually manipulative friends.
Catherine Morland and John Thorpe, Northanger Abbey, 2007
I believe it is the realism in Austen’s writing that makes it so relatable. Like her characters, we are shaped by the things that happen in our own lives. Would we be as excited at Captain Wentworth’s letter if most of Persuasion did not revolve around heartbreak and romantic tension? If Anne’s family had not let Kellynch Hall, which brought Captain Wentworth back into her life, then Anne would never have been challenged to grow as a person. Perhaps heartbreak is sometimes necessary to revel in the joy.
© Sophie Spruce 2024. Sophie is the editor of Pride and Possibilities, a university professor, and an indie author in her spare time, writing Young Adult Fantasy Novels.
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And the winners are…
A huge congratulations to the winner of the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation Writing Competition 2024, Ann Evans with The Dawn Chorus. Our two other finalists this year were Terry Kerins with The House Next Door and Scott Santarossa with The Tram Stop.
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Jane Austen Literacy Foundation at Jane Austen Regency Week
Jane Austen fans from around the world attended the 9-day festival held annually in Chawton, the home of Jane Austen and our founder & chair Caroline Jane Knight, and nearby Alton. A huge THANK YOU to all of the Foundation ambassadors, volunteers and supporters who joined Jane Austen’s family to raise money for Jane Austen Literacy Foundation projects and to announce the winner of our 2024 Writing Competition. We will be featuring photos from Jane Austen Regency Week on our social media throughout July. Here are a few of our favourites:
Carla Balakgie (President of Jane Austen Literacy Foundation North American Advisory Board) and Julia Grantham (Jane Austen Literacy Foundation Ambassador and author) talking to people about the Foundation at the Regency Market
The winner of our 2024 Writing Competition, Ann Evans, with (from L to R), Carla Balakgie, Helena Kelly (author, ambassador and competition judge), Tony Grant (judge) and the Knight family; Carol, Jeremy, Priseis, Robin and Paul.
Jane Austen Literacy Foundation ambassadors, volunteers and supporters joined Jane Austen’s family from Jane Austen’s house to her statue in the churchyard, raising money for literacy.