Jane Austen Quotes

Becoming Jane

Anne Hathaway will be on Good Morning America and Live with Regis and Kelly tomorrow morning to talk about Becoming Jane.  As you may know, the film is based on Jane's falling in love with Tom Lefroy when she was twenty. 

It looks like a lovely movie, but not exactly Jane's story.  Read about Jane Austen and Tom Lefroy here in an excerpt from my upcoming book, and see more quotes here.

I have a ticket to a screening tomorrow and will be posting my thoughts soon.

Jane on Mansfield Park

"Henry's approbation hitherto is even equal to my wishes; he says it is very different from the other two, but does not appear to think it at all inferior.  He has only married Mrs. R.  I am afraid he has gone through the most entertaining part.--He took to Lady B. & Mrs. N. most kindly, & gives great praise to the drawing of the Characters.  He understands them all, likes Fanny & I think foresees how it will all be."

letter to Cassandra
March 2, 1814 [97]

Jane had just come to London with her brother Henry, and they had read Mansfield Park along the way.  The previous two books she refers to are Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice, which were published first.

Jane was writing from Henry's home here at Henrietta Street in Covent Garden -- now a clothing store.

On the subject of marriage

"'I pay very little regard,' said Mrs. Grant, 'to what any young person says on the subject of marriage.  If they profess a disinclination for it, I only set it down that they have not yet seen the right person.'"

Mansfield Park, volume 1, chapter 4

Reading group tour

Just a quick note -- I'm setting up a reading group tour for any groups that plan to read A Walk with Jane Austen.  If you're interested, check this out and let me know!  (Just to clarify, this will be by phone rather than in person.  Look forward to talking with any groups that are interested!)

Provided she could marry well...

"Miss Crawford was glad to find a family of such consequence so very near them, and not at all displeased either at her sister's early care, or the choice it had fallen on.  Matrimony was her object, provided she could marry well, and having seen Mr. Bertram in town, she knew that objection could no more be made to his person than to his situation in life.  While she treated it as a joke, therefore, she did not forget to think of it seriously."

Mansfield Park, volume 1, chapter 4 (emphasis mine)

I want to condemn Mary Crawford for this sentiment, but no doubt it was the way (nearly) everyone thought then. And I wonder -- how much have we really changed?  Although my definition of marrying well and Mary Crawford's are completely different.

A match-making sister

"She had not waited her arrival to look out for a suitable match for her; she had fixed on Tom Bertram; the eldest son of a Baronet was not too good for a girl of twenty thousand pounds, with all the elegance and accomplishments which Mrs. Grant foresaw in her; and being a warm-hearted, unreserved woman, Mary had not been three hours in the house before she told her what she had planned."

Mrs. Grant matchmaking for her sister Mary
Mansfield Park, volume 1, chapter 4

Of course, Tom Bertram was a fool, in addition to being the eldest son of a baronet.  (And, of course, Mary proves to have her own foolish tendencies as well.)

The image is from the new version of MP starring Billie Piper, which will run on the Masterpiece Theatre Complete Jane Austen Season starting in January.

Seven years

"But seven years I suppose are enough to change every pore of one's skin, & every feeling of one's mind."

letter to Cassandra
April 8, 1805 [43]

One feeling that has not changed for me in the last seven years is how much I adore Harry Potter.  I am all fuzzy and exhausted today because I simply cannot stop reading.  So, thank you, J.K. Rowling!

Long letters

"I assure you I am as tired of writing long letters as you can be.  What a pity that one should still be so fond of receiving them!"

letter to Cassandra
June 30, 1808 [55]

This is just how I feel about email!

For what do we live?

Today's quote is not new, but rather a correction -- thanks to Laura, who pointed out the error.  I always thought this was "make sport FOR our neighbors," but when I went to post it the first time, I doublechecked my Signet classic and it said "make sport OF our neighbors," which I thought was not nearly as good.  Turns out the Signet classic is wrong!  Mags at AustenBlog confirms that her Oxford edition says "FOR" -- so here is the corrected version!

Still love that word "missish."

"But, Lizzy, you look as if you did not enjoy it.  You are not going to be missish, I hope, and pretend to be affronted at an idle report.  For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbors, and laugh at them in our turn?"

Mr. Bennet, upon reading Lizzy the letter from Mr. Collins, which hints that she may be engaged to Mr. Darcy and warns them that Lady Catherine will never approve
Pride & Prejudice, Volume 3, Chapter 15

In Memoriam

Jane died on July 18, 1817, at this house on College Street in Winchester.  She was forty-one.  Jane and Cassandra were staying on the first floor (what we Americans would call the second floor) with the bay window.  The house is now a private home. (And I have been told that if you are ever in Winchester, please don't knock and ask to see the room where Jane died -- the couple who owns the house are tired of getting inquiries like that!  I can't say that I blame them.)

This is from a letter Jane wrote to a dear friend a couple months before she died:

"In short, if I live to be an old Woman I must expect to wish I had died now, blessed in the tenderness of such a Family, & before I had survived either them or their affection.--You would have held the memory of your friend Jane too in tender regret I am sure.--But the Providence of God has restored me--& may I be more fit to appear before him when I am summoned, than I should have been now!"

letter to Anne Sharp
May 22, 1817 [159]

Ms. Place at Janites on the James has posted more information about Jane's death, including a picture of her memorial in Winchester Cathedral.