What is Jane Austen's family secret that inspired her famous love story, Pride and Prejudice?

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

More than two centuries ago by an English writer Jane Austen the novel "Pride and Prejudice" was written. Despite its considerable age, the work has not lost its popularity at all. Moreover, it remains just as relevant today. There is a very intricate and curious story connected with the one who inspired Jane to write this novel.

The most famous writer of her time, Jane Austen, was born on December 16, 1775. She is rightfully called “the queen of English literature. Jane has had a huge impact not just on many novelists, but on generations of writers. From the pen of the genius novelist came such literary masterpieces as Pride and Prejudice, Three Sisters, Emma and Arguments of Reason. The main theme of all Jane's novels, of course, was love. Only this feeling is capable of making such drastic changes in our character that we will look at life and the whole world around us in a completely different way.

On the pages of Pride and Prejudice, we will find a story that does more than just tell us that one should marry for love, not calculation. This is a real philosophical canvas that you can simply quote endlessly. The narrative, which unfolds against the background of the love story of the main characters, will tell us how important it is to always remain ourselves, not to hide our true feelings. Don't be misunderstood or even abandoned. The enormous number of adaptations of this novel is evidence of the extreme popularity of this novel.

The novel seems to be thoroughly saturated with emotions and interesting thoughts. The actions of the main characters seem to be shrouded in thin threads of morality, which indicate the truth or incorrectness of their decisions and actions. Jane Austen is struggling to convey to readers the idea of how pathetic all human prejudices look in front of the face of true love. After all, if you find the strength in yourself to discard all this outer husk of pride and prejudice, give free rein to your feelings, you can find that absolute happiness that everyone dreams of so much, but cannot achieve.

Not many people know that the story from her own life inspired the writer to write the novel. Or rather, the story of the Jane Austen family. The prototype of the main character of the novel, Lydia Bennett, was a certain Mary Pearson. This girl was engaged to Jane's beloved brother, Henry.

The history of the betrothal was such that there was no love between the young people, it was a marriage of convenience. The girl's father was a prominent military rank, Sir Richard Pearson. Henry Austin was also a soldier. The marriage seemed very successful on both sides. In those days, marriage was a very serious matter, directly related to reputation and status. It was very important to choose a worthy partner and love was always left aside. Today, too, there are a lot of people who look at life in this way, but for the majority this is no longer an immutable rule. The overwhelming majority of people, getting married, still think more about feelings, and not about moving up the social ladder.

In Brother Jane's life, it was. Everything was thought out and agreed upon, the decision was made. But life has made its own adjustments: Henry met a certain widow named Eliza Hancock and lost his head. On this woman, he forgot everything and eventually married.

Mary Pearson, of course, was not an inconsolable dump. But according to the rules and laws of the then society, she found unspeakably big problems. Now it was necessary to re-advertise himself at the brides' fair in order to find a worthy party. With such a history behind him, it was difficult. Jane Austen's house, which is now a museum, still contains a portrait of Mary Pearson. True, now it cannot be seen, since the museum does not work due to quarantine.

It was written at a time when the girl had to look for a groom again. It was a watercolor painting on a small oval piece of ivory. Mary was insanely beautiful there - with curled, lush locks, softly falling on gentle shoulders, dressed in a dress of white muslin.

Jane Austen thought Mary was not a very good match for her brother. She described her character as wayward, reckless and impulsive. At the same time, in the novel, Jane described her as an incredibly attractive and charismatic girl. To her sister Cassandra Jane wrote about Mary like this: “She is quite consistent with what I thought of her. True, I think our mother will be a little disappointed."

The first version of the title of the novel even bore the unambiguous title "First Impressions". After reading Pride and Prejudice, you will be overwhelmed by strong emotions for a long time. The novel leaves an incredibly pleasant aftertaste. This is definitely one of those works that everyone should definitely read.

If you are interested in literature authored by the fair sex, read our article 27 writers for whom the very place in school readers, but they have not yet got there.