Our Chum Jane

A curious thing: I was on NPR's Weekend Edition this morning, interviewed by Linda Wertheimer. Wow. How about them apples?

And while I'm at it, another curious thing—with all the focus on Jane Austen lately (new movies, new Austen-inspired books, general Austen love fest), there’s emerged much speculation on her looks. I’ve read more than one snarky journalist bemoan the fact that Austen wasn’t a looker. They say such things as, “Isn’t it a shame that the writer of Pride and Prejudice herself wasn’t attractive enough to bag a husband? Her fans mourn the fact that she didn’t look like her movie-version heroines.”

Um, you couldn’t be more wrong, daddy-o. And it may not only be for the reason that you guess. Sure, we might take the high road here and argue it’s not a person’s outer appearance but inner…so on, so forth…and that’s why we don’t care whether or not Austen was pretty. Certainly that’s true, but there’s so much more. We don’t need Jane Austen to be the ideal of feminine beauty because she’s not our romantic interest—instead, and far more importantly, she’s the ideal of our best friend.

Who else in all of history would we rather sit beside at a boring meeting than the woman who once said, “I do not want people to be very agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them a great deal."  Who else would we rather sent us a letter from home than she who wrote to her sister, "You express so little anxiety about my being murdered under Ash Park Copse by Mrs. Hulbert's servant, that I have a great mind not to tell you whether I was or not." We love her because we love her thoughts, her words, her delicious way of looking askance at the world. Whenever we’re in the midst of reading Austen, we walk around with a touch of her sensibility, as if her witty, sardonic voice were a ghost over our shoulder, and our thoughts began to see the world as she might. It’s delightful and often vital to keep her voice with us, especially at those moments when we’re in danger of taking it all too seriously. Having romance issues? Too often subjected to the pompous and the snide? You, my friend, need a little dose of Jane.

So who among us would actually wish that Jane Austen looked like Keira Knightly? The Pride and Prejudice star may be nice to watch on the big screen, but can you imagine vegging out with that skinny beauty? Her fitness routine includes eating no carbs after four p.m. I mean, really. Of course we don’t need Austen to be breathlessly beautiful because, let’s face it, we’re not. Thank goodness. Those kinds of women are beyond irritating—the kind who only want to hang out when they’re temporarily boyfriend-less, the kind who go with you to a party but leave you to drive home alone.

No, we’re not that woman, so we don’t want Jane Austen to be either. But some folk just don’t get it. Case in point: The only known portrait of Austen is a sketch done by her sister Cassandra, a likeness that some have described as “dreary.” For a new edition of Austen’s works, publishers have prettified the sketch, dolling her up to supposedly increase her appeal.

Well, excuse us, but we LOVE the portrait as is. Austen has her arms folded, looking to one side, as if saying, “Come on, Cassandra, I want to get back to my writing. Mary Musgrove is just about to say something horrifying.” She’s got lines under her eyes, making her look a bit tired but also intensely human. She’s no slouch—she’s curled her hair, made herself nice. She doesn’t have the glazed, sterile expression of one trying to look her best, she’s not airbrushed and falsely perfected. Cassandra has caught Jane in a tangible attitude. She’s the woman we love caught at an off moment, but nothing a girl’s night out and a chocolate mint milkshake won’t cure.

All this speculation and lamenting Austen’s looks is pointless. We her loyal readers don’t wonder whether or not Austen was beautiful—we already know. She wasn’t a starlet and she wasn’t a hag. She was a woman, just like us, sorta pretty and sorta plain, who sometimes caught an admiring eye but often didn’t, who mostly spent the party at the side of the room, observing, exchanging witty remarks, and laughing herself sick with a best friend. Us. Whenever we’re reading her books, we shamelessly claim Jane Austen as our best friend. And if she were ever to ask us, “How do I look?” We’d say without hesitation, “Jane honey, you look divine.”

Comments

[Burning]

Not necessarily NO reason.

Sometimes there is a reason and you just aren't really concious of it. Like I realized I really didn't like a person because they smelled like cottage cheese. And that's how someone that actually was mean smelled. It was just by association. It's a subconcious thing that sounds terrible when you say it to someone. I thought a lot of people might be able to relate to it.

Guess not.

[Burning]

Congratulations, me, for getting totally tongue-tied and not being able to explain this and sounding like an idiot.

[Liesolotte]

Well, I guess I know why I dislike her. She's so perky and affected onscreen. Or that's just the way it seems to me. It always looks like she's acting.
There are some celebrities I dislike, but I pretty much like everyone I know. m

[Q]

Burning--I get what you are trying to say, even though I learned the same sort of thing through a very different situation.

Liesolotte--I think everyone dislikes some celebrities.

[Mads]

Wow, I saw this post late. I love it! It made my day, Shannon!

[Anne]

Burning - when you explain it that way, then I could totally relate. I dislike smoking and so usually I (unfairly)dislike smokers as well. But I work with kids so I think it's really important for me not to show any prejudices.

[Burning]

Yeah, I try not to let it get to me, but sometimes you have an immediate aversion to a person, and then they turn out to be exactly as mean as you thought. But sometimes not.

There aren't many things I truly hate by default. But the ones that I do, I really HATE. I can control it though.

P.S.-I don't like smokers either.

[Myrna Foster]

This is my first post, but I've been reading your blogs since January. I love the idea of thinking of Jane as one of my friends. There are certain authors it is so easy to feel that way about. That's why we read your blogs and want to meet you.

I won "Enna Burning" in a writer's contest at a BYU writer's conference in 2005. Amy (your first agent)was one of the presenters at the conference, and everyone was talking about this Shannon Hale person that I'd never heard of before. So, I went out and bought "The Goose Girl" and, of course, loved it.

Austenland is the only one of your books that I haven't read. I had a baby 6 weeks ago, and she's keeping me busy. Thanks for writing the kind of books that I like to read more than once,the kind that are fun to share with friends.

[Julie Wright]

You've pegged it right on here. Jane has been the friend to comfort me on many a night as I curled up with a blanket, a glass of Dr Pepper on the rocks, and her books.

Were I to be given the chance to go back in time to meet anyone, I'd want to meet Jane.

I finished Austenland last week. I laughed a lot. I've spent the last month on preparing presentations rather than writing or reading and I really needed a break. Thanks.

[Enna Isilee]

Shannon, I can now blame you fully for not having a life.

I just finished watching the BBC Pride and Prejudice for the first time.

I went into it a bit tentatively because people told me how wonderful "Twilight" (by Stephenie Meyer) was and I was expecting... more. And therefore didn't like the book as much. But I'm afraid that you totally and completely under-told this movie! It's amazing! I had to watch half of it in my bathroom (partially to get away from family, partially because that's where our only working VCR is). And I'm afraid I may never to anything other than watch it now. I'm all for breaking the
how-many-times-watched-P&P-in-a-row record.

Oh.My.Word. Shannon I may now never leave the couch/bathroom.
(yes I am aware of how strange that sounds)

[Anidori-Isilee]

Again, I'm scared to watch the BBC version. ;)

[Q]

Now, with a source of food in that bathroom, you'd be set for life! Wait, that sounds weird... Oh well.
:P

[Q]

(apology for double post)

And the BBC version is very good, I enjoyed it quite a lot. It seems a lot shorter than it actually is!

[Enna Isilee]

It really does seem a lot shorter than it actually was.

I only watched half in the bathroom because my father told me (after spending 4 hours in there) that he "wanted his bathroom back" so he ordered me the second DVD from netflix. It took two days to arrive! I remember what Shannon said about having to wait over the weekend to get the rest of the mini-series and now I can relate! He made me stop watching after tape 4! Which is right after...

S
P
O
I
L
E
R

...Darcy Preposes!

[Burning]

So far, I have not watched the BBC version. I'm quite scared to now. I don't want to spend my life in a bathroom. A bathroom, however, is a better place to spend your life than a living room. (Gotta have the potty.)

Anyway, I still haven't watched, for fear of obsession. But the black and white version with Laurence Olivier and Greer Garson is quite funny. But I actually like the Keira Knightley one because the characters fit my image exactly. Expecially Darcy, Lizzy, Mr. Collins, Charlotte, Mrs. Bennet, Jane, and Lydia.

[Q]

Burning, you should find it and watch it.

[Enna Isilee]

I can't imagine anyone playing Elizabeth Bennett besides Jennifer Ehle(sp?) she was just so... sassy.

[enna-girl]

I have just declared Shannon Hale the Absolute Coolest. I bet I have the stupidest expression on my face, this blog entry blew me away. I can't believe how perfectly you said that Shannon! I'm printing out this blog to show to someone, anyone! People must know about it...

[Enna Isilee]

Spread the word sista!

[Emily Jiang]

I loved this so much I blogged about it! Here's a snippet: Jane herself never placed too much value on beauty alone, as evidenced by her heroines. In Pride and Prejudice, though her older, sweeter sister Jane is universally acknowledged as the prettiest, Lizzie dazzles with her humor and sharp wit...

[frynza]

Grrr. You guys don't have to rub it in! About the book signing, that is. Isn't it frustrating to miss your favorite author who's a couple minutes away, just because you have to be in a foreign island for the summer? Grrr.
Hear hear, though, I think Jane looks just fine. She's perty. Jup.

[Bonita]

thank you thank you thank you.

[treatment for drug abuse]

Greeting. Oh, I don't blame Congress. If I had $600 billion at my disposal, I'd be irresponsible, too.
I am from Maldives and learning to read in English, please tell me right I wrote the following sentence: "The development of the youth assessment and intervention tool was commissioned by the drug treatment services unit, department of human.Alcohol hotline and drug addiction hotline is being provided by the national local alcohol, drug addiction treatment and rehab detox listings, by state."

Best regards :p, Moana.

[Propecia online]

Thanks for settling a dispute just now. I found your blog when a friend had doubts Shoney's had anything to do with Bob's. She's got your link now, and I'm thrilled you're in O.C.. My friend and I are both high school buddies from there, and we share the same wonderful memories from the Van Nuy's Big Boy when we both grew up in the Valley when we didn't know each other.

[Propecia online]

I think everyone is unavoidably attracted to pretty-ness for movies and things like that, and expect people they admire to be... attractive - but would perhaps be disappointed that someone they thought they could relate to (Austen) was not "normal" looking like them. You know, not ugly, but ordinary.