Someone once asked philosopher Gilbert Ryle (1900-1976) if he ever read novels. "Yes, certainly," he replied. "I read all six every year."
The 'six' to which he referred were, of course, the six novels of Jane Austen: Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), Emma (1815), Persuasion (1817 posthumously), and Northanger Abbey (1817 posthumously). Although they received relatively few reviews in her lifetime, they soon became fashionable reading for the taste-makers of the day, and by the time of her death had been translated into French, German, and Swedish. Although it was not until the mid-20th century that the academic world acknowledged her as one of the great English novelists, the memoir written by James Edward Austen Leigh published in 1870 gave readers a sense of the personality behind the novels, leading to the burgeoning of cultivated readership which has lasted until the present day.
There is also reason to think about Austen on this the 100th anniversary year of the outbreak of the 1914-1918 War. It was Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) who coined the term 'Janeites' for Austen's admirers. In one of his Great War stories entitled "The Janeites," a secret-society of Austen-lovers recall having taken her books with them into the trenches. And in Kipling's evocative dialect prose, they banter about Austen's stories and characters. This from a soldier named Humberstall, recalling his reading of Emma: "And—oh yes—there was a Miss Bates; just an old maid runnin’ about like a hen with ’er ’ead cut off, an’ her tongue loose at both ends. I’ve got an aunt like ’er. Good as gold—but, you know.’
Kipling also penned a bit of doggerel in her memory:
(You can read "The Janeites" on the website of the Jane Austen Society of North America: http://www.jasna.org/membership/janeites.html )
Since then, Austen in every generation has continued to find new audiences all around the world. A great number of sequels and prequels to the "six novels" have found their way into print, and the most recent crop of Austen films (graced by such stars as Kiera Knightley, Emma Thompson, Donald Sutherland and Colin Firth) and have increased popular interest in Austen and her work. Even Bollywood has gotten in on the act!
Just a few days ago at Sotheby's London sale-room, a 1st edition of Pride and Prejudice sold for a record price of £139,250 (that is, $218,898.22). That was 150K times more than its original cost of 90pence in today's money.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1325055/Early-edition-Jane-Austens-Pride-Prejudice-auctioned-140-000.html
And in case you really want a first edition for yourself (as originally published in in three volumes), you can have one: Jonker's Rare Books in Henley-on-Thames near Oxford has one currently for sale at just $93,392.64: https://www.jonkers.co.uk/authors/detail/authorid/2599
But, for me, I'm happy with my tatty old set of Penguin Classics of Austen, each one read every year for more than a decade. And now that winter is beginning to close in, I'll begin my reading of "all six" for this year with Emma.
The 'six' to which he referred were, of course, the six novels of Jane Austen: Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), Emma (1815), Persuasion (1817 posthumously), and Northanger Abbey (1817 posthumously). Although they received relatively few reviews in her lifetime, they soon became fashionable reading for the taste-makers of the day, and by the time of her death had been translated into French, German, and Swedish. Although it was not until the mid-20th century that the academic world acknowledged her as one of the great English novelists, the memoir written by James Edward Austen Leigh published in 1870 gave readers a sense of the personality behind the novels, leading to the burgeoning of cultivated readership which has lasted until the present day.
James Edward Austen-Leigh
There is also reason to think about Austen on this the 100th anniversary year of the outbreak of the 1914-1918 War. It was Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) who coined the term 'Janeites' for Austen's admirers. In one of his Great War stories entitled "The Janeites," a secret-society of Austen-lovers recall having taken her books with them into the trenches. And in Kipling's evocative dialect prose, they banter about Austen's stories and characters. This from a soldier named Humberstall, recalling his reading of Emma: "And—oh yes—there was a Miss Bates; just an old maid runnin’ about like a hen with ’er ’ead cut off, an’ her tongue loose at both ends. I’ve got an aunt like ’er. Good as gold—but, you know.’
Kipling also penned a bit of doggerel in her memory:
Jane lies in Winchester—blessed be her shade!
Praise the Lord for making her, and her for all she made!
And while the stones of Winchester,
or Milsom Street, remain,
Glory, love, and honour unto England’s Jane!
(You can read "The Janeites" on the website of the Jane Austen Society of North America: http://www.jasna.org/membership/janeites.html )
Since then, Austen in every generation has continued to find new audiences all around the world. A great number of sequels and prequels to the "six novels" have found their way into print, and the most recent crop of Austen films (graced by such stars as Kiera Knightley, Emma Thompson, Donald Sutherland and Colin Firth) and have increased popular interest in Austen and her work. Even Bollywood has gotten in on the act!
Just a few days ago at Sotheby's London sale-room, a 1st edition of Pride and Prejudice sold for a record price of £139,250 (that is, $218,898.22). That was 150K times more than its original cost of 90pence in today's money.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1325055/Early-edition-Jane-Austens-Pride-Prejudice-auctioned-140-000.html
And in case you really want a first edition for yourself (as originally published in in three volumes), you can have one: Jonker's Rare Books in Henley-on-Thames near Oxford has one currently for sale at just $93,392.64: https://www.jonkers.co.uk/authors/detail/authorid/2599
But, for me, I'm happy with my tatty old set of Penguin Classics of Austen, each one read every year for more than a decade. And now that winter is beginning to close in, I'll begin my reading of "all six" for this year with Emma.
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