A Jane-ite in Oxford

My copy of P & P, bought in Newcastle, England in 2009

The Rewley House

Courtyard at the Rewley House

Jane Austen: A Reintroduction, class at Oxford University- 4 June 2011

One day in Oxford I took a class at the Rewley House. The class consisted of four sessions by professors who were very well informed on the topic of Jane Austen. By well informed, I mean that they each have written extensively on various aspects of her life, published books, researched, taught, &c.With a full day devoted to all things Jane Austen, one who would attend such a class could be dubbed a "Jane-ite".

That I am. My Mom joined me in this class, and I believe she entered the class a regular citizen, and walked out a "Jane-ite".

I started reading Jane Austen's books when I was in college, and my appreciation for her 6 novels has only grown. Her first book (Sense and Sensibility) was published in 1811, so this year is the 200 year anniversary. When I mention Jane Austen, most people either have no idea what I am talking about, or they assume it's just girly stories. It may surprise you then, that there were more than 50 people in the class and good handful of them were men. Several of them were with their wives, but there must have been some sort of intrigue on their part to learn more, as this wasn't a free class, and it was a full day.

There are so many wonderful aspects of Jane Austen's writings. The characters are unique and they develop through the story, growing and learning. The stories are so memorable where good wins and love triumphs in the end, but not without strife. The manners of that time cause me dream of seeing a tiny glimpse of that in today's world (I wish guys would realize it's a good thing to be a gentleman). The subtle wit behind Jane's sentences makes me smile as I read. All the while, I wish I lived in that time period when things were simpler.

While I thought I knew quite a bit about Jane's life before this class, the speakers went into unknown territory about her literary techniques, publishing history (Jane got £150 for her first book), the revisions she made, the places she lived, the themes she wrote about, and how that all correlated to her life. The speakers were engaging and kept things quite interesting. I think someone who didn't know anything about Jane would have been interested in these presentations.

During our coffee/tea breaks (outside at the courtyard or in the Common Room), Mom and I befriended a nice British lady (everyone was British, we were the only Americans) who has a daughter, so my Mom enjoyed relating to her. We compared our cultures, our travels, our holiday time (either Americans work too much or the British work too little. I think the former is true). Our new friend was amazed how we only have a few weeks of holiday time and that we were only in England for a week.

One week is definitely not enough time to enjoy England. But even in bits and pieces, it is worth it.

Is there a felicity in the world superior to this? -Marianne, Sense and Sensibility