Today we are please to introduce writer Susan Krause as she shares how her love of Jane Austen began with an unlikely reading suggestion from her father.
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Dear Jane Austen, most admired and beloved writer,
My name is Susan, and I grew up in a household where there was no television. My parents realized at a young age that reading and imagination would be more beneficial to their four children than television. They were right!
Every month, my father gave us a book-of-the-month to read. He would tailor it to each child’s personality. I was a tomboy who would rather play in dirt than read a book. I grew up with my parents telling me that if I didn’t start acting like a girl and lady then no boy would want to marry me. Personally, at that time, I couldn’t have cared less. I just did my thing and continued down a road of rebelliousness. It came as a shock when my father presented me with my newest book of the month. He handed me Pride and Prejudice as my first adult novel. I was appalled! I didn’t want to read a romance novel! How absurd, I thought! I wanted to read books more like C.S. Lewis — fantasy and wonder. I did not want to read any book by some young girl named Jane Austen. I was intimidated by it, thought it would be ridiculous, and my word, how could a young girl from that century know anything about love!
From the first lines that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife, to Mr. Darcy’s proposal to Lizzy, to the rebellious behaviour of Lydia—it changed my life forever. Jane Austen helped me to understand romance, love and propriety as a young woman. Imagine the excitement when Dad told me Jane wrote another book called Sense and Sensibility. It is by far, to me, the best book written by Jane Austen. I cried from start to finish. It mimicked the exact relationship I had with my own older sister. She is for certain Elinor Dashwood and I was Marianne without a doubt. My sister was the voice of reason, and I always jumped into situations with my heart and not my mind. I was eventually able to view the adaptation that was written by Emma Thompson and whom also played Elinor in the film. Like the book, I was touched to tears how close it was to the novel and my own life. Jane Austen had won my heart.
I was fascinated by Jane Austen after reading her two novels. I was able to read all her novels and found each of them life changing. I read her biography, life stories, letters and anything I could get my hands on. All her heroines became my heroines! They were of a perfect character and understanding, of course – if only they would not allow themselves to be influenced by, and come under the control of men.
From all I learned about Jane, I started to live a simpler life, to be more feminine, to be more aware of those around me, to even wear dresses and to be careful of Willoughby-type men! Because of Jane Austen, I was inspired to read more, and interestingly enough, to write more. My father told me I could write stories just like Austen. She also grew up not having television and she wrote about the things she knew well.
I took my father and Jane’s influence seriously to heart and began my first set of short-story novels. They are not sequels to Austen but like her, I write about the world I knew growing up. My stories are of tales of young children playing, rebelling, learning and using their imagination to travel through time changing history for the better.
I thank Jane Austen with all my heart for changing my life. She played a major influence on me becoming more of a woman. She helped me to understand the faults, follies, loves, and terms of endearment in relationships. I also have become more empowered as a single woman. Jane never married but always surrounded herself with family, her good friends and her writings. As long as she could write, she was happy, she was content. Here I am today: single, a writer, content and an avid reader of books.
I thank my parents for introducing me to Austen and I thank Jane for writing the best novels of all times!
Regards and thank you, Veronica, for the opportunity to write about Jane Austen’s influence in my life.
Austenesque love,
Susan @bromiegirl on Twitter
*Photo: Interior Spread by portmanteaus, obtained through Flickr.