Reading and writing through Jane Austen

Karen Joy Fowler must have been inspired by it, right? She had to have read through the Austens and thought, "That Jane Austen really had a gift for characterization." She must have analyzed what worked so well. Perhaps she plunged into the Austens one day because she was struggling with her writing.

Or maybe she just loved Jane Austen. Like me. Her characters became like friends. I feel as if I've sadly neglected them these past ten years or so. It's been a long time since I've actually read an Austen.

So when a friend of mine asked at book club if anyone was interested in reading through the Austens, I quickly raised my hand. Of course I've read them all before, but lately I've only read works inspired by her (Bridget Jones' Diary, Becoming Jane, Lost in Austen, Jane Austen Book Club, to name a few). (Interesting note: all of those examples were made into movies and I've seen them all, too.) (And let's not mention how many times I've watched P&P, the A&E version.)

At Barnes & Noble the other day, I spied a display of novels that continue where Pride and Prejudice left off (amusing), Austen books featuring zombies and sea monsters (weird), and one particular gem which I plan to savor after I've completed the Austens: Sandition, the unfinished novel by Jane Austen, finished by Juliette Shapiro.

We read Emma last month, and this month's selection is Sense and Sensibility.

It is safe to say that I am in no danger of becoming one of those copycat writers, emulators, or plagiarists crowding the bookshelves, but I do find the model of her work inspiring. She is often dismissed by modern readers as too far removed from our hurry-up world with its lack of polite society. They don't think they can identify with the world of Jane Austen's books. However, I am finding upon this reading, much of her writing still rings true today. She wrote about families and friends, and how they interact; how we can be taken in by charm and appearance, but one's true nature wills out in the end.

She is providing a good lesson for this writer.