A note from me, Modern Austen
"I write only for Fame..."
“I am very much flattered by your commendation of my last Letter, for I write only for Fame, & without any view of pecuniary Emolument.”
— Letter to Cassandra Austen written from Steventon on Thursday, 14th January, 1796
Sunday, 11th June, 20—
Dear Modern Heroines,
I hope you’ve been enjoying the columns I write on Modern Austen & won’t mind this brief reflection post. First, I want to welcome new subscribers & thank everyone who has been reading for a while. It’s been almost a year since I launched this newsletter with a few how-to guides & occasional submissions to my advice column, & while Fame would be great, my main goal is to create something artful, something modern heroines can connect with.
What I’m doing with Modern Austen
In truth, I don’t always know. I don’t see this project as putting a “modern spin” on Austen because I don’t it’s necessary. Austen speaks to every age. She writes of what it means to be happy, what it means to be an individual in society, what it means to live up to your obligations. But, most importantly for us heroines, she writes about what it means to be a good reader of books, people, & the world around you. My best description for what I’m doing with Modern Austen is that I’m attempting to develop the consciousness of a Jane Austen narrator & apply it to the age we live in, proving that Austen is a sage for all times.
The form this takes is a lifestyle magazine for modern heroines. You’re not limited to the newsletters you receive in your inbox;— you can visit the website to read all the guides, Ask Modern Austen letters, real estate tours, & more.
Each Modern Austen article takes time to produce: I analyze Austen’s work & read lots of academic papers to thoughtfully craft a response that’s not quite mine & not quite an Austen narrator’s. Somehow something Modern Austenesque appears on the page & is published for you to read.
While I don’t always know what I’m doing, here’s what I do know:
Modern Austen will always be free, so you never have to upgrade to read anything I publish.
I have enabled payments, which means that you can sign up for an $8 monthly subscription if you want to support my work with “pecuniary emolument.”
I can’t promise special content for paid subscribers, as I intend to launch other newsletters & projects. I also believe in the quality of the work I’m already producing for modern heroines.
You can always show your appreciation by liking, commenting on, & sharing articles. That’s all the “Fame” I could hope for.
This publication will always aim to elevate the genius of Jane Austen in new & interesting ways.
Yours affectionately,
Modern Austen ❤️
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Frequent queries
Q: “What is your favorite Jane Austen novel?” — Hillary
A: Emma, I believe, is her masterpiece. There’s so much happening around the main characters that you have to pay attention to, & I love how easy it is to get pulled in by Emma’s imagination. I’ve recently been re-reading & analyzing rejected proposal scenes in Austen’s work, & the scene where Emma persuades Harriet Smith to refuse Robert Martin shows how effectively Austen uses free-indirect discourse. Mr. Martin proposes to Harriet in a letter that we never get to read, so we (like Harriet) have to rely on Emma to tell us if it’s a good letter. Emma doesn’t want the letter to be good! She’s been trying to convince Harriet that Robert Martin of Abbey Mill Farm is no match for her. The narrator tells us what Emma really feels about Mr. Martin’s proposal:
“The language, though plain, was strong and unaffected, and the sentiments it conveyed very much to the credit of the writer. It was short, but expressed good sense, warm attachment, liberality, propriety, even delicacy of feeling.”
— Vol I, Chapter vii
We know it’s a good proposal because Emma can’t help admitting it to herself. This makes everything she does in this scene to plant doubt about accepting Robert Martin in Harriet’s heart the most awful thing she does in the novel.
But to anyone who is reading Austen for the first time, I always recommend Pride & Prejudice. It’s the gateway Austen novel—who doesn’t love Elizabeth Bennet?
Q: “Are you a Janeite?” — Pari
A: Good question! I never really feel like I belong to a club or group, but if the Janeites will have me… :-)
Got a question for Modern Austen? Drop it in the comments or send an email to modernaustenblog@gmail.com.