Welcome Austen-in-August Readers!

Austen Variations is joining The Book Rat for a month-long celebration of all things Austen!  Today, we’re looking at the spiritual side of the famous authoress.

I have always been curious about Jane Austen’s spiritual side. She lived in a very different time and culture, but was her experience of faith similar nonetheless? Did she go beyond the expected exercise of religion to a personal and sincere commitment?

We know she was raised in a Christian home, the daughter of a (by all accounts) dedicated Anglican minister, as well as having two brothers belonging to the profession. She no doubt attended church nearly every Sunday of her life. Still, that didn’t prove sincere faith then anymore than it does now.

I suppose an argument could even be made to the contrary. For example, we see very few overtly Christian sentiments expressed in her novels. In fact, some of the portraits she draws of clergymen are quite unflattering (i.e. Mr. Collins). Also, some darker examples of her razor-sharp wit/humor (especially some preserved in her personal letters) might even be called caustic or irreverent.

However, it would be a mistake to conclude from this that Jane Austen didn’t take her faith seriously. Being a Christian doesn’t mean forfeiting a sense of humor, and not every pastor is a shining example, especially in Jane Austen’s day, when many went into the profession for the wrong reasons – as a convenient means of making a genteel living rather than in answer to a true calling from God.

As for Jane Austen’s novels, although they are stories written from a Christian perspective, upholding Christian beliefs and values, they would not qualify for today’s “Christian Fiction” genre. Indeed, in Austen’s society there would have been no reason for what is now a separate and distinct category of fiction, where church attendance and allegiance to the Christian faith were the norm, not the exception. This fact explains a great deal.

Here and there in Austen’s novels, however, we do catch a glimpse of something that might be construed as a reflection of Austen’s personal faith. We notice the “God bless you” at the close of Darcy’s letter to Elizabeth, for example, and the many occasions where God’s name is invoked in crisis or in thanksgiving.

That [the surgeon] did not regard it as a desperate case, that he did not say a few hours must end it, was at first felt, beyond the hope of most; and the ecstasy of such a reprieve, the rejoicing, deep and silent, after a few fervent ejaculations of gratitude to Heaven had been offered, may be conceived. The tone, the look, with which “Thank God!” was uttered by Captain Wentworth, Anne was sure could never be forgotten by her; nor the sight of him afterwards, as he sat near a table, leaning over it with folded arms and face concealed, as if overpowered by the various feelings of his soul, and trying by prayer and reflection to calm them. (Persuasion, chapter 12)

But perhaps the clearest example appears in Mansfield Park. There, Austen uses Mary Crawford’s attitude toward elements of faith as one means of revealing to the reader that lady’s faulty character. Mary openly ridicules the practice of family prayers, chapel attendance, and the clerical profession as a whole. By contrast, Austen’s heroine Fanny Price is reverent, honorable, and chaste – a much better candidate for an Austen-style heroine and a better choice of partner for future clergyman Edmund.

For the most convincing evidence of Jane Austen’s sincere personal faith, however, we must look beyond her novels, which are, after all, not autobiography but fiction. We must look to how she faced death without fear, asking for prayer and making a point of receiving the sacrament of Holy Communion before the end. And we must look to her prayers.

Did you know that Austen wrote prayers as well as stories? No one knows how many, but thee rather lengthy examples have survived. Here’s an excerpt from the prayer entitled “On Each Return of the Night.”

Give us grace, Almighty Father, so to pray, as to deserve to be heard, to address thee with our Hearts, as with our lips. Thou art every where present, from Thee no secret can be hid. May the knowledge of this, teach us to fix our Thoughts on Thee, with Reverence and Devotion that we pray not in vain… May we now, and on each return of night, consider how the past day has been spent by us, what have been our prevailing Thoughts, Words, and Actions during it, and how far we can acquit ourselves of Evil. Have we thought irreverently of Thee, have we disobeyed thy Commandments, have we neglected any known Duty, or willingly given pain to any human Being? Incline us to ask our Hearts these questions, Oh! God, and save us from deceiving ourselves by Pride or Vanity.

Seeing the words “pride” and “vanity” together, does your mind, like mine, go straight to a certain contentious conversation between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy?

Well, as I read through Jane Austen’s prayers, ideas began popping into my head – associations to her stories like this one. Then I realized that each line of each prayer was a mini pray in itself, worthy of pausing for further reflection. That’s when I decided to write a devotional based on them. I broke down her prayers into fifty individual petitions, allowing each one to inspire a separate meditation using characters and situations from her novels as illustrations. Austen’s characters are so true to life – part of her genius – that their stories constitute a rich source for learning more about life, truth, and hope, whether you are a person of faith or not.

Jane Austen was a brilliant author, yes, but she was so much more. Her life and her personality were multi-faceted, including an active spiritual as well as intellectual side. Her religion and her personal faith helped to shape her stories and the characters we love so much.

Learn more about my Jane Austen devotional, due out in October 2019, and follow its progress here at my website/blog.

Be sure to check out all the other special “Austen in August” posts and the great prize package being offered during this month-long celebration at The Book Rat.