Greetings!
This painting by Paul Sandby depicts the boarding school Jane Austen attended in 1785-1786. Source: Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
I return to posting with no little embarrassment. Indeed, I’m blushing like Charles Bingley in Lucy Marin’s fabulous short story, “The Travails of Charles Bingley.” Look at me, showing up in Meryton months and months after I departed without explanation! (But Jane, I have missed you—truly!)
I can make no excuses. Nonetheless, I will try: I had a heck of a year teaching—so much fun, so much to do! Working with high school students, especially at a boarding school, is a vocation I have never been able to practice without giving up a good portion of my writing life. (Hats off to teachers and writers like Anngela Schroeder who do both so well, and at the same time, too!) I guess I’ve never been good at multitasking. Just ask my daughter and husband: when I’m writing the last chapter of a book or finishing my end-of-term comments, it’s as if I disappear from the face of the earth!
In any case, here I am. And since this month’s theme is “Austen’s School Days,” I thought I’d share some of my favorite moments from teaching Austen last year. So, here we go: these are three of the lessons I learned from Austen while teaching Pride and Prejudice to adolescents…
Lesson #1: Austen is still vitally relevant!
No surprise, right? Look at all of us: we love Austen! There are millions of people around the world who read her books, watch the film adaptations, play Austen role-playing-games, attend Austen conferences…the list could go on and on.
Despite Austen’s popularity among adults, I wasn’t sure how Pride and Prejudice would fare in the hands of adolescents. Anngela Schroeder gave me the confidence to believe it could be a great experience, as she also teaches the book to her upper-level high schoolers. But I was teaching tenth-graders, and I was worried: what would a fifteen-year-old think of the book, especially if that fifteen-year-old wasn’t a “great reader”? Would the language be too difficult? Was the plot too focused on privileged people who go to parties all the time? Was this really the right book for adolescents in 2021?
It turns out that almost all of my students, even those who struggled with the language, became deeply engaged in our discussions, especially when we were focusing on family relationships. Indeed, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet were the characters my students loved to discuss most. Were they good parents? Did Mrs. Bennet love her daughters, or did she see them as pawns? Did Mr. Bennet love his daughters, or did he see them as distractions to his precious books? Were Mr. and Mrs. Bennet culpable for Lydia’s elopement, or was Wickham (or Lydia herself) mainly at fault? These were the kinds of questions my students loved to ponder—even months after we finished the book!
I suppose it’s only natural that teenagers would be fascinated by the dynamics between parents and children, as those dynamics shape their lives. What I found most amazing, though, was how much Austen’s understanding of these dynamics resonated with teens living in such different times and circumstances. She really understood something crucial about human nature, didn’t she?
Lesson #2: P&P’s humor, more than the romance, captivated my students.
Elizabeth and Darcy? Meh. Many of my students couldn’t have cared less if those two ended up together. In fact, a few students thought Elizabeth should have married Colonel Fitzwilliam — or even Mr. Collins! — if she had to marry anyone at all.
I found this response really funny because, when I first read the book as a twenty-year-old, I was all about Elizabeth and Darcy — and I knew, from the moment he insulted her, that they would end up together. I mean, that’s just how these things happen, right? At least, that’s how they happen in romance novels. And I guess that’s key: I spent my teenage years devouring romance novels that were, in their own ways, homages to Pride and Prejudice. So when I found my way at last to the novel that inspired all those books I had already read, I fell madly in love with Austen.
Most of my students, however, weren’t into the enemies-to-lovers trope. Instead, they loved Mrs. Bennet’s ability to contradict herself on almost every page; they adored Mr. Bennet’s sarcasm, and especially his defense of Elizabeth after she refused to marry Mr. Collins; they laughed at Mr. Collins’s obsequious behavior, poked fun at Caroline Bingley’s over-the-top snobbery, and stood up for Mary Bennet (because, come on, aren’t many of us Mary Bennet at heart?). Did they like Elizabeth and Darcy? Sure! They especially liked them after our heroine and hero realized how misguided they had been. Ultimately, the characters’ foibles, rather than their strengths, enchanted my students. And this leads me to…
Lesson #3: Pride and Prejudice is, at its core, a book about making mistakes.
Think about it: when you’re fifteen (as Lydia is), how do you respond when you’ve made a really bad decision? Do you follow the lead of Mrs. Bennet or Mr. Wickham, who refuse to acknowledge their flaws and instead blame others? Or do you take courage from Elizabeth and Darcy, who have to face up to their errors? These are the questions we ultimately considered as a class.
What, in other words, can we learn about being more thoughtful human beings from the strengths and weaknesses of these fictional characters?
When I decided to assign the Pride and Prejudice, I was terrified that I would ruin Austen for my tenth graders, but I had too little faith in my students as readers and especially in Austen as a writer. While not every student loved (or even liked) the novel, they all came to appreciate its merits. (And many students, I believe, love the book almost as much as we do!)
I can’t tell you how much it meant to me when my students experienced those “aha!” moments — those OMG, I know a Lady Catherine in real life! realizations or the I have definitely been as blind as [choose almost any character in the novel] epiphanies. I like to think that, in those moments, Austen was in the classroom with us, smiling at the delicious irony of life: for all the changes in the world, we humans remain “in essentials…very much” the same.
(Note: the quotes “great reader” and “in essentials…very much” come from. — you guessed it — Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.)
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Thank you, I really like your report on Students meet Austen.
Regards
Ann Rydberg
Thanks so much for reading and commenting, Ann! I didn’t think I could love Austen more, but teaching Pride and Prejudice gave me yet another reason to adore her.
This was so interesting! It just goes to show that good writing is good writing. Yay Jane Austen! My first experience with Pride and Prejudice was “You’ve Got Mail”. Late to the party! I had to read it after hearing that…then all the others.
I second that “Yay Jane Austen”! I have to admit that I don’t remember how “You’ve Got Mail” is connected to Pride and Prejudice. Does the book get mentioned in the movie? It’s been so long since I’ve watched it! In any case, I sometime think that being late to the party is the best way to arrive; you may have less time to enjoy yourself, but you may also have a great appreciation for the enjoyment you discover! Thanks, Martha, for reading and commenting!
I enjoyed this post as I worked with high school students before I retired. They constantly surprised me. Your insight was so on point. Thanks for sharing your love of Austen with a whole new generation of readers. They may not grab P&P with both hands now, but I bet they will read it again later. What fun.
Thanks, J.W.! I do love how adolescents keep me on my toes. Well, I love it — except when I don’t. 😉 Thanks to you for your work with high school students in the past! Yay for educators and mentors of all kinds — in and out of the classroom.
When I first read Austen at age 12 with Pride and Prejudice as my first foray, my biggest issue was learning new words. So I read along with a dictionary. That opened up a whole new world for me in terms of how I learnt to express myself and the beauty of words.
Secondly, the relevance. I agree with many that Austen remains relevant as much as human relationships are relevant. Her characters are drawn from human emotions and behaviour that cross social status, cultures and countries. They are universal.
Lastly, the nature and themes of Austen’s novels promote a sense of wholesomeness and rely on the ideas of honour, generosity and integrity that give many, including myself, that sense of comfort in the triumph of an attainable good nature over bad. Her love stories are fanciful and when you take them apart, far fetched, but give a sense that you too can achieve what her protagonists do.
Personally however, I don’t want to analyse Austen TOO deeply because underneath her happily ever afters lay a world with challenges, duplicity, hypocrisy and inequity. She alludes to it but I like how she skirts those. There is too much of that in the world at large to make that something one wishes to explore.
JRTT, what a fascinating point about what’s below the surface of Austen’s happily-ever-afters. For some reason, this makes me think of one of Emily Dickinson’s poems: “Tell all the truth but tell it slant/Success in Circuit lies…” (For the rest of the poem, go to https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/56824/tell-all-the-truth-but-tell-it-slant-1263). For me, the beauty of Austen’s work is that she “alludes” (as you put it) to those bleaker issues but, by examining them at a “slant,” I think she also gives readers a way to approach those issues from a variety of angles.
I’m so impressed that you read P&P at age 12 and learned so much about language from the book! My daughter just turned 12, and I read the book aloud to her last year. It’s been so much fun to hear her use words like insipid or impudence, which I suspect she picked up in part from our reading of the novel. (I’m not sure she’d have picked the book up on her own, though, so again, kudos to you for your youthful initiative!)
Wonderful that you enabled your students to discuss important issues through the words of Jane Austen. Much better than lecturing a fifteen year old about life’s lessons!
Thanks for reading and commenting, Meg! Yes, I should know by now, thanks to my daughter, that lectures aren’t particularly effective! (Still, I sometimes can’t help myself!) I really enjoyed talking about Austen, literature, and life with my students. I’m grateful to them for teaching me, too!
I was a 60+ father of eight and grandfather, married for over 35 years before I finally read P+P. I have over 5000 books in the house and have probably read twice that many in my lifetime. Pride and Prejudice instantly became one of my all-time favorite books. Jane Austen’s ability to make her characters come to life in a way that makes you relate to them and care about them is remarkable.
Bill, I loved reading about your journey to Pride and Prejudice, as well as your thoughts on Austen’s genius. We’re so fortunate to live in a world with her works — as well as so many others — at our fingertips. Thanks for reading and commenting!
So glad you introduced Pride and Prejudice to your 10th grade class! For me, it’s always about Elizabeth and Darcy, but every time I re-read it, different aspects grab my attention. I love P+P variations because they encourage me to look at the original with new eyes.
Author
Heather, thank you so much for reading and responding! I agree that Austen variations are a thrilling and thoughtful way to reexamine Austen’s characters. I love how we all see Elizabeth and Darcy in slightly different ways.
I first read P&P as a tenth grade student for an English class, literature semester. It has been so long ago (circa 50 years) that I don’t remember my first impressions of the book other than liking it a lot. About all that comes to mind is teenage angst and envy of Elizabeth standing up for her beliefs to Darcy and her parents. I do remember loving the description of Lizzy’s last dinner at Rosings when she said farewell to Anne. The line was something to the effect that Anne “exerted herself” to curtesy as they said their goodbyes. That somehow seemed so subtly funny that it stayed with me after that.
Author
Carol, thank you so much for your comment. I love how you recognized Austen’s subtle but cutting humor in that phrase about Anne! And yes, you made such a good point about Elizabeth standing up to others. My students also really loved those moments — well, except for some of the students who thought she ought to have listened to her mother and married Mr. Collins; I had to bite my tongue hard when I heard that! Luckily other students took the opposite view and debated the topic, so I could just remind all the students to point to examples from the text to support their arguments!
I have to admit that despite my love for the classics growing up (especially the works of Louisa May Alcott and Shakespeare), I did not “meet” Miss Austen until graduate school. I took English Novel II which started with Hardy, and I confess to cribbing an AP Book Report on P&P in 10th grade without reading a word (the only time I ever cheated in school).
I encountered Miss Austen in a Gender and Satire course in 1991 (pre-1995’s miniseries) in which we read P&P … and I immediately realized what I had been missing. I tackled Austen as my major essay, reading both S&S (for which I had to read the reading room of the library because I was laughing too hard at Mr. Palmer) and MP (which is in many ways my favorite Austen novel as I sooooo identify with Fanny Price!). I pursued the concept of civility in P&P, S&S, and MP and have been hooked on Austen ever since … with the exception of Emma as I positively LOATHE the title character unless she appears in Clueless in all her ’90s glory.
So I am definitely a late bloomer when it comes to Austen, but I have come to love her writing, her characters, and her cleverness with my whole heart!
Warmly,
Susanne 🙂
Author
Susanne, what an amazing journey through Austen’s works! I love that you were laughing so hard at Mr. Palmer that you had to read the book separately from others! And I admire you for identifying with Fanny Price; she possesses great strength, though it’s not been easy for me to realize this. (I had to read MP three times, over the course of three different decades, before I really came to appreciate Fanny.) As for Emma, well, I have a soft spot in my heart for her, but yes, I can see why she might be deserving of loathing! Thank you so much for reading this post and especially for sharing your experiences with me!
What a great experience for your students! My favorite thing to do as a kid was read, I took AP English in high school, and for the first year or two of college I was an English major, but I did not encounter Jane Austen until a few months after I graduated from college. I started with Persuasion and then read the other five major novels right after that. I wish I remembered my first reading of any of those books. My notes record only the dates I read the books and that Persuasion was my second favorite after Pride and Prejudice (that hasn’t changed). The fourth time I read Pride and Prejudice was a few years later, reading to my first baby while I nursed him (his name is Austen).
Despite having no daughters, I share Jane Austen with my five sons, all homeschooled. They read Pride and Prejudice as part of Brit Lit in 9th grade. My fourth son was so eager to read it that he read Emma the summer before 9th grade. My third son had to read Persuasion before a study abroad trip to England this summer. I tried reading Northanger Abbey to a couple of my sons, but I laughed too much to get very far. We have had wonderful discussions about the books. We talk about the books, especially Pride and Prejudice, all the time, in any context. My boys roll their eyes, but they know exactly what I am talking about when I compare modern situations or characteristics or politics or religion to the book. They quote the book to me, as well, in relevant situations.
Author
TC, how lucky your five sons are to have you as their educator and their parent! Also, I understand the difficulties of laughing through a reading of Northanger Abbey. I read it to my daughter last year, and she and I laughed so hard that I found myself with hiccups on a few occasion! How much fun we had together, despising Isabella and John Thorpe! Actually, your comment about being able to reference characters in relation to real-world events makes me think I should keep the Thorpe siblings in mind when my daughter starts complaining about certain frenemies! Thanks so much for reading and commenting.
I homeschooled my four kids for 21 years, including high school. Once when driving #3 child and his friend home from a homeschooling event at the beginning of his senior year, I overheard my son Mutter to his friend in the backseat, “Yeah, my mom is inflicting Jane Austen on me this year … AGAIN.” He was half-joking because he really enjoyed P&P and had S&S assigned in his literature curriculum for his senior year. 🤣
Author
Hah! Since complaining is so often the language of adolescents, I think your son’s willingness to bring up Austen to his friend is further evidence of his appreciation for her work!
It’s funny because when I first read P&P I was very young–younger than your students– and I remember that the Elizabeth/Darcy romance hit me as a surprise. I thought “where does he come from?” After that, I read it so many times that the book opened on its own in the middle –marking the pages of the Hunsford proposal.
My main focus was on the family and the cultural/social differences. Even the details of it all. For example, OK, Mr. Collins is a ridiculous man but Mr. Darcy is almost shocked he talked to him without a prior introduction. I still have an inner problem with that. Whenever I read about this in a variation I think “Man up, Darcy, it’s not the end of the world!” 😛
The other funny observation is that my tastes changed over the years. While I started liking Mr. Bennet (who can resist a book lover?) I now am more understanding towards Mrs. Bennet.
And although I was (and still am) a die-hard Elizabeth fan I feel awful about the way the family treated Mary. And more little things like that…
Thank you for the post stirring my first-reading memories and happy autumn!
Author
Alexandra, I think you should be Darcy’s life coach. Yes, man up, Darcy! Swallow your pride…oh, right. That’s a bit tough for you, isn’t it, Darcy? 😆
I love your point about how our views of characters change as we change. Yes, it’s difficult not to see Mrs. Bennet or Mary with more empathy (or at least sympathy) when realizing what limits the world (and Austen!) placed on them.
Here’s my guilty secret for the day: though I love writing and reading Aunt Gardiner in fanfic, I actually don’t love her in the novel itself. Each time I reread her sections of the book, I’m struck by how much advice she gives. That’s kind of annoying, isn’t it? Okay, no, it’s important and it’s good, but hey, what can I say? I’m a bit petty and Lydia-like at times!
Happy autumn to you, too, Alexandra! Many thanks for reading and commenting. Hugs.
LOL! We are all more “Lydia” than we think. She’s so natural! Curious and childish in her quest for pleasure in life. No thoughts of the consequences.
Elizabeth is so self-righteous at times and quite full of herself (a great match for Darcy! 😉 )
I’d like to read a fanfic where Lydia’s unwise decisions land her all the wealth and social status Austen denied her not for any evil reason but mainly because life is not fair and everything is possible. After all, even in P&P Lydia managed to land on her feet.
Imagine Lydia ending up with a title and somehow saving the day for the main heroes? 😉
Author
Alexandra, you should write that story! There have been some fascinating Lydia-centric stories out there (been a while since I’ve read any, but I’m recalling Grace Gibson’s Reckless, Headstrong Girl), but yes, write a story with Lydia as the one who saves the day, even if she doesn’t quite act in a way we think heroines should act! I’ve definitely found Lydia a fun character to write. Maybe Austen’s version is irredeemably selfish and silly, but I can’t help coming back to the fact that she’s fifteen. Fifteen! What stupid things did I do when I was fifteen? Well, actually, I was pretty boring. But still, even my “boring” mistakes could have gotten me in trouble had I lived in a different time and place.
Before having to retire due to a chronic illness which I came down with in 2014, I worked as a high school teacher myself and I can definitely agree that teaching is all-consuming. Basically I had no other life from the time I started in 1994 until I had to retire in 2015. There is no time for anything else!
Second, I love your books and in fact, yours was the first P&P variation that I read.
Third, I first read P&P sometime in high school myself-not as a class assignment but because I was interested. Jane Austen continues to be one of my favorite authors to this day!
Fourth-I ‘m not surprised that the kids loved the humor. Sometimes I forget how funny P&P actually is since some variations are very angst-ridden and there isn’t much humor there at all!
Finally, whenever you find time to write another book-well, I look forward to reading it!
Author
Janeen, thank you so much for your kind words, and thank you especially for your years of work as a high school teacher! I’m sorry about your chronic illness and hope you are feeling well these days.
I’m so impressed that you read Jane Austen as an adolescent without any prompting from others. Also, yes to the humor! Whenever I reread Northanger Abbey, I’m struck by how much Jane Austen would laugh at all the angst I’ve put into my own fanfics. I’m just as bad as Catherine Morland, imagining so much angst when, in fact, life’s drama often comes in subtler ways! (I chose Morland as a pen name for exactly that reason!)
Thank you again for your comment, and I am returning, at last, to my latest P&P variation. We’ll see how it goes! All the best to you and yours.
I’m late to reading your wonderful piece, Christina. I really enjoyed your reflections on teaching the book and seeing how your group of teenagers reacted to it.
I first read Austen so long ago that I can’t remember it. 😀 I do remember introducing my daughter (now 20) to Austen though. Her dad and I bought her a series of ‘classics for kids’—abridged novels from Austen, Brontë, Dickens, etc. with some of the language simplified—which she quickly devoured (and moved on to the full ‘adult’ versions soon after; she’s always been a bibliophile). We’d discuss the themes to give her a greater understanding of what was happening, explain the historical context and the like. Even at a young age, she responded to some of the same things your students did—the humour (ah, Mr Collins) and the idea that we all make mistakes, and it is what we do afterwards that really matters. We talked a lot about the position of women too.
Thanks for the thoughtful post!
Author
Lucy, your daughter is so lucky to have had such books and conversation as she grew up! Thank you so much for reading and commenting. I love hearing how people have come to the books they love (or how they’ve introduced them to others)!
I first read the novel only about 3 years ago. The romance got me, but equally I was impressed at how people can change for the better and how true to life books can be.
Author
Jen, thanks so much for reading and commenting. Your description of P&P — “how people can change for the better and how true to life books can be” — captures so much of what I love about the novel (and about Jane Austen’s works more generally). I will never stop being amazed by Austen’s deep understanding of human nature. (And I’m grateful for her amusing and captivating way of sharing that knowledge with us!)