Happy 209th Birthday, Pride and Prejudice!!!

“I want to tell you that I have got my own darling Child from London;–on Wednesday I received one Copy, sent down by Falknor, with three lines from Henry to say that he had given another to Charles & sent a 3d by the Coach to Godmersham.”

letter to Cassandra, on receiving her first copy of Pride and Prejudice, January 29, 1813

As a woman who has been blessed to give birth three times,  I know the joy of seeing my infant after nine months of waiting. The wrinkled skin; the cries of “I’m here world! Watch out!” The stillness as your eyes meet and you absorb their presence. Laying in that swaddled blanket are all your hopes and dreams, with generations of your progeny stretching out before you. However, not all women have that moment, and we know Jane didn’t. Well, not in the traditional sense.

Jane had six “children,” and based on the above letter to Cassandra, we could argue that Pride and Prejudice was her favorite. I imagine the Jane of today might go out and celebrate “the birth” with dinner at Ruth Chris or Mortons’, inviting her family and friends. Or, she might just curl up and read through her “darling” to make sure there were no glaring mistakes.

In her own lifetime, Jane experienced the joy of success, of people accepting and appreciating “her child,” but she never could have imagined the long lasting effects her work would have on the world. With over 20 million copies sold, Pride and Prejudice has never been out of print, nor has it remained in only book form. It has evolved into movies, mini-series, a vlog series, fan fiction and so much more. For instance, are you in a baking mood? Go on Etsy and buy a Darcy and Lizzy cookie cutter. Are your feet cold? Amazon has Pride and Prejudice socks. You don’t know what to make for dinner? Buy a cookbook of Mr. Darcy’s favorite dishes.

If you type ‘Pride and Prejudice’ into the Google search engine, you get 65,200,000 results! On Amazon, P&P gift search nets you 991 and P&P variations turns up 3,000. Why? What causes this insatiable need for all things Pride and Prejudice?

It is the genius of Jane herself. She created (dare I say begat) characters who we love, who we identify with, whose lives we want to see continue. We all have our own Jane Austen story, how we were introduced to this brilliant author, and we feel like she is our friend. We love her “children” as if they are our own , as they have sustained us throughout our lives, both in challenges and triumphs. It is only natural we would celebrate a milestone for someone or something that has given us so much joy.

So, Happy Birthday, Pride and Prejudice! Happy 209 years of love, laughter and friendship. Without you our lives would be so different. You’ve taught us that it’s ok to make mistakes and ask for forgiveness; that we do not have to live up to others’ expectations; that no matter who we are, we are worthy of the life we want and should not settle for less. You have truly given us a gift, and we are eternally grateful!

~Anngela Schroeder (a devoted reader)

***Leave your own birthday wishes in the comments, and I’ll make sure Jane gets them!  😉

My AP Students Celebrating Pride & Prejudice’s birthday with Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet cupcakes.