Author Pamela Aares on the enduring appeal of Jane Austen

Pamela Aares, author of Jane Austen and the Archangel, outlines what it is about Jane Austen that keeps readers coming back for more.

Pamela: Joyce asked me to share some thoughts about Jane Austen's enduring appeal over the centuries and some of the books she has inspired. Just to back up a bit for readers not familiar with Jane Austen: Though she wrote in the latter part of the 18th and early part of the 19th century, the six novels she wrote are read and prized by millions of people to this day (perhaps the most well-known among them is Pride and Prejudice).

If you are a Jane fan, the fact that there are fan sites in over 83 countries and hundreds if not thousands of spin-offs, sequels and mash-ups will not astonish you. It seems Jane gets under our skin. I hadn't intended to write Jane Austen and the Archangel, but Jane and the archangel who loved her appeared and occupied my life — they would not leave until their love story was told!

When I received an invitation to SFLitQuake's Jane Austen A Go-Go, I did a little skip in my writing studio. The opportunity to explore the enduring appeal of Jane Austen with three other authors who had been inspired by her work lit me up. What I didn't expect was a night filled with humor and camaraderie. Silly me.

Karen Joy Fowler, author of The Jane Austen Book Club, made a point about Jane's popularity that I had never before considered. Jane never married and perhaps since she never properly "belonged" to a significant other, there was more room for readers to feel that she was their "very own." When asked about how she liked the movie version of her book, she responded that she thought it made a good film, but that it "was not her book." I often wonder what Jane Austen would think of the films that have been made of her works. Now that would make a delightful documentary, to see Jane's reaction to various film clips. We just need a way to contact her!

Which brings me to Jane Austen and the Zombies. When my friend Nion McEvoy told me that Chronicle was publishing the book, I must've stood looking rather shocked. Chronicle does not (yet) publish romance. But as sales have shown, the mash-up of a classic story with the humorous twist of zombies had great appeal. Imagination and love of Jane know no bounds!

Elizabeth Newark, claiming eight decades of loving Jane (a feat most of us in attendance would like to achieve) mentioned that irreverence was fine if one knew and respected the original work. Given that she wrote a story changing Mr. Darcy into a mouse, I was dying to find the book but haven't yet. If anyone does, please let me know!

Speaking of reverence and respect, Sandy Lerner held the heart of the table and perhaps the heart of the room. Writing as Ava Farmer, her recently published book, Second Impressions, took her 26 years to complete. I think Gloria Steinem's comment about the book sums it up: "What if Jane Austen could continue the story of Pride and Prejudice on our own bookshelves and iPads? That's the question Ava Farmer has asked, and answered by steeping herself in the mind, living places, readings, and sensibility of Austen for 26 years, then writing a sequel called Second Impressions. Each sentence is a model of humanity and humor."

I'd like to give a shout-out to Sandy. Not only did she co-found Cisco Systems (this is important to anyone reading this blog because essentially, the woman helped make the Internet possible. Think about that for a moment.), she founded the Centre for the Study of Early English Writing in Chawton, England, Jane Austen's hometown. Talk about a labor of love. For so many of us, it seemed as though Jane just popped out of nowhere, because the 5,000 other women writing in and around the time that Jane wrote, did not have the pluck and luck and support to have their works broadly distributed. Through Sandy's amazing effort, over 40,000 manuscripts have been archived in the newly restored Chawton House library in Hampshire, England. I love this combination of the old and the new coming together to once again make women's voices heard.

And so, back to Jane. Whether it's your first dip into a Jane Austen novel, or your 10th or 20th annual reread of Pride and Prejudice, or a first look at a newer sequel like Second Impressions, a world of beautiful language, deep irony and swooningly powerful romance awaits.

You can find out more about Pamela at her website, PamelaAares.com. Check out an excerpt of Jane Austen and the Archangel.