Jane Austen and Her Novels
Jane Austen is hailed as one of the most influential women in literature. Born in 1775 in Hampshire, England, Jane Austen was the seventh of the eight children of George and Cassandra Austen. She began writing very early and wrote light-hearted, moral stories in the 18th century throughout her life. Her first published novel was Sense and Sensibility in 1811, and Pride and Prejudice was published in 1813. Austen’s novels typically featured themes around women’s place in society and proper Victorian behavior. They often told stories of morality, class, money, and even marriage. Austen sensed the importance of proper behavior and her novels often explored the idea of using virtue to find happiness and success.
Austen’s Beliefs about Virtuous Living
Austen’s novels encouraged women and men alike to live virtuously in order to find success, happiness, and meaning in life. She was a firm believer in moral development and saw it as an essential part of the growth and maturity of any individual. AnyAusten strongly believed that one’s success in life is highly dependent on the moral principles they uphold and live by.
Austen’s novels often highlighted characters who succumb to the many vices such as vanity, envy and pride, which lead to negative outcomes. Even more important, Austen’s novels also showed how characters were able to cope with their vices by embracing virtues such as temperance, virtue and charity in order to achieve favorable outcomes. This is the ultimate message Austen wanted to send to her readers: that virtuous living is the only way to achieve a fulfilling and meaningful life.
Virtues in Austen’s Novels
The primary virtues that are emphasized throughout Austen’s novels are:
-
Temperance – this virtue encourages individuals to be level-headed and act with moderation. Temperance often helps characters to make wise decisions, to navigate dangerous situations and to regulate their desires and passions.
-
Virtue – Austen believes that virtuous living is essential to achieving a meaningful life. Virtue gives individuals a moral code to live by and encourages them to be just and do what is right.
-
Charity – this virtue encourages individuals to be kind and generous to others. Charity allows readers to see beyond their own selfish needs for personal gain and seek a higher purpose.
-
Patience – patience is often necessary in order to achieve a positive outcome in life. Austen often shows her readers that patience is a must, as life lessons are often hard to learn.
Austen’s Characters and Their Virtuous Living
The characters in Austen’s novels are often guided by virtue in order to achieve a more positive outcome in life. Throughout her works, Austen often uses the comedic elements of satire to highlight the struggles and pitfalls that come with treading the morally ambiguous waters of life. Her most famous characters often reflect the virtues that they are trying to cling to.
Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice is a character who exemplifies the virtues of charity and moderation. She is often presented as being very charitable as she takes on a mentor-like role for her younger sister and also helps her friend Charlotte Lucas find a husband. Elizabeth also embodies the virtue of temperance, as she is often presented as being level-headed and rational which helps her make wise decisions.
Fanny Price from Mansfield Park is another character who exemplifies the virtues of temperance, virtue, and charity. Fanny is shown as having great patience and is often the voice of reason among her peers. She often demonstrates great virtue and charity by taking care of her family and helping them out of difficult situations.
These are just a few examples of Austen’s characters who embody the teachings of virtue and put it into practice in order to achieve a positive outcome in life.
Jane Austen was a great advocate for virtuous living and used her novels to teach her readers the importance of moral principles. Her works often highlighted the consequences of succumbing to vices, as well as showed how characters were able to cope with their vices by embracing virtues. Austen’s characters were often presented as examples of how to live virtuously and find a successful and meaningful life. She truly believed that one’s success in life is highly dependent on the moral principles they uphold and live by.
