Today is the birthday of my favorite author in the entire world (she'd be 238 if she'd lived to today!) and in the spirit of It's a Wonderful Life, I got to thinking about how much different my life would be today if Jane Austen had never existed.
So if Jane Austen had never existed...
~ I might never have developed the lifelong love for classic literature that I have now. I read Dickens and Orczy before I picked up P&P, but it was Jane Austen's novels that really cemented my love for classic novels.
~ I wouldn't have been half as inspired to be a writer myself. This sounds like an exaggeration, but it's true-- Pride and Prejudice and (to an even greater extent) Sense and Sensibility made me want very badly to write books of my own, for real. (Ever since I was little I've wanted to be an author, but it was reading Jane Austen in my early teens that sealed the deal.)
~ I wouldn't have gotten interested in Regency clothing, and possibly by extension historical costuming (so, if we really extend that, I never would have started my business).
~ I wouldn't have quotes such as these to turn to when I needed to hear/read/say a bit of wit, truth or humor.
~ I would have a far smaller collection of favorite movies, that's for sure. :D
~ I probably never would have started this blog.
~ In which case, I never would have met this girl and traveled to her house to spend a week and a bit with her that turned our already-best friendship into something even better.
 |
| (yes, the book we're pretending to read is P&P) |
~I never would have met this girl or (though she won't admit it's thanks to Jane Austen :D) made plans to meet this one.
~ I never would have written my novel. (yes, that was a shameless plug, and here's another shameless plug for the fact that it's twenty percent off in the CreateSpace store {with the discount code 3QH797U5} until January first! Christmas special, you know. :D)
~ I never would have virutally-met any of you wonderful people who follow this blog... and that would be a sad, sad thing indeed.
Thank you, Jane Austen, and a hipy papy bthuthdth thuthda bthuthdy to you.
13 comments:
I love the whole post; but the "hipy papy bthuthdth thuthda bthuthdy" reference at the end killed me. :)
The world would be a very sad place had dear Jane Austen not been in it!I wouldn't be able to share a birthday with her.
Seems as though we all had the same idea on doing a Jane Austen post heheh :) Delightful, as usual...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JANE AUSTEN!! I'm ashamed to admit, I didn't even know this was her birthday until now. *facepalm* And I owe so much to Jane Austen as well! She got me interested in classic literature, she turned me into a rabid fangirl (although I doubt my family thanks her for that :P) and a blogger, she enabled me to get to know some AMAZING people, she helped me to learn about different styles of writing and realize that I didn't HAVE to write epics, she has some wonderful, witty quotes and inspired some of my favorite movies...and I'm sure there's more. But seriously, I would never have gotten started in classic literature at thirteen (and continued to this day), if it weren't for her lovely writing.
And this comment is starting to sound like an abbreviated version of your post, so I guess I'll stop. I really enjoyed reading it, though! Lovely points. The perfect birthday post for a perfect author! ;)
Wait wait wait... I thought we unanimously agreed that it was something that starts with a "Les" and ends with a "Miserables" that brought us together???
;)
Juuust kidding. It started with Jane Austen, didn't it? :D Happy birthday to our beloved author!!!
Happy Birthday Jane Austen!
Jane Austen is my favorite author. BY FAR!!! I quote her all the time (to my family's dismay), and ANY excuse to watch a good Jane Austen movie is good enough for me!
Lovely post!
Joan
I had to smile at this because three years ago, I wrote a very similar post! I happened to hear that it was Jane Austen's birthday on the radio, and that got my mind spinning on what the world would be like had she never been born -- much like "It's a Wonderful Life." Here's the link.
http://randomactsofmomness.com/its-a-wonderful-jane/
Thanks for writing such a delightful blog!
happy birthday, Jane Austen!!
Love this post!
Happy Belated Birthday, Jane Austen!!!!!! Jane Austen is definitely one of the best authors ever.
Hear, hear! (And I love the Pooh reference.)
Una Mariah,
Heehee, I'm glad you enjoyed that-- I was trying to think of a way to end it on a funny note and Owl's witticism occurred to me. :D
Maddie Rose,
I'm quite jealous that you get to share a birthday with her, you know-- my only distinction is that mine is on the same day of the month as hers (not the same month though, obviously). I had such fun reading all the JA posts floating about!
Miss Jane Bennet,
Indeed, we owe so very much to her! Heehee, I think my family could sympathize with yours about the rabid fangirlism. :P
Puddle,
Well, yeeeeeesssss, but my point was that I never would have started blogging if it wasn't for her and then we never would have found each other in the first place (though Les Mis was what made us friends :D).
Joan,
I maintain that I don't even need an excuse-- if I want me some Jane Austen (whether book or film or what have you), why, I just indulge, that's all. :D
Ginny,
Thanks so much for sharing the link to your post-- I loved reading through it! And I'm delighted to see I wasn't the only one with George-Bailey-inspired thinking. :D
Elle and Natalie,
Here, here!
Hamlette,
Heehee, so did I. :P
I think Jane Austen is overrated.
:P
No, if it wasn't for her you wouldn't have started your blog and we would have never met, so I am grateful to her. Also they would have never made Becoming Jane, which while it is inaccurate, I know, and many hate it, it still warms my heart and makes me cry and is one of my favorite movies. Also Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet. So I *am* grateful for her. :P
Ally,
*loads shotgun*
*remembers that target will be hosting her for a week in February, relents and lowers shotgun*
*merely glares instead*
Hush.
:P
Well, at least you're grateful. Heehee. That's something, anyway. And S&S95 is practically perfection, so you're good in THAT respect. :P
@Ally
*summons mob of Janeites*
ATTAAAAAACK!
:P
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