Was Jane Austen a feminist? #alqareading

Pride and Prejudice can be seen as a feminist work due to its critique of gender roles, its exploration of female agency and independence, and its emphasis on the importance of genuine emotional connections in relationships. It challenges societal expectations placed on women and advocates for their right to make choices based on personal fulfillment rather than external pressures. We wanted the students to explore all these aspects so we asked the students to read an article from the Guardian and explore this idea based on the opinion of the reporter.

CREDIT: Illustration by Ellie Foreman-Peck

The students READ the ARTICLE IN THE LINK HERE organising the contents of this article into a summary through a structured approach. 

ADRIÁN

ALEJANDRO GARCÍA GARRIDO

IRENE CAMPOS PORTILLO

NOTES

-Austen Project – one of six modern writers updating each of Austen’s six novels 

-Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman was published in 1792, almost 20 years before Austen’s first novel

-In Pride and Prejudice the pressure to marry is a given

-The social pressure to marry continues to exist (At least among the American middle classes)

-A woman can marry a man and have children with him. She can also marry a woman, or no one – and she can eschew or embrace motherhood regardless of her romantic status.

-Another change I made that felt both feminist and organic was for Liz to initiate the physical aspect of her relationship with Darcy

 -I also made the decision not to allow all the marriage proposals in the novel to come from the men.

SUMMARY

The writer has participated in the Austen Project, which consists of six modern writers updating six novels of Austen. Some aspects she has changed are for example that Liz initiated the physical aspect of her relationship with Darcy, as the writer decided not to allow all the marriage proposals come from the men. Something that she couldn't change was the pressure to marry, as it continues existing, at least among the American middle class. She also wanted to show in his modern updating novel that there is no longer just one version of “happily ever after” as women can marry a man and have children with him, but they can also marry a woman, or no one. In conclusion, feminins is not something modern as Mary Wollstonecraft's A vindication of the Rights of Woman was published in 1972, 20 years before Austen's first novel.

NIEVES CANALES

The text reflects on whether Jane Austen was a feminist by exploring her work. The author, a participant in the Austen Project, updates the novel "Pride and Prejudice" and highlights the importance of giving more agency and fun to women in storytelling. She addresses the social pressure of marriage in Austen's time and how it has evolved today. She focuses on depicting different versions of "happily ever after" and women's freedom of choice in marriage and motherhood. She mentions feminist changes in her version of the novel, such as the empowerment of women and the reversal of traditional roles. She also highlights the richness of Austen's work and the diversity of interpretations it inspires. She concludes that it is better to let Austen's novels speak for themselves rather than speculate on her current views.

ÁNGELA QUIJADA

I have read an article by one of the six authors selected for updating six novels from

Jane Austen, and it was about Pride and Prejudice. In addition, the feminist Jane

Austen is questioned, and how will she write her novels in today’s society?

The pressure of marriage, especially for women, is the main feminist theme of this

novel. It was important because financial wellbeing was linked to a good marriage.

So, what has changed from 1813, the year Pride and Prejudice was published?

Marriage still offers financial help, if we take into account taxes, healthcare... but is

not the same as in the 19th century. Nowadays a woman can marry a man or if she

likes a woman or none, also she can choose to have children with a partner, alone or

not having them. Fortunately now a woman, in most countries, is free to choose her

love state and family one.

In the author’s version the Bennets sisters, Lizzy and Jane, are in their late 30s. Jane

is going to have a baby on her own and her little sister is in a wonderful relationship

that probably will end in a marriage, which has already had physical contact before

their marriage as happens in most relationships nowadays regardless of any religion.

Abortion is a topic spoken in this new version and now not all marriage proposals

came from men.

The author feels like a feminist, so when she found out she had to rewrite Pride and

Prejudice focusing on today's society, she really loved it.

PAULA BOTE ANDRADA

In this article, Curtis Sittenfeld reflects on whether or not Jane Austen should be considered a feminist, despite there being a great difference on what the movement was at the time compared to current time.

The author, who has published a feminist retelling of Pride and Prejudice, talks about the portrayal of society’s pressure for marrying at a young age at the time and the importance of it for financial stability that there is in the original book, which she compares to the everlasting insistence that there is nowadays. She mentions as well the transformation of Lady Catherine in her version of the novel, where she goes from being an conservative and anti-feminist character that opposes Elizabeth'sopposes to Elizabeth’s relationship with Mr. Darcy, to a wise feminist icon that gives her love advice.

Ultimately, she states that Jane Austen is a feminist, in spite of how several characters in the novel demonstrated the opposite ideologies. She argues that, like Austen, novelists usually write morally ambiguous characters which do not necessarily have the same morals as them for the sake of having an interesting story, which she exemplifies by talking about her own personal experience with writing about abortion in her stories in a way that does not correspond with her pro-choice opinion. Additionally, she says that writing her beliefs into the characters is considered propaganda.

David Palacios

This article talks about Curtis Sittenfeld's experience in the Austen Project, where modern writers update Jane Austen's old novels. She did not plan on writting a feminist novel, but working on their adaptation of “Pride and Prejudice”, she realised that giving women the same opportunities is very important.

In Austen's time, women faced pressure to marry for economic reasons. Although Austen herself never married, she's seen as an exception. The author notes that nowadays, while there is still some pressure to marry, women choose to marry or not to. Women can be single, marry a man or a woman, and choose motherhood or not. 

In their updated version, Sittenfel explores these expanded ideas of happiness and relationships. The Bennet sisters are older, and they have different views on marriage. She also changes some parts to make them more feminist, like having the female character initiate the physical aspect of her relationship. She also makes a character who opposes the relationship into a feminist figure.

Curtis Sittenfeld reflects on the popularity of feminism today and shares their own journey with it. She believes that novels should focus on telling engaging stories rather than promoting specific political beliefs. They think Austen did the same, creating complex characters and situations.

The author appreciates the variety of adaptations inspired by Austen's novels but believes that Austen's original works should speak for themselves. She leaves it to readers to interpret Austen's writings and imagine what she would think of modern adaptations.

In summary, Curtis Sittemfel's experience in the Austen Project led them to write a feminist adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. They believe that novels should tell engaging stories and leave it to readers to understand Austen's original works.