This dissertation offers insights on how Jane Austen, both in an explicit, alluding to Austen’s classics, and implicit way, using Austenian themes and the Regency era when choosing the novel’s setting, has influenced contemporary novels. Jane Austen deals with themes such as love and marriage to gain wealth and social status, while making social commentaries through the use of irony and satire.
Contemporary authors have used her methods and have adapted her classics to explore similar themes under the lens of current societal norms. This way they are able to reflect current issues like gender identity, sexual orientation or financial distress by modifying Austen’s critique of social structures. The exploration of personal identity allows the new generation to engage with Austen’s works in a way that they can resonate with the characters and their experiences.
The essay also explores how Austen uses the female gaze to humanise women, so they are not merely seen as sexual objects for the male characters. By focusing the novels in the female perspective and experience, Austen provides the readers with an insight into the lives of women during the Regency era, diverging from the traditional male viewpoints that prevailed in Austen’s literary periods. Contemporary authors have been influenced by Austen’s main characters, such as Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice (1813) and Emma Woodhouse from Emma (1815), as both are depicted as strong women and their interests go deeper than finding a suitable partner.
Therefore, current writers like Brigid Coady and Julia Quinn have taken inspiration from how Jane Austen critiques society and how she navigates romantic relationships. Both authors are great examples of how Austen’s classics can influence the way nowadays authors portray romantic novels, in this case by adapting Jane Austen’s works into a modern setting or by making use of the so-called Austenian themes.
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