Jane Austen and me

For the past month or so I have been watching movies based on Jane Austen's 6 books or watching movies about Jane Austen or the fans of Jane Austen. It started with a curious independent film called "The Jane Austen Book Club" then I saw "Becoming Jane"a movie about young Jane Austen's life. A friend loaned me "Pride and Prejudice" the 1995 mini-series version with Colin Firth is my favorite but there is plenty of debate about its best production. This past weekend I treated myself to "Mansfield Park" the 1999 independent film version.

Jane Austen is a romantic, to say the least. I am studying religious history of the 17th century to present day and am struck by the fact that Austen's stories take place during some tumultuous times in world history and religion, yet her stories generally focus on 3 to 5 families. Austen was the daughter of a clergyman with two brothers who became clergymen. Half of her novels has a hero who is a clergyman. She is Anglican and so are her heroes. I agree with the article in A Journal of Religion about Jane Austen, Public Theologian.

Mansfield Park displays her most theological contribution. She explores the idea of "individualism" - a new concept in the late 1700s. A distinction is made between "vocation"- being who you are called to be and "acting". The characters of Mansfield Park follow a "vocation" or act a vocation. The heroine, Fanny Price, guides us through these characters with wit and amazing discernment.

At the end of the story Edmond finally confesses his love for Fanny "as a man would love a woman" and through the soap opera peek into this little 1806 country nook you feel the resolute happiness of everything being the way it is supposed to be.

Does Jane Austen provide much theological reflection and insight? maybe a little. Mostly it is a treat to escape into another time, another story, and experience as Jane Austen intended "every story has a happy ending." For in the real world of love and romance, family and culture it is rarely so simple and well-mannered.