Jane Austen, it’s safe to say, has become an inspiration as well as a much-loved writer to literature enthusiasts. Her novels have not only become a staple for almost everyone’s reading list but have also been integrated into the film industry, reaching a whole other audience. While a considerable number of literary works that came after her time were inspired by these novels and embodied ideas pushed forward by Austen, the novels that Austen herself had enjoyed or been inspired by have also been a topic of discussion. Although the popularity of these novels has comparatively dwindled in the face of literature that has become more relevant for modern and contemporary audiences, their value still remains, with traces of them being seen in Austen’s novels. Here are 10 texts that quite possibly left an impression on Jane Austen.
- The History of Sir Charles Grandison by Samuel Richardson
Widely considered to be one of Austen’s favourite novels, this is a 1754 epistolary novel that she was so deeply inspired by as to even adapt it into a short play. The novel’s witty heroines and family drama can be seen to have a significant influence on Austen’s works, which were also notorious for their witty female protagonists. Richardson’s work embodied the public’s demand for an ideally perfect male hero, contrasting with his earlier novels that carried considerably complex female characters. Richardson’s exploration of female viewpoints and his ability to give them agency was a technique that Austen clearly admired.
- The Task, by William Cowper
William Cowper, the English poet known for his conversational blank verse, was Austen’s favourite poet. His poetry is largely based in domestic life and nature, which is also often associated with themes that Austen has integrated into her own work. Austen’s brother Henry confirmed in his “biographical notice” that her favouritism for Cowper was specific when it came to verse. Cowper has been repeatedly mentioned and referenced in Austen’s letters and several novels, including Emma and Mansfield Park.
- The Giaour by Lord Byron
Speaking of poets, Lord Byron’s work has left an impression lasting enough to make it a subject of discussion in Austen’s Persuasion, where her characters discuss the effects of the poem on the melancholic Captain Benwick. Featuring a Venetian “Giaour” and a Pasha’s slave, the romantic text is known for its passion, exoticism and exploration of the “Other.”. The subtle critique Austen pushed forward in her novel exposes her engagement with the novel as much as it suggests her idea that romantic poetry could feed grief. This idea is quite evident in her novels, which tend to lean towards rational and balanced perspectives.
- Camilla: A Picture of Youth by Fanny Burney
Austen’s portrayal of female identity and manners in Georgian England owes much to Fanny Burney. Taking on societal expectations, social commentary, misunderstandings, and marriage plots, Burney’s work is seen as having a direct influence on Austen’s satirical take on marriage and manners in her own novels. Burney’s other novels, such as Evelina and Cecilia also tackle these themes of female life and society.
- Marmion by Sir Walter Scott
This popular, lengthy historical romance with knights, battles and high drama, which also seems quite far from her usual focus on realistic and domestic storylines, has been widely discussed by her. She mentions the poem in an 1808 letter conveying her inability to reach a conclusion about whether her thoughts on the poem are positive and has even allegedly sent her copy of the poem to her brother. Marmion was also explicitly discussed in her novel Persuasion, where her characters Anne Elliot and Captain Benwick discuss the merits of Marmion against Walter Scott’s other work, The Lady of The Lake, where Austen again questions the effects of unchecked romanticism.
Be sure to also check out Jane Austen’s most timeless works that have contributed largely to English literature and had a lasting impact on Feminist literature.
