Jane Austen's Timelessness Established by Publication of New Children's Books Based on her Novels

by Rory J. Bolivar and Robespierre L. Bolivar

An edited version of this book review was first published in the Arts and Culture Section of GMA News Online on December 1, 2020. Please click here to view the published version of this book review (a screenshot appears at the end of this article).

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Jane Austen is a treasured literary icon for the ages and for all ages.

Consider this: since the publication of the sublime and much-beloved Sense and Sensibility over 200 years ago, her novels have rarely been out of print. Two centuries later, these beloved books are still being discussed in classrooms and book clubs, and by literature-themed social media influencers the world over. Hers are among the most recognizable novels in the English language, and have been adapted for both TV and film numerous times.

It is no surprise, then, that from September 2019 to October 2020 we were treated to a series of splendid illustrated books, drawn by Églantine Ceulemans, collectively entitled Awesomely Austen – Illustrated and Retold. The series features all of Austen’s completed novels, re-packaged as thoroughly enjoyable children’s books. The series introduces the delights of Jane Austen to a younger generation while also entertaining long-time fans who may be just a little older, but no less enthusiastic.

Since these books are aimed primarily at children and young adults, Jane Austen’s most memorable quotes are understandably absent. Written in Regency-era “British” English, Austen’s original prose may be difficult for younger readers to fully appreciate. As such, long-time fans should not expect to read such iconic and deliciously witty statements as these:

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” (Pride and Prejudice)

“Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her.” (Emma)

“No one who had ever seen Catherine Morland in her infancy would have supposed her born to be an heroine.” (Northanger Abbey)

In place of these, the series’ authors provide wonderful retellings, done in a language more accessible to their target audience, accompanied by Ms. Ceuleman’s charmingly quirky illustrations.

In Northanger Abbey, Austen demonstrates her wicked wit, irresistibly buoyant writing style and razor-sharp insight into English social mores and the need to recognize the true worth of a woman’s contribution to society.

Northanger Abbey (October 2020, Hodder’s Children’s Books) is the last of Austen’s 6 novels to receive this excellent illustrated children’s book treatment. Wonderfully retold by Steven Butler, Northanger Abbey follows Catherine Morland, a relatively unremarkable young woman, born into your average English family, who had no distinguishing feature other than an overpowering need for decidedly “non-lady-like” adventures and a penchant for reading Gothic novels. While her contemporaries spent much time honing the skills and arts needed to marry well – mastering a foreign language, playing the pianoforte, practicing needlework or painting – Catherine could be found imagining herself the heroine in some romantic exploit set in eerie crumbling castles or ghostly manors.

Life eventually revealed itself to be more “normal” than she would have desired. But not before Catherine found herself in uniquely complicated situations – owing to her over-active imagination – which would have rivaled even those she read in those Gothic novels.

This may not be a very popular opinion, but as long-time fans we would recommend Northanger Abbey as a good first read of Austen (we can almost hear other “Austenites” raise a collective gasp). But as her first completed novel, Northanger Abbey has a more straightforward plot point and simpler writing style, making it arguably the most accessible of Austen’s novels – at least for beginners.

Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility are easily the most well-known and beloved of all her novels. And experts agree that Emma is her most polished work. However, there is something to be said about the novel she wrote before she was at the height of her literary powers. In Northanger Abbey, Austen demonstrates her wicked wit, irresistibly buoyant writing style and razor-sharp insight into English social mores and the need to recognize the true worth of a woman’s contribution to society.

While they are considered retellings, these children’s books retain the spirit of Austen’s wicked wit, insightful social commentary, and ahead-of-its-time focus on strong female protagonists.

It is also a parody of Gothic novels, in particular those of Ann Radcliffe (The Mysteries of Udolpho: A Romance Interspersed with Some Pieces of Poetry, published in 1794), which were in vogue at the time. This dimension makes Northanger Abbey unique among all of Austen’s novels. While all of the 6 novels provide insightful social commentary on the rigidity – and utter pointlessness – of the English caste system at the time, it is in Northanger Abbey where Austen trains her sights specifically on the state of English literature.

Northanger Abbey taps into the current popularity of horror-themed books, movies and TV shows. There is now a renaissance of horror in popular culture not seen since the 1980s. Just look at the sheer number of books, comic books, TV shows and movies we have been treated to over the last couple of years.

If Jane Austen were still alive and writing today, she would have written a deliciously wicked satire about the love story between a shimmering vampire boy and a swooning human girl set in a dreary suburban high school – and it would have been a critically-acclaimed best-seller.

Jane Austen continues to be a darling of film and TV, and it shows in the number of popular productions adapted from her novels. There is the Academy Award-winning film Sense and Sensibility starring Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet, the critically-acclaimed and fan-favorite 6-part BBC mini-series Pride and Prejudice showcasing the delightful chemistry between Colin Firth’s Mr. Darcy and Jennifer Ehle’s Elizabeth Bennet, and the thoroughly enjoyable Emma starring Gwyneth Paltrow. A new movie version of Emma also had limited release in February 2020 to rave reviews. And, in case you may be wondering, that iconic 1990s film Clueless starring Alicia Silverstone is a modern re-telling of Emma.

A plethora of notable books adapted from, or featuring, Austen’s novels have also been published with astonishing regularity. We have Karen Joy Fowler’s The Jane Austen Book Club (2005, which became a movie), Mary Ann Shaffer’s The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2008), Natalie Jenner’s The Jane Austen Society (2020), and, of course, that little book by Helen Fielding called Bridget Jones’s Diary (1996), a reinterpretation of Pride and Prejudice, which went on to become a hit movie starring Renée Zellweger, Hugh Grant and the quintessential Mr. Darcy, Colin Firth.

All of these prove, without a doubt, that Jane Austen remains one of the most beloved authors in the world. Her works are regarded as timeless masterpieces of the English language. And while they are considered retellings, these children’s books retain the spirit of Austen’s wicked wit, insightful social commentary, and ahead-of-its-time focus on strong female protagonists.

In this way, the Awesomely Austen series provides a wonderful venue for a new generation of readers to discover the delights of Jane Austen, ensuring that her legacy will live on for generations to come.

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