My Friend Jane

Much like one of my favorite sitcom characters, books have been a source of companionship all my life. Not just any books of course. My tender soul requires lots of selective care in this regard. But the books that I find nourishing and filling and a joy to be immersed in are some of my greatest material treasures.

And here enters Jane Austen. I have spent years at a time with Jane, taking in all her words, growing in relationships with all her characters, and finding my heart strengthened after time with her. If you would like to see me in a big, heated huff and overflowing with thoughts to express, just make a dismissive comment about Jane Austen novels being “fluffy romances with no real substance.” I will either soon persuade you otherwise, or we will just probably never be best friends.

I have found myself returning to Jane again and again in times of trial, hungry for her calm, steady voice, her witty sense of humor, and her wise depictions of human nature. It was no surprise to me when I read accounts of doctors “prescribing” Jane Austen novels as a form of bibliotherapy to soldiers during WWI who were recovering from injury and shell shock. There is something healing and restorative about spending time in Jane’s world. I was reminded of that this spring, as I reconnected with Anne Elliot, the heroine of Jane’s novel Persuasion.

My return to Persuasion brought me the deep sigh of ease I have come to know awaits me when spending time with Jane. A summary of the story: Anne Elliot is one of three daughters to a deceased mother and an absurd father. On the strong advice of a close friend of her mother’s, she refused the proposal of her first love, Frederick Wentworth. This was a great grief to her, but she felt she was doing what was right (a very important thing to her) by following this respected elder’s opinion. Eight years pass, and we find Anne still sorrowful over this loss, but faithfully doing her best in life with an attitude of acceptance. Until one day when she again crosses paths with Captain Wentworth due to an overlapping circle of acquaintances. Through lengthy confusion, obstacles, soul-searching and distress we follow Anne as she tries to make sense of this change in circumstance. Of course, in the end she and Captain Wentworth are united, all misunderstandings explained, and we leave them joyfully content.

(I know this bare-bones summary of the story can make it sound like a simple romance. But please trust me when I say there is much more complexity to the story than I am conveying here.)

Upon completing my time with Persuasion last week, I was entering it into my reading journal (a practice I highly recommend), when suddenly, a beautiful picture hit me.

This story off Anne –
her hopes dashed, her sorrowful longing, her waiting with no sign of grief being relieved –
it is me.

And I imagine it is you too.

This is not just a story of a lost lover and a heart-broken girl. It is the story of human experience. Of life as we know it. Of course, life is overflowing with joys and beauty, and as a whole is a wonder-stirring miracle. But it is also weighted with pain that can often feel eternal.

What a relief to know that it is not.

Anne’s sorrow was not only relieved, but replaced by joy when she was united with Captain Wentworth and all was finally as it should be. In the same way will all our sorrows and pain be wiped out by inexpressible and eternal joy when we are one day united with the One who loves us perfectly.

In this way, I suppose Persuasion is a simple love story. A love story that reflects the love story all others mirror. It is a picture of the restoring of all that has been lost. A picture of truest reality.

And just like Captain Wentworth, perhaps we will one day find ourselves saying :

“I must endeavor to subdue my mind to my fortune. I must learn to brook being happier than I deserve.”