For me, it was a 10 year old friend from school.
After the first invitation to watch Northanger Abbey at her home, it became part of our friendship to watch Jane Austen together.
And then it was my mother, who often turned on Pride and Prejudice while she worked. She bought the films that I came to love, and by the time I was 16 I had read all the major works of Austen, even the gothic novel Catherine Morland was reading in Northanger Abbey. (That is, I read The Mysteries of Udolpho, by Ann Radcliffe.) I didn’t know it at the time, but I was in training to be a heroine!
But how did Jane Austen come into your life?
Was it through your mother? Or perhaps a teacher or friend? Or you were on an airplane and a stranger loaned you Pride and Prejudice?
Do tell!
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I wasn’t introduced to Jane Austen’s works by my mom. When I was little we would always go to the library to get books and movies. My sister and I picked out a couple of movies and one of them was the 1995 Pride and Prejudice. I fell in love. I was younger and English isn’t my first language so I started off just watching the movie adaptations. I love having the stories play on the background as i work. Or just watch them when I want to feel a little Austen magic.
I love that sweet beginning. What a lucky coincidence that you happened to choose that movie. It was meant to be!
I was about 9 years old, living on base overseas. My father is a Jane Austen fan. He and mom had rented the ’95 P&P (back when they were on VHS, and could only get 3 tapes at a time), and they were watching one episode every night. I do not remember the reason anymore, but I stayed up with them to watch the fourth episode. The library copy of the book was checked out, so my Dad printed the text off of Gutenberg for me. For years my copy of the book was an old three ring binder.
oh my goodness, the frustration of only 3 tapes at once haha! There’s a great cliffhanger at the end of the 4th episode too. How sweet that your Dad printed the book so you could read it. Thank you so much for sharing, I love your story:)