“It is a truth universally acknowledged” that Jane Austen, the Regency-era author, emerged as a legendary figure in Western literature years after her death. Centuries ago, she set unprecedented examples by smashing down patriarchal boundaries.
If you couldn’t already tell, the truth is I am a big Jane Austen fan. In this piece, I will not only appreciate the fantastic stories written by her during a time when being a female writer was considered scandalous, but I will also be reflecting on how even 205 years after her death, Jane Austen continues to be relevant and has become a brand. Her amazing talent in creating strong, witty, and willful female characters ended up defining the Regency-era literature scene.
But first, the fundamental question here is, what is a brand, anyway?
A brand is about its image; it is the way a product, company, or individual is perceived by those who experience it. A brand is more than a name or a logo; it is the recognizable and specific feelings assets evoke. A brand is about what others think of you and what defines you. Jane Austen has successfully managed to stay relevant and is now considered a “brand” because she understood the timeless rules of communication, and this resonates with the readers and audiences, regardless of the time period.
The Author of Emma, Persuasion, Pride & Prejudice, Northanger Abbey, Mansfield Park, Sense and Sensibility, and the unfinished Sandition re-defined genres. Her writing is not only about evening tea parties, magnificent balls, flirtatious courtships, and incessant gossipmongering; it also discusses issues such as women’s inability to inherit properties, the ever so apparent problems of social class, the limitations Regency-era women faced, and most importantly, a sensibility which finds clarity even in today’s fast-paced modern world. Her uniqueness and stylistic brilliance are the images her brand represents. Her stories and the multiple films and series adaptations capture the same multigenerational, mixed-sex audience but mainly seek to market Austen to a new mass cohort of teenage girls.
During her lifetime Jane Austen never received the appreciation she deserved, but after her death in 1817, her reinvention began.
Every time I watch the adaptations of her works for the umpteenth time, it dawns on me how magnificently and effortlessly Jane Austen became a brand. My curiosity on the subject led me to the realization that the secret lies in her work, simple. Austen’s books deal with character and reputation in a social environment that has a lot in common with the social media scene of today, which also can hardly be deemed very private.
Her characters were defined by their reputation. Wealth or beauty was always considered deceptive. According to Austen, your character, as a person or a company, is all that matters. Your character is your biggest treasure. The strongest brand rests on how others perceive you, not what you preach about yourself. The majority of brand management does not involve what you put out there through words; it is dependent on what other people say about you. Austen understood the essence of perception.
Communication is key in her works, and presenting information accurately and effectively to others is a characteristic of her novels. Brand management too is all about communication and how you present your story.
Her characters from a time long forgotten are humbling and always stay true to their nature. This honesty and staying true to the foundation helped Jane Austen become a brand. She always sided with sustainability and the consequences of actions. She was a believer in the ability to grow.
The consistency in her works helped her brand move upmarket. The characters created by Austen were always concerned about reputation, which resonates with the desires of her target audience. Her sincerity in addressing societal issues availed her of significant equity as a brand.
Her stories were purposeful and genuine, told and delivered in a compelling manner. Through the classic novels, the readers became emotionally involved in her brand. Jane Austen and her body of work have been deemed as unique, both in the Regency period and in the 21st-century world. In the Regency era, the novels written by a female writer, straightforwardly called out the patriarchal practices. And in 2022, the simplicity and the familiarity in the tales from a centuries-old period sets it apart from everything. And I could go on the whole day about the sarcastic tones of her stories and her particular interest in the power of irony. Now that shows personality; a personality people can connect to and get passionate about.
Her novels and the adaptions never fail to put a smile on the faces of readers/audience, make them laugh, and create an emotional connection. It offers an experience like no other, which as a result, made Jane Austen a brand, uniquely hers. Just like Walt Disney, which not only just offers a unique experience, they offer the readers/audiences, hence customers, an opportunity to enter another world. From a raunchy Bridgerton to the recent fourth-wall-breaking Persuasion, it reflects Jane Austen and only her.
Jane Austen always presented us with something real, stories and characters we want to believe in and a world we want to be a part of. Through her “brand” we get to escape reality and enter a world so foreign yet so familiar. That’s where Jane Austen wins.
Her fan base was built over time. Her loyal, adamant, and devoted fans are a powerful marketing tool. They work as influencers in promoting her stories, her brand, and her legacy, and as a Jane Austen fan, I can confirm this. This article you are reading right now not only discusses that phenomenon but also subtly represents it.
Truth be told, each time reading her novels, I have tried to find myself in her heroines, sometimes in Elizabeth Bennet, sometimes in Emma Woodhouse, and other times in Anne Elliot. Just like a customer wanting to see their own reflection on the Brand.
Although Austen’s novels belong to the romantic genre, her heroines (Elizabeth Bennet, Emma) always resisted and rejected patriarchy, ingrained in the society of the Regency era in far more severe ways than in our times. This sense of appeal, familiarity, and relevancy led her transition from obscurity to being one of the most influential literary figures.
As an Austenite, I believe in many ways, her books are more in tune with our modern times and tastes than her own. Her books now seem markedly more original than anything else of the period. Austen certainly was so ahead of her time and knew her characters went against the stereotypes and expectations of her own society and did not really fit in her time. This courage and taste made her brand like no other. The newness still exists in this century. The universal appeal of her characters and her stories gives her an edge. Readers/audiences who enjoy her creation and identify with her work become customers of her brand.
She always offered a biting comment on a woman’s place in society and mulled over the idea of a person’s economic usefulness. All these revelationary beliefs and thought processes made her a brand. She opened a window to the psychology of women of a different time, which ended up making its own place in this era.
It is the courage, uniqueness, and familiarity that made her and her work a brand. As I write this, I am half tempted to reread Persuasion, my favorite novel of Austen, or binge-watch BBC’s Pride and Prejudice. I sincerely hope by this piece; I have influenced you enough to make you go back to her stories and experience them again or to look into the works of this revolutionary writer if you haven’t already.
Author- Tahia Afra Jannati
