[On Jane Austen] She was fully possessed of the idealism which is a necessary ingredient of the great satirist. If she criticized the institutions of earth, it was because she had very definite ideas regarding the institutions of heaven.

Rebecca West
About This Quote

Emma Thompson, a British actress and filmmaker, said in a 2003 interview that "Jane Austen was a satirist. If she criticized the institutions of earth, it was because she had very definite ideas regarding the institutions of heaven." She is referring to the fact that Jane Austen's heroes were not politicians or social elites. Her men were not rich and powerful. They were people who had normal jobs and lived normal lives -- people like ourselves.

In fact, her heroines married for love, not money or social position. And they married for life, not just for a single season.

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