In the past two centuries, Jane Austen has been called many things. Her fans have called her brilliant, witty, and insightful. Her detractors have called her dull, trivial, and narrow. But as far as I know, no one has ever called her American--until earlier this month.
In a July 8 press release, Florida Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz Jr. included Pride and Prejudice among the five titles on his regular “Book of the Month” recommended reading list for students. Which was odd, since the release claimed that July’s books “highlight the importance of American pride as we celebrate the month of our country’s founding.”
“With this book selection, I encourage students to continue to celebrate American pride month and reflect on the unyielding spirit and heroic patriotism of the many Americans throughout history who fought in the pursuit of liberty and freedom,” said Diaz—or, more likely, the summer intern tasked with putting together this PR project, perhaps with the aid of AI.
Needless to say, Diaz’s department was roundly mocked (for example, here, here, here, and here) for including a British novel about marriage, class, and inherited wealth on a list meant to celebrate the American struggle for independence from Britain and its hidebound ways. More than one commentator wondered if the Florida education department had Googled something like “famous books—pride in title” without bothering to actually, you know, read the resulting suggestions.
I suspect there’s a simpler explanation: Diaz has been issuing a “Book of the Month” list since March of 2023, and P&P made the cut in January. I’ll bet the aforementioned summer intern was working with an old template and neglected to update the high school selection, after inputting more appropriate titles like The Fourth of July Story (grades 3-5) and F is for Flag (K-2). (In a comment to Rolling Stone, the department insisted there was no mistake; the monthly theme simply didn't apply to the high school selection. Since this is not at all what the department's press release says, I'm . . . skeptical.)
In any case, it’s much more fun to imagine that Florida’s educrats actually think Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is about the heroic American struggle for freedom.
When you put your mind to it, the interpretation practically writes itself. Clearly, Elizabeth Bennet stands for the rebellious colonies, with her refusal of Darcy’s first proposal a symbolic re-enactment of the Declaration of Independence. It’s obviously no accident that the War of 1812, Britain’s ultimately unsuccessful effort to reverse the outcome of the Revolutionary War, was raging just as Austen was publishing. Perhaps Elizabeth’s ultimate acceptance of a chastened Darcy is Austen’s imagined resolution to the war, with the colonies returning to a humbled and improved Mother Country! And maybe Wickham is Thomas Paine, seducing innocent young girls/colonies with his siren song of sexual (read: political) license? Lydia could represent the randy Benjamin Franklin! And don’t even get me started on Mr. Collins! This Florida list is super-helpful—I would never have noticed all this stuff on my own.
Next up: How F is for Flag critiques British slave-holding in the West Indies.
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