In which I write a letter to Jane Austen

Dear Ms. Austen,

I am addressing you formally because we have not been introduced. I think that is the proper protocol to use, for you. Some of your many fans refer to you as Jane. I personally think that you would consider that not quite the thing, considering Elizabeth Bennet's consternation when Mr. Collins approached Mr. Darcy without an introduction. Plus, we don't tend to refer to male authors by their first name, so why shouldn't you receive that same respect? Although I'm not sure that you thought of anyone referring to you as anything 200 years after the publication of your books. I actually wonder if you would find us all highly amusing: the number of times we read your writings, the movies we make, and the books we write using you and your work as a muse. I imagine the letter you would write to Cassandra about us might not be that flattering. Funny, of course, but maybe not flattering. It may all seem a little overboard, but I assure you that it is simply because we admire your work.

Another year is ending. It was supposed to be the end of the world, but it currently keeps turning. It's not a world that you would recognize, but we still continue modifying your work to fit into it. If nothing else, this is a testament to the timelessness of the themes in your work. I am continually amazed that you, and others such as Emily Dickinson, managed this feat from within a very limited environment. You took your four-and-twenty families and created a lasting literary presence. I do hear from a few people that I should write, but then I think "there's no way."

It's a popular thing nowadays to set New Year's resolutions, to do things like stop smoking and to go to the gym, activities that we keep up for about a week and then go back to our usual behaviors. I don't usually bother, but this year I am going to attempt to include a little creativity in my life. Restarting this blog (what's a blog, you ask? It's just another way to write letters) is a good beginning, but I am going to focus on adding some creativity to it. I would like to humbly request your permission to use the characters and plot from Persuasion as I do so.

Thank you for everything.