Sierra Sanchez is a UIW alumna who is more than familiar with the witty Jane Austen. I was able to reach out and ask Sierra some questions about her experience and love for Austen and here's what she thought...
Tell me about your first experience with Jane Austen. How old were you? Why did you fall in love with her?
From Pride and Prejudice, which character do you feel the most connected to/resonate with the most? Why?
S: When I was younger, I wouldn’t hesitate to say I felt more connected to Elizabeth, but now I think I’m more of a combination of Lizzie and Darcy, and maybe just a bit of Lydia. Lizzie because she was firm in her beliefs and Darcy for his extreme loyalty to those he loved, and Lydia because the demands of society never bothered her. Lydia is more of a character that resonated with me. She always knew exactly what she wanted, never apologized for existing as she was, she never acted the way society wanted her to behave, but never turned her nose up at those who did like her sister Elizabeth would from time to time. However, there’s also a tragedy to her. She was taken advantage of by someone older, someone she thought loved her and she could share her life with. Everything that made Lydia Lydia was used against her in the situation with Wickham. It wasn’t her fault what happened as she was manipulated and still a child, yet most people tend to blame her for it. No one blames the man, not really anyway. The only thing most people see when they see Lydia is a spoiled child that almost destroyed her family, which is true in a sense, but the qualities she possesses (determination of self, her unwillingness to compromise who she is in the face of a society desperate to change her, the way she doesn’t hate on those who do conform) are all qualities we admire in characters today.
Which social media app, if any, do you think Jane Austen would be very active on today?
S: I feel like Jane Austen would have an insane Goodreads account with a Pinterest to match.
Have you ever had a personal experience with someone who might’ve reminded you of Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bingley, Mr. Wickham, or Mr. Collins?
S: I have absolutely met a few Wickham’s in my time, as I’m sure most people have, some of them even a part of my actual family. But for all the Wickham’s I’ve met, they’ve led to my own Darcy, so I can’t really complain (not too much anyway). I like to say Josh [Sierra's boyfriend] is like Darcy (with how he used to hate romance, he owns romcoms now and actually does love it), however he’s more like Bingley, I think. Good heart, good intentions, a real golden retriever of a person, which is really nice. As for Mr. Collins, I can’t say anyone truly comes to mind.
If you had to get an Austen quote tattooed, which one would it be and why?
S: Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite books, so I know I’d get something tattooed from there, however there are two from Emma that I love:
“I always deserve the best treatment because I never put up with any other.”
“There is no charm equal to tenderness of the heart.”
Do you think that Austen believed in soulmates, or just mutual respect and good sense?
S: I don’t think Austen believed in soulmates, but I do think she believed in love. I believe mutual respect and good sense went into it, but those two things together don’t necessarily amount to love all the time. Lizzie and Darcy had both.
What theme song would Mr. Darcy have? What about Lizzie?
S: I’m going to joke with this one and say Darcy would absolutely love the song Here by Alessia Cara with how much he absolutely hated being at large parties. Lizzie is a little harder, but I do think Wonder Woman by Kacey Musgraves is something she’d have on repeat. However, for both, I’d say While You Were Sleeping by Laufey.
Mr. Darcy's Song: Here-Alessia Cara
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