Bitches In Bonnets: Life Lessons From Jane Austen’s Mean Girls by Sarah J. Makowski

Okay, I know that no retrospective of Jane Austen’s work is complete without Anne Elliott, but why on earth would she have her own chapter here when she is about as far from a Mean Girl as I can think of in this canon? Elizabeth Elliot, absolutely. Ending on Anne is just a weird thematic choice that I didn’t love.

There was a lot to love otherwise, tho (and at least one other thing I was fairly lukewarm about) in this fun retrospective of all of Ms Austen’s novels, including Lady Susan. Before I continue, I must say that while I’ve read all of Ms Austen’s published works, I am terrible at keeping hold of minutiae. I literally had no recollection of Lucy Steele, despite having read Sense And Sensibility at least twice. The book I probably remember the most about is Emma, and that’s only because I’ve seen the movie Clueless far too many times. My college debate partner even thought I was a total Cher Horowitz, which in fairness is a lot better than being a total Emma Woodhouse!

Emma, ofc, gets her own chapter here, as the queen of Ms Austen’s Mean Girls. Sarah J Makowski does a terrific job of analyzing why Emma is so terrible yet why we’re so ready to root for her, at least up to the point where she finally goes too far. And even then, we’re happy to follow along as she sets out, more or less, to redeem herself. Ms Makowski not only analyzes Emma’s thoughts and motives but sets them — and similarly for the other Mean Girls in this book — alongside sociological texts on female interpersonal relationships, bringing a fresh perspective to the characters’ actions.

Even more intriguingly, Ms Makowski adds a touch of bibliomemoir to the proceedings, examining her own treatment at the hands of a Mrs Norris-type after re-entering the working world. The comparison is apt despite the seemingly wildly different circumstances. Mrs Norris takes Fanny Price into the Bertram household primarily to give herself a social inferior in Mansfield Park. Similarly did Ms Makowski’s former manager hire her on, only to neglect and ostracize her in the workplace. These unusual parallels are insightful for being unexpected yet deeply logical.

The only bit I didn’t super agree with — and this is possibly just because I haven’t reached that age yet — is the chapter on Lady Catherine de Bourgh. After a quiet shock one day at realizing that I no longer commanded the attention of entire rooms merely by walking into them, I have embraced the invisibility of middle age. I hadn’t even realized how oppressive the male gaze is until I was free of it! Ms Makowski posits that Lady Catherine is so overbearing because she’s afraid of being ignored due to this invisibility, yet there is a great difference between needing to be included in everything vs needing to tell everyone around you how to live their lives.

Perhaps I will change my mind as I age and come around to Ms Makowski’s point of view. Personally, I’ve always been one of those infuriating girls who doesn’t particularly care about fitting in, a sort of cross between the Dashwood sisters and Jane Fairfax, despite my streak of Cher (which is likely what fuels my ability to not care.) Hardcore Janeites and readers plagued by Mean Girls will find much to love within these pages, given that even a dilettante like myself found it very enjoyable.

Bitches In Bonnets: Life Lessons From Jane Austen’s Mean Girls by Sarah J. Makowski was published March 15 2023 by Prometheus Books and is available from all good booksellers, including