--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This was the authentic voice of the…" description: "\"“This was the authentic voice of the educated British middle class, unshakable in its tone, meeting the war with light-hearted fortitude and an insiste..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/275/norman-moss-45351_austen_this-was-the-authentic-voice-of-the-educ_3096202.jpg" --- # This was the authentic voice of the educated British… ![“This was the authentic voice of the educated British middle class, unshakable in its tone, meeting the war with light-hearted fortitude and an insistently civilized response. It is seen in the opening of a man’s letter to a friend: “I think I can claim to be the only person in Southern England to…” quote by Norman Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/275/norman-moss-45351_austen_this-was-the-authentic-voice-of-the-educ_3096202.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/275/norman-moss-45351_austen_this-was-the-authentic-voice-of-the-educ_3096202.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/275/norman-moss-45351_austen_this-was-the-authentic-voice-of-the-educ_3096202.jpg) > ““This was the authentic voice of the educated British middle class, unshakable in its tone, meeting the war with light-hearted fortitude and an insistently civilized response. It is seen in the opening of a man’s letter to a friend: “I think I can claim to be the only person in Southern England to have been blown off a lavatory seat while reading Jane Austen.”” [Norman Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-moss/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The British middle‑class voice during wartime combined humor and civility, using light‑heartedness to endure hardship and maintain cultural identity. **In simple terms:** Humor and civility help endure war. Key Takeaway Use humor to stay resilient in tough times. Themes wartime culture British identity humor under pressure Mood thoughtful historical Type literary observational When to use this quote - wartime letters - everyday conversation - historical literature - class analysis Key Concepts cultural resilience social commentary Questions to Reflect On - How does humor shape collective memory? - When does civility become denial? A Different Perspective Humor may mask deeper trauma if overused. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/austen/) [Civilized Response](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilized-response-5345595/) [Educated British](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/educated-british-509302/) [Jane austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jane-austen/) [Middle class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-class/) [Reading Jane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-jane-4776928/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [“If you choose to spend an hour every day tinkering with your Facebook profile, or if you don’t see any difference between reading Jane…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/if-you-choose-to-spend-an-hour-every-day-tinkering-with-your-facebook/) [Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/) > [I feel Mahatma Gandhi's non-violence was for the intelligent, educated British.It was not for those who don't understand this language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raj-thackeray/i-feel-mahatma-gandhi-s-non-violence-was-for-the-intelligent-educated/) [Raj Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raj-thackeray/) > [“(Golden Globe acceptance speech in the style of Jane Austen's letters ): "Four A.M. 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"So what was the point in doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-smale/nick-any-idea-nick-coughs-too-nope-no-idea-at-all-wilbur-gives-him-a/) [Holly Smale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-smale/) > [When I was in my twenties, I strongly identified with Jane Austen's 'Emma' - her human failings mixed with a desire to do good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-foreman/when-i-was-in-my-twenties-i-strongly-identified-with-jane-austen-s/) [Amanda Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-foreman/) > [“Off to sell Jane Austen to the masses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurel-ann-nattress/off-to-sell-jane-austen-to-the-masses/) [Laurel Ann Nattress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurel-ann-nattress/) > [ \[On Jane Austen:\] To believe her limited in range because she was harmonious in method is as sensible as to imagine that when the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/on-jane-austen-to-believe-her-limited-in-range-because-she-was/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [I grew up on Jane Austen novels and was a massive literature fanatic when I was a kid - I read everything I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-king/i-grew-up-on-jane-austen-novels-and-was-a-massive-literature-fanatic/) [Georgia King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-king/) > [“You know, somewhere a Jane Austen angel just lost her wings over you saying that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nichole-van/you-know-somewhere-a-jane-austen-angel-just-lost-her-wings-over-you/) [Nichole Van](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nichole-van/) > [ “\[Jane\] Austen was not a novelist for nothing: she knew that our stories are what make us human, and that listening to someone else's… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-deresiewicz/jane-austen-was-not-a-novelist-for-nothing-she-knew-that-our-stories/) [William Deresiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-deresiewicz/) > [“The celestial brightness of Pride and Prejudice is unequalled even in Jane Austen's other work; after a life of much disappointment and grief, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-jenkins/the-celestial-brightness-of-pride-and-prejudice-is-unequalled-even-in/) [Elizabeth Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-jenkins/) > [Look at Jane Austen. Her characters derive in a reasonably straight line from fairy tales.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-davies/look-at-jane-austen-her-characters-derive-in-a-reasonably-straight/) [Andrew Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-davies/) > [The difficulty with poetry is that it doesn't have the life that Shakespeare or Jane Austen have beyond the page. You can't make a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/the-difficulty-with-poetry-is-that-it-doesn-t-have-the-life-that/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) ## More by Norman Moss > [“some of my good Baptist brethren in Georgia had done a little preaching from the pulpit against the KKK, I would have a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-moss/some-of-my-good-baptist-brethren-in-georgia-had-done-a-little/) [Norman Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-moss/) > [ “Churchill replied: “To fire willfully\[23\] on women and children is a disgraceful act, and I am surprised you do not order the officers responsible… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-moss/churchill-replied-to-fire-willfully-23-on-women-and-children-is-a/) [Norman Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-moss/) > [“You have sat here too long for any good you may be doing. Depart, I say, and let us have done with you! 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Chamberlain takes a weekend in the country, Hitler takes a country in a weekend.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-moss/what-s-the-difference-between-chamberlain-and-hitler-chamberlain/) [Norman Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-moss/) > [“spite of every lie uttered or printed, the truth comes to the top, and it is known alike by peoples and rulers, that on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-moss/spite-of-every-lie-uttered-or-printed-the-truth-comes-to-the-top-and/) [Norman Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-moss/) > [“That generation was inoculated against any attempt in its own country by its own leaders to foment a war by shouting rhetorical slogans or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-moss/that-generation-was-inoculated-against-any-attempt-in-its-own-country/) [Norman Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-moss/) [Explore all 9 Norman Moss quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-moss/) ## More Austen quotes > [The difficulty with poetry is that it doesn't have the life that Shakespeare or Jane Austen have beyond the page. 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Their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariella-frostrup/had-elizabeth-bennet-known-how-wildly-darcy-s-heart-beat-for-her/) [Mariella Frostrup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariella-frostrup/) > [ “\[Jane\] Austen was not a novelist for nothing: she knew that our stories are what make us human, and that listening to someone else's… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-deresiewicz/jane-austen-was-not-a-novelist-for-nothing-she-knew-that-our-stories/) [William Deresiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-deresiewicz/) > [I'm kind of a mash-up of taste - Graham Greene and Jane Austen; W.G. Sebald and Alice Munro.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/i-m-kind-of-a-mash-up-of-taste-graham-greene-and-jane-austen-w-g/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [I'm sure I've been influenced by every fine writer I've ever read, from Dickens and Austen to Auden and Jane Hirshfield. 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Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-frank/) [Browse all 292 Austen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/austen/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“This was the authentic voice of the educated British middle class, unshakable in its tone, meeting the war with light-hearted fortitude and an insistently civilized response. 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