Purpose Statement: This cover letter intends to persuade the leadership at JASNA that I am a good candidate for the scholarship competition.
Dear Members of the Jane Austen Society of North America,
I am applying for the Jane Austen Society of North America’s essay scholarship, which I found after some extensive searching online. I know and love Jane Austen very well and am excited to write an extensive essay on her book Sense and Sensibility in hopes of winning a scholarship.
I have been a fan of Jane Austen and her works for a long time, ever since my first exposure to them. The very first time I ever experienced her was through the 2005 movie adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. I really liked the movie and was delighted to find out it was originally a book. I read the entire book in a weekend and enjoyed it even more than the movie. Thus began my addiction to all things Jane Austen. I quickly read all six of her published works, becoming as big a fan of Austen as any young teenager could. Of course, I wasn’t satisfied once I had finished all her books, so I tried the world of other spin-offs and regency romances- only to quickly learn there was no one else who write those stories as she could. If I wanted Jane Austen, I had to read Jane Austen. I have since re-read her books a few times.
I have always loved learning, and for the majority of my life, my favorite way to learn was through reading classic literature. Austen was my introduction to the classics- and I for that among other things I am indebted to her. Every time I re-read an Austen novel, I learn something more about writing style, about life in Regency England, or about my own life and the people in it. I have watched movies and documentaries about her, as well as read every book I could find about her, her life, and her writing style.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and my following essay.
Sincerely,
Clara
