Mark your calendars for January 24th, 2010 at 9:00 pm for the North American premiere of the new miniseries Emma on Masterpiece Classic on PBS. Staring Romola Garai (Atonement, Daniel Deronda) as the handsome, clever and rich heroine Emma Woodhouse, this new 3 part historical drama/comedy will run on three consecutive Sundays: January 24th (2 hours), and January 31st and February 7th (1 hour ea).

Based on Jane Austen’s fourth published novel Emma, this new adaptation is by renowned screenwriter Sandy Welch (Our Mutual Friend, Jane Eyre, North And South) and aired in the UK in four one hour episodes in October 2009. It was jointly produced by the BBC and WGBH. It also stars Jonny Lee Miller (Eli Stone Endgame) as Mr. Knightley, and Sir Michael Gambon (Cranford) as Mr. Woodhouse. PBS has created a beautiful Emma page on their Masterpiece Classic website and this amusing video. 

The DVD of Emma (region 1) will be available for purchase on February 9th, 2010 and will include 3 bonus featurettes: Emma’s Locations, Emma’s Costumes, Emma’s Music and Emma’s Mr. Woodhouse interview with Michael Gambon. This 2-disc set runs 240 minutes, which I am assuming includes the running time of the special features. The UK edition of the DVD (region 2) will be available for purchase on November 30th, 2009 in the UK. The running time for the UK edition is 228 minutes. 

I have seen this adaptation and am looking forward to North American viewer reaction to this unique interpretation of Jane Austen’s classic novel. I will not reveal any spoilers. I can, however, say that the costumes, locations and music are stunning. Stay tunned for more information on this production as it arrives.

• Visit the Masterpiece Classic Emma page

When the new Austen literary tome A Truth Universally Acknowledged edited by Susannah Carson started off with a foreword by Harold Bloom the famous American writer, literary critic and current Sterling Professor of the Humanities at Yale University, I was more than a bit anxious fearing the book would be over my head. Firstly, I am neither a scholar nor a brilliant intellectual and have trouble understanding all the pedantic puffery about Jane Austen that passes as literary criticism these days. Moreover, do I really need 33 great writers making me feel inadequate? Secondly, if these great minds explain to me why I read Jane Austen, the last veil will have fallen and the party will be over. After years of awe and admiration, do I really want to see the wizard behind the curtain? 

My apprehension was softened after reading Bloom’s foreword. I smiled deeply when he expressed why we read Jane Austen. This was a promising beginning. “[S]he seems to know us better than we know ourselves, and she seems to know us so intimately for the simple reason that she helped determine who we are as both readers and as human beings.” He makes her sound like she sits on the right hand of God! He is definitely on to something. The balance of essays are from a wide range of Austen admirers: contemporary and classic authors, movie directors, literary critics and scholars. Some of the essays are newly commissioned from contemporary writers such as Anna Quindlen, Jay McInerney, A.S. Byatt and Amy Heckerling. Others are from deceased literary giants such as C. S. Lewis, Virginia Woolf, E. M. Forster and W. Somerset Maugham and previously published in the last century. The editor Susannah Carson has also contributed her own slant on Austen’s current appeal from her essay Reading Northanger Abbey. Here is a memorable passage. 

“It is a truth universally acknowledged that Austen’s novels are about marriage: they all end with at least one successful match, and sometimes as many as three. Dating guidebooks have been compiled from advice culled from her novels, suggesting that much of Austen’s current appeal lies in her treatment of romance plot. If we read Austen, will we improve our chances of finding the right mate? Perhaps, but such instruction is incidental: Austen does not set out to describe ideal relationships. Her interest is in flawed characters who achieve a greater level of self understanding throughout the course of each novel and who are rewarded at the end with the relationship which, although never entirely perfect, are perfect for them.”   

Carson hit the nail on the head for me. Austen’s characters and plots are indeed perfect imperfections. That is why I am so drawn to them. There are also many other tidbits of wisdom and insight throughout the book, along with some pure folly and nonsense. Some still think Fanny Price is a prig. (C.S. Lewis defends her bless his heart). One felt that the sparkling Elizabeth Bennet’s appeal is diminished by accepting Mr. Darcy who is a dud and not her intellectual equal. Another had mixed feelings about Austen’s masterpiece Emma. And those in the Henry Tilney camp will need a strong dose of aromatic vinegar after reading that he and Catherine Morland are ill suited for marriage; his acerbic wit quickly growing tired of her vapid naivety. The upside of a book containing essays is that you’re not stuck for very long with an author you’re not enjoying or learning from. The downside is when the majority fall into that category. Happily, opinions on Austen vary as greatly in this book as her enduring appeal to readers. There is something here for every level of adulation, Janeite or scholar; even some “Till this moment I never knew myself” epiphanies. 

Like Austen’s characters, this book does have its endearing flaws. To understand the context of the essays, you must have read Austen or seen a movie or two. Hopefully the former. Unfortunately, the essays are not dated, so the reader is left to peruse the biographies of the writers in the back of the book to understand the timeframe of when the essay might have been written. It also suffers from some wobbly bits of unevenness in cohesion as a whole. 33 great writers enthusiastically enlighten us on why we read Jane Austen, wander a bit, individually entertain, but do not always directly address the primary theme. Honestly, in their defense, I do not think the question of why we read Jane Austen is answerable to everyone’s satisfaction. It is far too personal, and therein lays Austen’s brilliance and success. In actuality, what should be asked is why we continue to read Jane Austen? There is big a difference. Many read Austen for the first time in school because they were required to. Those who return to re-read her offer the greatest compliment that an author can receive and a testament to her enduring appeal. After nearly two hundred years of complements queuing up in support of her works it is no wonder that she is the literary and pop media phenomenon that many of the essays expound upon. 

Regardless of my quibbles with the semantics, if you are enthralled by Austen’s alluring prose and are intrigued to learn what great writers have said about her over the last century, this volume is the most accessible and enjoyable ensemble of Austen essays I have read. Kudos to editor Carson (who by-the-way is herself a doctoral candidate and literary scholar) for having the foresight and ingenuity to pull together a collection of writers who do not all look down at Janeites from an ivory tower and are not afraid to show a personal side of their adulation. This everyman Austen reader is most grateful, and happy that in conclusion, Austen is as enigmatic as ever. 

4 out of 5 Regency Stars

A Truth Universally Acknowledged: 33 Great Writers on Why We Read Jane Austen, edited by Susannah Carson
Random House (2009)
Hardcover (288) pages
ISBN: 9781400068050

• Interview of the editor Susannah Carson at Jane Austen’s World 

Jane Bites Back by Michael Thomas Ford, a new Jane Austen contemporary vampire novel will be released for sale on 29 December 2009. Vic and I have both chatted about this book before on Jane Austen Today: first when the initial sale was announced in June of 2008, and recently in September when the cover art was revealed. Here is the publisher’s description: 

Two hundred years after her death, Jane Austen is still surrounded by the literature she loves—but now it’s because she’s the owner of Flyleaf Books in a sleepy college town in Upstate New York. Every day she watches her novels fly off the shelves—along with dozens of unauthorized sequels, spin-offs, and adaptations. Jane may be undead, but her books have taken on a life of their own. 

To make matters worse, the manuscript she finished just before being turned into a vampire has been rejected by publishers—116 times. Jane longs to let the world know who she is, but when a sudden twist of fate thrusts her back into the spotlight, she must hide her real identity—and fend off a dark man from her past while juggling two modern suitors. Will the inimitable Jane Austen be able to keep her cool in this comedy of manners, or will she show everyone what a woman with a sharp wit and an even sharper set of fangs can do? 

Now you can read an excerpt of the novel. The first two chapters can be found here. They introduce us to a modern-day forty something undead Jane Austen, living in upper-state New York as Jane Fairfax, an independent book store owner who not only can’t get her 200 year plus manuscript Constance published, she must witness other less talented writers making a killing off her name and characters. We also learn how, when, and who turned her. One hint. He is “mad, bad and dangerous to know,” and one assumes, still around and not buried in Nottingham. ;-) 

The excerpt is a teaser and you may shortly be as startled as I when Jane takes a bite out of her first victim in the book.

“For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbours,

and laugh at them in our turn?”

Another year in the Austen blogosphere has passed and I’m still here musing and muddling about on my favorite author and other related Regency folly and nonsense! Milestones are a great time to look back and reflect on what I really have been blabbering about, who was hot, and not, and what you all enjoyed the most. So here goes. 

Top 10 most popular posts 

1. Pride and Prejudice: Which Mr. Darcy Has the Noble Mien for You? 
2. Masterpiece’s Wuthering Heights Succumbs to a Case of Bad Parenting 
3. Zombies and Vampires and Jane Austen, Oh My! Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is Haute! 
4. Mr. Darcy, Vampyre, by Amanda Grange – Preview 
5. Preview: BBC One’s Emma staring Romola Garai Begins on Sunday 
6. Lost in Austen: Review of Episode Four: Amanda Fixes Things at Warp Speed! 
7. Lost in Austen: Review of Episode Three: Droolgate as Darcy Does the Dip 
8. Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One, by Sharon Lathan: The Sunday Salon Review 
9. Jane Austen Short Story Award 2009 Winners Announced 
10. Little Dorrit Recap & Review of Episode Two on Masterpiece Classic

This is a diverse mix of posts indeed as interest is all over the Austen hill and dale, and some not even in her neighborhood. It represents what was in the news, on our minds and haute in the media and culture for the past year. Some I expected, others are a complete surprise.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that many, many people are still fascinated by top hottie Mr. Darcy. He eclipsed all other posts four times over. In my mind, this proves that he is indeed a literary and pop culture icon.

The balance of posts were topical items. Controversary is still King. The review of Wuthering Heights proved that if you express your opinion decidedly and make a fool out of yourself, people will flock to watch you squirm in embarrassment. I hope that the Brontë community will forgive me for trying to apply Austen logic to a Victorian tale of craziness.

Vampires and zombies arrived at our local bookstores this year stretching Austen in totally new directions. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was the breakout surprise. Who ‘da thought a zombie and Austen mash-up would make an international best selling novel and launch a new book genre – literary rip offs – opening  the flood gates for, yes, Austen and vampires?  We were all aflutter to read Mr. Darcy, Vampyre and snapped that one up too. Hope the author made a ton of money since that appeared to be the prime objective. Another book that caused bus accident gawking was Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One. I will let other pens dwell on the “why,” but I have sneaking suspicion that the author is dancing all the way to the bank too.

Two new Austen inspired mini-series hit the airwaves in the UK and US. Lost in Austen was the biggest surprise hit and the new Sandy Welch adaptation of Emma that premiered in the UK last month had tongues wagging.

Last and pleasingly last, the Jane Austen Short Story Award garnered more interest than anticipated. It is gratifying to think that new short stories inspired by Jane Austen piqued Googling and readers landed on my blog. 

The rest of data is just icing, but of interest in an Austen cultural enlightening kind of way. It is a small example of who Janeites are, and why we love Jane Austen.

Top 5 most popular book reviews

1. Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One, by Sharon Lathan: The Sunday Salon Review 
2. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Jane Austen Ate Our Brain Long Ago: The Sunday Salon Review
3. Darcy’s Passions: Pride and Prejudice Retold Through His Eyes: A Novel, by Regina Jeffers: The Sunday Salon Review
4. The Private Diary of Mr. Darcy, A Novel by Maya Slater – A Review
5. Mr. Darcy, Vampyre, by Amanda Grange – A Review

I reviewed 59 books in the last year! Gulp – that’s a lot of Jane and her scions.

Top 5 most popular search terms

1. Elliot Cowan
2. Matthew Macfadyen
3. David Rintoul
4. Northanger Abbey
5. Mr Darcy Vampyre

What? No Colin Firth? Abomniable.

Top 10 clicks to other sites

1. Jane Austen Today
2. BBC official Emma page
3. Which Austen Heroine are You Quiz?
4. Everything Austen Challenge at Stephanie’s Written Word 
5. PBS Masterpiece website
6. Jane Austen’s World
7. Republic of Pemberley
8. AustenBlog
9. Naxos AudioBooks
10. Enchanted Serenity of Period Films

Who you all want to visit – says a lot about me too!

Top 10 referrers

1. Jane Austen Today
2. Jane Austen’s World
3. Molland’s Circulating Library
4. The Duchess of Devonshire’s Gossip Guide
5. AustenBlog
6. Elegant Extracts
7. Becky’s Book Reviews
8. Reading, Working, Writing, Playing
9. Emma Adaptations
10. Marie Antoinete’s Gossip Guide

A big thank you to fellow Janeite’s Vic (Ms Place) of Jane Austen’s World and my co-blogger at Jane Austen Today and Mags at AustenBlog. Two clever and witty ladies who keep me on my toes. Last, but first in my book – your 1,975 comments – all read and greatly enjoyed. Thanks to all for visiting my little corner of Austenland…

 where “There is a monsterous deal of stupid quizzing, & common-place nonsense talked, but scarcely any wit.”

Jane Austen to her sister Cassandra, 21 April 1805

“And what are you reading, Miss –?” “Oh! it is only a novel!” replies the young lady, while she lays down her book with affected indifference, or momentary shame. “It is only Cecilia, or Camilla, or Belinda”; or, in short, only some work in which the greatest powers of the mind are displayed, in which the most thorough knowledge of human nature, the happiest delineation of its varieties, the liveliest effusions of wit and humour, are conveyed to the world in the best-chosen language. Northanger Abbey, Chapter 5 

Maria Edgeworth (1767-1849) was an Anglo-Irish author most famously remembered by Janeites as being favored by Jane Austen with a presentation copy of Emma in 1816 which Edgeworth read, did not understand, or appreciate. “There’s no story in it,”  she wrote to a friend and then never acknowledge or thanked the author for sending it to her before publication. Previously, Austen had paid homage to Edgeworth’s talent by mentioning her with another famous female novelist of the era in her reproving “In Defense of a Novel” passage in Northanger Abbey quoted above. 

In Jane Austen’s time, novels were considered low-brow and unworthy of serious consideration by critics and general society. By mentioning Cecilia: or Memoirs of an Heiress (1782) and Camilla: Or, A Picture of Youth (1796) by Frances Burney and Belinda (1801) by Maria Edgeworth, Austen ironically defends writing and reading novels in the midst of a novel parodying gothic novels. A nice bit of genteel saber rattling indeed. 

When you read Maria Edgeworth’s works, she takes a much different perspective with her characters and plot than Austen, delving into areas where she never chose to tread: politics, religion and social unrest. Edgeworth’s reaction to the level of everyday events and secluded activity of a few families in Highbury must have bored her to tears to have made such a biting comment and exemplifies how progressive Austen’s advancement of the English novel truly was. 

Further links 

• Biography and works of Maria Edgeworth
• Read Belinda online, (1896 edition) illustrated by Chris Hammond
• Read my previous post on illustrator Chris Hammond 

*Portrait of Miss Maria Edgeworth (1807) by John Downman (1750-1824), pencil and watercolor heightened with white from the Bloomsbury auction  2009

I know, I know. I am writing about Austen monster mash-up’s again. Sick of it as much as me yet? Here’s an article in Hemispheres, United Airlines online magazine about one Janeite writer’s experience with a sales clerk while buying P&P (the original) at Borders Bookstore that inspired her to write about the swath of Austen inspired derivatives and her enduring popularity. 

While I must gently reprove author Gillian Fassel (since I work for Barnes and Noble) for trusting that she would receive exemplary customer service without snark at a Borders, I will commend her for doing her homework and asking a great source for her opinion on the recent rage of Austen monster mayhem and what Jane Austen would think of it ;-) 

Just love the clever illustration by Thomas Allen

The wait is over for those lucky Janeites who live on the east coast or will be visiting New York City shortly. The new exhibit A Woman’s Wit: Jane Austen’s Life and Legacy opened today at the Morgan Library and should prove to be a once in a lifetime Austen extravaganza for enthusiasts and admirers of the English author whose novels are not only masterpieces of social observation and wit, but profoundly popular in world literature close to two hundred years after their publication. You can read a full description of the exhibition from my previous preview post. The treasures collected and support material should prove to be a proper celebration and tribute to Austen’s impact and legacy.

Check out the new online highlights of the exhibition at the Morgan Library website and experience a glimpse of the full feast of Austenalia offered including selected images of original letters written by Austen, original manuscripts of Lady Susan and The Watsons, images of portraits of the author, artwork from editions of her novels and from the Regency era, and a short documentary film The Devine Jane: Reflections on Austen especially commissioned for the exhibition featuring interviews of contemporary writers, scholars and actors such as Sandy Lerner from the Chawton House Library and Harriet Walter, acclaimed British actress who brilliantly portrayed Fanny Dashwood in the 1995 film adaptation Sense and Sensibility.

The Morgan Library has the largest collection of Jane Austen’s letters and manuscripts in the world. One of the most spectacular items in the collection is the manuscript of Jane Austen’s delightfully wicked novella Lady Susan, the only surviving complete manuscript of any of Austen’s novels. The online exhibit includes several images of the original manuscript written in Jane Austen’s hand and augmented by an audio reading of each page from the Naxos AudioBooks recording of Lady Susan read by actress Harriet Walter, who is also interviewed in the documentary film. 

The exhibition runs November 6, 2009 through March 14, 2010. Unfortunately, this Janeite can not attend, but we are hoping for a report from one of our readers who has the pleasure of spending a day or two with Jane in New York City.

Media Reviews

• New York Times: At the Morgan, the Jane Austen Her Family Knew

Additional Info

• Read my previous post on Austen illustrator Isabel Bishop featured in the Morgan exhibit
• Read my review of the Naxos AudioBooks recording of Lady Susan read by Harriet Walter
• Purchase Jane Austen’s Letters, edited by Deirdre Le Faye

Quirk Books, the literary monster mash-up mogul who brought us Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monster has announced that its third book for Quirk Classics will be Dawn of the Dreadfuls, a prequel to its New York Times bestseller Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.  Here is the publisher’s description: 

In this terrifying and hilarious prequel, we witness the genesis of the zombie plague in early-nineteenth century England. We watch Elizabeth Bennet evolve from a naïve young teenager into a savage slayer of the undead. We laugh as she begins her first clumsy training with nunchucks and katana swords and cry when her first blush with romance goes tragically awry. Written by acclaimed novelist (and Edgar Award nominee) Steve Hockensmith, Dawn of the Dreadfuls invites Austen fans to step back into Regency England, Land of the Undead! 

Surprisingly, co-authors are listed as Jane Austen and Steve Hockensmith even though according to Quirk editor Jason Rekulak Dawn of the Dreadfuls is a “completely original novel inspired by Austen’s characters; — in other words, there’s not a drop of original Austen writing in it.” Obviously, since Jane Austen did not write a prequel to Pride and Prejudice there was no text to mash-up and this new novel needed to be an original story only lifting her characters names. We are, however, perplexed at her inclusion. Other authors have been writing prequels, sequels and retellings of Pride and Prejudice for years, but admittedly, this is the fist time this writer has seen the original author’s name attached with another author’s work.  

In actuality, the lack of Jane Austen’s text is a win-win situation for both Austen and zombie fans who each had qualms about their peas touching their potatoes on the plate. Now only Austen’s name is being exploited and not her words. 

Dawn on the Dreadfuls goes on sale in the US on the 24th of March, 2010. I liked P&P&Z, but this literary mash-up business was pushed way beyond amusing parody with Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters and unless this new novel is exceptionally well written, I’ve had enough of others ripping off my favorite author.

Episode four of BBC One’s Emma aired on Sunday, October 25th in the UK. The last two episodes improved greatly for me. I think after the initial shock of the changes with Jane Austen’s original concepts for character’s and the lack of her beautiful language, I settled in to enjoy this four part serial from a different vantage – a visually stuning Regency story that was lovely in its own respect if I overlooked the liberties taken and the blunders with Regency manners. All in all, I enjoyed this Emma, and look forward to its US permiere on Masterpiece Classic starting on Sunday, January 24th through February 7th, 2010. PBS have divided it into three consecutive airings, so we shall have to wait and see  if they have cut out any of the UK production to fit in their three episodes. Here is a slideshow of the last episode for your enjoyment. The film was stunningly filmed with kudos to the lighting director, costume designer, and art department.  Enjoy!

On this day in 1811, an advertisement for the novel Sense and Sensibility “By A Lady” appeared in the London newspaper The Star no. 7690. This was Jane Austen’s first published work and her entre into literary history. 

Published by Thomas Egerton of the Military Library publishing house in London, it was priced at 15s and printed in three volumes. It was printed at the author’s expense. She also owed a commission to the publisher on sales. Her gamble paid off as all 750 copies sold by July 1813. She made a profit of £140 on the first edition which is about £4,754.40 in today’s currency. A second edition was advertised in October 1813. This year, a first edition of Sense and Sensibility sold at auction for £38,000. Quite a tidy sum indeed. 

*Jane Austen, a family record, by Deirdre Le Fay

The romance of Emma, Lady Hamilton and Lord Horatio Nelson might just rival Romeo and Juliette or Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy as the greatest love story of all time. Moreover, their story is made all the more poignant because it is not a work of fiction created by a clever author pulling together bits of their own experience and idealized notions of the ultimate romance, but by actual well publicized and scandalous events of real people who made history during the Napoleonic age. And, quite remarkable people they were to boot; an infamously beguiling beauty and a brilliant naval hero both married to others, yet scandalously engaging in an ill-fated love affair that shaped history. 

My first introduction to Emma and Horatio’s ill-fated romance was in the 1941 movie That Hamilton Woman staring the stunningly beautiful Vivien Leigh and the dashingly handsome Laurence Olivier. As a young girl my mother’s excitement over any Vivien Leigh movies quickly influenced my admiration of her acting talent and consuming presence on screen. She graces some of my favorite classic romantic films from the movies Golden Age: Gone with the Wind, Waterloo Bridge and That Hamilton Woman. 1941 saw Leigh at the height of her beauty and popularity after winning the Oscar in 1939 for Gone with the Wind. During her troubled life she made less than twenty films in her career, but like Emma Hamilton, she will be remembered for her incandescent beauty, vivacity and alluring charm. Interestingly, Vivien is related to Jane Austen through Jane’s nephew James Edward Austen-Leigh.

Emma Hart dines at the Hamilton Villa, Naples

Captain Nelson arrives in Naples

That Hamilton Woman was made at the request of Prime Minister Winston Churchill to stir British sympathy and patriotism during the height of the Second World War. The paring of Leigh and Olivier by producer/director Alexander Korda was brilliant. At the time of filming, Leigh and her co-star and real life inamorata Laurence Olivier were having their own scandalous affair to mirror Emma and Nelson. You can see all the real-life sparks ignite on film. The usually staid Larry Olivier is more passionate for his Viv as Lady Hamilton than I can ever recall on screen, far surpassing his other portrayals of famous romantic icons such as Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights (too fey) and Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice (too blasé). I am sure that historians could have a heyday ripping apart the accuracy of the screenplay, but this is a filmatic re-imagining of historical romance at its finest, and I love it!

Vivien Leigh version and real portrait of Emma Hart by George Romney

Emma, Lady Hamilton revels after the Ball in Nelson’s honor

Emma and Nelson celebrate in Naples after the Nile victory 

The great news for That Hamilton Woman is that it has just been re-released on DVD for the first time by The Criterion Collection (squeee) and includes great extras and a restored high-definition digital transfer (though sadly not re-mastered and contains some nasty occasional film scratches). On viewing it again, I was as enchanted by the performances as memory served but amused by the historical inaccuracy of the costumes by designer René Hubert and hair styles (uncredited) which range from late eighteenth-century to mid Victorian to 1940’s. Watch Lady Hamilton’s frocks and dos and you will get my drift. Much of the narrative unfolds in Naples and the clothes looked very Marie Antoinetteish. I do not know anything about Italian fashion at the turn of the nineteenth-century but one would think that like the British they were also influenced by French court dress emulating Empire fashions. Many of Lady Hamilton’s bonnets looked like they were borrowed from Gone with the Wind, and (her hair Louisa) definitely mimicked Scarlet O’Hara’s ringlets and a more modern 1940’s rolled crown affair a la Betty Grable.

Emma with non-Regency hairdo a la Betty Grable

Emma and Nelson, ill-fated lovers

Regardless of the fashion faux pas, Larry and Viv just sparkle, the supporting cast is stellar, the direction by Alexander Korda is effectively melodramatic, the art direction conjured up on a shoestring by Vincent Korda is stunning, and the sweeping music by Miklós Rózsa soothes over all the production flaws like a cup of tea on a cold day. Be sure to watch the extra features including a video interview with author and editor Michael Korda, Alexander’s nephew, who has a few plumb antecedents about filming of the movie including his uncle not knowing which arm Nelson had lost in battle and a matter-of-fact mention of Olivier’s affair with actor Danny Kaye. 

Nelson at Trafalgar “England expects that every man will do his duty”

Nelson’s death: “Take care of poor Lady Hamilton” 

Pop this one in the ole DVD player and settle back for a two hankie cry-a-thon. This story is just screaming to be remade by the BBC if they ever venture back into bonnets and breaches again. Who can resist a scandalous love affair and Royal Naval officer in full regalia? Not me!

Portraits of Lord Nelson and Emma Hart

Rule, Britannia!   

 Synopsis

One of cinema’s most dashing duos, real-life spouses Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier live their greatest on-screen romance in this visually dazzling tragic love story from legendary producer-director Alexander Korda. Set against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars of the late eighteenth century, That Hamilton Woman is a gripping account of the scandalous adulterous affair between the British Royal Navy officer Lord Horatio Nelson and the renowned beauty Emma, Lady Hamilton, the wife of a British ambassador. With its grandly designed sea battles and formidable star performances, That Hamilton Woman (Winston Churchill’s favorite movie, which he claimed to have seen over eighty times) brings history to vivid, glamorous life.

Cast

Emma, Lady Hamilton – Vivien Leigh
Lord Horatio Nelson – Laurence Olivier
Sir William Hamilton – Alan Mowbray
Mrs. Cadogan-Lyon – Sara Allgood
Lady Frances Nelson – Gladys Cooper
Captain Hardy – Henry Wilcoxon
Rev. Nelson Halliwell Hobbes

Additional Information

• Visit That Hamilton Woman at The Critertion Collection website
• Biography and career of Vice Admiral, Lord Horatio Nelson
• Biography and career of Emma, Lady Hamilton nee Hart
• Review of That Hamilton Woman by film critic Molly Haskell

Favorite books on Emma and Nelson in my library

• Beloved Emma: The Life of Emma, Lady Hamilton, by Flora Fraser (2004) reprint of Emma, Lady Hamilton (1987)
• Nelson and Emma (Folio Society) by Roger Hudson (1994)
• The Life of Horatio, Lord Nelson, by Robert Southey (2008) reprint of 1813 edition

BBC One’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel Emma continues. Episode three aired in the UK on Sunday, October 18th. I am enjoying the beautiful locations and costumes, but am still perplexed with the screenplay. I am missing Jane Austen’s beautiful language and witty humor. There is much discussion about the variances in Regency manners and the over-the-top animation of actress Romola Garai’s eye popping and arm waving. I think this falls to the director Jim O’Hanlan’s choice of making this version more lively for a modern audience. You can check out all the discussion at AustenBlog (spoilers ahead), read Vic (Ms Place’s) view on episode three and the hair styles in the adaptation at Jane Austen’s World and be enlightened by Kali of the Emma Adaptations page and Strangegirl blogon her reactions to each episode. I am still hoping that the last episode will pull this unusually different interpretation of Austen’s masterpiece all together and cancel out the bits that are so annoying. For all you non-UK viewers, enjoy a sneak peek of episode three with this slideshow.

Jane Austen’s minor character Mary Bennet is not exactly heroine material. With only eight passages of dialogue in Pride and Prejudice she has made a lasting impression on readers over the centuries as a pious young woman who often insensitively offers advice of “threadbare morality” to her family at the most inopportune moments. Author Eucharista Ward has taken a bold step in devoting an entire novel to this pedantic and socially clueless young lady. She is not the first to tread this path. Last year Janeites were dishonored with Colleen McCullough’s irreverent treatment The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet. In both instances, Mary Bennet has been given a make-over. However, two novels could not be farther from honorable intent. While McCullough mocked the Austen sequel industry, Ward embraces it with integrity and reverence. Happily, A Match for Mary Bennet has brought Austen’s character back into the fold and rescued her from the fiery depths of sequel Hell. 

Previously self published in 2007 as Illusions and Ignorance: Mary Bennet’s Story, this new edition by major Jane Austen sequel publisher Sourcebooks fortunately bring this wonderful story to a wider audience. Publisher’s description: 

Written by a Franciscan nun, this is a sympathetic tale of the middle Bennet sister from Pride and Prejudice. Pious Mary Bennet tries to do her duty in the world as she thinks God envisions it. Initially believing (mistakenly) that her sister Elizabeth married well only in order to provide for her sisters, Mary is happy to be relieved of the obligation to marry at all so that she can continue her faithful works. But she begins to have second thoughts after further studying marriage through her sisters’ experiences as well as spending time with two young men. One is a splendid young buck whose determined courtship must have ulterior motives; the other is a kindly, serious young clergyman whose friendship Mary values more and more. One day she realizes that God very much made man and woman to be together…but which is the man for her? 

Prim, judgmental and pedantic, Mary’s evolution throughout the course of the book is surprising as she soon discovers that there is more to life than her Godly studies, music and books. The author has an excellent understanding of Austen’s style emulating it reverently, placing the story within a historically context of the era with aplomb. Many of Austen’s characters from Pride and Prejudice reappear: her sisters Jane, Elizabeth, Kitty (Catherine) and Lydia, her parent’s the Bennet’s, Fitzwilliam Darcy, Georgiana and Lady Catherine. We also meet two new men that change Mary’s perspective on what she thinks God intends for her life: the dashing rakish James Stilton who courts Mary with determination and charm, and the stoic young clergyman Charles Oliver who wins her friendship and respect by understanding and enlightenment. If she chooses her head over her heart is never much in question. After all, a woman’s “reputation is no less brittle than it is beautiful — and that she cannot be too much guarded in her behaviour towards the undeserving of the other sex.” Even if the outcome is predictable, the ride is quite enjoyable. 

Where others have failed in expanding her character, Ward has given Mary Bennet depth and interest, allowing readers to see her faults, understand their origins, and rejoice in her evolution towards enlightenment and happiness. My only quibbles are that in Ward’s new world, poor Colonel Fitzwilliam is destined for a life of misery after succumbing to Caroline Bingley’s fortune and marrying her, and that the pacing at times was slow and too introspective. The first is indicative of the era, and the second is actually who Mary Bennet was at the beginning. If the author had allowed Mary to be more succinct toward the end, it would have showed a nice character development. After all, “every impulse of feeling should be guide by reason”! 

4 out of 5 Regency Stars 

A Match for Mary Bennet, by Eucharista Ward
Sourcebooks, Landmark (2009)
Trade paperback (350) pages
ISBN: 978-1402220111 

Additional reviews 

• AustenBlog
• Savvy Verse and Wit
• Diary of an Eccentric
• Beck’s Book Reviews
• Love Romance Passion

FTC Disclaimer – Austenprose did not receive any pecuniary emolument or a trip to Tahiti for writing a review of A Match for Mary Bennet. Additionally, we are not getting a kickback from Barnes and Noble for the link to purchase - though - since they are our employer, it may help us to continue to earn our bread. We did receive a review copy from this publisher which we will gladly donate to my local SnoIsle Library system.  Basically, if anyone cares, we wrote this review for the love of Jane and out of the goodness of our black heart.

Your questions to author Monica Fairview were fun and creative and your quotes of Caroline Bingley were oh so memorable – but the time has come to announce the two winners of one copy each of The Other Mr. Darcy. And the winners are…

Sarah-Wynne

Kristen

A big thank you to all who participated and especially to author Monica Fairview for visiting and responding to your questions so thoughtfully.

Winners – to claim your prize, you must reside in the US or Canada and respond with your full name and address by emailing me at austenprose at verizon dot net by October 21st. Books will be mailed directly from the publisher Sourcebooks who has generously supplied them.

Congrats!

• Read the interview of Monica Fairview
• Read my review of The Other Mr. Darcy
• Purchase The Other Mr. Darcy

FTC Disclaimer – Austenprose did not receive any pecuniary emolument or a trip to Tahiti for writing this interview of the author or for writing a review of The Other Mr. Darcy. In addition we did not receive a review copy in compensation from this publisher nor are we getting a kick back from Barnes and Noble for the link to purchase. Basically we did it for the love of Jane and out of the goodness of our black heart.

Episode 2 of BBC One’s new adaptation of Emma aired in the UK on Sunday, October 11, 2009. So – we are half way through and I am still biting my tongue trying not to spoil it for all non UK viewers and giving you all a teaser slideshow to episode 2 instead. If you are dying to know reactions, you can check out the discussion on AustenBlog. Be prepared for spoilers. I am of course all anticipation of everyone’s impressions. I shall save my breath to cool my porridge. Do not despair. This adaptation will air in January in the US on Masterpiece Classic.

“I admire the activity of your benevolence,” observed Mary, “but every impulse of feeling should be guided by reason; and, in my opinion, exertion should always be in proportion to what is required.” Mary Bennet, Pride and Prejudice Ch 7 

It is not a surprise to me that there are so many biographies of Jane Austen in print today, only that they vary so greatly in tone and quality. Like Mary Bennet, I believe “impulse of feeling should be guided by reason” abhorring the biographer who takes liberties to spice up the story to make a sale. In the last century there have been hundreds of new biographies on Jane Austen. She has had her share of elaborators and equally honest presentations. The biggest challenge is to know who to believe! 

Interestingly, during her lifetime Austen’s public personae was an enigma. All of her novels were anonymously attributed to have been written ‘by a lady,’ a genteel practice to screen the identity of female authors from public scrutiny and family embarrassment. Until the posthumous publication of Northanger Abbey and Persuasion in December 1817, her identity, though known to a few well placed persons was unknown to the general public. When readers opened the title page of the first of four volumes they saw only “By the Author of Pride & Prejudice, Mansfield Park, etc.; With a Biographical Notice of the Author.” Discretion being the better part of valour her brother Henry kept with tradition by not listing her name on the title page, but revealing the identity of the author as his sister Jane in writing her first official biography included in the volume. The full e-text of a ”Biographical Notice“  is available for your edification and enjoyment at Molland’s and is well worth your perusal. Don’t miss the bit about Jane “mouldering in the grave”! 

As her exalted novels are testament of her genius, our fascination with the mind behind such genius has resulted in some excellent and interestingly creative biographies. Here are a few of my favourites that I would like to share. They represent books that I have read in part or in whole, and include a range of reading levels, each bringing Jane Austen’s life and times in closer appreciation. 

Jane Austen: A Life, by Claire Tomalin (1999) 

Quite possibly my favourite Jane Austen biography that I have had the pleasure to read thus far, Tomalin blends dry facts and historical material with a lively and creative narrative resulting in one fascinating read. Well researched and copiously documented in prudent scholarly fashion, this honest and uplifting homage to Austen, her family, and her life is a delight, and may be the most entertaining biography of Austen ever written. ISBN: 978-0679766766

Jane Austen, by Carol Shields (2005) 

This little jewel written by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Carol Shields explores the life of a writer with both sensitivity and honest personal point of view from a fellow writer’s perspective. Shield’s style is fluid and enviable. It is no wonder she admires Austen’s ability to make characters leap off the page, as I can offer her the same complement. Her observations of the personalities in Austen’s life and later biographers follows Austen’s own talent for pulling out the wit and irony of life and raising a few eyebrows. ISBN: 978-0143035169

A Memoir of Jane Austen, by J. E. Austen-Leigh (1870) 

The first official full length biography of Austen’s life, it was written from the reminiscences of her nieces and nephews. The second edition includes additional unpublished material: the novella Lady Susan, the cancelled chapter in Persuasion, fragments of Sandition and The Watsons. A must read for every Austen enthusiast, it offers us the Victorianalization of Austen’s character into the dutiful, kindly and obedient daughter who never thought ill of anyone. In today’s context, this is a bit amusing considering the wit and sometimes sarcastic comments in her letters, and the tone of some of the characterizations in her novels.  ISBN:  978-0199540778

Jane Austen: A Family Record, by William Austen-Leigh, Richard Austen-Leigh, and revised and enlarged by Deirdre Le Faye (2003) 

This biography combines the best of two worlds: a family recollection and a scholarly rewrite. Carrying on the Austen-Leigh family tradition of writing about their famous ancestor, William Austen-Leigh and Richard Austen-Leigh published Life and Letters of Jane Austen in 1913. Renowned Austen scholar Deirdre Le Faye has re-written and expanded their work, culminating in a definitive biography that may very well be the best source today of accurate information on Jane Austen’s family and literary career. ISBN: 978-0521534178

Gentle Reader: In honor of JASNA’s annual meeting in Philadelphia this week, this blog, Jane Austen’s World, and Jane Austen Today have devoted posts to Jane Austen and her siblings. This is my finale post in the series.

• Cassandra Austen: Jane’ confidante, supporter and helpmate
• Jane Austen’s Siblings – Rev. James Austen 1765-1819  
• Jane Austen’s Siblings – Rev. Henry Thomas Austen 1771-1850
• Edward Austen Knight: A tightwad or a man with heavy responsibilities?
• Sir Francis William Austen: Glimpses of Jane’s sailor brother in letters
• Jane Austen’s Siblings – Charles John Austen 1779-1852
• George Austen: Jane Austen’s almost forgotten, invisible brother
• Illustrated Books About Jane Austen and Her Milieu

The Endymion came into Portsmouth on Sunday, & I have sent Charles a short letter by this day’s post…He has received 30£ for his share of the privateer & expects 10£ more – but of what avail is it to take prizes if he lays out the produce in presents to his Sisters. He has been buying Gold chains & Topaze Crosses for us; – he must be well scolded…I shall write again by this post to thank and reproach him. We shall be unbearably fine. Jane Austen to Cassandra, 27 May 1801 

Charles Austen was one of two of Jane’s brother’s who chose the Royal Navy as a profession when Britain was at the height of its naval power during the Napoleonic wars, and global expansion during the 19th-century. He and his elder brother Sir Francis William Austen would both enter the Royal Naval Academy at Portsmouth at the tender age of twelve, continue up the ranks, sail the world in his Majesties service, and achieve considerable success; Charles attaining Rear Admiral and Francis Admiral of the Fleet. Reading about their naval exploits and adventures in the book Jane Austen’s Sailor Brothers by John Henry Hubback and Edith Hubback (1906), one could easily conclude that they could have inspired events in C.S. Forester’s books on the career of dashing naval officer Horatio Hornblower.  

In 1801 the HMS Endymion made port at Portsmouth and the considerate Lieutenant Charles Austen arrived bearing gifts for his two sisters; - the famous topaze crosses and gold chains purchased in Gibraltar from his share of prize money from the capture of a French vessel, the Scipio, in the Mediterranean off the coast of Spain. They now reside at the Jane Austen’s House Museum at Chawton for all to admire. In Austen’s novel Mansfield Park, readers will recognize the similarity of Jane’s real life events to her characters when Fanny Price receives an amber cross from her sailor brother William. 

The ball was now a settled thing, and before the evening a proclaimed thing to all whom it concerned. Invitations were sent with despatch, and many a young lady went to bed that night with her head full of happy cares as well as Fanny. To her the cares were sometimes almost beyond the happiness; for young and inexperienced, with small means of choice and no confidence in her own taste, the “how she should be dressed” was a point of painful solicitude; and the almost solitary ornament in her possession, a very pretty amber cross which William had brought her from Sicily, was the greatest distress of all, for she had nothing but a bit of ribbon to fasten it to; and though she had worn it in that manner once, would it be allowable at such a time in the midst of all the rich ornaments which she supposed all the other young ladies would appear in? And yet not to wear it! William had wanted to buy her a gold chain too, but the purchase had been beyond his means, and therefore not to wear the cross might be mortifying him. These were anxious considerations; enough to sober her spirits even under the prospect of a ball given principally for her gratification. Chapter 26, Mansfield Park 

A testament to their affection for one another, her ‘own particular little brother’ Charles Austen is mentioned quite frequently in Jane Austen’s letters as she follows his career during the Napoleonic wars, his marriage and his children. It is believed that the character of William Price in Mansfield Park is based upon him. After her death, Jane Austen’s topaze cross and chain was bequeathed to her dearest friend Martha Lloyd who treasured it for the rest of her life. Charles Austen kept daily journals and diaries during his life that now reside at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England, but unfortunately, no letters written to him from his sister survive. 

Significant life events 

1779 – Charles John was the seventh child born to George and Cassandra Austen on 23rd of June at Steventon rectory, Hampshire

1791 – Entered the Royal Naval Academy at Portsmouth age 12

1794 – Appointed as Midshipman to HMS Daedalus under the command of Capt Thomas Williams (husband of his cousin Jane Cooper). Later served with him on the Unicorn and Endymion three years

1797 – Promoted to lieutenant and appointed to HMS Scorpion.

1801 – Returned to Portsmouth on HMS Endymion with two topaze crosses and gold chains for his sisters Jane and Cassandra

1802 – Peace of Amiens demobilizes British military. Charles takes a holiday with the Austen’s to Devon

1803 – Returned to active service after war with France is renewed

1804 – Promoted to commander and given sloop HMS Indian. Serves at the North American Station out of Bermuda until 1811

1807 – Married Frances Fitzwilliam Palmer on 19th of May in Bermuda (the youngest daughter of the late Attorney-General of Bermuda), children: Cassandra Esten (1808), Harriet Jane (1810), Frances Palmer (1812), Elizabeth (1814)

1810 – Promoted to captain and given command of the 74-gun HMS Swiftsure

1814- Death of Charles’ wife Fanny aboard the HMS Namur following the birth of her fourth child

1816 – Wreck of his ship Phoenix off Smyrna through the ignorance of her pilots. Ten year gap before given another ship. 

1817 – Visits his sister Jane on June 19th in Winchester for the last time. Receives news on July 20th of her death two days prior on the 18th.  

1820 – Married Harriet Ebel Palmer on 7th August in London (elder sister of his first wife Frances), children: Charles John (1821), George (1822), Jane (1824), Henry (1826)

1826 – Appointed to the 46-gun HMS Aurora and sent to the Jamaica Station as the second in command actively combating the slave trade with considerable success

1840 – Awarded a Companion of the Order of the Bath for good service during the bombardment of Acre in the Mediterranean

1846 – Advanced to rear-admiral on 9th of November

1850 – Appointed commander-in-chief in the East Indies

1852 – Died off Prome, Burma board HMS Flute on the 7th of October of cholera, age 73. 

There are memorials to Rear Admiral Charles John Austen at St. Anne’s Church in Portsmouth (son Henry also honored) and at the Esplanade Burial Ground, Trincomalee Sri Lanka.

To a very remarkable sweetness of temper, & benevolence of character he joined great personal advantages, and that even to the last. When the Admiral left England in February (though in the 71st year of his age) his tall, erect figure, his bright eye & animated countenance would have given the impression of a much younger man; had it not been for the rather remarkable contrast with his hair, which, originally dark, had become of a snowy white. Anna Le Froy

Gentle Reader: In honor of JASNA’s annual meeting in Philadelphia this week, this blog, Jane Austen’s World, and Jane Austen Today will be devoting posts to Jane Austen and her siblings. Look for new links each day.

• Cassandra Austen: Jane’ confidante, supporter and helpmate 
• Jane Austen’s Siblings – Rev. James Austen 1765-1819  
• Jane Austen’s Siblings – Rev. Henry Thomas Austen 1771-1850
• Edward Austen Knight: A tightwad or a man with heavy responsibilities?
• Sir Francis William Austen: Glimpses of Jane’s sailor brother in letters
•  George Austen: Jane Austen’s almost forgotten, invisible brother 
• Jane Austen Biographies – Guided by Reason
• Illustrated Books About Jane Austen and Her Milieu

A new Pride and Prejudice spinoff, The Other Mr. Darcy was released this month to positive fanfare. Focusing on Caroline Bingley, a secondary character in Jane Austen’s origial novel, I truly enjoyed her transformation and romance. You can read my review to get all the details of the plot and my impressions. 

Please welcome author Monica Fairview who stops by on her Grand Blog Tour. Thanks for joining us today Monica to chat about your new book The Other Mr. Darcy, a new Austenesque novel. 

While many Austen sequel writers have focused on Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy the main characters in Austen’s original novel, you have chosen to spotlight the minor but very memorable Caroline Bingley. Known for her snooty behavior and snide remarks, she is not exactly likable heroine material for a novel. What inspired you to select one of Austen’s most famous Mean Girls for your heroine?

Not all Mean Girls are Mean all the way through. I felt Jane Austen herself wanted to tell us that. Chapter 45 of Pride and Prejudice starts: “Convinced as Elizabeth now was that Miss Bingley’s dislike of her had originated in jealousy, she could not help feeling how very unwelcome her appearance at Pemberley must be to her.” I read that as an insight into Caroline’s behavior, and a recognition on Elizabeth’s part that Caroline was just trying to keep Mr. Darcy to herself. Jealousy is a very strong emotion, and it tends to bring out the mean streak in everyone. After all, wouldn’t you fight to keep Darcy if you thought you had a chance? 

I read this sentence as Jane Austen providing us with Caroline’s motivation, and took it from there. If Caroline is in love with Mr. Darcy, of course she’s going to try and represent Elizabeth in the worst possible light to him. Hence her snide remarks. 

When I originally read the advance publicity on The Other Mr. Darcy before it was released in the UK last summer, I was intrigued with the creative title. To many readers, Mr. Darcy is the ultimate romantic icon. Who could this other Mr. Darcy be? Like most young ladies, (or not so nearly young), my imagination is very rapid; it jumped from a twin separated at birth, to a multiple personality disorder, to an imposter in a moment! Your Mr. Darcy is of course none of those possibilities, but turns out to be his American cousin. What was your inspiration for Robert Darcy and how is he similar and differ to his English cousin Fitzwilliam Darcy? 

The title was the first thing I thought of, before I even started writing. Originally, I wanted to shadow Mr. Darcy, to create a character that was the other side of him in a way. What came out was Robert Darcy. That’s why if you go through the novel, you’ll find a lot of shadows associated with him. But as he developed, he turned out to be very sunny, and he seemed to prefer open spaces and sunshine. He went his own way. 

Robert is different from Fitzwilliam Darcy because he likes talking about things, he insists on being open and putting his cards on the table. His manners are easygoing and he likes to laugh. To all appearances, he has nothing in common with his cousin Fitzwilliam. But as the novel progresses, they become more similar. There’s a point in the plot where Robert is the one who is earnest and reserved, while Fitzwilliam is – well, I don’t want to give away anything in the plot, but let’s say they’re more similar than one would have thought. 

Let’s delve deeper into the personality of that jealous, manipulative and scheming Caroline Bingley! In Pride and Prejudice she uses all her charms and allurements to entice Mr. Darcy into marriage. When he selects Elizabeth Bennet, of inferior birth and no consequence, her dream of being Mrs. Darcy is thwarted. In The Other Mr. Darcy your Caroline is still devastated by Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth’s marriage hiding her emotions behind propriety. Since you put yourself in her shoes so-to-speak to write the character, can you share with us your thoughts on Caroline’s personality, what you liked and disliked about her, and what you hoped to achieve in telling her own story? 

Caroline used every trick she knew to get Mr. Darcy’s attention. But wouldn’t you? He was a good catch in every possible way. Because we’re on Eliza’s side, we only see Eliza’s perspective. We’ve got to remember that Eliza despises both Mr. Darcy and Caroline when she’s describing the way Caroline toadies to him. Later, she learns more about Mr. Darcy, so she comes to appreciate him. But we don’t get to know Caroline, so that initial impression remains. I felt there was a story there, particularly since Caroline is from a lower social class, and I wanted to know how she really felt about that. 

The other issue that puzzles me about Mr. Darcy’s relationship with Caroline is that he chooses to spend time with her. He’s perfectly happy staying with them in Netherfield, and spends days if not weeks in the company of Caroline. Then, as if it isn’t enough, he later invites her to Pemberley to stay with him there. And of course, he dances with her at that first ball. There must be something good about her, if he’s willing to spend so much time with her. It’s not as if the Bingleys are the only friends he has (one hopes!). 

In The Other Mr. Darcy you’ll find there’s a lot that’s good about her, once she realizes it’s useless to try and keep up the social pretences. It takes quite a few blows to recognize that, but once she does, and the real Caroline emerges, we can see why Fitzwilliam Darcy liked to spend time with her. 

I don’t want to say more about Caroline, because the novel’s partly about her process of self discovery, so I don’t want to spoil the experience for the reader. But I do want to remind people that Caroline, who is younger than Charles Bingley, couldn’t have been more than twenty one. She’s young and inexperienced, One of her redeeming features is that she’s willing to learn from her mistakes. I think of her, in some ways, as resembling Emma, who also arrogantly blunders along and has to learn along the way, except that Emma perhaps is more confident, as she never had to prove herself to anybody. 

Your first novel An Improper Suitor was also a historical romance set in the  Georgian/Regency times. Your historical references and knowledge of the era are quite impressive. In The Other Mr. Darcy, Caroline travels from Netherfield Park in Hertfordshire by carriage to Pemberley in Derbyshire. Your descriptions of the towns and countryside along the route were remarkable. How do you research your novels? Did you actually reconstruct the rout in the early 1800’s to inspire your writing? 

It took me a long time to work out the details of the journey north. I consulted strip maps of the time (literally, maps that are strips. They cover one particular section of the route in detail), I researched each of the places they passed through, and I used only real historic inns of the time. It was a lot of fun, but it took ages. I’m planning to take the route myself one of those days, just to see the actual places. A bit after the fact! 

I’ve visited the places I mention in my next novel, though, so I know exactly what the places look like. It doesn’t make me very popular with my family, I can tell you, because I spend hours taking pictures of every nook and cranny, while they stand around being bored to tears! 

Jane Austen has obviously influenced your writing. You have also mentioned your admiration for author Georgette Heyer when you wrote about her novel The Grand Sophy last summer on Jane Austen Today. What other writers have inspired, influenced, or cajoled you into becoming a writer? Who are you reading right now? 

Speaking of Georgette Heyer, now that’s one writer who’s absolutely amazing with historical detail, because she’d know the routes and the distances between towns and villages at the blink of an eye. Her books are an encyclopedia of information. I remember once painstakingly doing research about some of the famous boxers of the time, and then I picked up one of her books, and in one scene she gave us more information than all the research I’d done!    

I can’t say which writers influenced me most. There are so many. Virginia Woolf was important to me because through her I discovered stream of consciousness writing, and I fell under her spell for a while, until I discovered she was really too melancholy. I’ve loved Oscar Wilde, too, since I was a teen, and I would give anything to be as witty as he is (I haven’t seen Dorian Gray, yet, though I wouldn’t say wit is the strong point in that piece). Another writer I love is Toni Morrison. Perhaps at the back of my mind when I wrote The Other Mr. Darcy I had Jean Rhys’ Wild Sargasso Sea, which gives voice to the madwoman in the attic in Jane Eyre. I’ve read so many types of books, from science fiction to fantasy to postmodern, I can’t begin to say who influenced me. But I’m grateful to them all. 

The only sad thing about writing is that you don’t have as much time to read. 

I read many Jane Austen inspired books over a course of a year, but only a few authors really surprise and delight me as much as you did with The Other Mr. Darcy. Do you have another Austen inspired novel in the queue, or will you take a new direction? 

Thank you for saying that, Laurel Ann. I’ll treasure those words. My next novel, The Darcy Cousins, is coming out in the spring, which is lovely really, because it starts in the springtime. The Darcy Cousins deals with Robert’s sister Clarissa. Meanwhile I’m working on a third book related to Pride and Prejudice, but I can’t reveal more than that. 

Thank you for joining us today Monica. I am looking forward to reading The Darcy Cousins when it is released in the UK (Robert Hale) in March 2010 and in the US (Sourcebooks) in April 2010. 

About the Author

As a literature professor, Monica Fairview enjoyed teaching students to love reading. But after years of postponing the urge, she finally realized what she really wanted was to write books herself. She lived in Illinois, Los Angeles, Seattle, Texas, Colorado, Oregon and Boston as a student and professor, and now lives in London. To find out more, please visit her webite Monica Fairview or her blog Monica Fairview, Author.

Giveaway Contest: Win one of two copies of The Other Mr. Darcy by leaving a comment or question for Monica, or by stating what your favorite Caroline Bingley quote is from Pride and Prejudice.  Contest runs from October 7th – 14th and closes on midnight ET. Contest open to US and Candian residents only. Winners announced on October 15th. Good luck!

And .. yet there is more! Here are even more chances for you to win one of five copies of The Other Mr. Darcy, plus a grand prize winner gets chocolates too. Visit Monica’s blog during the month of October and answer a daily question about Pride and Prejudice to enter the drawing. Then, follow Monica on her Grand Tour of the book blogosphere to enter additional giveaway contests. Here is her blog tour schedule.

• September 28: Fallen Angel Reviews *adult content*
• September 29: The Review from Here/ScribVibe
• September 30: Everything Victorian
• October 1: The Good, the Bad, the Unread
• October 2: A Bibliophile’s Bookshelf
• October 5: Books Like Breathing
• October 6: The Burton Review
• October 7: Bloody Bad Books
• October 7: Austenprose
• October 8: The Long and the Short Reviews
• October 9: Love Romance Passion
• October 11: Curious Statistical Anomaly
• October 12: Good and Bad Books *adult content*
• October 13: Lib’s Library
• October 16: Fresh Fiction

Good luck to all!

Episode 1 of BBC One’s new adaptation of Emma aired in the UK on Sunday, October 4th. As always, the reviews are mixed. Some feel it is beautifully produced, well cast and an interesting new interpretation. Others are disappointed in some of the actors, the non Regency manners, and the screenplay since so little of Jane Austen’s original dialogue is included. I am sitting on the fence at the moment, trying to keep an open mind until I have seen more episodes, and since there are three more to go, I could lean either way. I am, of course, all anticipation of others opinions.

Here is a slideshow of screen caps from episode one for your enjoyment.

P&P is sold. – Egerton gives £110 for it. – I would rather have had £150, but we could not both be pleased, & I am not at all surprised that he should chuse to hazard so much. – Its’ being sold will I hope be a great saving of Trouble to Henry, & therefore must be welcome to me. Jane Austen – 30 November 1812 

Henry Thomas Austen was Jane’s favorite brother and the most instrumental influence upon furthering her writing career. Literature owes a debt of gratitude to him far greater than can be every repaid. Without his assistance her first four novels might not have been published during her lifetime, and certainly he deserves all the credit for negotiating the last two posthumously in 1817. He was also her first official biographer, contributing the ‘Biographical Notice’ included in the publication of Persuasion and Northanger Abbey. It would remain the only biographical information available to the public for over fifty years until the publication of the 1870 ‘A Memoir’ by her nephew, James Edward Austen-Leigh 

Impetuous, impatient and sanguine in nature, Henry’s careers were as varied as his fortunes. Jane described her brother as “not a mind for affliction” and that he ”writes very superior sermons“. His niece Anna Lefroy, daughter of his brother James, left this description of him in her family recollections written in the 1850’s. 

My Uncle Henry Thomas Austen was the handsomest of his family, and, in the opinion of his own father, also the most talented. There were others who formed a different estimate, and considered his abilities greater in shew than in reality, but for the most part he was greatly admired. Brilliant in conversation, and like his Father, blessed with a hopefulness of temper, which, in adapting itself to all circumstances, even the most adverse, seemed to create a perpetual sunshine of the mind. The Race is not however always to the swiftest – it never has been – and though so highly gifted by Nature, my Uncle was not prosperous in life. 

Significant life events 

1771 – Henry Thomas was the fourth child born to George and Cassandra Austen on the 8th of June at Steventon rectory, Hampshire

1788 – Graduated from St. John’s College, Oxford (his father’s & brother’s alma matre)

1789-90 – Editor and contributor of the literary publication The Loiterer with his brother James

1793 – Joined the Oxfordshire Militia rising from lieutenant to captain before he resigned in 1801

1796 – Received his Masters of Arts from Oxford

1797 – Married his widowed cousin Eliza de Feuillide at Marylebone Church in London.

1804 – Founded with two associates the bank Austen, Maunde and Tilson of Covent Garden in London

1805 – Contributed £50 a year to the support his mother & sisters after the death of his father George Austen

1813 – Wife Eliza died on the 25th of April and is buried in Hampstead

1815 – Henry buys back “Catherine” (Northanger Abbey) from the publisher Crosby, to whom he had sold it in 1803

1816 – Bank failure and bankruptcy of Austen Maude & Tilson in London

1816 – Received Holy Orders and became curate of Chawton

1817 – Attended the funeral of his sister Jane on 24 July at Winchester Cathedral

1818 – Wrote the first ‘Biographical Notice’ of his sister included in Northanger Abbey and Persuasion

1820 – Married Eleanor Jackson at Chelsea

1820 – Served as rector of Steventon until 1822

1850 – Died on 12 March at Tunbridge Wells and is buried in Woodbury Park Cemetery

Gentle Reader: In honor of JASNA’s annual meeting in Philadelphia this week, this blog, Jane Austen’s World, and Jane Austen Today will be devoting posts to Jane Austen and her siblings. Look for new links each day.

• Cassandra Austen: Jane’s confidante, supporter and helpmate
• Jane Austen’s Siblings – Rev. James Austen 1765-1819
• Edward Austen Knight: A tightwad or a man with heavy responsibilities? 
• Sir Francis William Austen: Glimpses of Jane’s sailor brother in letters
• Jane Austen’s Siblings – Charles John Austen 1779-1852
• George Austen: Jane Austen’s almost forgotten, invisible brother
• Jane Austen Biographies – Guided by Reason
• Illustrated Books About Jane Austen and Her Milieu

Our party to Ashe to-morrow night will consist of Edward Cooper, James (for a Ball is nothing without him), Buller, who is now staying with us – I look forward with great impatience to it, as I rather expect to receive an offer from my friend in the course of the evening. I shall refuse him, however, unless he promises to give away his white Coat.  – Jane Austen, 14 January 1796 

In January of 1796, Jane Austen was just twenty years old and as this quote from a letter to her elder sister Cassandra implies, her head was full of dancing at a Ball and flirting with Tom Lefroy, the friend that she hoped to receive an offer of marriage from. As many students of Jane Austen’s life and viewers of the popular movie Becoming Jane know this famous and much debated flirtation with her “Irish friend” would not result in a marriage, but only in a separation of the couple by their families. Money over-ruled love in Regency society and unfortunately, neither Jane nor Tom had any. Interestingly, Jane’s eldest brother James Austen was also in attendance at the Ball and on the hunt for a new wife after the sudden death of his first in 1795. The fact that Jane mentions that a Ball would be nothing without him is quite amusing considering he was a widow and ten years her senior. Ironically, she would later write about a married man not dancing at a Ball in her novel Emma, when the newly wed Mr. Elton declines to dance at the Crown Inn claiming to be “rather an old married man, and that my dancing days are over.” In Jane’s eye, her brother James was neither old nor beyond dancing. This small reference is a big insight into his character and her respect of him. 

James Austen was the first child born to Rev. George Austen and his wife Cassandra on 13 February 1765 at the Deane parsonage in Hampshire where the couple resided from 1764-68 before moving into the rectory at Steventon. James was Jane Austen’s eldest brother, his mother’s favorite, and his father’s heir. Described by Austen biographer George Holbert Tucker as “an unequal blending of sociability and brooding melancholy, the later predominating as he grew older,” James was sophisticated, creative, and ambitious; – undoubtably influencing his younger sister’s life. A gentle and studious boy, his parent’s intended for him to follow in his father’s footsteps and become an Anglican minister. At age fourteen he was sent to his father’s alma mater St. John’s College at Oxford. During visits home to Steventon, he organized family amateur theatricals presenting them in the parlor and barn, including writing epilogues to the productions and recruiting his family, neighborhood children, and family friends to perform all the parts. It is believed Jane’s early involvement in these plays influenced her inclusion of a family theatrical in her novel Mansfield Park. 

From an early age James excelled as a writer and poet, and even after his sister’s success as an author, he was always considered the most talented writer in the family. 

His seniority, his sex and his choice of the art of poetry over prose meant that even after his sister had become a highly praised novelist, he was still in all important respects still regarded as the writer of the family. Claire Harman 

In 1786 he embarked on the Grand Tour of the Continent visiting Spain, Holland and his cousin Eliza de Feuillide’s estate in Guienne, France. After his return home he took Holy Orders and was ordained a deacon at St. David’s Cathedral in Pembrokeshire on 19 December 1787. While serving as curate for Stoke Charity in Hampshire, he made a bold move into the world of  publishing by creating with his brother Henry a weekly literary periodical The Loiterer. Intended to showcase his writing talents, it was targeted for Oxford college students but his ambition soon saw distribution extended to London by Jane Austen’s future publisher Thomas Egerton. The periodical ran a little over a year from 1789-90. It is now remembered more for one famous letter published in issue No 9 which is suspected to have been penned by a teenage Jane Austen under the nom de plume Sophia Sentiment. Sadly, The Loiterer closed because his publishing bills outweighed his subscriber’s payments. Disappointed in its closure, James would never attempt to publish anything again in his lifetime. 

He continued his clerical life in 1789 as the curate of Overton in Hampshire, the nearest little town next to his father’s parish at Steventon. In this youth, James had been quite athletic and passionate about riding to hounds. While living in Overton he joined the Kempshot pack and had the honor of foxhunting with the Prince of Wales (later Prince Regent and George IV). One of the local families living at the Old Manor House at Laverstoke was the retired General Edward Mathew. Recently returned from the West Indies, the general had served bravely in the British Army with the Coldstream Guards in Europe, through the American War of Independence, and as the Governor of Grenada his last ten years in service. A bit of a tyrant, it is believed that General Mathew was the inspiration for Jane Austen’s character of General Tilney in Northanger Abbey. Undeterred, James courted his daughter Anne who at age thirty was considered a spinster. 

Anne Mathew must have seen in James Austen her last chance of matrimony, and he had a weakness for elegant, aristocratic young women. Deirdre Le Faye 

They were married 27 March 1792 at Laverstoke in a ceremony performed by his father Rev. Austen. The newlyweds lived at Deane parsonage on a joint income from Anne’s generous father and James’ clerical pay of £300 a year. James kept a pack of harriers (hunting hounds) and Anne an open carriage. Their expenditures quickly outstripped their income. To help the couple Anne’s father purchased the chaplaincy of the 86th Regiment of Foot in 1793 for his son-in-law. Even though the Napoleonic Wars were raging, James gladly accepted the new position and the increase in income, never expecting to go abroad to serve. The couple had one daughter, Jane Anna Elizabeth, born in 1793. Anne died quite unexpectantly on the 3rd May 1795.

By 1796, James was out of mourning and dancing at a Ball at Ashe with his sister Jane and cousin Edward Cooper. A widow with a young child, James quickly turned his attentions to finding another wife. Who better than his cousin the enchanting Eliza de Feuillide, now a widow from the Revolution in France. He courted and proposed, but soon tired of being left dangling by her indecision, moving on to another family friend Mary Lloyd sister of Jane’s devoted friend Martha. They married in 1797 and had two children. Son James Edward was born in 1798 and would later in life become Jane’s first family biographer, and one daughter Caroline Mary Craven born in 1805. 

In 1801 Jane’s father decided to retire to Bath and put his eldest son James into Steventon as curate and rectory locum tenens. The family story goes that when Jane was informed that she and Cassandra would be moving to Bath with her parent’s she fainted from shock. Like her brother James, she enjoyed country life and the society of her family and friends. James would not only now reside in her family home but be officiating over her father’s parish. Besides the abrupt change in Jane’s life, her parent’s would also sell most of their belongings including Mr. Austen’s extensive library and her beloved pianoforte. James’ wife Mary did not make the transition any smoother. Not known for her tact or diplomacy she had never been a favorite of the family. Overeager to move into her new residence, she firmly pushed them along. After the death of Mr. Austen in 1805, James would become rector and continue at Steventon for the rest of his life. A dutiful son, James was the first of Mrs. Austen’s children to offer £50 in financial assistance to support her and his two sisters after his father’s death. 

James valued the solitude of the country and hated to be confined indoors. He and his wife Mary seemed to be opposite personalities. He was a scholar happy in his library or a walk in the woods. She had no patience with books or reading, fretted over finances, and was always the first to be slighted by other’s behavior. When Jane, Cassandra and her mother later moved to Southampton, James and his family often visited them there when they could. After one of their holiday get-togethers Jane noticed a change in her brother. “The company of so good & clever a man ought to be gratifying in itself; but his Chat seems all forced, his Opinions on many points too much copied from his wife.”  The gentle poet and talented writer she had known in her elder brother seemed to be gone. 

Having suffered for years from digestive trouble, James was too ill to attend Jane’s funeral at Winchester Cathedral in 1817. In honor of his sister he took up his pen and composed in a poem in her memory. Shortly after he followed her in death succumbing on December 13th, 1819. He was only 54 years old. He is buried at the churchyard of St. Nicholas in Steventon. A plaque in honor of his service hangs in the church.

After his death, his mother would assess that he excelled at “Classical Knowledge, Literary Taste, and the power of Elegant Composition” in the highest degree, but not at business. Mrs. Austen obviously valued pewter over the pen.

Gentle Reader: In honor of JASNA’s annual meeting in Philadelphia this week, this blog, Jane Austen’s World, and Jane Austen Today will be devoting posts to Jane Austen and her siblings. Look for new links each day.

• Cassandra Austen: Jane’ confidante, supporter and helpmate
• Jane Austen’s Siblings – Rev. Henry Thomas Austen 1771-1850
• Edward Austen Knight: A tightwad or a man with heavy responsibilities?
• Sir Francis William Austen: Glimpses of Jane’s sailor brother in letters
• Jane Austen’s Siblings – Charles John Austen 1779-1852
• George Austen: Jane Austen’s almost forgotten, invisible brother
• Jane Austen Biographies – Guided by Reason
• Illustrated Books About Jane Austen and Her Milieu

Guest review by Christina B.

Many modern versions of Jane Austen’s works fail to hit the mark because the author forces a “rewrite” of the original, altogether forgetting that some scenarios and mores from the Regency era make no sense in the modern day world. Or worse yet, the author fails to deliver any character development – depending almost wholly on the expectation that the reader will be familiar with Miss Austen’s originals. Fortunately, author Sara Angelini’s The Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy is invigorating, yet somewhat comforting, as we meet our old friends in an entirely new setting. Like Bridget Jones’ Diary, the popular 1996 novel by Helen Fielding, The Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy has flavorings of the original Pride and Prejudice: aloof, handsome, and rather stuffy Fitzwilliam Darcy from an ancient line of British aristocracy meets and goes toe to toe with fresh-faced, independent and spunky Elizabeth Bennet. And yes, there is still the great estate of Pemberley in England and a cast of familiar names. But beyond that, this story is refreshingly new, and stands quite on its own. 

As the title eludes, our Fitzwilliam Darcy is a judge and Elizabeth Bennet is the clever attorney who frequently appears before him in court. Following the usual P&P adaptation formula, an unintentional off-handed comment by Judge Darcy is over heard by Elizabeth that only adds to the manifest of other qualities she already detests about him. Do not expect all of the characters from the original novel in this modern re-imagining, nor are they used in the same capacity as in Austen’s work. Exhibit one: you will not find Darcy’s arch nemesis Mr. Wickham running off with his younger sister Georgiana.  Exhibits two and three: there are none of Lady Catherine’s high-handed antics, or even an unwelcome marriage proposal by Mr. Collins. However, there are fleeting “walk on” roles by some of the aforementioned characters but none are a driving force to the plot. I particularly enjoyed how Angelini has also cleverly enhanced Caroline Bingley’s roll as competition to Elizabeth, and confidant to Darcy. My eyebrows did wrinkle concerning some of the refurbished characterizations of Elizabeth’s best friend Louis Hurst, because in all honestly, I did not believe Jane Austen’s Louisa Hurst was ever intended to be a gay male. But I soon got over myself, and found this quirky reinterpretation to be a favorite;  a most-endearing character. I especially love how Angelini has given many of Austen’s famous lines to Lou, even channeling our beloved Mrs. & Mr. Bennet.  

A real-life attorney, Angelini has a very realistic grasp on the legalese. In addition, her understanding and interpretations of dynamic relationships and dialogue is descriptive and believable – although the f-bomb is frequently dropped. I often found myself laughing out loud and shaking my head at the plucky dialogue between Darcy and Elizabeth as well as some amusing antics. Be forewarned, however, the extremely graphic and passionate love scenes will leave you breathless. So delicious, they will leave you craving for more! 

I confess I have been a fan of this particular adaptation of Pride and Prejudice since Angelini first self-publication it in 2007. When I heard that Sourcebooks had picked it up, I was somewhat apprehensive regarding what possible cuts and changes might entail. But my fears were for naught as the edits and stronger back-story only proved to make it a more cohesive and realistic tale. Thankfully, none of my original favorite scenes were deleted and some new scenes were added as well. Nice! 

Although this novel was inspired by Jane Austen’s original and Angelini’s own admission of “Colin Firth’s smoldering haughtiness,” one need not have read Pride and Prejudice (or seen the BBC mini-series for that matter) to enjoy it. But if you are already a fan, then this telling will be an excessively diverting entertainment you won’t want to miss. In conclusion, my factual assertion as witness merits, The Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy is 5 stars. 

5 out of 5 Regency Stars

The Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy, by Sara Angelini
Sourcebooks Landmark (2009)
Trade paperback (338) pages
ISBN: 978-1402221101

Additional Reviews

• Savvy Verse & Wit
• AustenBlog
• A Bibliophile’s Bookshelf
• The Book Girl
• Everything Victorian and more

Ok, now I am really chomping at the bit to see this!

Don’t forget UK viewers. Emma premieres on BBC One Sunday October 4th, at 9:00 GMT

Check out my preview of the cast and production.

Great news for Jane Austen readers and book collectors. The Collector’s Library, a UK publisher has re-issued their popular and distinctive editions of Jane Austen’s six major novels. These compact 5.9 x 4 inch volumes are beautifully designed for easy handling and include these great features: 

• Full-cloth hardcover bindings
• Ribbon markers
• Head and tail bands
• Gilt edges
• Classic illustrations by Hugh Thomson

Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen
With an Afterword by Henry Hitchings
Illustrated by Hugh Thomson

Two sisters of opposing temperament but who share the pangs of tragic love provide the subjects for Sense and Sensibility. Elinor, practical and conventional, the epitome of sense, desires a man who is promised to another woman. Marianne, emotional and sentimental, the epitome of sensibility, loses her heart to a scoundrel who jilts her. True love finally triumphs when sense gives way to sensibility. ISBN: 978-1904633020 

Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen
With an Afterword by Henry Hitchings
Illustrated by Hugh Thomson 

A tour de force of wit and sparkling dialogue, Pride and Prejudice shows how the headstrong Elizabeth Bennett and the aristocratic Mr. Darcy must have their pride humbled and their prejudices dissolved before they can acknowledge their love for each other. ISBN-13: 978-1904633013 

Mansfield, by Jane Austen
With an Afterword by Nigel Cliff
Illustrations by Hugh Thomson  Park

Mansfield Park is a novel about town and country, surface dazzle and lasting values. Fanny Price, a poor relation, is brought up at the wealthy Bertrams’ country house and falls for Edmund, the younger son. Their lives are disrupted, however, by the arrival of the worldly Mary Crawford and her brother Henry. With her usual psychological insight and attention to detail, Jane Austen paints an irresistibly lifelike portrait of shifting values and split loyalties. ISBN: 978-1904633297 

Emma, by Jane Austen
With an Afterword by David Pinching
Illustrated by Hugh Thomson 

When Emma Woodhouse sets out on a career of match-making in the little town of Highbury she manages to cause confusion at every step. Jane Austen was particularly proud of Emma, in which she takes apart the desires and foibles of small-town society with unnerving accuracy. ISBN: 978-1904633006 

Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen
With an Afterword by David Pinching
Illustrated by Hugh Thomson 

Northanger Abbey tells the story of Catherine Morland, a naive young woman whose perceptions of the world around her are greatly influenced by the romantic gothic novels to which she is addicted. When she moves to Bath she sees mystery and intrigue all around her. This is one of Austen’s early works, a broad comedy about learning to distinguish between fiction and reality. ISBN: 978-1904633303 

Persuasion, by Jane Austen
With an Afterword by Henry Hitchings
Illustrated by Hugh Thomson 

Jane Austen’s final novel, her most mature and wickedly satirical, is the story of Anne Elliott, a woman who gets a second chance at love. To achieve happiness she must learn to trust her own feelings and resist the social pressures of family and friends. ISBN: 978-1904633280 

Enjoy!