Fanny (Imogen Poots) and Jane Austen (Olivia Williams) having frisks at Godmersham — drunk and running about garden (Miss Austen Regrets 2008)
Dear friends and readers,
The second of the two letters we’ve discussed this month on Austen-l (see letter 95). Very long, written within 3 days of the first, it represents the actual rhythm of exchange, and is (further typically) filled with people of whom we know nothing and LeFaye is disinclined to give away; there are many tiny vignettes, if incisive still half-formed, so to close read is quite a job. On the first week Diana Birchall took us but 1/3rd the way in.
I’d like to try as an experiment a different way of proceeding than we have been doing lo these weeks, months, and years. I will for a change do a general reading zeroing in on themes — because I feel I am ready to see larger patterns now (having gone through 95 letters just about all by Jane Austen), and get them right as I was not when we began. I will scan the whole letter and place it into the comments for reference. As Diana remained faithful to our proceeding all along, she has the last word.
Gentle reader, if you feel you can, comment on this different way of proceeding and say which you prefer.
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18th century print of Streatham
There’s Jane’s view of herself. It is clear she does not get many compliments and is inclined to think she is not valued, and is sceptical about all such utterances. Towards the end we get a strong statement about how she values Cassandra and the Bigg sisters. She likes being with them better than being at Streatham or Bookham (you can have these fancy houses you see). She says she can’t get used to seeing them in Henry’s carriage. What a view she has of herself. We saw how she couldn’t get over seeing herself in a carriage. She comes back to the weather several times. It’s apparently nice for November. She does this to say to Cassandra that she knows Cassandra is making the most of this in order to enjoy life as best she can. “I was in hopes of your seeing the illuminations and you have seen them.” It’s here an association comes which makes her remember Frank’s use of the past participle or country accent as a boy so fondly. I see an important undercurrent here, which leads me to …
Austen as reader and writer. From the standpoint of books Austen read and admired and her work as a writer: again there is the liking for Crabbe; she’s pleased that the conservative (anti-Jacobin is the phrase used) Elizabeth Hamilton admires her work sufficiently; she does not care if the people at Cheltenham really don’t like her books if they are willing to buy them (“a disagreeable duty”), still “so as they do it” makes her happy. She is working on the 2nd edition of S&S — those long mornings we’ve observed mentioned in other letters must be when it’s done. There is a reference to Madame de Sevigne which suggests that Austen had read her letters. She likens Mrs Hamilton’s relationship with her daughter to madame Sevigne’s with hers.
Cheltenham, the 18th century spa era … again highly idealized
Her brothers: She wants to visit Henry and he has been ill (she says we rejoice sincerely in his gaining ground), and she is aware that the illness is his anxiety and his state of mind for the past year or so (so since Eliza’s death), but it’s clear she is not certain he wants her around. She may see that she’s an uncomfortable person in some ways to have around (she does not like social life, is part of it only it “bits and starts” either because she’s snubbed as older, single, poorer), but she would like to go to be there. I don’t think this is ironic as she repeats the idea more than once. Note she has these plans 3 letters ago to go to Henry quickly but not stay long and has yet to leave.
She also is remembering language as a child that Frank used, with a kind of cherishing — again that strong love for him, which we’ve had some evidence comes from their childhood. The remarks people make about Frank as a boy all come from her passing phrases. He apparently would use the past tense participle when he should not and she imitates this several times even to ‘draved.” It may be she is also imitating his country accent. Poor Mary in the last part of the letter is a reference to Mary Gibson Austen. She was pregnant again. Frank is stuck in the Baltic. Jane thinks of this, and feels for Mary vicariously.
Bath, the River Avon
Edward and she have become quite companionable since Elizabeth’s death: it’s worth remarking that the sharp asides about his miserliness, possessiveness over land, egoism have stopped. She notes that he hates to be around sick people in a previous letter with respect to Lady Bridges. I remind everyone in a previous letter Lady Bridges and her doctor (Parry) and coming to Bath were mentioned and Jane said Edward won’t go to Bath now rather than be around sick people — even if Louisa is going (Edward has had a letter from her we are told at the close). The Lady B seen here is the same sick lady of the previous letter that Edward wanted to avoid, e.g., “Dr Parry does not want to keep Lady B at Bath when she can once move.”
Edward (played very well by Pip Torrens, MAR 2008)
But no sharp comments about Edward over this — earlier much earlier she made fun of his going to Bath for his health and again there is no mockery of this type of him any more. Perhaps the absence of Elizabeth made her like him better. There’s only “you may guess how Edward feels.” He wants to avoid this sick lady and will bring back Fanny Cage (who we must assume didn’t like being around the sick either.) Again I see in John and Fanny Dashwood aspects of this brother and (now dead, mercifully I expect Jane would admit to herself) sister-in-law. Lady B has money and status; as Diana remarks when Lady B wants to leave, she ups and does — unlike Jane who must wait on everyone else. (Anne Elliot’s powerless has its source here.) And Jane admires the decisiveness. I rather suspect she really was so frustrated in the time she had to waste with dullards; the irritation is not so strong as it once was.
Jane and Fanny look through window at men playing cards (MAR 2008)
Jane’s niece Fanny whom we have to accept was her favorite by this time is not too keen on the aunt just now. She favors the younger people around her and Mr Wildman. Jane enjoys running about with them outside the house, sitting in a row for fun — this is used in Miss Austen Regrets (2009) we see Olivia Williams just with Fanny drinking a lot and running about (to be scolded by Edward Bridges in the person of Hugh Bonneville). She does find companionship with Mrs Lefroy’s sister, Mrs Harrison, but note the repeated self-consciousness. She cannot resist praising people who are not eager over the concert (Lady B). She kids about Miss Lee who likes Crabbe and talks up a ball too much — perhaps the woman was pompous.
Yes Jane does not like over refined and elegant people – or laughs at them, or tries to. They irritate her probably because of her own lower status and it must have grated knowing herself to be so much more gifted and yet so undervalued for this.
Notice how she is often paired with Miss Clewes. This is the common way at Godmersham, Aunt Jane and the governess.
On people important to Austen, people who are not relatives: The Hattons (some of whom she has a relationship with) come and go and so do the Bridges. There is another mention of Edward Bridges with an enigmatic statement about why he keeps coming “for more reasons than one.” Apparently Austen did not like him by this time at all. We’ve seen this growing since the beginning of a previous visit to Godmersham. I agree with Diana that Austen at Chilham must’ve met Mr Breton (spelt here Britton), an intelligent man would make it a decent party (“the pleasantest party ever known there”) but note she does not say so. It’s curious how she represses this kind of thing — Cassandra would not like it?
Tomalin remarks how loathe Austen was to mention First Impressions in her letters. This is the same reluctance. Harman sees this as the result of her literary work not being valued by her society or her family enough — or her fear they would think she was getting too full of herself.
The Sherers are really gone — remember last week’s letter (this is the problem with taking such time over these) how she lamented they were really going. She likes Mrs Sherer especially. Perhaps this woman and Mrs Harrison valued her for real somehow the others did not — parts of her personality no one else responded to.
I think by this time she has become cool with Martha altogether. At Worthing might have been a high point for them, but life has intervened. Martha persisted in wanting to marry; is a poor dependent who must sell herself as a companion. They are apart too much and she expected too much of Martha. She expected less of Miss Sharpe and consequently the friendship stays easier — we lack many letters they apparently exchanged.
As will be seen I did this letter differently. I’ve deliberately picked out what is important here.
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A costume used in the 1995 S&S film
Now for the minutiae which make up style and tone. In her first posting on this letter, Diana admired the sweep, concision of “very snug, in my own room, lovely morning, excellent fire, fancy me” — it shows a confidence with language found and way with words like Dickens’s in Pickwick Papers, the famous passage ending “sagacious dog, very.” Austen does the same thing with Mrs Elton only then the style is to send Mrs Elton up. I agree there is a feel of bitterness in her references to the Fowles’s buying her book reluctantly.
Authorship is not paling, but she has not the same first elan and ecstasy after 30 years waiting. It’s only human when you have felt your 2nd edition staring you in the face. The truth was she was not independent, far from it, not making anywhere near enough money to effect a life change.
She is though in the same letter genuinely pleased to be older, to be out of the “rat race” of procuring partners, and looking attractive to young men: “as I must leave off being young I find many Douceurs in being a sort of Chaperon. I am put on the sofa near the Fire & can drink as much wine as I like.” she does not want to be old but as time has enforced age upon her, she finds real compensations.
She finds some of her guests dull, but some she takes real pleasure in and there’s are these strong utterances:
“We had a beautiful night for our frisks.” Like lively horses.
“Dog-tired” the next day. (Why are dogs proverbally tired?)
“The shades of evening are descending, & I resume my narrative” is an interjection between a list of people’s names who might be a “a good ball next week, as far as females go.” Maybe the local area didn’t support assemblies, book circulating libraries.
Jane Austen no longer goes to balls to find male partners. Company, good female company is what she wants — and we see this in this letter from her enjoyment of Mrs Harrison, to her gratitude to Mary Plumptre whom Jane would hardly have known but “was delighted with me, good Enthusiastic Soul!” By contrast, men are “useful” (Mr Gibbs), provide carriages (Henry) or they are “unsteady” (Mr Paget). A rare sort of proto-feminist quip Diana overlooks: “what is wrong is to be imputed to the Lady — I dare say the House likes Female Government.”
Rex Whistler (1905-1944) painting bought by Mr. and Mrs. Robert Tritton at Godmersham is now in the possession of Mrs. Sam Hood (daughter of Mrs. Tritton)
Diana picks up on the quip about Sophia as “comer” (more comments on women) and how Jane disses the Hattons — she is always dissing them, if not the women, then George. This is not the first came and sat and went about them. They were above her socially, lived in far greater luxury, with a bigger library … but now I’m looking for phrases, style, tone that matter I am struck by this:
“Dear Henry! what a turn he has for being ill! & what a thing Bile is!” This attack has probably been brought on in part by his previous confinement & anxiety.”
She hopes it is going fast and then resorts to that time-keeping one sees in her novels: she will look for a good account from Cassandra on Tuesday, but since letters come on Wednesday she can’t hope for the letter written on Tuesday to arrive before Friday. I don’t know why a letter to Wrotham would make Henry feel better. Jane is concerned. When I read this passage and think of the undercurrents about him and his living over his business since Eliza’s death, I am not surprised at his later retreat to a plain woman and quiet curacy. He’d had enough.
Cassandra (Gretta Scacchi) at Chawton (MAR, 2008)
By contrast, Cassandra’s letter is “excellent sweetness … to send me such a nice long letter — it made its appearance, with one from my Mother, son after I & my impatient feelings walked in.’
Her impatient feelings have feet too. Diana ended on something not explained, well after she mentions her mother’s letter she writes; “How glad I am that I did what I did! I was only afraid that you might think the offer superfluous, but you have set my heart at ease.” This brings her back to Henry and her determination to stay with him whether he will or not, “let it be ever so disagreeable to him.” But she has not time or “paper for half I want to say.”
We cannot know what Jane did that she was so glad about and she thought Cassandra might find superfluous except it be her offer to visit Henry. In context it feels to me to be more about her mother. I take the above to be some of the more important tones and sharp memorable turns of phrase and minutiae in this letter.
For Austen’s text and Diana’s close reading see continuation in the comments.
Ellen
Reveries Under the Sign of Austen, Two 
My dearest Cassandra
Having half an hour before breakfast — (very snug, in my own room, lovely morns, excellent fire, fancy me) 1 will give you some account of the last two days. And yet, what is there to be told? — I shall get foolishly minute unless I cut the matter short. — We met only the Brittons at Chilham Castle, besides a Mr & Mrs Osbotne & a Miss Lee staying in the House, & were only 14 altogether. My Brother & Fanny thought it the pleasantest party they had ever known there & 1 was very well entertained by bits & craps.-I had long wanted to see Dr Britton, & his wife amuses me very much with her affected refinement & elegance. – Miss Lee I found very conversible; she admires Crabbe as she ought. – She is at an age of reason, ten year solder than myself at least. She was at the famous BaW at Chilham Castle, so of course you remember her.-By the bye, as 1 must leave off being young, I find many Douceurs in being a sort of Chaperon for I am put on the Sofa” near the Fire & can drink as much wine as I like.
We had Music in the Evens, Fanny & Miss Wildman played, & M’ James Wildman sat close by & listened, or pretended to listen.- Yesterday was a day of dissipation all through, first came Sir Brook to dissipate us before breakfast-then there was a call from M” Sherer, then a regular morns visit from Lady Honeywood in her way home from Eastwell – then Sir Brook & Edward set off-then we dined (5 in number) past 4-then we had coffee, & at 6, Miss Clewes, Fanny & I draved away.
We had a beautiful night for our frisks.-We were earlier than we need have been, but after a time Lady B. & her two companions
appeared, we had kept places for them & there we sat, all six in a row, under a side wall, I between Lucy Foote & Miss Clewes. -Lady B. was much what I expected, I could not determine whether she was rather handsome or very plain.-I liked her, for being in a hurry to have the Concert over & get away, & for getting away at last with a great deal of decision & promtness [sicJ, not waiting to compliment & dawdle s: fuss about seeing dear Fanny, who was half the evens in another art of the room with her friends the Plumptres. I am growing too minute, so I will go to Breakfast. When the Concert was over, M” Harrison & I found each other out & had a a [sicJ very comfortable little complimentary friendly Chat. She is a sweet Woman, still quite a sweet Woman in herself, & so like her Sister!-I could almost have thought I was speaking to M” Lefroy.-She introduced me to her Daughter, whom I think pretty; but most dutifully inferior to La Mere Beaute.” The Faggs & the Hammonds were there, wm Hammond the only young Man of renown. Miss looked very handsome, but I refer her little, smiling, flirting Sister Julia.-I was just introduced at last to Mary Plumptre, but should hardly know her again. She was delighted with me however, good Enthusiastic Soul!-And Lady B. found me handsomer than she expected, so you see I am not so very bad as you might think. for.-It was 12 before we reached home. We were all dog- tired, but pretty well today; Miss Clewes says she has not caught cold, & Fanny’s does not seem worse. I was so tired that I began to wonder how I should get through the Ball next Thursday; but there will be so much more variety then in walking about, & probably so much less heat ilia:perhaps I may not feel it more. My China Crape is still kept for the Ball, Enough of the Concert.
I had a Letter from Mary’ Yesterday. They travelled down to Cheltenham last Monday very safely & are certainly to be there a month.-Bath is still Bath. The H. Bridges’ must quit them early next week, & Louisa seems not quite to despair of their all moving
together, but to those who see at a distance there appears no chance
of it.-Dr Parry does not want to keep Lady B. at Bath when she can
once move. That is lucky.-You will see poor M’ Evelyn’s death.
Since I wrote last, my Zd profitten.” and the ads stare me in the face.-Mary tells me that Eliza” means to buy it. I wish she may. It can hardly depend upon any more Fyfield Estates.v=I cannot help hoping that many will feel themselves obliged to buy it. I shall not mind imagining it a disagreable Duty to them, so as they do it. Mary heard before she left home, that it was very much admired at Cheltenham, & that it was given to Miss Hamilton.” It is pleasant to have such a respectable Writer named. I cannot tire you I am sure on this subject, or I would apologise.-What weather! & what news — We have enough to do to admire them both. I hope You derive your full share of enjoyment from each.
I have extended my Lights & increased my acquaintance a good
deal within these two days. Lady Honeywood, you know;-I did not sit
near enough to be a perfect Judge, but I thought her extremely pretty: her manners have all the recommendations of Ease & goodhumour ot unaffectedness;-& going about with 4 Horses, & nicely dressed herself-she is altogether a perfect sort of oman.-Oh! & I saw Mr Gipps last night – the useful Mr Gipps, whose attentions came in as acceptably to us in handing us to the Carriage, for want of a better man, as they did to Emma Plumptre.-I thought him rather a good looking little Man.-I long for your Letter tomorrow, particularly that I may know my fate as to London. My first wish is that Henry she really chuse what he likes best; I shall certainly not be sorry if he does not want me.-Morning church tomorrow.-I shall come back with impatient feelings. The Sherers are gone, but the Pagets are not come, =e shall therefore have M’ S. again. M’ Paget acts like an unsteady m an. Dr Mant however gives him a very good Character; what is wrong is to be imputed to the Lady.-I dare say the House likes Female Government.-I have a nice long Black & red Letter from Charles, but not communicating much that I did not know. There is some chance of a good Ball next week, as far as Females go. Lady Bridges may perhaps be there with some Knatchbulls — M” Harrison perhaps with Miss Oxenden & the Miss Papillons-& if rs Harrison, then Lady Fagg will come. The shades of Evening are descending & I resume my interesting Narrative. Sir Brook & my Brother came back about 4, & Sir Brook almost immediately set forward again for Goodnestone.- We are to have Edward B. tomorrow, to pay us another Sunday’s visit- the last, for more reasons than one; they all come home on the same day that we go.- The Deedes’ do not come till Tuesday. Sophia is to be the Comer. She is a disputable Beauty that I want much to see.
Lady Eliz. Hatton & Annamaria called here this morne–Yes, they
called,-but I do not think I can say anything more about them. They
came & they sat & they went. Sunday.-Dearest Henry! What a
turn he has for being ill! & what a thing Bile is!- This attack has probably been brought on in part by his previous confinement & anxiety;-but however it came, I hope it is going fast, & mat you will be able to send a very good account of him on Tuesday. – As I hear on Wednesday, of course I shall not expect to hear again on friday. Perhaps a Letter to Wrotham would not have an ill effect. We are to be off on Saturday before the Post comes in, as Edward takes his own Horses all the way. He talks of 9 0′ clock..Weshall bait at Lenham.
Excellent sweetness of you to send me such a nice long Letter;-it
made its appearance, with one from my Mother, soon after I & my
impatient feelings walked in.-How glad I am that I did what I did!-I
was only afraid that you might think the offer superfluous, but you have set my heart at ease.- Tell Henry that I will stay with him, let it be ever so disagreable to him. Oh! dear me!-I have not time or paper for half that I want to say.- There have been two Letters from Oxford, one from George yesterday. They got there very safely, Edward two hours behind the Coach, having lost his way in leaving London. George writes chearfully & quietly-hopes to have Utters on’s rooms soon, went to Lecture on wednesday, states some of his expences, & concludes with saying, “I am afraid I shall be poor.”-I am glad he thinks about it so soon.-I beleive there is no private Tutor yet chosen, but my Brother is to hear from Edward on the subject shortly.- You, & Mrs H and & Catherine & Alethea going about together in Henry’s carriage,seeing sights!-I am not used to the idea of it yet. All that you are to see of Streatham, seen already!- Your Streatham & my Bookham may go hang.- The prospect of being taken down to Chawton by Henry, perfects the plan to me. – I was in hopes of your seeing some illuminations, & you have seen them. “I thought you would came, & you did came.” I am sorry he is not to came from the Baltic sooner.-Poor Mary!-My Brother has a Letter from Louisa today, of an unwelcome nature;-they are to spend the winter at Bath!- It was just decided on. Dr Parry wished it,-not from thinking the Water necessary to Lady B.-but that he might be better able to judge how far his Treatment of her, which is totally different from anything she had been used to-is right; & I [continued below address panelJ suppose he will not mind having a few more of her Ladyship’s guineas.-His system is a Lowering one. He took twelve ounces of Blood from her when the Gout appeared, & forbids Wine &c. Hitherto, the plan agrees with her.-She is very well satisfied to stay, but it is a sore disappointment to Louisa & Fanny.-[Continued upside
down at the top of p. 1J The H. Bridges leave them on Tuesday, & they mean to move into a smaller House. You may guess how Edward
feels.- There can be no doubt of his going to Bath now;-I should not
wonder if he brought Fanny Cage back with him.- You shall hear from
me once more, some day or other. Yours very affectionately: We do not like M’ Hampson’s scheme.”
Miss Austen
10, Henrietta Street
Covent Garden
London
Diana Birchall’s close reading and comments:
I’ve always loved the way she framed this parenthetical sentence, so trimly and cozily: “very snug, in my own room, lovely morning, excellent fire, fancy me”). “And yet,” she continues, “what is there to be told? – I shall get foolishly minute unless I cut the matter short.” She knows the fault of some of her letters, therefore, but launches briskly into her account of thelast two days.
At Chilham Castle she meets the Brittons – only Deirdre tells us these were actually the Bretons, he an elderly minister, described as “little in stature, somewhat odd in appearance, and eccentric in character…a man of extensive learning…who has left no path of science or literature unexplored.” Sounds an interesting person for JA to know, though the footnote does not tell us who wrote this description of him. The party was “only” 14 people, and Edward and Fanny found it the pleasantest party they had ever known there. Jane herself was “very well entertained by bits and scraps,” which does
not sound exactly like full participation. From the description of Dr. Breton, we cannot wonder that Jane says that she had long wanted to see him. She does not describe him to Cassandra, however, only indulging herself in a Jane-like bon mot about his wife, who “amuses me very much with her affected refinement & elegance.” That sort of thing always did amuse her. Was it because it made her feel superior in her greater elegance, though lower status, or was it that this sort of person provided fine comedy inspiration
for her writing? Certainly, depicting affected people as figures of fun wasa great joy of her life.
It reminds us of Anne Elliot, who compared herself with the Musgrove girls thus: “but still, saved as we all are by some comfortable feeling of superiority from wishing for the possibility of exchange, she would not have given up her own more elegant and cultivated mind for all their enjoyments.”
Anne never laughed at silly people, but Jane Austen took the liberty of doing it for her, throughout Persuasion, in which Anne is serious, but Jane laughs at Sir Walter, Mrs. Musgrove, and more.
Now she gives us another bon mot, about a Miss Lee, who admires Crabbe as she ought. With tongue firmly in cheek Austen writes: “She is at an age of reason, ten years older than myself at least.” She adds, “She was at the famous Ball at Chilham Castle, so of course you remember her.” Deirdre conjectures that the ball was one Cassandra attended in 1801, and the “of course” is (of course) jocular; is Cassandra really likely to remember someone seen once at a ball a dozen years ago? Rather she may be laughing at Miss
Lee for making much of the famous ball.
And here is where she makes another of her most quoted remarks: “By the bye, as I must leave off being young, I find many Douceurs in being a sort of Chaperon for I am put on the Sofa near the Fire & can drink as much wine as I like.” She is “chaperon” to Fanny of course, and this also speaks to her being rather left out socially (“bits & pieces”) of this party. Fanny and Miss Wildman (daughter of the house) gave the party some music, and James
Wildman “sat close by & listened, or pretended to listen.” Within a few years this young man was to inherit the estate, lose it, and marry: but Jane Austen only lived to know the first of these three events.
Now she announces, “Yesterday was a day of dissipation all through, first came Sir Brook to dissipate us before breakfast.” By dissipation she means a lot of company, but perhaps not the most exciting company. Sir Brook Bridges of neighboring Goodnestone, and Mr. Sherer the vicar, would be often seen. Then there was “a regular morning visit from Lady Honeywood in her way home from Eastwell,” and she recounts minutely that “Sir Brook and Edward
set off, they dined (5 in number) at quarter past 4.” She uses an antique word: “at 6, Miss Clewes, Fanny & I draved away.” This seems to be a past tense of drive, and it seems clear that Jane is glad to be out of there, because gleefully she terms it, “We had a beautiful night for our frisks.” Were the frisks the driving in the open air, or the next activity in this crowded “day of dissipation”? For now they are at an evening concert, though I
can’t tell what house it is at, and Deirdre does not inform us.
It sounds rather awkward. “Lady B” arrives with her two ompanions, for whom Jane and her party have kept places, and “there we sat, all six in a row, under a side wall, I between Lucy Foote & Miss Clewes.” Lucy was a banker’s daughter who was apparently expected to marry one of the Bridges, but did not. Miss Clewes, of course, is the governess. We are not told who “Lady B” is, and Deirdre does not tell us, but Jane seems not to have met her before. She writes, “Lady B. was much what I expected, I could not determine whether she was rather handsome or very plain. – I liked her, for being in
a hurry to have the Concert over & get away, & for getting away at last with a great deal of decision & promtness, not waiting to compliment & dawdle & fuss about seeing dear Fanny, who was half the evening in another part of the room with her friends the Plumptres.” All this bespeaks of Jane being bored and impatient, as she admires a more powerful woman who has it in
her power to speed things up and get away, which she herself does not!
Just as I was starting to grow impatient of these details myself, Jane’s mind meets mine with another nod of awareness of how she is writing: “I am growing too minute, so I will go to Breakfast.” When she resumes, she writes about Mrs. Harrison, which is more interesting because this is the sister of her late dear friend, Mrs. Lefroy:
“When the Concert was over, Mrs. Harrison & I found each other out & had a very comfortable little complimentary friendly Chat. She is a sweet Woman, still quite a sweet Woman in herself, & so like her Sister! – I could almost have thought I was speaking to Mrs. Lefroy. – She introduced me to her Daughter, whom I think pretty, but most dutifully inferior to La Mere Beaute.” (A reference to Mme. de Sevigne.) In this conversation Jane is not
unimportant; she means something to Mrs. Harrison. Mrs. Lefroy has now been dead nine years, and Mrs. Harrison is her much younger sister.
Jane indefatigably continues describing the people who were there – the Faggs and the Hammonds, and she gives us a nice little word picture of one of the Hammond girls: “Miss looked very handsome, but I prefer her little, smiling, flirting Sister Julia.” She recounts receiving two compliments, which may cynically indicate that she does not normally get many: Mary Plumptre “was delighted with me, good enthusiastic Soul!”, and “Lady B. found me handsomer than she expected, so you see I am not so very bad as you might think for.” Jane Austen has little value for these backhanded compliments.
“It was 12 before we reached home. We were all dog-tired,” she writes, and I should think so! I know I am, and will continue the second half of this long letter next time.
Diana
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Ellen has covered this letter so thoroughly, picking out the most telling points, that there’s not much more I can say about the second half. Let’s see…there is the business about her Second Edition of S & S which “has stared me in the face,” and her letter from Mary, James’s wife, who, admit descriptions of comings and goings from Cheltenham to Bath, informs her that Eliza (Fowle) means to buy the book. Jane’s talk about the book is rather tart: “I wish she may. It can hardly depend upon any more Fyfield Estates. I cannot help hoping that many will feel themselves obliged to buy it. I shall not mind imagining it a disgreable Duty to them, so as they do it.” This is a little more bitter than most of Jane’s usual jocularity; is she disappointed that her books are not bringing in more money, not making more of a splash? For this is far from the ecstacy of “I have got my own darling child.” Instead it stares her in the face. She has seen it before.
Still, she’s pleased that the writer Elizabeth Hamilton has been given the book: “It is pleasant to have such a respectable Writer named. I cannot tire you I am sure on this subject.” This sounds more pleased. Then, “What weather! & what news!” one of her few comments on a political event, Wellington’s decisive victory over Bonaparte in the Peninsular War.
She comments on increasing her acquaintance – superciliously about Lady Honywood, “going about with 4 Horses, & nicely dressed herself – she is altogether a perfect sort of Woman.” Then she’s rather disdainful about Mr. Gipps, recently married to Emma Plumptre and soon to take orders: “I thought him rather a good looking little Man.” After a stream of comings of goings,of Pagets and Sherers, of a letter from Charles that doesn’t say anything she doesn’t know, she interjects rather melodramatically,”The shades of
Evening are descending & I resume my interesting narrative.” It’s not interesting and she knows it!
More comings and goings – Sir Brooke and Edward, Edward Bridges, the
Deedes. Then an epigrammatic line about “Sophia…the Comer”: “She is a disputable Beauty that I much want to see.” Lady Elizabeth Hatton and Annamaria’s visit is evidently the dullest of all dull visits: “I do not think I can say anything more about them. They came & they sat & they went.”
After hearing about Henry’s illness there’s no more dithering about whether she will go see him or not, whether he will want her or not: she’s going. And she’s been wanting news about him – “I & my impatient feelings walked in.” Letters from Oxford: young George says ruefully, “I am afraid I shall be poor.” “I am glad he thinks about it so soon,” she says, in serious auntly mode.
As is usual when one or other of the sisters has some unusual treat, she is all agog at Cassandra, Mrs. Heathcote, Catherine and Alethea “going about together in Henry’s carriage, seeing sights! – I am not used to the idea of it yet.” The use of Frank’s baby language noted by Ellen – “I thought you would came, and you did came.”
Medical matters – Dr. Parry and Lady B. again, his Lowering system, taking twelve ounces of blood, and his not minding having a few more of her Ladyship’s guineas. Lady B will remain in Bath, which is disappointing to Louisa and Fanny. Ellen has reminded us how Edward disliked being around sick people, and now the Bridges are leaving he will it seems have to go back to Bath, presumably to see Lady B, and to bring back Fanny Cage. And that is the divorce end: Jane airily closes with “You shall hear from me once more, some day or
other,” and adds that they do not like Mr. Hampson’s scheme – and as
Deirdre cannot identify this, you may be sure I can’t either. She does say that this man, a baronet, was a republican who did not use his title, hence “Mr.”
Diana Birchall
I would like to reiterate that Ellen and Diana have through this
letter in a thorough way. I wanted to add that I found the letter a
surprising contrast to some of the others in that, rather than staring at a page she doesn’t know how to fill, sometimes because of being vexed that all her news will arrive ahead of time in someone else’s letter, she has this day so much to say she has neither time nor space to due her news justice: “Oh! dear me!-I have not time or paper for half that I want to say.” (Interesting that she doesn’t have paper unless she is being hyperbolic or quoting/mocking someone.) She has been apparently writing all day when she can find time–she marks time: “I am growing too minute, so I will go to Breakfast” and “The shades of Evening are descending & I resume my interesting Narrative. Sir Brook & my Brother came back about 4 ..”
We’ve discussed it many times before, but I can’t help noticing that
she delights in a fire: “excellent fire, fancy me” is part of her
opening and not long after she writes, “I find many Douceurs in being
a sort of Chaperon for I am put on the Sofa near the Fire & can drink as much wine as I like.” We tend to focus on the wine but the fire is equally important to her. This is a woman who has been seriously cold, and cold often enough, that she doesn’t–ever–take a fire for granted, even in a letter where she insists she must clip her words. It reminds us too that this is November, a chilly month. I try to imagine mentioning in a letter being in a room w central heat and I can’t, because I do take warmth for granted.
She does so long to go to London, not only to be with Henry, I imagine, but because she likes London–a different view of JA than in
JEAL.
I read a self-irony or light self mockery in lines like “Miss Lee I
found very conversible; she admires Crabbe as she ought.-She is at an
age of reason, ten years older than myself at least.”
Naturally, I am interested in her comments on the 2nd ed of S&S: “Since I wrote last, my 2d* Edit. has stared me in the face.-Mary tells me that Eliza means to buy it. I wish she may. It can hardly depend upon any more Fyfield Estates.-I cannot help hoping that many will feel themselves obliged to buy it. I shall not mind imagining it a disagreable Duty to them, so as they do it. Mary heard before she left home, that it was very much admired at Cheltenham, & that it was given to Miss Hamilton. It is pleasant to have such a respectable Writer named. I cannot tire you I am sure on this subject, or I would apologise.-What weather! & what news!-We have enough to do to admire them both.-I hope you derive your full share of enjoyment from each.”
It’s interesting but not surprising that JA, who knows what it is to
be cold and is still dependent on the whims of others for
transportation, wants the wealthier people she knows to feel obliged
to buy her book whether they want to or not.
I read the “I can not tire you on this subject” and the quick subject
change to the weather as Jane’s way of saying, “I can’t tire myself
but I am conscious as I write that I’m possibly growing tiresome,” so
“What weather!” Jane can’t expect people to be fascinated by her
novels; after all she is yet a peripheral person; her concerns not
particularly important.
JA is in good spirits, full of wit, in strong command of her language, in the midst of a whirlwind of people–and yet she is so looking forward to leaving. She has had enough–except perhaps for the fires.
In reply to Diane, I lived in England for more than 2 years, most of it in Leeds (up north, then notably colder than down south) and never did I live in any place that had central heat. The most luxurious housing I enjoyed was a gas fire in the central room; that was a flat I rented with my then boyfriend and then husband where we had a bathroom inside the flat, but no heat in the kitchen. During that time I was very alive to being cold and when I was in places that were really warm. In the 18th and 19th century wealthy people would have fires in all the rooms; I doubt the Austens did that.
Goubert suggests Austen wrote all the time — except when socializing which appears to be much more than it was because she does not write about her writing. She was a writing and reading girl.
JA may have wanted to visit Henry and London but it’s clear he was not eager to have her nor is she surprised at his reluctance. She’s been talking up her coming for a couple of weeks now and still no invite. Cassandra went, oh yes. Jane puts it that Henry has “a turn for being ill:” “Dear Henry! what a turn he has for being ill!” Whatever may have come down to us of what she wrote about Henry, she saw through the distortion that he was a worldly cheerful relaxed man. People may not like to be seen through in the immediate sense.
On Elizabeth Hamilton, we read a couple on ECW. They are painfully reactionary. She misunderstands the philosophy she reads incessantly and writes about it in a personally resentful way. I would assume Austen had read Hamilton’s widely-spread (for this era of course) work, and again this way of writing about another author shows a curious lack of insight into the book. That the woman was respectable is of course true and again Goubert writes of how Austen wanted intensely to be respected, respectable as a writer (the determination to follow verisimilitude so obsessively seen is part of her means of achieving this).
Ellen
Christy Somers:
With the last of JA’s Godmersham letters -thank you, Ellen & Diana, the time-line seems right to present a little of Deirdre Le Faye’s (2004 2nd ed.) ending chapter of her `Family Record’ for 1813.
DLF writes:
<It seems probably that during this autumn visit to Godmersham Jane was either starting to make notes for Emma or else writing the final fair copy of [MP] and adding some last-minute finishing touches as she did so; for both Marianne and Louisa Knight, now ages twelve and eight respectively, later on recorded their similar memories of her at this period. Marianne remembered:
"…how Aunt Jane would sit quietly working {sewing} beside the fire in the library, saying nothing for a good while, and then would suddenly burst out laughing, jump up and run across the room to a table where pens and paper were lying, write something down, and then come back to the fire and go on quietly working as before."
Louisa recalled [in a letter to a Lady Campbell in 1856],
"She was very absent indeed. She would sit silent awhile, then rub her hands, laugh to herself and run up to her room…."
DLF continues:
<It seems too that little Louisa went into her aunt's bedroom one evening as Jane was dressing for dinner, and retained imprinted on her memory a bright candle-lit image of her:
From L #13:
"I have made myself two or three caps to wear of evenings since I came home, and they save me a world of torment as to hairdressing, which at present gives me no trouble behond washing and brushing, for my long hair is always plaited up out of sight, and my short hair curls well enough to want no papering. I have had it cut lately by Mr. Butler…"
And DLF ends her 1813 chapter with:
<Edward took Jane to London on 15 November and she stayed with Henry for a fortnight before returning with him to Chawton…It was probably during this visit to London that:
"…a nobleman, personally unknown to her…was desirous of her joining a literary circle at his house. He communicated his wish in he politest manner, through a mutual friend {i.e., Henry}, adding, what his Lordship doubless though would be an irresistible inducement, that the celebrated Madame de Stael would be of the party. Miss Austen immediately declined the invitation. To her truly delicate mind such a display would have given pain instead of pleasure." [from `Pedigree of Austen', R. A. Austen-Leigh]
[end of extract]
Of course, there were letters to Cassandra during this `fortnight' with Henry. I can imagine that they must have been full of this `invitation' drama….inky feelings & mockings, uttered, formed, and sent off….and, very unfortunately for us, not one of them saved.
Also, at the very end of 1813, and at Godmersham, Fanny Knight, having sent and received quite a few `At. J.’ letters during this passing year, did not mention P&P in her special `memorials' of the passing year. She notes -Friday, December 31:
“The remarkable event of this year have been as follows: the arrive of Miss Clewes in Feb. (a treasure). The removal of our whole family in April for 5 months to Chawton whilst this house was painting. Annas engagement to Mr. B. Lefroy. Grandmama B., At. Lsa. & F. Cage removal to Bath in Sept. for the Winter. George first going to Oxford in Octbr. -& the improvement of my acquaintance with Mr. J. Plumptre.”
Publishing occurred on the 28th of January. The day after, Fanny does enter -Friday, January 29th 1813:
`This morning we finished “Pride & Prejudice” -I will resolve on [DLF notes that three words are illegible] perfection!!!’
Christy
[…] the evidence of this letter itself Jane did visit Henry in late November after all. We will recall by early November she had been eager to go for 3 weeks, apparently she did go after all and LeFaye thinks one thing […]