5/19/00 Ashton - "le grand dérangement"

I thought of Linda, our own Louisiana French major, as my wife and I took that fifteen-minute walk to our local theater for a live performance of BeauSoleil. We went to join "recherche d'Acadie" and to mourn "le grand dérangement". But, that made me wonder - can you tell us Linda? - how many in French-speaking Louisiana might care about the English Jane Austen? The auditorium held about 1,000 and, by the end of the evening, there were about 100 couples dancing in the aisles (my wife reminded me that we were not one of them).

5/19/00 Linda - Cajun music and Louisiana

Dear Voices,

I has been 32 years since I left La. (except for 1 year), therefore I had first to find out what a "BeauSoleil" was.  Via an Internet search I found them and their tour dates.  I had no idea that "cajun" music was so widespread.  To us, in the 1950s, cajun music was just something the "local yokels" did.  Since I grew up with it I can't help but like it.  I'm glad that the rest of the world appreciates it also.

In case you are not aware, the "French" part of La. is mostly in the south, the rest being mostly of English descent.  I am from the "English" part.

Since English is the language used in the public schools, I'm sure that they have heard of Jane Austen.  I can only vouch for two of my friends who like Jane as much as I do, and who are of Irish and French descent.  I learned my French from textbooks, therefore it was hard for me to understand the "patios" of the Cajuns.

BTW, last night I was surfing at RoP and found a newbie, Nick Barber from England who not only teaches English but also plays in a cajun band.  I could hardly believe it!  A cajun band made up of Englishmen and women!  So I guess the two do mix somehow!  I was all astonishment!

Back to my research now.
Linda

5/16/00 Dave Payton - [hitz53@aol.com] This looks interesting

Dear Ashton and all,

For Mutter's Tag I bought Jonesy a book titled, The Friendly Jane Austen by Natalie Tyler. It's an entertaining and light and sometimes comical overview of Jane Austen and her works. The only problem I have with the book so far is the cover illustration. It has one of those Barnes and Noble type drawings of our dear Jane. What's disturbing is that it's a picture of Jane as portrayed by Zoe Wanamaker.

But that's not the point of this posting.

In the book is the name and address of a company that specializes in Jane Austen stuff. I don't know what kind of stuff, but I am pretty sure that there will be a few doily type things.

Jane Austen Books
860 N. Lake Shore, Suite 21-J
Chicago, IL 60611-1751
Telephone: 312-266-0080
Fax: 312-266-0081
E-mail: JABooks@aol.com

This has not been a paid advertisement.

By the way, are there any among us here that consider Emma to be lesbian novel?

From the Meister: No.

5/16/00 Julie Grassi - [banya@bigpond.com] Now I'm in dreadful trouble, and it's all Dave's fault ...

Dear Dave,

My husband nags me like an old chook about eating and drinking near the computer, and this morning I finally got my come-uppance   I read your question about Emma (a WHAT novel, for God's sake?), and spilt my coffee all over the keyboard.  How the hell do I get it out before he finds out?  Could I say the cat did it, or something? You got me into this mess, and I expect you to help me to get out of it   otherwise I look like spending a very cold winter in the goatshed.
Julie

From the Meister: I thought you
knew what to do with an old chook?

5/16/00 Dave Payton - [hitz53@aol.com] Keyboards and flannel shirts

Dear Miss Julie,

About the only thing I can suggest concerning the saving of your keyboard is to tell your husband that you think you are coming down with the early stages of carpel tunnel syndrome and that you really should get one of those strange looking Microsoft keyboard that look like they've been in an oven for a few hours. Other than that I can only suggest alcohol, cotton swabs and preparation for the tedium of pulling each key off and cleaning the key post.

I did not come up with this Emma as a lesbian novel idea. Emma Tennant, who seems to have made a bit of a career out of writing sequels to other people's novels (One of which is called Emma in Love) claims that Emma is a lesbian novel. In writing of this sequel to Emma she says:

"I am not taking any liberties. Emma is known as a lesbian book in Jane Austen's oeuvre. It has strong lesbian overtones and undertones."

And so on and so forth.

To which I say, beware of people who use the word "oeuvre".

I see no flannel shirts in Emma or any other of our dear Jane's works.

From the Meister: Um-mm - is it a really bad thing
for a person to have coffee stains on his keyboard?.

5/16/00 Bruce - Emma and lesbianism

To All,

I don’t think Emma is a lesbian novel, but it definitely contains some insights into feminine friendship.  Emma, after all, is attracted to Harriet mainly (at first, at least) because she is pretty.  Our modern emphasis on overt sexuality might deem this a lesbian attraction, but I think Austen recognized it as a simple attraction to beauty. Emma likes Harriet as Pygmalion liked Gallatea(to some extent), and who would want an unattractive Barbie doll?

In fact, there is a narcissism to female sexuality that is apparent in every woman’s magazine. All of the men’s magazines have beautiful, female models on the covers ­ and so do all of the women’s magazines.  Why is that?  Are all women lesbians?

We are all attracted to beauty, and although that attraction can be sexual, it isn’t necessarily sexual.  I’ve heard women (well, girls) say, "She has a good personality" of another woman when they mean, "She’s cute and has a pretty smile."  Even boys and men admire the handsome, athletic boy, even when he’s sort of a jerk.

Of course Emma comes to like Harriet because Harriet worships her.  For Emma, having a pretty, young girl hanging worshipfully on her every word is like being a priestess surrounded by vestal virgins.  It’s also like having a real, live Barbie doll to play with.

5/16/00 Laurie - [l_mease@hotmail.com] Barbie dolls

Dear Bruce and other Voices,

I love the Barbie analogy and I think Bruce's post is right on target.  I really don't think that Emma is about lesbianism, merely about a special friendship between two young women.  Doesn't everyone here have an especially close friend whom they can share everything with and aren't embarrassed to do anything when they're around?

5/17/00 Linda - Close friends

Dear Laurie,

To answer your question: "Doesn't everyone here have an especially close friend whom they can share everything with and aren't embarrassed to do anything when they're around?"

I have a "girl friend" of 34 years - we started out as room mates and married guys who are best friends.  We have "been there" for each other through the ups and downs of marriage and rearing 5 children between us.  Even now, my 2 grown daughters are my "best friends", too.  IMO some people have an inclination to make something "sexual" out of almost everything.  I, also, have "men friends" who are just "friends" (well, there are some things I would be embarrassed to do when they are around :-))

BTW Ash, I am working on collecting those "passionate" passages.  So far I'm half way through Persuasion.  I am an analyst by nature which causes me to notice too many other categories of which I would like to make a list.  Do I get a Masters Degree out of this? :-)

From the Meister: You will be awarded every degree,
title, and privilege that are in my gift to bestow. <[|:o)

5/19/00 Dave Payton - [hitz53@aol.com] The Two Emmas

Dear Janeites,

Since posting the message concerning the lesbian Emma theory I have found out a bit more about the novel in which the theory is put forth.

Here is a synopsis printed in The Friendly Jane Austen by Natalie Tyler:

Tennant, Emma. Emma in Love. London: Fourth Estate, 1996. The notorious continuation of Emma: Mr. Knightly is an impotent yenta, Emma's lesbian attraction to Jane Fairfax runs deep and Miss Bates either is suffering from Tourette's syndrome or has simply decided to abbreviate her loquacity to the use of four letter words.

So there you have it. It was Jane Fairfax all along! Not Harriet. Boy, was I snookered.

I guess it just goes to show that before one builds a second story on an existing structure it might help to study the architecture of the original. Otherwise you might come up with some sort of combination Gothic-Bauhaus freak.

By the way, there is also listed a book entitled Antipodes Jane: A Novel of Jane Austen in Australia by Barbara Ker Wilson. There's no description. It may have something to do with our dear Jane's secret life on Tasmania.

5/14/00 Ashton - I am out of my depth, so I choose discretion

Dear Julie,

There is no way that I will ever allow myself to be overmatched.

I agree that the Brontes are everything that you say, and I admit that all my statements have been exaggerations. While I have been truthful, I have not been careful enough to give my complete opinion. The women were brilliant and talented artists; their novels will be read as long as those of Jane Austen.

I really was trying to make a point about the "neo-gothic" thing. I mean, what is the difference between Jane Eyre and those things that Catherine Morland and Emma Woodhouse were reading? Well, obviously, Charlotte Bronte was ten-times a better writer than Mrs. Radcliffe, but what about the atmosphere and the plot? Of course, I tend to block on these things - to me, the only difference between the "romantic' and the "gothic" is the quality of the writing.

And before you, John, or Heather send the knockout punch, let me hurriedly say this, while still conscious: Frankenstein and The Last Man are definitely gothic ("neo-gothic"?, "romantic"? "heroic romance"?) and you know how much I admire those novels. I mean, my labels are not necessarily pejorative.

5/15/00 Linda - Re: Tony award nominations, etc.

Dear Dave,

Just to make it more interesting, Jennifer Ehle's mother, Rosemary Harris is also nominated in the same category.

By the way, to stick that pole even further into the hornet's nest, a friend told me (so I can't vouch for the accuracy of this) that those children who have done all those shootings at school were on prescription drugs which are known to cause behavior problems - something else that a lot of people would like to ignore.

And Ash, now that I know who "Mary" and "Sam" are on the MW-Day postings, all I can say is "Quit messing with my mind (what little I have left), please!"

I do enjoy the banter here and have a lot of study to do to catch up with you all. Now, back to the books.
Linda

5/15/00 Ashton - Ah-hh - my favorite subject

Dear Linda and Dave,

Is not the Tony an American award? Does this mean that both Jennifer Ehle and her mum are on Broadway? Cool! You may know that papa Ehle is a screenwriter and an American. Rosemary Harris once said that her daughter wrote so well that she expected Jennifer to follow in her dad's footsteps. We shouldn't be surprised that Jennifer can write well given that she proved, by her performance in P&P-95, that she could read Jane Austen's novel to perfection. By the bye, Jennifer Ehle won Britain's highest film-actress award for her portrayal of Elizabeth Bennet.

Linda: now that you know who "Sam" and "Mary" are, I can tell you that "HeatherBee" is my eleven year old niece - my brother's daughter. Her poem gives some insight into what youngsters must think about these days. She is precocious, the student-body president of her grammar school, and, usually, of high good spirits. HeatherBee does not have a brother and has never been near Colorado, so I think I will take her and her dad there on a train trip.

If I waited until I caught up to the others, I would never post a thing. The problem with "catching up" is that you must follow, and that cannot be a good idea. And besides, I thought you promised to help find all the passionate, feeling passages in Jane Austen's novels so that we can turn the world around on how it thinks about Jane Austen? I doubt that can be done by following anyone.

5/23/00 Ashton - Claire Tomalin on this subject

Dear Folks,

This is not the first time Ms. Tennant's exploitation of Jane Austen has been mentioned at this web site. Here is a link to my reaction in 1998. I am especially amused at one sentence in Dave's quote from Ms. Tennant, "I am not taking any liberties. ..." What, exactly, does she call the writing of a sequel to Jane Austen's Emma? I can't speak for her, but I call that presumptuous.

I very much concur with the way you all reacted to this, and I hope I can underscore your statements by pointing to some interesting facts. For one thing, Emma Woodhouse encouraged Harriet to read Romance of the Forest and, then encouraged her to enlist Mr. Martin to read it as well. That is one of Mrs. Radcliffe's gothic novels, and it is a heroic romance in which a girl, a natural child, raised in a convent undergoes many impossible adventures before learning, at the end of the novel, that she is actually of noble birth and an heiress. That little fact sheds some light on the romantic notion that Emma held for her little Barbie doll. You have to be a bit of a fool to imagine that Emma wished to hit on Harriet or Jane Fairfax - that is the foolish, wishful thinking of a lesbian author - a person more lesbian than author.

Tennant's standards are too low - for judging this sort of thing. I thought to reproduce some true "lesbian overtones and undertones" from that period and thereby display more meaningful standards. I will quote Claire Tomalin for this purpose. Incidentally, I picked up Tomalin's biography of Wollstonecraft in a used bookstore and I think it out of print - that's unfortunate. She published a biography of Jane Austen recently and that is very popular although I think it less well done than her life of Wollstonecraft. Ms. Tomalin also has a biography of Shelley that I have not seen and cannot locate, but I would love to get my hands on it.

Before I get started, I want to make some remarks about Mary Wollstonecraft. She thought herself unattractive - you be the judge. She was a fool at times; she was sometimes made a fool by others, and at other times - too many other times - she needed no help. She was also brilliant at times. When she died, some say she was the most famous woman in Europe. No one ever said anything like that about Jane Austen. My love and admiration for Jane Austen are unqualified, but can I ever really know someone who came from her kind of family, her kind of elegant, civilized, intellectual, supportive environment? I can only try to imagine - and I do. Mary Wollstonecraft is more within my ken.

Mary Wollstonecraft wore her heart on her sleeve. I am going to quote from that part of the biography beginning in Mary's early teens. These quotes will give you some sense of Mary's relationship to her friend, Fanny Blood. Actually, most of this knowledge comes from Mary's correspondence with another friend, Jane Arden, and from Mary's reminises reported by her husband, William Godwin, in his biography of his wife.

Here are snippets of young Mary's correspondence with the young Jane Arden before she met Frances Blood - Fanny; obviously, there had been a quarrel with Jane over a rival.

"If I did not love you I should not write so; - I have a heart that scorns disguise, and a countenance which will not dissemble. I have formed romantic notions of friendship. ... I am a little singular in my thoughts of love and friendship; I must have the first place or none. I own your behavior is more according to the opinion of the world, but I would break such narrow bounds. ... Love and Jealousy are twins. ... I spent part of the night in tears; ... I have not time to write fully on the subject, but this I am sure of, if I did not love you, I should not be angry. - I cannot bear a slight from those I love. ... P.S. I keep your letters as a memorial that you once loved me, but it will be of no consequence to keep mine as you have no regard for the writer ... your humble servant, Mary Wollstonecraft."

The Life and Death of Mary Wollstonecraft,
Claire Tomalin - Chapter 1 -

Jane Arden kept all of Mary's letters.

When Mary was sixteen, she met Fanny Blood who was eighteen; Fanny was prettier, the better educated, the better mannered, the more talented, and the more self-assured - at the time, but that condition would reverse over the term of the relationship. In the Memoir of his wife, Mary, Godwin described the encounter as one that "bore a resemblance to the first interview of Werther and Charlotte ... The first object that caught [Mary's] sight was a young woman of slender and elegant form ... busily employed in feeding and managing some children ... the impression that Mary received from this spectacle was indelible; and, before the interview was concluded, she had taken, in her heart, the vows of eternal friendship.".

Claire Tomalin would add

"... [Fanny] danced before Mary's eyes with a promise of happiness, exactly as Jane [Arden] had done before. Fanny's love might make up for the injustices of life at home, and she might even teach Mary to become as perfect as she was. Mary's determination to experience the ideal friendship rushed her into immediate commitment, and at first Fanny seemed eager to fill the role Mary assigned to her: there was a long initial period of discovery and enjoyment ... and teasing by their families over their urgent need to spend time together. ... [However,] Fanny was no more able than Jane to sustain a passionate sentimental relationship of the kind that Mary wanted; she found her eagerness greeted with an increasingly cool response. ... [Mary] coped with the situation by assuming her natural dominance; if she could not be beloved, at least she could be the lover. ... Mary assumed the position of a chivalrous suitor: she worshiped, but presently she began to condescend too, like a Victorian bridegroom. ... [Mary] cherished her better than anyone in the world; and she began to make plans for living with her--a prospect of 'superlative bliss'. But it was clear that the dream rested on Mary's needs rather than Fanny's real qualities."

The Life and Death of Mary Wollstonecraft,
Claire Tomalin - Chapter 2 -

This is Mary Wollstonecraft we are talking about, and when that woman had a dream, she would take the steps required to fulfill it. First Mary took a job as a paid companion: Tomalin writes, "It was an adventure, a way of earning and saving some money for her future with Fanny, ..." - and Mary also found it degrading, but she kept her goal in mind - "it was also a brave move for a girl not absolutely obliged to leave home and earn her living. ... And she made a success of it." Mary wrote this to Jane Arden

"The roses will bloom when there's peace in the breast, and the prospect of living with my Fanny gladdens the heart:--You know not how I love her. ... I have now given up every expectation and dependence that would interfere with my determination of spending my time with her.--I know my resolution may appear a little extraordinary, but in forming it I follow the dictates of reason as well as the bent of my inclination; for tho' I am willing to do what good I can in my generation, yet on many accounts I am averse to any matrimonial tie."

The Life and Death of Mary Wollstonecraft,
Claire Tomalin - Chapter 2 -

Tomalin suggests that Mary had an example in the

"... elopement of Lady Eleanor Butler with Sarah Ponsonby in 1779; their behavior caused a furor of admiration. ... the escaping pair set up a temple of friendship for themselves in a Welsh valley, Llangollen Vale; ... and became the envy of many women with no taste for the ordinary arrangements of society. ... [However,] women of the world knew perfectly well what lesbianism was, but regarded it is as a dirty little vice of servant girls, boarding schools, and actresses, ... (fn: Mrs. Piozzi, for instance, spoke freely in her diary about the lesbianism of actresses, ...)."

The Life and Death of Mary Wollstonecraft,
Claire Tomalin - Chapter 2 -

Then as now - Incidentally, Mrs. Piozzi, the former Mrs. Thrale, was a particular friend of Samuel Johnson.

There were men in the lives of Mary and Fanny; Tomalin writes, "It is rather a relief to discover it." But, at this point in her life, she would read too much into an initial kindness and respect, and then frighten the male suitor away with her overly ardent response.

Let me make things a bit briefer by quickly summarizing the facts of how this played out - it played out as a tragedy. Mary decided to open up a school because that enterprise required little capital and no qualifications. She set up the establishment for herself, Fanny, and Mary's two younger sisters. Mary was in her early twenties and the dominant member of the group. Then, sadly, Fanny developed tuberculosis and required a change in climate. So, Mary hit upon the scheme of marrying Fanny off to a rich business man who could take Fanny to Portugal. Mary didn't think this through. After Fanny's marriage to a certain Mr. Hugh Skeys and their departure, Mary decided to pull up stakes and join the Skeys' household in Portugal. Some say that she was to go there to share more than Mr. Skeys's hospitality, but I think that Mary cannot have had sex on her mind at all. The situation was this: Fanny was tubercular, living in a Catholic country, under an unfamiliar hot sun, and out of reach of the better medical advice of the times - and she was pregnant - Mary had not thought this through. Only God could help Fanny, but she chose not to. Think about this, Mary traveled alone to Portugal, the trip took thirteen days on a ship (the return took thirty). Mary arrived just as Fanny was taken to bed to deliver her child - it was to be her deathbed - and the child's as well. Be impressed with Mary's bravery and daring and also think of this: before this time, Mary and Skeys had disliked one another (I wonder why?) but after the tragedy played out, they became dear friends, lifelong friends. Each had good reason to choke the other, but that was not Mary's way. Back home, the school failed in Mary's absence.

Much later, Mary would be traveling in Scandanavia and among her published reminisces at that time were plenty of lesbian (as well as heterosexual) "overtones and undertones", not the imagined kind, ala Ms. Tennant, but the real, heartfelt kind. At one point, Mary expressed another sentiment.

"... I cannot, without a thrill of delight, recollect ... looks I have felt in every nerve which I shall never more meet. The grave has closed over a dear friend, the friend of my youth; still she is present with me, and I hear her soft voice warbling as I stray over the heath. Fate has separated me from another, the fire of whose eyes, tempered by infantine tenderness still warms my breast; ... Her sweet blushes I may yet hide in my bosom, and she is still too young to ask why starts the tear, so near akin to pleasure and pain?"

A Short Residence in Sweden, Norway and Denmark
Mary Wollstonecraft - letter six -

She was referring to her travelling companion, her infant daughter that Mary had temporarily to leave in the care of a nurse - that infant daughter that had been awarded the given name of "Fanny".