How much do you know about the works of one of our best-loved classic authors? What really motivates the characters, and what is going on beneath the surface of the story? Using So You Think You Know Jane Austen? A Literary Quizbook by John Sutherland and Deirdre La Faye, we’ve selected twelve questions covering all six of Austen’s major novels for you to pit your wits against. Whether you are an expert or an enthusiast, we hope you’ll learn a little extra than you already knew.

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Joan Aiken’s passion for history often led her to wonder ‘what if’ things had turned out differently.  What if, for instance,  Jane Austen’s early novel, originally entitled ‘Susan’ and sold to a publisher in 1803, and which then languished unpublished until she furiously bought it back for £10 thirteen years later, had in fact appeared, even maybe without the knowledge of its author, and had been in the pocket of a young nobleman who ran away to join the Peninsular wars in Spain at the beginning of the 19th century.

The young man falls in love, and marries an aristocratic Spanish girl who dies having his baby, and he watches over the boy, disguised as a groom until his own death, when he leaves a letter, and his treasured book to the boy, Felix Brooke,   with a message telling him to seek out his long lost family in the city of Bath, England where the action of Austen’s novel takes place.  For Joan Aiken imagines that this is in fact Jane Austen’s early novel, ‘Northanger Abbey’ which was written in the full enthusiasm and confidence of youth, and is a delightful parody of all the Gothic romances so popular at the time.  It is also a description of an innocent abroad, a heroine with a head full of fantasy from reading too many novels,  who finds herself alone in a dangerous world struggling to make sense of the behaviour of unscrupulous villains or apparently solicitous friends with nothing but the world of fiction to guide her.  This is much the same world that the Spanish orphan, young Felix Brooke encounters, but in a truly wild and Gothic landscape  with terrifying brigands and murderers, mountain tribesmen looking for a human sacrifice, pirates who specialise in the kidnap of children,  with only the assistance of Austen’s novel to sustain and comfort him.

In Joan Aiken’s Go Saddle the Sea Felix is recounting his story:

“The book, Susan, was an odd tale about a young lady and her quest for a husband; to tell truth, I wondered what my father had seen in it, that he had even carried it with him into battle; I found it rather dull, but since it had been my father’s I kept it carefully (his bloodstains were on the cover).”

Later in his adventures, having escaped various perils by the skin of his teeth and the use of his not inconsiderable wits, Felix has time to look into the book again, and reconsiders:

“I had opened it at the place where Miss Susan, going to stay with her great friends in their abbey-residence, is terrified at night by a fearful storm and the discovery of a paper,hid in a closet in her bedroom, which she takes to be the confession of some wicked deed of blood – only to find, next day, that the mysterious paper is naught but a washing bill!  For the first time, this struck me as very comical; yet, reading it through again, I could see that the writer had represented the poor young lady’s terrors very skilfully; just such a nightmarish terror had I felt myself among those unchancy people in that heathen village – and yet for all I knew, my fears were equally foolish and unfounded!  I began to see that this was not such a simple tale as I had hitherto supposed, but must be attended to carefully; and I gave my father credit for better judgement than I had at first…wondering what kind of man my father had been..and hoping that some person in England would be able to tell me more about him.”

In an article for the Jane Austen Society, Joan Aiken describes with relish the content of  Mrs. Radcliffe’s bestseller, The Mysteries of Udolpho, which Austen had gleefully satirised:

“If we take a look at the works of Mrs. Radcliffe, we can easily see what tempted the youthful Jane Austen to poke fun at them…[they were] enormous historical canvases splashed over with forests and beetling fortresses and dark crags in the Appennines.  Mrs. Radcliffe went in for immense casts of characters on a positively Shakespearian scale (she was in fact much influenced by Shakespeare for whom she had great admiration); she had stabbings and shootings, suicides and assassinations; interspersed, for comic relief, by long scenes with garrulous Shakespearian-type servants; she had immensely complicated family relationships, long-lost relatives in every possible connection, suggestions of incest, mysterious resemblances, and, besides all this, a large number of startling, apparently supernatural occurrences..”

From this we can see that these writers had an equally powerful influence on Joan Aiken’s own work, and by setting her novel,  Go Saddle the Sea in just such a rip roaring Gothic world of her own in 19th century Spain, and with a nod at Austen’s own parody, she could have the best of all worlds!

 

Go Saddle the Sea is the first of the three ‘Felix’ Novels just about to come out in gorgeous new editions in the UK

For more details about all three books visit the Joan Aiken page at Random House

or visit the Felix pages at The Wonderful World of Joan Aiken

*****

Filed under: Book Review, Joan Aiken & Jane Austen, News Tagged: Felix Trilogy, Go Saddle the Sea, Jane Austen, Joan Aiken new books coming out, Joan Aiken Page Facebook, Northanger Abbey, Random House

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Chapter 19 - the very short version Catherine and Henry discuss the love triangle among Isabella Thorpe, James Morland and Captain Tilney.

Chapter 19
For me, this chapter is full of reasons to love Henry Tilney and Catherine Morland, and for rather different reasons. Catherine's part of the conversation further develops her as a kind-hearted, well-intentioned, empathic soul. She worries that Captain Tilney does not know of Isabella's engagement to James, believing that a man who knew of it would not pursue Isabella. She worries that Isabella is not aware of her conduct, believing that her friend would not purposefully lead Captain Tilney on or act in any way that might hurt Catherine's brother. She worries that James either does not see what is happening, or will be hurt by it.

I will remind you of something that Henry Tilney said back in Chapter 16 as a means of looking at Catherine's worries:

Henry smiled, and said, "How very little trouble it can give you to understand the motive of other people's actions."

"Why? -- What do you mean?"

"With you, it is not, How is such a one likely to be influenced, What is the inducement most likely to act upon such a person's feelings, age, situation, and probable habits of life considered? -- but, How should I be influenced, what would be my inducement in acting so and so?"

Henry was correct, you see. Catherine would never flirt with another man when already in love; as we've already seen, once Henry Tilney truly entered the scene, it was all she could do to actually pay attention to John Thorpe (who is so delusional that he probably mistook that for the utmost expression of affection - it is, after all, always opposites day in Thorpeland).

In the present scene, I find these additional reasons to love Henry Tilney:

1. He neither dismisses her fears nor refuses to discuss them, even though it led him to an intimate discussion of the love lives of others.

Dear Miss Austen - I see what you did there. Our main characters having a discussion about a love affair that appears to be on the rocks is indicative of the main characters drawing exceedingly close together. I applaud you, madam.

2. He hears her out. Even though one might expect him not to, under the circumstances. And he doesn't take offense even when some of her questions amount to "what sort of man is your brother?", which is, after all, rather impertinent.

3. He tries to help Catherine see things from a different perspective, although Catherine is only able to go so far. It begins at the point in the conversation where he draws a distinction between Frederick's attentions to Isabella and her receiving of it.

"And are you sure it is my brother's doing?"

"Yes, very sure."

"Is it my brother's attentions to Miss Thorpe, or Miss Thorpe's admission of them, that gives the pain?"

"Is not it the same thing?"

"I think Mr. Morland would acknowledge a difference. No man is offended by another man's admiration of the woman he loves; it is the woman only who can make it a torment."

Catherine blushed for her friend, and said, "Isabella is wrong. But I am sure she cannot mean to torment, for she is very much attached to my brother. She has been in love with him ever since they first met, and while my father's consent was uncertain, she fretted herself almost into a fever. You know she must be attached to him."

"I understand: she is in love with James, and flirts with Frederick."

"Oh! no, not flirts. A woman in love with one man cannot flirt with another."

"It is probable that she will neither love so well, nor flirt so well, as she might do either singly. The gentlemen must each give up a little."

After a short pause, Catherine resumed with, "Then you do not believe Isabella so very much attached to my brother?"

"I can have no opinion on that subject."

Henry reveals that he understands exactly what the situation is, as do we, the readers. His parting remark, "I can have no opinion on that subject", is very precisely (or, as Henry himself might say, "nicely") stated. Henry is not saying that he does not hold an opinion on the subject; he is saying that under the rules of society, he is not supposed to express his opinion on the subject.

Catherine continues to worry about leaving Captain Tilney behind in Bath with Isabella and James once she and the rest of the Tilneys leave for Northanger Abbey. Henry's response to her is honest, even if Catherine takes it to mean more than what Henry actually says. After all, she believes Isabella still to be kind-hearted and in love with James, as opposed to manipulative and in love with the idea of marrying a large fortune. Still, what he says makes sense no matter how you understand Isabella, and shows Henry to be a man of good sense, as well as a man doing his best to put Catherine at ease even though he understands, as she cannot, what the precise situation is.

He believes what he says in closing to be true: "Though Frederick does not leave Bath with us, he will probably remain but a very short time, perhaps only a few days behind us. His leave of absence will soon expire, and he must return to his regiment. -- And what will then be their acquaintance? -- The mess-room will drink Isabella Thorpe for a fortnight, and she will laugh with your brother over poor Tilney's passion for a month." I should note that in this, Henry is mistaken because he has credited Isabella with being a woman who is intelligent enough to realize that Captain Tilney would only ever marry a woman with a large dowry. Isabella, while not unintelligent, is banking on beauty and flirtation to be enough to land herself an heir, and she's hoping to string James along in case she can't boat this particular whale.

Today's picture, by the by, is by Hugh Thomson, an illustrator from Victorian England who did illustrated versions of Austen's novel. This one is entitled "The Mess Room Will Drink Isabella Thorpe for a Fortnight".

En la mañana: Northanger Abbey or bust! Now, with Gothic tales from Henry!

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Chapter 16 - the very short version Catherine has an extended visit at Milsom Street; the eldest Tilney son turns up and dances with Isabella; next day, Isabella hears from James Morland about expenses.


Character/costume sketch by Margaret Fletcher in 1895 for a stage
adaptation of Northanger Abbey written by Rosina Filippi

Chapter 16
Catherine's trip to see the Tilneys at Milsom Street proves to be a bit of a disappointment. Both Henry and Eleanor are subdued for some reason. Check out how clearly Austen tells us that General Tilney's the reason for everyone being so proper and polite and distant, while avowing that "It could not be General Tilney's fault. That he was perfectly agreeable and good-natured, and altogether a very charming man, did not admit of a doubt, for he was tall and handsome, and Henry's father. He could not be accountable for his children's want of spirits, or for her want of enjoyment in his company." Brilliant use of double-speak, and a reader would be hard-pressed to miss out on what was going on here, even though Catherine manages to miss it.

Isabella, you will be unsurprised to learn, is more than happy to tear into the Tilneys at the slightest provocation (having, after all, lost Catherine for the last carriage ride two chapters ago). And check out this bit of commentary from Isabella, who is trashing Henry (knowing, as she does, that her own brother fancies Catherine, being safely engaged to James - so that perhaps Catherine isn't quite so necessary to her - and resenting Catherine's growing attachment to the Tilneys in general):

" . . . And then the brother, he, who had appeared so attached to you! Good heavens! well, some people's feelings are incomprehensible. And so he hardly looked once at you the whole day?"

"I do not say so; but he did not seem in good spirits."

"How contemptible! Of all things in the world inconstancy is my aversion. Let me entreat you never to think of him again, my dear Catherine; indeed he is unworthy of you."

"Unworthy! I do not suppose he ever thinks of me."

"That is exactly what I say; he never thinks of you. -- Such fickleness! Oh! how different to your brother and to mine! I really believe John has the most constant heart."

Isabella on inconstancy
I'd like to talk in particular about the bit I bolded. First, we already suspect Isabella of inconstancy, and if you've read as far as the end of this chapter, you've already seen it in action. Second, in the first part of the bolded section, she claims to despise inconstancy, yet in the next sentence, she encourages Catherine to become inconstant toward Henry. Third - and this overlaps with the first point - this is foreshadowing in a big way. We know we can't trust what a Thorpe says, and we shall see Isabella's inconstancy writ large e'er long. Finally, we see evidence of Isabella's inconstancy very soon after. It's plain from how she claims not to want to dance that it's likely she will, and that her saying she wants to keep her engagement a secret (why? who can say?) is obviously a falsehood as well.

At the Rooms
Eleanor is wonderful, Henry makes a beeline to ask Catherine to dance, and Captain Frederick Tilney turns up. Catherine "supposed it possible that some people might think him handsomer than his brother, though, in her eyes, his air was more assuming, and his countenance less prepossessing*. His taste and manners were beyond a doubt decidedly inferior". Captain Tilney, it turns out, is a bit of a rogue.

*prepossessing: "tending to create a favorable impression" (according to Merriam Webster)

Discourse between Henry and Catherine
One of my favorite quotes from the entire book is in this chapter. Here's the dialogue in which it occurs:

"Your brother will not mind it, I know," said she, "because I heard him say before that he hated dancing; but it was very good-natured in him to think of it. I suppose he saw Isabella sitting down, and fancied she might wish for a partner; but he is quite mistaken, for she would not dance upon any account in the world."

Henry smiled, and said, "How very little trouble it can give you to understand the motive of other people's actions."

"Why? -- What do you mean?"

"With you, it is not, How is such a one likely to be influenced, What is the inducement most likely to act upon such a person's feelings, age, situation, and probable habits of life considered? -- but, How should I be influenced, what would be my inducement in acting so and so?"

"I do not understand you."

"Then we are on very unequal terms, for I understand you perfectly well."

"Me? -- yes; I cannot speak well enough to be unintelligible."

"Bravo! -- an excellent satire on modern language."

"But pray tell me what you mean."

"Shall I indeed? -- Do you really desire it? But you are not aware of the consequences; it will involve you in a very cruel embarrassment, and certainly bring on a disagreement between us.

"No, no; it shall not do either; I am not afraid."

"Well, then, I only meant that your attributing my brother's wish of dancing with Miss Thorpe to good-nature alone convinced me of your being superior in good-nature yourself to all the rest of the world."

Catherine blushed and disclaimed, and the gentleman's predictions were verified. There was a something, however, in his words which repaid her for the pain of confusion; and that something occupied her mind so much that she drew back for some time, forgetting to speak or to listen, and almost forgetting where she was; till, roused by the voice of Isabella, she looked up and saw her with Captain Tilney preparing to give them hands across.

I love the many things Austen does in this bit of dialogue:

1. We learn more about Catherine's good nature, as she infers nothing but benign motives on Captain Tilney's part (when he's more likely thinking "what a fine piece of womanflesh", or something equally - or more - crass).

2. We learn more about Isabella's inconstant nature; having sworn not to dance, she jumps at the first chance to dance with Captain Tilney (the presumptive heir). Later, she babbles about him and indicates how very flattered she was (while stating the opposite, since, as you know, pretty much every day is opposites day in Thorpe-land).

3. We learn quite a bit about Captain Tilney, who is not as well-mannered as his brother, and who doesn't take "no" for an answer but goes after what he wants.

4. We learn more about Henry - how well he understands Catherine, and how very highly he thinks of her. It makes me positively giddy knowing that he appreciates her for her kind-hearted nature.

5. Catherine gets an idea that Henry really likes her; you know - likes her, likes her.

6. The exchange serves as highly entertaining and amusing wordplay on its own, without taking any of the prior points into account. Brava, Miss Austen!

On the marriage between James and Isabella
James's letter indicates that Mr. Morland is turning over a living worth 400 pounds a year (not a lot, but enough to start with), and that he and Isabella are going to have to wait 2-3 years before they can marry (since James has to be 21 to own the living); further, Mr. Morland promises to leave James at least that much of an estate as his inheritance.

Isabella is . . . well, pissed because she thinks Mr. Morland is being Ebeneezer Scrooge, and she essentially trash-talks him to his daughter. I love the possible - nay, likely - double meanings in this bit below:

Isabella recollected herself. "As to that, my sweet Catherine, there cannot be a doubt, and you know me well enough to be sure that a much smaller income would satisfy me. It is not the want of more money that makes me just at present a little out of spirits; I hate money; and if our union could take place now upon only fifty pounds a year, I should not have a wish unsatisfied. Ah! my Catherine, you have found me out. There's the sting. The long, long, endless two years and half that are to pass before your brother can hold the living."

"Yes, yes, my darling Isabella," said Mrs. Thorpe, "we perfectly see into your heart. You have no disguise. We perfectly understand the present vexation; and every body must love you the better for such a noble honest affection."(italics added)

First, "Isabella recollected herself" does not mean that she remembers why she's really upset; it means only that she remembers to whom she's speaking (or, more precisely, the relationship between the person to whom she's speaking and the person she's trash-talking). Second, when Mrs. Thorpe says that "we perfectly see into [her] heart", I think she's standing in as a surrogate for the narrator and the reader (and even, a bit, for Catherine, who got an unfiltered look - however brief - at Isabella). We see and understand exactly what has Isabella's knickers in a twist, or at least the primary cause. The delay in nuptials seems decidedly secondary in importance to Isabella, as we'll see in coming chapters. At least she's kind to James when he turns up.

On the morrow - the Tilneys invite Catherine to come stay with them at Northanger Abbey

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Chapter 4 - the very short version Catherine looks around for Henry Tilney but fails to find him; Mrs. Allen bumps into an old school friend, Mrs. Thorpe, and Catherine becomes fast friends with her eldest daughter, Isabella

Chapter 4

The Pump Room Giddy after a successful evening out in the company of a nearly-handsome man, Catherine rushes to the Pump Room, sure she's going to run into him.

Mr. Tilney did not appear. Every creature in Bath, except himself, was to be seen in the room at different periods of the fashionable hours; crowds of people were every moment passing in and out, up the steps and down; people whom nobody cared about, and nobody wanted to see; and he only was absent.

First, what the Pump Room is: It is a building constructed above hot mineral springs with water at a constant 49°C/120°F, which has been imbibed for medicinal purposes for centuries (since the time that the Romans settled there, and possibly earlier). In Austen's time, there were also spring-fed hot baths, where people could take the water in order to relieve various aches and pains. As it turns out, there were also Roman baths nearby, but those weren't uncovered until after Austen's death. During the morning*, visitors would stroll about in the Pump Room to see and be seen and to drink the waters while an orchestra played music from a small balcony. Those in good healthy would have a glass as a constitutional; those in ill health would drink however many glasses their particular doctor prescribed for them.

*morning: In Regency England, morning lasted pretty much all day; any time up until dinner, which was served in most towns starting sometime between 6 and 8 p.m. (in the country, it was usually slightly earlier - say, between 4:30 and 6).

Second, what the Pump Room is like. If Bath were a college, the Pump Room would be either the cafeteria or the quad - wherever it is that you're pretty much guaranteed to see everyone on campus on a given day. With the Pump Room, not only did you see pretty much everyone in Bath there, but there was actually a book in the Pump Room where people newly arrived in town would sign their names. That way, were one checking for someone in particular, they could check the guest book to see if they'd turned up in town yet.

About Catherine's reaction Well. We've all been there, haven't we? There's nothing wrong with the day at all, but since Henry Tilney's not there, Catherine decides to write off all of Bath. God bless. Meanwhile, Mrs. Allen (Oh, Mrs. Allen!) is busy opining how delightful Bath is - or would be, if only they had any acquaintance - completely oblivious to poor Catherine's woe.

Note for curious poetry fans: The quoted lines "'despair of nothing we would attain,' as 'unwearied diligence our point would gain'" come from a copy-book for children called A Guide to the English Tongue by Thomas Dyche, first printed in 1707. I rather suspect some of those couplets were akin to the nursery rhyme advice my grandmothers used to quote. (In this instance, upon hearing Mrs. Allen carp about wishing for some acquaintance, my grandmother Stewart would undoubtedly have said, "If wishes were horses, then beggars would ride," a phrase I continue to use to this day thanks to her. But I digress.)

Meeting the Thorpes Dear Jane, I don't mean to alarm you, but your deus ex machina is showing.

Sitting around obliviously in the Pump Room, Mrs. Allen is approached by Mrs. Thorpe, a complete chatterbox who rattles on about her children while Mrs. Allen feels smug about her own superior lace. Only when Mrs. Thorpe's three daughters turn up does Mrs. Allen remember her young charge, and it turns out that the Thorpes know Catherine's brother, James, who is friends with John Thorpe. For now, let us just say that Isabella's seizing on that fact immediately and wishing for Catherine's closer acquaintance smacks of James being rather friendly with Isabella, and leave it at that.

The meeting also smacks of extreme authorial convenience, hence my little note to Miss Austen, above. If you've not read the book before and haven't read ahead, I hope this little tidbit doesn't spoil things for you, but, having shown us two brothers, Miss Austen will undoubtedly produce and use them before the end of the novel (rather like the old advice about using a gun if you've shown it, the precise iteration of which eludes me at present).

Isabella Thorpe Who among us has not had a crush (of sorts) on a slightly older, cooler, more experienced girl who is kind to us and seems to want to be a helpful friend? Such is the case with Miss Isabella Thorpe (who, as the eldest daughter, would formally be known as "Miss Thorpe", whereas her sisters would be "Miss Anne Thorpe" and "Miss Maria Thorpe" - also? Maria was not pronounced like the name of the girl in West Side Story, but rather as in "They call the wind Mariah"). In this instance, Isabella's experience is superior to Catherine's (she's been to balls in Tunbridge Wells, another spa town in west Kent, not particularly far from London, as well as in Bath, and she's apparently been to London recently, where she's taken note of fashions). Isabella's superior knowledge is not of a superior nature, if you catch my drift. She's not exactly widely travelled, and her ability to spot flirtations so easily marks her as a flirt herself, and indicates a certain want of depth on her part.

For the curious, the word quiz, used twice in the lengthy paragraph describing Miss Thorpe's knowledge, indicates a curious person or object who/which invites ridicule or mockery, and not a small sort of test.

The parting lines The narrator steps firmly in to intercede for us, lest one of the characters - in this case, Mrs. Thorpe - feel the need to tell us her story first-hand:

Mrs. Thorpe was a widow, and not a very rich one; she was a good-humoured, well-meaning woman, and a very indulgent mother. Her eldest daughter had great personal beauty, and the younger ones, by pretending to be as handsome as their sister, imitating her air, and dressing in the same style, did very well.

This brief account of the family is intended to supersede the necessity of a long and minute detail from Mrs. Thorpe herself, of her past adventures and sufferings, which might otherwise be expected to occupy the three or four following chapters; in which the worthlessness of lords and attornies might be set forth, and conversations, which had passed twenty years before, be minutely repeated.

I will now take a moment to thank Miss Austen for her kindness here, and to point out to any fellow writers reading here that this is an extremely clever and judicious way of telling, not showing, us the information. No flashback, no conversation. Just a quick summary to set us on our feet so we can keep up with her. Now, I know that the general rule is "show, don't tell," but I rather prefer the articulation I heard in a writing seminar with Rachel Pollack, in which she said "Show OR tell, but don't do both." Because sometimes, telling is appropriate. What Jane Austen did here was totally an appropriate (and, because of how she did it, hilarious) use of telling.

Outlook for tomorrow: Chapter 5 Cloudy prospects for seeing Mr. Tilney, but a high probability of some serious literary discussion.

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A Walk with Jane Austen by Lori Smith
Review by Emily from Whimsy Books and Whimsy Daisy

A Walk with Jane Austen is a quiet ride through Jane Austen’s world. This book is not what I expected it to be. It is less about Jane Austen and more about author Lori Smith. It is a soft memoir. Smith’s talented writing weaves countless connections between the life of Jane Austen and her own.

Lori Smith finds herself growing older and unmarried, a position she never expected to find herself in. She tours England to visit the remaining sites of Austen’s world. During this trip, Smith discovers who she is, why we face challenges, and how faith can get us through.

From Publishers Weekly Starred Review. In this engaging, deeply personal and well-researched travelogue, Smith (a PW contributor) journeys to England to soak in the places of Jane Austen's life and writings. The book is sure to ride the wave of Austen-philia that has recently swept through Hollywood and a new generation of Americans, but this is an unusual look at Jane Austen. Readers will learn plenty of biographical details-about Austen's small and intimate circle of family and friends, her candid letters to her sister, her possible loves and losses, her never-married status, her religious feelings, and her untimely death at the age of 41. But it is the author's passionate connection to Jane-the affinity she feels and her imaginings of Austen's inner life-that bring Austen to life in ways no conventional biographer could. Smith's voice swings authentically between the raw, aching vulnerability of a single Christian woman battling a debilitating and mysterious chronic illness and the surges of faith she finds in the grace of a loving God. And yes, she even meets a potential Darcy at the start of her journey. This deliciously uncertain romantic tension holds the book together as Smith weaves her own thoughts, historical research, and fitting references to Austen's novels into a satisfying whole.

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On the longest day of the year, what better than to use up every last minute of light on one of the few streams in Ohio with water cold enough to support trout?

No, I didn't catch any fish, but that's not always the point when fly fishing. We shared the river with a great blue heron. The woods were filled with evening birdsong. The drive out of the state forest twinkled with firefly lights.

The rest is here.

Roundup at a wrung sponge this week.

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