What's Love Got to Do With It.
The reason I first became involved in the fan fiction world was a desire to teach myself to write. In an online forum, you put your offering on view, see if it inspires, listen to readers’ reactions and learn from your audience what works and what doesn’t. I chose to try the Austenesque genre because to me as a former literature major, Jane produced witty, incisive analysis of her age, class and most importantly her sex—exactly what I would like to eventually accomplish. I never saw her as the mother of the romance novel and had read very few examples of the genre over the years. Instead I saw her as the mother of the modern realist/psychological novel and felt annoyed that Balzac is often credited with starting that type of novel knowing full well she preceded him. I admire ‘La Comedie Humane,’ but in my opinion Jane Austen really deserves the literary acknowledgement for first writing multifaceted characters with moral ambiguity that so many authors have emulated and credited the French novelist as their inspiration.
As I was editing ‘Mr Darcy Likes it Wild’ for self-publication, my husband suggested I check out Annette Rubinstein’s 'English Literature from Shakespeare to Shaw.' He had heard her speak back in the 60’s and remembered she greatly admired Jane Austen.
Upon reading her analysis, I was struck by her admiration of the scene portraying Elizabeth’s rejection of Mr. Collins’ proposal. My favorite Austen character is resolute in her refusal despite his reminder that, in view of her small fortune: “It is by no means certain that another offer of marriage will ever be made.” This wonderful scene comes to a climax with a statement of one of the author’s favorite themes: “Do not consider me now as an elegant female… but as a rational creature.”
I adore ‘Pride and Prejudice,’ not because of Mr. Darcy, but because of the object of his affection. She was the character I most wanted to explore when I first began writing Austen inspired fiction. I have read that my favorite author felt great affection for her Lizzy. Whether a resemblance between Elizabeth and her creator existed, we will probably never know; but she certainly works for me as a self-portrait. To my mind, both are complex individuals, profoundly aware and capable of choice.
Ms Austen depicts Lizzy’s pride in her ability to observe, to analyze and to decide. Her prejudice comes through when she forgets that, even for her, there is only one area of selection—marriage. Throughout all her novels, the author’s witty prose roots this singular choice for women of her class in the numbing pressures of her acquisitive society. Irony is used to discover and illuminate; and though ‘Pride and Prejudice’s’ setting is the same stratified, materialistic and severely regulated culture, she imbues Elizabeth Bennet with a fierce longing to be a free individual.
With regards to the genre I chose, I am compelled to ask: “what does love have to do with it?” I do not believe Austen was exploring love (it wasn’t much of a factor in marriage at the time) as much as how to evaluate (sketch) characters when making that one choice women were allowed. Yes, all her plots lead to marriage and an assumed happy ever after. It is that HEA that she shares with romance novels and seems to lead to the confusion.
Jane wrote during the romantic period (which had absolutely nothing to do with love) but her style was the antithesis of its conventions. She was new and different and the most famous romanticist, Sir Walter Scott, admired her novels that were not set in the past or in a land far away. She did not utilize strong emotions or heroic deeds. I personally feel the scene after the final proposal in P & P is a bit of a letdown. They both seem so needy to be reassured they have made the right decision. When JA wrote a parody (‘Northanger Abbey’) of the romantic genre, instead of the horror so adored at the time, she gave us instead two of the best examples of venal characters in the Thorpe siblings. Two hundred years later, we are still able to observe qualities she exposed in her mundane rendering of personalities within ourselves and those we meet. My mother was like Mrs. Bennet, but her mission was not marriage but to get her children into ivy league and seven sister schools so she could brag about us.
After being initially drawn to JAFF due to a misunderstanding, I decided to embrace romance novels in my own quest to write. Thoroughly convinced happy ever afters are a good thing, I explored the genre. One of the first who wrote historic romance was Georgette Heyer. I adore her novels. Heyer was definitely influenced by Austen, but she decided to stress the love aspect of marriage and coupling while still creating many heroines who desire to move beyond their boundaries and be rational creatures much like Elizabeth Bennet in ‘Pride and Prejudice.’
In my own novels, I have chosen to land squarely between the two authors. I have also decided to explore sensibilities that the 21st century allows and even seems to demand. The first theme I chose to explore was rape. I was totally unprepared for the ‘blow back’ once I self-published. The anger over my choice has ranged from—not true to Austen, not respecting the need for ‘trigger warnings,’ and even suggesting that I was soft on rape and pedophilia. After several years of analyzing the hostility, I have determined most was a form of denial about what Austenesque readers choose to explore. Despite being a common occurrence both then and now, rape is a painful reality than many prefer to avoid. I choose to disagree. If rape culture is to be changed, those of us who have experienced sexual assault need to try to tell our stories. The letter written by the victim of the Stanford rape is a powerful example of courage and a case in point. https://www.buzzfeed.com/katiejmbaker...
It was definitely Jane Austen who inspired my plot. I read ‘Sense and Sensibility’ for the first time in 1968 as a literature student, it was shortly after I lost my second parent and was becoming accustomed to my status as an orphan. While still dealing with that life altering event, I became the victim of the still unacknowledged crime of ‘date rape.’ Austen’s stories of the two Elizas (mother and daughter) prompted a powerful rage in me for what they endured at the hands of men. It was the beginning of the Women’s Movement of the 60’s and 70’s and I was to become a participant. Forty years later, I created ‘Goodly Creatures,’ as a vindication for those two women who had aroused empathy in me so many years before. I chose to use Elizabeth Bennet and a character of my own creation to represent the two Elizas, but most importantly I gave them a romance novel happy ever after.
Check 'Goodly Creatures' out and let me know your opinion. https://www.amazon.com/Goodly-Creatur...
Beth Massey
As I was editing ‘Mr Darcy Likes it Wild’ for self-publication, my husband suggested I check out Annette Rubinstein’s 'English Literature from Shakespeare to Shaw.' He had heard her speak back in the 60’s and remembered she greatly admired Jane Austen.
Upon reading her analysis, I was struck by her admiration of the scene portraying Elizabeth’s rejection of Mr. Collins’ proposal. My favorite Austen character is resolute in her refusal despite his reminder that, in view of her small fortune: “It is by no means certain that another offer of marriage will ever be made.” This wonderful scene comes to a climax with a statement of one of the author’s favorite themes: “Do not consider me now as an elegant female… but as a rational creature.”
I adore ‘Pride and Prejudice,’ not because of Mr. Darcy, but because of the object of his affection. She was the character I most wanted to explore when I first began writing Austen inspired fiction. I have read that my favorite author felt great affection for her Lizzy. Whether a resemblance between Elizabeth and her creator existed, we will probably never know; but she certainly works for me as a self-portrait. To my mind, both are complex individuals, profoundly aware and capable of choice.
Ms Austen depicts Lizzy’s pride in her ability to observe, to analyze and to decide. Her prejudice comes through when she forgets that, even for her, there is only one area of selection—marriage. Throughout all her novels, the author’s witty prose roots this singular choice for women of her class in the numbing pressures of her acquisitive society. Irony is used to discover and illuminate; and though ‘Pride and Prejudice’s’ setting is the same stratified, materialistic and severely regulated culture, she imbues Elizabeth Bennet with a fierce longing to be a free individual.
With regards to the genre I chose, I am compelled to ask: “what does love have to do with it?” I do not believe Austen was exploring love (it wasn’t much of a factor in marriage at the time) as much as how to evaluate (sketch) characters when making that one choice women were allowed. Yes, all her plots lead to marriage and an assumed happy ever after. It is that HEA that she shares with romance novels and seems to lead to the confusion.
Jane wrote during the romantic period (which had absolutely nothing to do with love) but her style was the antithesis of its conventions. She was new and different and the most famous romanticist, Sir Walter Scott, admired her novels that were not set in the past or in a land far away. She did not utilize strong emotions or heroic deeds. I personally feel the scene after the final proposal in P & P is a bit of a letdown. They both seem so needy to be reassured they have made the right decision. When JA wrote a parody (‘Northanger Abbey’) of the romantic genre, instead of the horror so adored at the time, she gave us instead two of the best examples of venal characters in the Thorpe siblings. Two hundred years later, we are still able to observe qualities she exposed in her mundane rendering of personalities within ourselves and those we meet. My mother was like Mrs. Bennet, but her mission was not marriage but to get her children into ivy league and seven sister schools so she could brag about us.
After being initially drawn to JAFF due to a misunderstanding, I decided to embrace romance novels in my own quest to write. Thoroughly convinced happy ever afters are a good thing, I explored the genre. One of the first who wrote historic romance was Georgette Heyer. I adore her novels. Heyer was definitely influenced by Austen, but she decided to stress the love aspect of marriage and coupling while still creating many heroines who desire to move beyond their boundaries and be rational creatures much like Elizabeth Bennet in ‘Pride and Prejudice.’
In my own novels, I have chosen to land squarely between the two authors. I have also decided to explore sensibilities that the 21st century allows and even seems to demand. The first theme I chose to explore was rape. I was totally unprepared for the ‘blow back’ once I self-published. The anger over my choice has ranged from—not true to Austen, not respecting the need for ‘trigger warnings,’ and even suggesting that I was soft on rape and pedophilia. After several years of analyzing the hostility, I have determined most was a form of denial about what Austenesque readers choose to explore. Despite being a common occurrence both then and now, rape is a painful reality than many prefer to avoid. I choose to disagree. If rape culture is to be changed, those of us who have experienced sexual assault need to try to tell our stories. The letter written by the victim of the Stanford rape is a powerful example of courage and a case in point. https://www.buzzfeed.com/katiejmbaker...
It was definitely Jane Austen who inspired my plot. I read ‘Sense and Sensibility’ for the first time in 1968 as a literature student, it was shortly after I lost my second parent and was becoming accustomed to my status as an orphan. While still dealing with that life altering event, I became the victim of the still unacknowledged crime of ‘date rape.’ Austen’s stories of the two Elizas (mother and daughter) prompted a powerful rage in me for what they endured at the hands of men. It was the beginning of the Women’s Movement of the 60’s and 70’s and I was to become a participant. Forty years later, I created ‘Goodly Creatures,’ as a vindication for those two women who had aroused empathy in me so many years before. I chose to use Elizabeth Bennet and a character of my own creation to represent the two Elizas, but most importantly I gave them a romance novel happy ever after.
Check 'Goodly Creatures' out and let me know your opinion. https://www.amazon.com/Goodly-Creatur...
Beth Massey
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This was a truly thought-provoking post. I admire your courage to write about such a difficult issue for people all over the world. Your theories about Austen, who I often believe loved her Lizzy too, are great to ponder and discuss even further. I also agree that her writing was focused on the development of our roles in society as well as to one another. The marriage plot was "the choice" as you say, for women, so she explored what that meant for the kinds of women she know best; gentlewomen of all types in her society. Thanks for a wonderful post, Beth! I hope all is well with you.
Tweeted. Yes, your book deals frankly with a difficult topic. I loved Goodly Creatures, but I can't read it a second time because it was too painful for me, yet I've gone down the same path as an author. Writing such a novel can be cathartic for a survivor--as good as therapy. For other survivors, not so much. So yes, a trigger warning is important for books with sexualized violence, even implied. And yes, that's no reason to avoid the reality of abuse in novels, to whitewash the aftermath, or to pretend normal adult sexuality doesn't happen--when you do so, what remains is tantamount to a lie.And yes, a few JAFF readers complain that the more fascinating works of the genre are "too far from Austen." If they want Austen, they should read Austen. The rest of us readers will enjoy creativity inspired by Austen, preferring those novels to insipid twists and saccharine sequels that are as predictable as my cat asking for dinner twenty minutes before feeding time every single day.
A good romance can be a sweet, easy read. But when I recall that I really enjoyed a book, yet can't recall what it's about, I can't in good conscience recommend it to others. I admire authors like you who create profound visual scenarios that stick in readers' minds forever. Keep writing with your heart.
Wonderful analysis, Beth, and it's fascinating to read how Austen's literature has influenced your writing. I am an admirerer of all your books, especially with how well you match the tone of your writing to your plots. I see that many JAFF readers overestimate the romantic element in Jane Austen's books, and your example of the aftermath of Darcy's second proposal is a perfect example. It's ironic how often I read very critical reviews of JAFF for not showing enough romance or chemistry between Elizabeth and Darcy, conveniently forgetting what a shock it is when Darcy first declares his love in Pride and Prejudice. I blame the movie adaptations! I fell in love with Elizabeth Bennet and the characters in the book decades before ever seeing it performed on the screen - such amazing characters that are easily recognizable in any era, as you say!
Beverlee wrote: "Your assertion that JA's novels are really psychological novels is spot-on, I think. The stories are as much about the growth of the protagonists as they are about finding that HEA, and the satisfa..." Thank you, Beverlee. There was so little consciousness about 'date rate' when I was a victim. I was drunk and dancing provocatively even if it was in my own home. We will never know whether 15 year old Eliza consented or was just too intimidated by Willoughby to put up a fight. The recent rape at Stanford is an indication of how prevalent rape culture still is even today. I feel very strongly that even those who have experienced rape deserve a HEA. We do not have to live the life of a victim.
Suzan wrote: "Tweeted. Yes, your book deals frankly with a difficult topic. I loved Goodly Creatures, but I can't read it a second time because it was too painful for me, yet I've gone down the same path as an a..."Thank you, Suzan. I did not write 'Goodly Creatures' strictly for my own mental health. I am of the opinion that rape survivors are treated as victims, and we should not be. We have the ability to heal and strive for a happy ever after. My goal was to right the wrongs that I had seen in 'Sense and Sensibility' and let others like myself feel validated that we did not deserve our fate. I was very lucky because my future husband publicly validated me soon after my attack. My Darcy took some time to overcome the prejudices of his age, but he always felt compassion which is half the battle we face. Even when I write a comedy, I feel the need to speak from the heart.
Claudine wrote: "This was a truly thought-provoking post. I admire your courage to write about such a difficult issue for people all over the world. Your theories about Austen, who I often believe loved her Lizzy t..."Thank you, Claudine. Lizzy is such an endearing character. She is both flawed while still filled with integrity, wit and strength. I am struggling currently to write a mystery that explores her life and death during an attack by highwaymen. Before anyone gets too bent out of shape, please know it is a true mystery that must be unraveled and the protagonists receive a HEA. As with all my stories, it will explore the struggles women of Jane Austen's class and time had to confront.
Debbie wrote: "Wonderful analysis, Beth, and it's fascinating to read how Austen's literature has influenced your writing. I am an admirerer of all your books, especially with how well you match the tone of your ..."Thank you, Debbie. I do like to write interaction between D & E. I love the Netherfield and Rosings scenes where they talk. I always try to put that in my stories. I am currently writing one of those chapters. I think Darcy and his vale, Marlowe might talk about muslin or some other fabric with Mary. It would be a change from all my dialogue about books and allow a little Henry Tilney to be channeled by Kit Marlowe that could give Darcy some pointers on how to talk to women.
Having read Goodly Creatures, I thought you handled the difficult subject of rape well. JA purists might be horrified, but it was a very real part of her world (as it sadly is of ours) and the consequences could be devastating to the victim and her whole family. Even today, in our so-called enlightened age, we tend to blame the victim all too often. How much more so must it have been then?