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Jane and Her Gentlemen: Jane Austen and the Men in Her Life and Novels
Jane and Her Jane Austen and the Men in Her Life and Novels
208 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 12, 2018
"Her way of thinking and writing is moderate and tolerant. It is much closer is spirit to the best precepts of the late twentieth century than to the Victorians following her who stifled themselves under the weight of their own heavy moralizing but whose fictional flow, by contrast, tended to regress to Gothic melodrama as ludicrous in Jane's eyes as in ours" (From Kirk: This means you Chuckie and all three Twisted English Sisters!!!!!!) - Audrey Hawkridge "Jane and her Gentlemen: Jane Austen and The Men in Her Life and Novels", Introduction
"Charlotte must have missed the point of the great many profound truths in Jane's quiet irony; her own idea of a desirable profundity and a correct level of vehement ruffling is to distress her readers at the end of what promise to be wholly delightful novels with grisly surprises"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! pg 184
Here's a great review of the book from a past JASNA President:
BOOK REVIEWS
Edited by George Justice
A Single Woman in Possession of Herself
Jane and Her Gentlemen
By Audrey Hawkridge.
Peter Owen Ltd./Dufour Editions, 2001. 208 pages. 24 b/w illustrations.
Hardcover. $37.95.
Reviewed by Marsha Huff.
Turning a spotlight on a single subject can sometimes provide more dramatic insight than is achieved by crowding the stage with a full cast. In Jane and Her Gentlemen, Audrey Hawkridge focuses on the men in Austen's life and novels, from her father and brothers to suitors and would-be husbands, with amusing glances at her fictional heroes and anti-heroes as well. While the biographical information in the book is familiar, the author's new angle provides a useful perspective on the crowd of data found in a traditional biography.
The nature of Austen's relationship with the men who figured in her life is illuminated primarily through references to her own correspondence, giving a vivid, first-hand touch to the portraits. The author quotes, for example, a letter to Cassandra, written in 1811 from London, in which Austen describes her brother Henry as he stopped at the house of a cousin to collect her. He puts "Life & Wit into the party for a quarter of an hour." This brief account conveys the pleasure Austen derived from Henry's company and demonstrates, more persuasively than any commentary could, one of the traits that made him her favorite brother.
For the book's epigraph Hawkridge cites a remark by Austen recorded by her nephew James Edward Austen-Leigh: "I am too proud of my gentlemen to admit that they are only Mr A or Colonel B." In the spirit of Austen's words, Hawkridge eschews simplistic equations, while at the same time providing sufficient information to lead the reader inevitably to parallels between family members and fictional heroes. "It can be no coincidence," she notes, that each of Austen's heroines marries a landed gentleman, a clergyman, or an officer in His Majesty's armed forces. One of Austen's brothers, Edward, was (like Frank Churchill) adopted by wealthy relatives and became a landed gentleman; her father and two of her brothers--James and, later, Henry--were members of the clergy; and the youngest brothers, Francis and Charles, were officers in the British Royal Navy.
In the course of presenting miniatures of Austen's gentlemen, Hawkridge finds a number of suggestive similarities between the real and the imaginary. Mary Crawford's aversion to the idea of marriage to a clergyman is compared, for instance, to the refusal by the Austens' elegant cousin Eliza de Feuillide of James Austen's proposal because, the author says, Eliza had a dread of sinking into quiet obscurity as a parson's wife. Eliza's marriage a few years later to Henry Austen was a different matter, since, at that period of his life, Henry was a dashing red-coat in the militia, sophisticated and eager to enter London society with Eliza.
The final section of the book explores Austen's own romances, including her relationship at the age of 20 with a visitor from Ireland, Tom Lefroy. Their flirtation appeared to represent the beginning of a real attachment. The Lefroy family saw danger for the young man, who, though poor, was thought to have a brilliant legal career ahead of him. Had Austen been wealthy, it would have been a match worth promoting, but she was not. Tom's family abruptly cut short his visit to Hampshire, removing him from temptation. Hawkridge aptly comments: "When Jane is condemned for over-emphasizing the importance of money in marriage, it is perhaps forgotten that she had every reason to be uncomfortably aware of this importance as a basic fact of life, having been an early victim of it herself."
Hawkridge adopts a distinctly romantic point of view concerning another of Austen's thwarted romances, a purported encounter with a "mystery lover." According to various memoirs published long after Austen's death, all attributed to oral accounts by Cassandra, Austen met and fell in love with an unnamed gentleman at a seaside resort, possibly during the years she lived in Bath. His sudden death soon afterward, and the absence of any reference to the events in contemporaneous reports, leave a gap that concerns some biographers. Claire Tomalin, for example, devotes only a paragraph to the subject, concluding that the accounts "had become as mistily romantic as the wilder shores of Devon itself." Hawkridge's personal assessment of the story, however, makes good reading. Her conjecture regarding a possible connection between the Rice portrait (whose authenticity as a picture of Austen has been rejected by most experts) and another would-be suitor is also interesting.
Austen's one documented marriage proposal was from Harris Bigg-Wither, a long-time family friend who was heir to a large estate. After accepting the proposal on the evening of December 2, 1802, Austen retracted the next morning. Hawkridge concludes, "Jane refused to do what nine out of ten women in her position would have unhesitatingly done and marry for security rather than love. She preferred to be mistress of her own thoughts and actions and was content with her own company."
Marsha Huff is an attorney in Milwaukee. She is Regional Coordinator of the Wisconsin Region and a member of the Board of Directors of JASNA.
JASNA News v.17, no. 2, Summer 2001, p. 29
"Charlotte must have missed the point of the great many profound truths in Jane's quiet irony; her own idea of a desirable profundity and a correct level of vehement ruffling is to distress her readers at the end of what promise to be wholly delightful novels with grisly surprises"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! pg 184
Here's a great review of the book from a past JASNA President:
BOOK REVIEWS
Edited by George Justice
A Single Woman in Possession of Herself
Jane and Her Gentlemen
By Audrey Hawkridge.
Peter Owen Ltd./Dufour Editions, 2001. 208 pages. 24 b/w illustrations.
Hardcover. $37.95.
Reviewed by Marsha Huff.
Turning a spotlight on a single subject can sometimes provide more dramatic insight than is achieved by crowding the stage with a full cast. In Jane and Her Gentlemen, Audrey Hawkridge focuses on the men in Austen's life and novels, from her father and brothers to suitors and would-be husbands, with amusing glances at her fictional heroes and anti-heroes as well. While the biographical information in the book is familiar, the author's new angle provides a useful perspective on the crowd of data found in a traditional biography.
The nature of Austen's relationship with the men who figured in her life is illuminated primarily through references to her own correspondence, giving a vivid, first-hand touch to the portraits. The author quotes, for example, a letter to Cassandra, written in 1811 from London, in which Austen describes her brother Henry as he stopped at the house of a cousin to collect her. He puts "Life & Wit into the party for a quarter of an hour." This brief account conveys the pleasure Austen derived from Henry's company and demonstrates, more persuasively than any commentary could, one of the traits that made him her favorite brother.
For the book's epigraph Hawkridge cites a remark by Austen recorded by her nephew James Edward Austen-Leigh: "I am too proud of my gentlemen to admit that they are only Mr A or Colonel B." In the spirit of Austen's words, Hawkridge eschews simplistic equations, while at the same time providing sufficient information to lead the reader inevitably to parallels between family members and fictional heroes. "It can be no coincidence," she notes, that each of Austen's heroines marries a landed gentleman, a clergyman, or an officer in His Majesty's armed forces. One of Austen's brothers, Edward, was (like Frank Churchill) adopted by wealthy relatives and became a landed gentleman; her father and two of her brothers--James and, later, Henry--were members of the clergy; and the youngest brothers, Francis and Charles, were officers in the British Royal Navy.
In the course of presenting miniatures of Austen's gentlemen, Hawkridge finds a number of suggestive similarities between the real and the imaginary. Mary Crawford's aversion to the idea of marriage to a clergyman is compared, for instance, to the refusal by the Austens' elegant cousin Eliza de Feuillide of James Austen's proposal because, the author says, Eliza had a dread of sinking into quiet obscurity as a parson's wife. Eliza's marriage a few years later to Henry Austen was a different matter, since, at that period of his life, Henry was a dashing red-coat in the militia, sophisticated and eager to enter London society with Eliza.
The final section of the book explores Austen's own romances, including her relationship at the age of 20 with a visitor from Ireland, Tom Lefroy. Their flirtation appeared to represent the beginning of a real attachment. The Lefroy family saw danger for the young man, who, though poor, was thought to have a brilliant legal career ahead of him. Had Austen been wealthy, it would have been a match worth promoting, but she was not. Tom's family abruptly cut short his visit to Hampshire, removing him from temptation. Hawkridge aptly comments: "When Jane is condemned for over-emphasizing the importance of money in marriage, it is perhaps forgotten that she had every reason to be uncomfortably aware of this importance as a basic fact of life, having been an early victim of it herself."
Hawkridge adopts a distinctly romantic point of view concerning another of Austen's thwarted romances, a purported encounter with a "mystery lover." According to various memoirs published long after Austen's death, all attributed to oral accounts by Cassandra, Austen met and fell in love with an unnamed gentleman at a seaside resort, possibly during the years she lived in Bath. His sudden death soon afterward, and the absence of any reference to the events in contemporaneous reports, leave a gap that concerns some biographers. Claire Tomalin, for example, devotes only a paragraph to the subject, concluding that the accounts "had become as mistily romantic as the wilder shores of Devon itself." Hawkridge's personal assessment of the story, however, makes good reading. Her conjecture regarding a possible connection between the Rice portrait (whose authenticity as a picture of Austen has been rejected by most experts) and another would-be suitor is also interesting.
Austen's one documented marriage proposal was from Harris Bigg-Wither, a long-time family friend who was heir to a large estate. After accepting the proposal on the evening of December 2, 1802, Austen retracted the next morning. Hawkridge concludes, "Jane refused to do what nine out of ten women in her position would have unhesitatingly done and marry for security rather than love. She preferred to be mistress of her own thoughts and actions and was content with her own company."
Marsha Huff is an attorney in Milwaukee. She is Regional Coordinator of the Wisconsin Region and a member of the Board of Directors of JASNA.
JASNA News v.17, no. 2, Summer 2001, p. 29
July 18, 2019
Part of my ongoing research in preparation for my graduate thesis.
This was a fun and cute sort of summary of Jane’s life and works regarding it from the males in her life and the males that made it into her works of fiction.
The author used a lot of quotes from her correspondence, sometimes taking over most of the page with the author’s own contribution limited to one sentence to provide context.
For someone, who has done as much research on Jane as me in the last two months, this book may seem a little superficial and redundant, because nothing new or ground-breaking is argued.
Granted it can be a bit difficult, considering the amount of work that has been done in the last 200 years and the actual facts academics and scholars have at their disposal.
I wish the author had gone into more depth, added her own ideas, conclusions suggestions that would have shown her perspective of the topic. Sadly, all the reader gets is a summary of the resources that are already out there to be perused.
Overall, it was cute and perhaps a different sort of introduction to Austen and her writing. For readers, who already have a working knowledge of Jane’s life and her work, this may be a bit too superficial.
ElliotScribbles
This was a fun and cute sort of summary of Jane’s life and works regarding it from the males in her life and the males that made it into her works of fiction.
The author used a lot of quotes from her correspondence, sometimes taking over most of the page with the author’s own contribution limited to one sentence to provide context.
For someone, who has done as much research on Jane as me in the last two months, this book may seem a little superficial and redundant, because nothing new or ground-breaking is argued.
Granted it can be a bit difficult, considering the amount of work that has been done in the last 200 years and the actual facts academics and scholars have at their disposal.
I wish the author had gone into more depth, added her own ideas, conclusions suggestions that would have shown her perspective of the topic. Sadly, all the reader gets is a summary of the resources that are already out there to be perused.
Overall, it was cute and perhaps a different sort of introduction to Austen and her writing. For readers, who already have a working knowledge of Jane’s life and her work, this may be a bit too superficial.
ElliotScribbles
July 11, 2022
A few interesting stories somewhat well told is not enough to save this book from the wrath of Rebecca. The book has a meandering and sloppy structure. It tells things out of chronological order, assumes the reader is familiar with Jane Austen's life and body of work. The sad excuse for literary analysis and criticism is such a superficial reading of the books that I often found myself wondering if Hawkridge really understands how complex these novels are. Little is said of her juvenilia. Her discussions of Jane's life and how it influenced her body of work relied far to heavily on supposing things about Jane and in several instances stating that Jane was wrong in her own answers to family members who asked about what happened to Mr. Woodhouse after the official end of Emma. Her insistence that Jane rarely if ever dealt with heavy topics in her works shows a shallow understanding of any of the six books she discusses.
The book argues nothing. It whirls about aimlessly, and sometimes makes me wonder if the author really liked Jane Austen or her books. I didn't really gain any sort of insights into Jane as a person or her books, let alone her writing process. Some truly egregious moments were the paragraph where Hawkridge sees fit to refer to Jane as powerless in her own life, to state that if she had been born a man her male characters would be more interesting and she'd probably have joined the navy, and that Fanny should have married Mr. Crawford because he isn't really that bad of a person and is the more interesting choice.
The book argues nothing. It whirls about aimlessly, and sometimes makes me wonder if the author really liked Jane Austen or her books. I didn't really gain any sort of insights into Jane as a person or her books, let alone her writing process. Some truly egregious moments were the paragraph where Hawkridge sees fit to refer to Jane as powerless in her own life, to state that if she had been born a man her male characters would be more interesting and she'd probably have joined the navy, and that Fanny should have married Mr. Crawford because he isn't really that bad of a person and is the more interesting choice.
February 4, 2019
Strictly biographical, and narrowly focused on the men in Jane Austen's life. No bad thing! And it makes me want to read a bit more about the rest of her life...although it's clear from this book that after Austen died, her sister Cassandra took it upon herself to destroy a lot of their correspondence, presumably to protect Jane's privacy. More's the pity.
October 22, 2018
It just had far too much summary of Jane's novels to be super helpful...
February 27, 2017
A nice aside to the biographies on Jane Austen. Most of the gentlemen covered in this book are Jane's brothers--two clergymen, two Naval officers and one adopted into inherited wealth. Also potential suitors for Miss Jane. Almost all of Jane's biographers draw attention to this thwarted love refrain because it is the clearest spoken expression of her understanding of love and her experience of its sorrows.
November 7, 2010
I like Jane Austen's novels, but am not a big history buff. This book was interesting to me, but the organization of it seemed a bit odd, although perhaps because the author assumed that the reader would have already read many other books about Austen. Since I had not, the book was a bit confusing to follow. It is divided into parts: the first about Jane as a person, the second about the men in her family (and how they relate to her characters), the third about minor characters in her work, and the fourth about romance in her novels and life. It was interesting, but I did not agree with a good number of the author's premises (e.g. the author seemed to miss that some of Austen's characters pair up with women lower in status--which she finds an unlikely plot twist--but seems to miss that these women are not intended wives but mistresses). There were a number of similar oddities, but it was an interesting summary of previous research and thought about Austen discussed in an interesting manner.
October 3, 2014
I have to say, I wasn't impressed by this that much. I had expected quite a bit more. There were so many chapters devoted to both Jane's brothers and the men in her novels - both of which have been covered extensively, in just as much detail or more, although perhaps not in the same volume. I was somewhat more impressed with the section on her romantic prospects, as well as the observations of those around her. Hawkridge puts forward the ludicrous Wordsworth theory, which she debunks, as well as the even more preposterous Switzerland theory, which she also dismisses as nonsense - and thank goodness. I felt as though she was covering some new ground in this section, putting forward these theories at all which are usually dismissed straight out of hand. I have never seen an Austen biography ruminate on them before, and even though they're ridiculous, I was glad to see that the theories were acknowledged as having been made by academics (or at least armchair academics).
Overall: I've read better. 3/10.
Overall: I've read better. 3/10.
April 4, 2007
If you're an Austen fan, it's pretty interesting. Unfortunately, it's extremely redundant and I'm pretty sure you could find all the same info on Wiki.
January 9, 2013
While the author tried really hard, I find biographies a bit dry generally, especially when they like to take source material and put block quotes throughout the text.
May 25, 2026
If you're well-versed in Austen, you'll enjoy this book. The narrow scope allows for an intriquing look at the influences stemming from one aspect of her life.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews