Jane Austen discussion

Chris has graciously offered to lead the discussion of the second book of Aubrey and Maturin's adventures. The first discussion will cover the first 4 chapters.

Is anyone else surprised that Jack can pass as a bear? Were the people naive, ignorant about bears, or do you think it's possible for a person in a bear's skin to look and act enough like a bear to fool that many people? Were the dancing bears in those days really people in bearskins?

Isn't it funny that Stephen says he's a female bear, and that his name is Flora? It may be that people are more likely to accept that a female bear could be so tame, but I still think Stephen is enjoying a joke at Jack's expense.

And a couple of chapters later in the book, Lady Keith says that he is acting like a bear!

Jack on land is like a bear among humans. The author is very clever.

I'm wondering if the author is being deliberately unclear about Diana Villiers' relationships to Stephen and Jack, or if I'm just dense. We hear their thoughts about her, so we know exactly how they each feel about her. And I have some idea how she feels about each of them, too. But does she sleep with either one or both? She's an enigma. However, Stephen seems to understand her completely and love her exactly as she is, with all her pride and insecurity.

I had forgotten about the scene with Jack disguised as a bear! (I still have to start the book.) But, it is funny you mention people in bear suits. I recently read The Winter's Tale, by Shakespear, and he has a scene with a bear [C. exits, chased by a bear:]. I wondered if people were used to seeing people in bear suits or tame bears for use in plays.

But, yes, Jack is like a bear on land, all stumbling and bumbling and out of his element!

Jeannette wrote: "I recently read The Winter's Tale, by Shakespear, and he has a scene with a bear [C. exits, chased by a bear:]. ..."

This is my personal favorite stage direction in all of Shakespeare! Always hilarious :)

My husband was in a production of The Winter's Tale in college and he was the one pursued by the bear!

I haven't read much Shakespeare (I've watched a lot of his plays). I enjoyed Winter's Tale; it is a unique play. Sorry to hear about your husband's casting! Did someone actually dress up as a bear? :)

Haha - it was actually done in conjunction with the dance department, so there was a lot of "interpretative" elements and this was one of them :) I don't think it was actually a bear costume per se, but it conveyed the essence of a bear...

It just came to mind when Alicia mentioned Jack in a bear skin. You wonder how many wild bear "shows" were people and how many were tamed bears.

I like that phrase: essence of bear! :)

Alicia wrote: "Is anyone else surprised that Jack can pass as a bear? Were the people naive, ignorant about bears, or do you think it's possible for a person in a bear's skin to look and act enough like a bear t..."

It certainly is strange that he is able to pass as a bear; I would think that the bear skin would just hang as Aubrey's girth is certainly nothing like that of a bear's. Perhaps a female bear could be believed to be smaller and thinner, in addition to being calmer and/or easier to be tamed? Even though it is acknowledged that both dogs and people sensed something "unnatural" about Jack the Bear, it is still bizarre (but wonderful and hilarious!) that the ruse worked.

Jeannette wrote: "I like that phrase: essence of bear! :)"

I think Jack was able to pull off the bear suit because he himself has a bit of the essence of a bear about him :)

Alicia wrote: "I'm wondering if the author is being deliberately unclear about Diana Villiers' relationships to Stephen and Jack..."

This could be the case, Alicia. In Master and Commander O'Brian was rather ambiguous in his descriptions of Aubrey and Maturin's relationships. We see Aubrey visit his lady-friend and see the repercussions of their relationship by the actions of her jealous husband, and yet there is really no explanation of exactly what their relationship was. Was it just flirtation that was magnified by the expected social conduct of the day? Was their involvement inappropriate on a physical or just social level? O'Brian doesn't tell us. And Maturin's trek into the wilderness for those few days, he had to be visiting a lady-friend of his own, but what is the nature of their relationship? No answers there either. Is he just glossing over the men's romantic relationships because he doesn't want to get into them or is he is trying to be coy to capture our interest? I will be interested to see what O'Brian chooses to reveal or to hide in the coming chapters.

I have just now made my way through this section of PC -- trouble getting the book. Hiding Jack as a bear was one of the more unusual things I have read, but they were in France as war was declared as were about as desperate as ever could be. I thought of it as more something Stephen would have come up with, with all his scientific studies of animals. What a horrible idea, but better than being snatched by Napoleon I guess.

And I just want to say - what was in Stephen's holster on page 63? Yuck. There are unusual details in the book sometimes!

I like the part where we are now though: Jack's money has been stolen away, there is a second heir born to contend with, they are fleeing to Spain from debt collectors, and Jack has no idea how his love life and his friendship with Stephen will be in jeopardy now. All this for so early in the book.

O'Brian seems to have been much more clear at this point on what has happened between Jack and Diana too. Although that leaves it unclear what Diana is after if she is involved with both men at the same time.