My Jane Austen Summer (29 page)

Prerequisite to friendship.
You must read all six novels. The films are beautiful adaptations but they lack the sparkling narrative that is the essence of Jane Austen. Choose your edition and start reading--or rereading.

Step 1: Getting to know Jane Austen
. Not easy since her relatives enforced a posthumous rebranding, establishing Aunt Jane as a saint. Contemporary biographies do a good job of bringing her to life, conveying an awareness of her poverty and dependence, and describing the struggle of her homeless years. Imagine Jane Austen hand-carrying hard copies of her unpublished manuscripts each time she moved. The story of how she nearly married a man she didn't love in order to have food and shelter will establish instant sympathy.

Jane Austen: A Life
by Claire Tomalin.

Jane Austen: A Life
by David Nokes.

Step 2: Trade confidences
. Consider your favorite Austen novel and listen to what she has been saying to you between the lines of her text. For instance, my favorite is
Mansfield Park:
Jane Austen and I totally agree that it is hard to be Fanny Price in a Mary Crawford world. And we both believe that men should fall deeply in love with intelligent wallflowers.

Which Jane Austen heroine are you?

Which novel would you choose to live in?

Step 3: Do things together.
Become a Janeite. Join the Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA) and get involved in the activities of your local chapter. Or visit Jane in England. Gaze upon her writing desk, walk where she walked, find her grave in the floor of Winchester Cathedral, and knock on her door in Bath. Dress in period attire and celebrate at one of the many Jane Austen festivals around the world:

Step 4: Get obsessed.
To get even closer, find out what Jane Austen
really
thought; read her correspondence. Discover what she
really
meant when she wrote the novels; read the criticism. Find out what other people are saying about
their
Jane Austens; lurk online and listen to discussion groups. Surf the Web, subscribe to blogs, friend her on Facebook. She's everywhere!

Step 5: Bear the inevitable disappointment
. If some of Jane's letters seem mean-spirited, if the criticism contradicts beliefs you hold dear about your favorite novels as well as their author's intent, and if it appears that Other People's Jane Austens are completely unrelated to yours, it may be time to pull back. If you have begun to fear Your Jane Austen is laughing
at you
for wanting to be her best friend, you should probably give the relationship a break. Reconsider the Brontes. Or read something from a current best-seller list.

Step 6: Establish boundaries.
Don't give up. Reconcile the person who traded secrets with you in Step 2 with the Irritable Supernova reconciled in Step 5 and remind yourself that Jane Austen is dead, therefore unknowable. What
is
knowable is the sparkling narrative, the wit and irony, and the joy that comes with every reading of The Six. Allow distance for the real Jane Austen, whoever she was, to rest in peace. The novels live forever.

Where did this story come from?

My Jane Austen Summer
started when I read a review of Karen Joy Fowler's
The Jane Austen Book Club
in the
New York Times Book Review
years ago. The review inspired me to reread all six Austen novels, saving Fowler's book for dessert. But when I came to the end of the last Austen novel and realized Jane Austen was dead and would never write another word, I went into withdrawal. I tried to wean myself with Austen's novel fragments and juvenilia, read Austen's contemporaries, picked at the sequels and fan fiction, but nothing satisfied. I wandered the Internet and found many lost readers like myself, struggling with the void.

Thank goodness for Fowler's book. She led me to realize that I could bring Jane Austen back to life through my writing. I imagined the book I wanted to read:
The Jane Austen Book Club
, relocated to
Howard's End
, narrated by an American Bridget Jones. I envisioned Gothic elements and characters immersed in enactments and discussion so immediate it would seem Jane Austen were present. I found myself inventing a literary festival where Jane Austen's novels assume relevance in the life of a troubled young woman. Spending five years writing
My Jane Austen Summer
thoroughly satisfied my Austen craving.

Where did you get the idea for Lily's imaginary Jane Austen?

The first line of the prologue in
The Jane Austen Book Club
, "Each of us has a private Austen," as well as an essay where John Wilt
shire, quoting Katherine Mansfield, suggests that readers imagine Jane Austen speaking to them between the lines of her text, intrigued me, especially since I was certain Jane Austen was my new best friend. I read biographies and criticism, getting to know her really well. But I was surprised when her human side was eventually revealed: irritable and prickly. And shocked by what seems to be a secret: her father's trusteeship of a slave-owning plantation. With the heated debate over the meaning of
Mansfield Park
and no one to define the truth for me, I had to wonder: Who is this person? Finally, the explanation that our heroine functions for us as a blank slate, upon which we can project our hopes and dreams, allowed me to understand the underlying dynamics of her relationship with fans, put it to rest, and simply enjoy reading her books.

However, the best friend experience demonstrated that a person could carry on a complete relationship, from initial infatuation, to blow-up, to establishing boundaries, with someone who has been dead two hundred years! Thus Lily's relationship with the imaginary Jane Austen embodies my idea of the dynamics of a contemporary woman's relationship with Jane Austen, taken to its end.

Why did you choose to shadow
Mansfield Park
?

Mansfield Park
is my favorite Austen novel. A later work, it seems darker and more mature to me and I like the Romantic elements. However, my favorite aspect is that Jane Austen favors the quiet, reserved Fanny Price over the witty, gregarious Mary Crawford. I like to think of Jane Austen as a Champion of Introspective Women.

Where do you stand in the Fanny Wars?

I love Fanny Price. I completely identify with a person who creates an interior world through reading, and I admire her cour
age in taking such a strong stand against Henry Crawford and Uncle Bertram. I do sometimes wonder if it is probable for her to endure with such determination, considering her miserable up-bringing. And it would not have bothered me if she didn't marry Edmund, as long as Edmund didn't end up with Mary Crawford. Lily Berry is my contemporary riff on Fanny Price, with Lily indulging in more failure than Fanny was allowed in her story.

How did you research this book?

I'm no scholar, so the task of depicting a literary conference required some work on my part. Aside from a lot of reading (my favorites are listed here in a selected bibliography), I spent years lurking on two Internet discussion lists listening to erudite conversation, learning how it sounds when Austen scholars discuss her work. One could almost get a free graduate degree in Jane Austen Studies by paying attention online. New threads of discussion arrive via e-mail daily, strong positions are constructed and defended, and further resources are regularly suggested.

What were the fun parts to write?

No one in the real world would hire me to develop a Jane Austen literary festival. But in my imagination, I'm in charge. From the volunteer check-in desk, to opening day enactments, I created every atom of my characters' world. And it was fun. I went house hunting on the Internet, seeking the perfect English manor, not too Palladian but big enough to house a literary festival. I have no practical interest in houses or decoration, but on a virtual level, I found it fascinating, poring over books on Georgian architecture, old house renovations, antique furnishings, and floor plans to create the perfect house--in my head. I used my experience at Squaw Valley Writers Conference as a reference for people gath
ered blissfully around the written word. I drew on memories of growing up in a family of educators where raised voices usually meant my grandfather was making his point. I chose scenes from
Mansfield Park
and
Lovers' Vows
to illuminate the action in
My Jane Austen Summer
. I enjoyed creating the flow of activities at the festival and the intellectual texture of a literary conference.

Which part of this book is written from the heart?

I wanted to write about a woman who breaks her cycle of unhappiness. This was the one aspect that was not negotiable in the many revisions. We all know people who repeat mistakes over and over, as if they were characters in a book, ink on a page with no second chances. But I believe people can change if they can imagine themselves differently. And the first step to imagining a difference is to see oneself truthfully. Self-knowledge is gained through observation, introspection, and examination of experiences.

Novels are a shortcut to examined experiences. Anyone who reads has a head start because the author does all the work, producing a story where complex characters act under pressure and either succeed or fail. The truth of an accurate portrayal in a novel resonates, as if to say:
This is how life is
. Like a cautionary lesson, sometimes I see myself reflected in the characters' situations, sometimes I see people I know. But when an author shines a light on a situation, and it resonates, and I can relate the experience to myself, I am saved a lot of time and trouble: disasters from which I learn, without having to experience them for myself. Jane Austen is expert at portraying human nature. True life resonates on every page, big scenes and small exchanges. I admire Jane Austen, agree with her judgment, and can't think of a better teacher for a young woman struggling with Lily's issues. Even though reading on the job got Lily fired, the examined experiences in Jane Austen's novels help Lily imagine a better
way to confront her problems. Through learning from failures, guidance from Willis, and immersion in Austen's literature, Lily becomes a more stable person. Books are good for you.

What about the ending?

All of Jane Austen's novels end with a wedding. Although the ending of
My Jane Austen Summer
is not conventionally happy, Lily gains a sense of identity and the confidence to eventually write her own happy ending. Like the
Don't give a man a fish
proverb: Don't give a character a wedding; teach her to love her self and she'll find happiness for a lifetime.

1. After being fired for reading on the job, Lily warns that reading can be dangerous to one's mental health. But the literary festival is all about books! Discuss the theme of reading in
   My Jane Austen Summer
   . How has reading shaped Lily's hopes and dreams? What role do books play as Lily con fronts her demons?
   
2. Describe Lily's relationship with her imaginary Jane Austen. How does the relationship change as the story progresses? Would this story work if Lily's imaginary friend had been Charlotte Bronte or Edith Wharton?
   
3. Her mother's death is very hard for Lily. How does it affect her relationships with Vera and her imaginary Jane Austen? What is the significance of the necklace and why is Bets so cavalier with it?
   
4. Lily wants a relationship so badly that she keeps squeezing herself into undersized romances. Why is a good relationship beyond her reach? When she discovers Martin with Ginny, Lily says, "I could have done
   earth
   for him." Why does she make this comment and what does it say about Lily? What are Lily's demons? When does she finally confront them? What advice would you give her?
   
5. Discuss the meaning of
   only connect
   from
   Howard's End
   . According to Omar, it's about connecting one's thoughts with one's deeds. According to Lily, it means relating to people
   with greater gusto. Omar suggests that Lily join him at his university once the festival ends and spend her time connecting disjointed personalities. But can Lily connect herself? Do any of the characters in this story
   only connect
   ?
   
6. Willis has secrets. He tells Lily he's working on his master's thesis but Lily discovers he's writing something completely different. Willis's other secrets are hurtful to Lily. How should Willis have behaved differently? Does Lily bear responsibility for not reading him more carefully?
   
7. Discuss Lily's family secret. How has it shaped her character and how does it impact her behavior at the literary festival? Discuss parallels between Willis's relationship with Lily and her father's relationship with his mistress. Archie and Magda? Maria Bertram and Henry Crawford? The baron in
   Lovers' Vows
   ? Lily faults her mother for not confiding the truth before she died. Do you think Lily's parents should have told her? How much do children need to know about their parents' private lives?
   
8. Omar tries to prevent Lily from pursuing her self-destructive urges on the evening of the follies, but Lily runs away from him. Magda tries to give Lily sisterly advice, which Lily ignores. What makes for a healthy friendship? Is Omar a good friend to Lily? Is Bets a good friend to Gary? Is Lily a good friend to anyone?
   
9. Discuss the different approaches to understanding the meaning of
   Mansfield Park
   . Is
   Mansfield Park
   about slavery and feminism--or the importance of self-knowledge? Where do you stand--with Magda or Nigel? How does the novel
   Mansfield Park
   illuminate the story of
   My Jane Austen Summer
   ?
   
10. Compare and contrast Lily Berry and Fanny Price. Where does Fanny get the strength to resist Henry Crawford? Would Lily, as she fears, have fallen prey to Henry Crawford on page 1? Is Fanny Price insipid or heroic? Take a side in the Fanny Wars and defend your position.
    
11. Does the play
    Lovers' Vows
    , about a woman whose baby daddy is a baron, speak to modern readers? How did it speak to Lily?
    
12. Janeites are a very diverse group of fans, evenly distributed along age lines and listing a wide variety of professions. Discuss the contemporary fame of Jane Austen. What is the reason for her great appeal to readers? Will it last, or, as she once said, will future generations be disappointed?
    
13. Consider the elements of traditional gothic fiction: castles, foreign settings, attics, death, secrets, overwrought emotion, mystery, tyrannical men, women in distress, grief, and hereditary curses. Which elements are present in
    My Jane Austen Summer
    ? How do they enrich setting and story?
    
14. Have you ever wanted to live in a novel? Lily believed that attending a literary festival might be a way to accomplish her dream. Are there other practical ways to "live in a novel"? What novel would you pick and how would you move in?
    
15. Consider the ending of
    My Jane Austen Summer
    . What will happen to Lily? Willis? Will some characters repeat the same mistakes for the rest of their lives? Did the ending satisfy you?