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Wednesday, September 14, 2011

The Lost Years of Jane Austen

I am not quite halfway through Barbara Ker Wilson's novel The Lost Years of Jane Austen (#112) but I thought I'd better post on this now, since both Jane Austen and I are on our way to Australia, and it will be mid-October before I can post again.

Ms. Wilson has written her book in the style of, and as a tribute to the works of Jane Austen.  What is interesting about this book is that it is not entirely fiction.  The deus ex machina to get Jane out to Australia is the true story of her aunt, Jane Leigh Perrot, who was a victim of a shoplifting con.  Although she was eventually aquitted, the trial caused quite a scandal in Bath.  Transportation to Australia was a real possibility under the circumstances. 

In the novel, Jane has met her soulmate while visiting the seaside town of Sidmouth with her parents.  His intentions are plain to everyone, but her hopes are dashed when news is received of his death.  Her uncle, in the meantime, has grown fascinated with the idea of Australia and the wonders to be found there.  He is determined to see it for himself, but realizes that his wife cannot face the trip on her own.  Why not ask one of his unattached nieces to be her companion?  The entire family is shocked when Jane jumps at the chance. 

That is as far as the plot has advanced in the first one hundred twenty plus pages I've read so far.  Jane is only mentioned briefly in passing until eight chapters of exposition have passed.  Since the book is supposed to be about Jane's trip to Australia, it would be nice if she a) played a larger role in what is supposed to be her story, and b) traveled out there a little sooner.  Since Ms. Wilson is speculating on the time in Jane's life between 1801 and 1804 when her sister Cassandra burned all her letters, not much is known, so anything could have happened to Jane.  This is a nice imagining, but let's get on with it, please.  (I think that Syrie James does a much better job with this in her The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen, told in Jane's own voice.  Most of my friends who are Austen fans think that this book is a cut above the average in this genre.)

Oh, and did I mention the shocking use of vulgarity in the book?  Ironically, in The Lost Years of Jane Austen, Jane's lost love is a clergyman, who upon meeting her in the circulating library in Sidmouth, strikes up a conversation about her taste in reading.  He quizzes her about Fielding's Tom Jones and Sterne's Tristam Shandy, and is surprised to learn that she not only has read them both, but thinks them somewhat "morally lax".   Therefore I was suprised at some of the situations and language used by Ms. Wilson.  Would Jane Austen approve?  I think not!  I wonder what will happen when romance blooms again for Jane in Sydney?  Will Jane be a party to improper conduct?!  (The cover blurb promises a "passionate and risky romance")  I'll have to let you know...

And just a note about the cover art.  I thought the picture was perfect for the cover.  I got the impression that it was a Victorian re-imagining of the Regency period, but it's a delightful picture nontheless.  The cover illustration only credits the London Art Archives, so it's not possible to track down the painter or see any other examples of his work.  Too bad....

Just because I won't have an opportunity to blog while I'm traveling, doesn't mean that I won't be reading.  In fact, I've been stockpiling paperback books that I won't mind leaving behind for others to enjoy.  I've got my notebook from the library to keep track of what I'm reading on those twenty two hour trips out and back, and the commutes by plane around Australia.  I promise to fill you in when I get back.  Keep reading, and look for my next post after October 10th.

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