It's all about Jane...

This month’s theme came about because 16 December last year would have been Jane Austen’s 250th birthday, so it seemed the perfect time to talk about all things Jane. Life, though, had other ideas and rather than meeting in December, we’re a month or so late, but you know what? Hay ho and all that.

Having already read and discussed the full novels Austen published during her life, we all approached this chat differently. A few of us read the novella, Lady Susan; I took it as an opportunity to reread Persuasion (for the eleventyhundredth time); Sue read Jane Austen’s The History of England, and we all went down Jane Austen rabbit holes.

During the chat, I mention an article in The Times where screenwriter Andrew Davies was looking to develop three Austen works - Emma, Mansfield Park, and The Watsons. Rather than rehashing the books, he’s taking a deeper and, dare I say, darker view. A what-happens-after-bin-night view. The full article is here, but it is behind a paywall, so an extract is below:

This time he will tell it from the perspective of Jane Fairfax, whom he describes as “the true heroine of the novel”.

In the book, Fairfax is the only woman whom the titular Emma envies. She also has a secret engagement with Frank Churchill after a passionate encounter in Weymouth. It is a dramatic situation and Davies is keen to dwell on the difficulties in their relationship.

Davies said: “Jane falls for Frank — he’s very plausible, very charming and his charm comes from something very dangerous. He’s been hurting all his life, so poor Jane is trapped. If this were a modern story, she’d be able to give him up or have an abortion or whatever, but in this story she’s enthralled to a psychopath basically.”

… “Sadly, Emma dies in childbirth a year after the wedding,” he said, drawing cries of “You can’t do that!” from the audience.

He continued: “Frank doesn’t take to marriage well, he’s unfaithful and makes Jane very unhappy, runs away and dies a dissolute wretch. This takes about four years.”

It wasn’t all bad news. In the end, Davies has Emma’s widower Mr Knightley journey up to Yorkshire and marry Fairfax.

We also talked about several spin-off novels that are well worth a read. Among these were:

* Longbourn, by Jo Baker - a retelling of P&P from the viewpoint of the servants

* The Mr Darcy and Miss Tilney series by Claudia Gray - where the next generation teams up to solve mysteries

* The Heiress, by Molly Greeley - the untold story of Miss de Bourgh

* The Clergyman’s Wife, by Molly Greeley - Charlotte Collins’ (nee Lucas) story

Anyways, have a listen and let us know your favourite Austen novel in the comments.

This month we’re reading Gulliver’s Travels, by Jonathan Swift.

The Simply Stunning Classic Book Club is:

* Joanne Tracey

* Debbie Harris

* Sue Loncaric and

* Donna Connolly

You can find out more about us, and links to our pages, here.

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