By: Linda Darden
The JASNA NC Virtual Book Club returned in November, with a reading of Beth Pattillo’s 2008 novel Jane Austen Ruined My Life. JASNA members and guests participated in a discussion facilitated by club member Nancy Young before being joined by the author for a Q&A session.
The story in this selection centers on the journey of English professor Emma Grant whose life and romantic understanding of Austen novels come into question following the discovery of her husband’s infidelity. Emma embarks on a mission to to learn more about Austen’s lost letters, and in the process questions her own beliefs and life decisions. In particular Emma and the reader are invited to contemplate the significance of the missing letters relative to our own understanding of Jane Austen as author.
Among the questions posed by the facilitator, perhaps the most spirited discussion was in response to the question of whether club members would choose to protect Austen’s privacy if the missing letters were found and read. On the one hand, the letters were presumably destroyed at the request, expressed or implied, of the author herself to her beloved sister. Surely that must suggest that she did not want the contents shared, and therefore her wishes should be honored. Both Jane and Cassandra Austen seem to have believed that the world did not have a right to know everything about Jane and what she felt, similar to current debates about those with celebrity status.
Alternatively, some felt that additional context would add richness to the understanding of her life, plots, and characters and would support more accurate understanding. Without specific information to provide context, the gap is filled with assumptions drawn from limited information and which may be far from the truth. More information would paint a clearer picture. Without regard to this question, the consensus was that the resolution in the book reflected a thoughtful and reasonable compromise overall, with the main character finding her own strength in her personal decision making.
Among other discussion topics was a reflection on a prior JASNA-NC book club meeting (Jane Austen and the Price of Happiness by member Inger Brodey). A reference in that book to Pattillo’s novel inspired this book club selection – specifically the question of whether Austen promises a happily ever after in her novels, which is the premise held initially by Pattillo’s heroine. Reflecting on the realities of Regency-era life and the limited options for women, the logical conclusion is that there is satisfaction in seeing Austen’s heroines achieve the best that they can for their individual circumstances. And many of those heroines leave us with the promise of ongoing happiness in relationships providing mutual respect and comfort. These are contrasted to the couples in Austen works that are not experiencing happy relationships, so perhaps the happy endings are more accurately described as hopeful beginnings. Taking this topic further is the question of whether romance novels set readers up for disappointment in their lives and relationship. Those who take pleasure in novels, as opposed to the ‘intolerably stupid’, can appreciate the escapism, simplicity, and even idealism of these stories. At the same time, for some readers there is a risk of confusing them with the more complex realities of daily life, as seen in Pattillo’s book.
For the second part of the discussion Beth Pattillo joined club members, sharing her background and inspiration for this and other novels. Like many she first encountered Jane Austen’s works in school, and has been fascinated by the topic of the missing letters and Cassandra’s role as caretaker of her sister’s legacy. Her visits with family to locations important in Jane Austen’s life and novels are reflected in the novel. Reviewing the parish registry pages in Steventon, particularly the marriage registers signed by Jane Austen with fictional spouses, Pattillo was struck with the idea that there could be more to her story than we know. What if Cassandra protected her sisters legacy in a way we don’t realize, and what if there was a secret society continuing that effort even to modern times? With this framework, her novel not only tells of Jane Austen’s life but also tells the story of her heroine’s journey, and the question of happy endings.
This novel was originally published in 2008, and Ms. Pattillo shared that she is now republishing the book with a new epilogue, adding a note to the heroine’s journey. In addition, there are two other books in the series which are being republished as well, although with new titles. A fourth may be written in the coming years as well, and may well show up in a future Virtual Book Club discussion.