By Karin Wiberg
On May 16, JASNA-NC met for our quarterly Virtual Book Club to discuss Claire Tomalin’s Jane Austen: A Life. The book will be featured at June’s Jane Austen Summer Program and we took the opportunity to get a head start. Many of us were still making our way through the book, but some clear themes emerged in the discussion.
Biographers’ Speculation
Several people commented that while this book was strong on research, it felt like it had more speculation than other Austen biographies (e.g., Lucy Worsley’s, Deirdre Le Faye’s) about things that simply couldn’t be known. This observation brought forth the idea of biographers’ biases and what they bring into the book. One person commented that Deirdre Le Faye’s biography is much more “these are the facts.” Tomalin’s language itself—“could have” or “would have”—emphasized her speculation. Some people were uncomfortable with the amount of speculation; some were more comfortable with it. One person described it as “food for thought…like picking up breadcrumbs.”
Poor Mrs. Austen
Poor Mrs. Austen seemed to take a good deal of criticism from Tomalin, whether directly or just in tone. (Though someone commented Mrs. Austen does not come off well in the Worsley biography either.) To some, the description of her hypochondria felt a bit overboard. There also seemed to be implications of maternal neglect, e.g., sending Jane away to school at a young age. Was it a modern view of common past practices? Will we look back on our mothers who smoke and drank during pregnancy and condemn them? There is so much we don’t know. To be fair, Tomalin made the point that pregnancy was a huge part of women’s lives, that many women died in childbirth, and that wet-nursing was not unusual especially in middle- and upper-class families. And we must have some sympathy for Mrs. Austen—running a boarding school in her home, managing lots of kids, farm responsibilities, etc.
Sex and Childbirth
Tomalin had some interesting commentary on sex and childbirth. We know that it was not uncommon for women to die in childbirth, and without birth control, the best way of avoiding having children was abstention. One passage mentioned the large number of years between children for James and Mary and speculates that she insisted on separate bedrooms. Edward’s wife Elizabeth had lots of kids; Tomalin commented that Darcy would never inflict that on Lizzy—as though having sex is somehow unrefined… And was that really a fair comment? After all Edward was sleeping with his wife, not someone else—would celibacy be better? One person commented on reading elsewhere about advice from one woman to another of the era: Don’t be too proud of separate rooms, which only increases temptation; instead have a servant sleeping in the room with you (presumably to keep the husband from coming in). In looking at the family tree at the back of the book and seeing all the births, we must offer respect for these women and their strength!
Cousin Eliza
Nearly everyone found Cousin Eliza fascinating. She traveled to India to find a husband. She took devoted care of a disabled son. And she was all around interesting. Many said they would like to learn more. Luckily Deirdre Le Faye has a book about her: Jane Austen’s ‘Outlandish Cousin’: The Life and Letters of Eliza de Feuillide. Additionally, Sue and Gisele are working on a talk about Eliza for later this year.
The Bath Years
There was a period of about six years when the Austens were in various places in Bath and then another few years after Mr. Austen’s death where the women moved around frequently, giving Austen a decade of little to no writing. It appears Austen did not especially like Bath (at least reading between the lines) and had been shocked at the decision to move there from the family home in Steventon. Bath may have caused more social obligations, more disruption, more depression—the reasons for not writing still seem a bit murky, and more so due to the lack of letters from this period.
Overall: Recommended
Overall, people enjoyed Jane Austen: A Life. It is a literary biography that “paints a good picture.” And those who were still reading planned to keep going. Those of us attending JASP look forward to further discussion then.
Our next book club selection for August is Mansfield Park.