On September 19, more than forty JASNA-NC members and guests gathered on Zoom for “All the Noise about ‘Dead Silence!’ A Fresh Look at Austen and Slavery” with Collins Hemingway. Collins is one of three JASNA Traveling Lecturers and his presentation was funded in part by a grant from JASNA. Thank you to Sue Scott for managing the grant process and coordinating with our speaker.
Collins opened by sharing his connection to North Carolina and his own family’s connection to the topic at hand. While we all want to think of Jane as perfect, few of us (or our families) could match that standard, and perhaps our wishes lead to an overly simplistic interpretation of Austen’s “silence” comment as proving her abolitionist tendencies.
Setting the Stage
Collins first provided some background on the slave trade, the convenient myths that slavery “wasn’t really that bad,” the reality of life for enslaved people, and efforts to end the slave trade during Austen’s life. He clarified the difference between “abolition” (the end of the slave trade—the violent capture and sale of Africans) vs. “emancipation” (an end to slavery), important distinctions that affect the reading of Austen’s works. Jane (1775-1817) would have seen abolition in the UK but not the end of slavery. Mr. Hemingway then described the several Austen family connections to slavery, an industry that entangled many families in England.
Slavery in the Novels
Mr. Hemingway covered the variety of Austen’s references to slavery in her novels, including Persuasion, Emma, and Mansfield Park. There are quite a few references, some of which may be direct and others that were perhaps plot devices or simply references of the day.
The Mansfield Park passages received a close reading, leaving the reader wondering about the things said, and left unsaid, by Austen and her characters. With the diction selected and with so many conversations “off-stage,” the interpretation of Austen’s position gets muddier. Mr. Hemingway covered many critics who considered Austen’s novels to clearly put her in the anti-slavery camp, while one major critic (and Hemingway himself) demanded a more cautious and less definitive view. He closed by pointing out that the unfinished (and barely begun) Sanditon, and its “half mulatto” Miss Lambe, would have given us more clues to Austen’s beliefs than her finished novels.
Q&A
During the Q&A one member commented that the Spirits of the Passage exhibition may be of interest to members who want to learn more about the transatlantic slave trade.
Another member noted the religious aspects to positions on slavery and wondered about the Church of England’s position. Collins noted that from early days, the Quakers opposed slavery, and many Methodists opposed it. The Church of England, however, supported the slave trade and in fact owned a plantation.
The famous slavery-related names used in Austen’s novels came up. Were they “fun,” superficial use—or did they have deeper meaning? Several appear to be definite references to slave trade, but can they be called proof of Austen’s positions? Hmmm.
All in all, this was a thought-provoking presentation and discussion, and we heartily thank Collins Hemingway for it!
For Your TBR List
Collins has a trilogy of novels titled The Marriage of Miss Jane Austen. He got interested in Austen in college, kept learning about the historical period, and became intrigued by all the things that Austen was not allowed to write about, so he decided to start filling in some of those blanks.
About the Speaker
Collins Hemingway has lectured on Jane Austen and the Regency era in the U.S., England, and Australia. He presented at the 2018, 2019, and 2020 JASNA Annual General Meetings. and has published in JASNA’s journal, Persuasions, and in the journals of the Australian society. He is a regular contributor to Jane Austen’s Regency World and the author of The Marriage of Miss Jane Austen, literary fiction based on Austen’s life. Many of his talks are part of a collection of essays he’s creating on Austen’s development as a writer.
Visit his website for more information about him and his books.