By Collins Hemingway
Collins Hemingway
What was it about Jane Austen that caused you to write The Marriage of Miss Jane Austen?
I've always admired her intelligence and character. I wanted to explore how a woman of her abilities would have handled the complexity of a committed relationship and everything, good and bad, that marriage meant to a woman in the early 1800s.
What are the important similarities between Jane and Elizabeth?
Both ladies were middle sisters in genteel but poor families. If they didn't marry well, they faced a life of relative poverty. Both rejected advantageous proposals by unsuitable men: Elizabeth by the hapless Mr. Collins and the arrogant Mr. Darcy; Jane by at least one man of considerable wealth. Jane chose spinsterhood to a marriage without affection or understanding; Elizabeth was prepared to do the same until she understood Darcy's true character.
Why do readers intuitively feel a deep connection between Elizabeth and Jane?
When Austen comments on someone like Mr. Collins, or even Emma, she separates herself with sly observations on their foibles. When Austen comments on Elizabeth, though, it's impossible to tell when Austen stops speaking and Elizabeth begins. They have the same perspective on life and people. It is the same clear voice, the same sharp mind.
How do Elizabeth Bennet and Jane Austen differ from Austen's other characters?
Despite their many qualities, Austen's other heroines do not directly challenge men. Elizabeth is the one Austen heroine who goes toe to toe with the males. The intent of my novel is to show Jane Austen herself acting with the same boldness, but in a more complex situation.
Elizabeth Bennet is a much loved character in the UK. Is the same true in the US?
It's true everywhere. There are Jane Austen societies in at least ten countries, these being the UK, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Germany, Japan, The Netherlands, Spain, Russia, the US. The US alone has more than seventy local groups, and I'm just back from a national convention that drew hundreds of people. Elizabeth Bennet is clearly the favourite among the Janeites.
Why do Elizabeth and Jane remain so dear to women, 200 years later?
Almost every Austen fan speaks warmly of "Jane" as if she's a favourite aunt, cousin, or BFF, just as she was in her lifetime. Her voice resonates with women. This is their voice. Wise, funny, kind-sharp when it needs to be, but no more than it needs to be.
Jane and Elizabeth both relate with women who face the same issues today: a lack of respect, general economic disadvantage, and less opportunity than men. Despite being disadvantaged, Elizabeth and Jane carried on without becoming cynical or bitter. They never lost their courage, or their sense of humour.
Why would our readers find your version of Jane Austen interesting?
Every Austen fan, I think, has wondered about the "might have beens" in her own life. If she had gone out into the bigger world. If she had ever found a man her equal. If she'd lived an eventful life and experienced the challenges of a married woman. My book is about Jane Austen-that brilliant woman-with everything at stake.
The Marriage of Miss Jane Austen, available to purchase now from Amazon.