Rational Creature
A few years ago, I wrote an essay to introduce my third novel. The piece showcased Jane Austen's use of the expression 'rational creature' in "Pride and Prejudice." I am sharing that preface here. I understand an anthology with the title "Rational Creature" is soon to be released. #RationalCreature I am not one of the writers represented in the anthology, but it will be on my list to explore. It definitely was an inspiration for "Mr Darcy Likes it Wild."
My situation has changed drastically since this essay was written. My partner of almost 50 years died six weeks ago. Since I am no longer his caregiver, I am starting to write again. I am writing a blog post to discuss how Jane Austen novels end at the altar and love and partnership exist much beyond that point. As Shakespeare said in his Sonnet 116, "but bears it out even to the edge of doom."
This preface to "Mr Darcy Likes it Wild" was written in 2013.
"Mr Darcy Likes It Wild, A Pride and Prejudice Diversion" is my imagining of what might happen if Mr Bennet insisted Elizabeth marry Mr. Collins. What would my favorite literary character do? Would she obediently submit to save her mother and sisters; or would she do all in her power to find an alternative to life shackled to a silly man.
Eight years ago as I began dabbling in the world of Jane Austen fan fiction, my life simultaneously became increasingly stressful. It was not cause and effect, just happenstance. My husband of forty plus years became triply disabled, and I was needed as a full time caregiver. Luckily my Bill’s mind is not impaired. Though much activity is curtailed, he is still my well-informed best friend and we are free to engage in a great deal of conversation. We debate ideas, we remember the past, we research entirely too many medical issues, but through it all, we laugh.
Humor has always been important to our partnership. While rubbing along together, I have often been reminded of the line in "The Way We Were:" ‘So it's the laughter, we will remember.’ It echoes the philosophy expressed by the more mature Elizabeth Bennet at the end of Pride and Prejudice: ‘Think only of the past as its remembrance gives you pleasure.’
I have dubbed this period in our life as the happiness of a sad time. It is painfully evident where we are headed, but I am determined to wring as much enjoyment as possible out of this final leg of our journey. My writing is an integral part in achieving this goal. Much of what I read to my love, who is blind due to macular degeneration, revolves around preparing for my next creative endeavor.
The reason I first became involved in the fan fiction world was a desire to teach myself to write. In an online forum, you put your offering on view, see if it inspires, listen to readers’ reactions and learn from your audience what works and what doesn’t. I chose to try the Austenesque genre because to me Jane produced witty, incisive analysis of her age, class and most importantly her sex—exactly what I would like to eventually accomplish.
Each of my stories has had a purpose. With my first novel ("Goodly Creatures"), I wanted to learn how to blend historical, political and serious social issues into an entertaining story. Though mostly successful, it unfortunately traumatized a significant percentage of those in the Jane Austen community who thought an unsentimental portrayal of rape and its realistic aftermath inappropriate. With my second ("Mr Darcy’s Cottage of Earthly Delights"), I aspired to create credible erotica. The jury is still out on whether I was successful. Once again, I drew the ire of a JAFF faction—those who insist literature honoring Jane must be ‘clean.’ As I began my third foray, my desire was to write comedy—not sophisticated witty humor like my beloved Ms Austen, but the sort that causes the reader to choke and spit out any beverage they are sipping. This particular goal also fit in with my increasing need for humor as a coping mechanism.
Bill serves as my sounding board, my test audience and my go to guy. When I need to do some research, he comes up with excellent suggestions. As I was editing "Mr Darcy Likes it Wild" for self-publication, he suggested I check out Annette Rubinstein’s English Literature from Shakespeare to Shaw. He had heard her speak back in the 60’s and remembered she greatly admired Jane Austen.
As we read her analysis, I was struck by her admiration of the scene portraying Elizabeth’s rejection of Mr. Collins’ proposal. My favorite Austen character is resolute in her refusal despite his reminder that, in view of her small fortune: “It is by no means certain that another offer of marriage will ever be made.” This wonderful scene comes to a climax with a statement of one of the author’s favorite themes: “Do not consider me now as an elegant female… but as a rational creature.”
I adore "Pride and Prejudice," not because of Mr. Darcy, but because of the woman he falls in love with. She was the character I most wanted to explore when I first began writing Austen inspired fiction. I have read that my favorite author felt great affection for her Lizzy. Whether a resemblance between Elizabeth and her creator existed, we will probably never know; but she certainly works for me as a self-portrait. To my mind, both are complex individuals, profoundly aware and capable of choice.
Ms Austen depicts Lizzy’s pride in her ability to observe, to analyze and to decide. Her prejudice comes through when she forgets that, even for her, there is only one area of selection—marriage. Throughout all her novels, the author’s witty prose roots this singular choice for women of her class in the numbing pressures of her acquisitive society. Irony is used to discover and illuminate; and though Pride and Prejudice’s setting is the same stratified, materialistic and severely regulated culture, she imbues Elizabeth Bennet with a fierce longing to be a free individual.
Now that I have told you the inspiration for my story’s underlying serious theme, I need to remind you that my goal was to write a comedy. Georgette Heyer, a prolific writer with a great admiration for Austen, has provided me with some excellent belly laughs over the years. She is the author I go to when I want to forget my woes with hilarity. When I read her The Corinthian, I began imagining a fiction featuring Elizabeth Bennet who under the pressure of being forced to marry Mr. Collins takes desperate measures. What would my favorite rational creature do if her beloved father became set on forcing her to relinquish her freedom by tying her to a ridiculous man?
I was further inspired by a soupçon of Shakespeare and an even heavier dose of Billy Wilder. Both wrote great road trip comedies ("As You Like It" and "Some Like it Hot") with the added twist of cross dressing. I must also give credit to the Fielding brothers. They inspired me on numerous levels. One brother wrote a delightful comic journey for the foundling Tom Jones and later joined his brother to create Britain’s first attempt at a national police force.
The final thing I wanted to accomplish with my third story was to force myself to write from one character’s point of view. Obviously it would have made sense to choose to tell Lizzy’s tale from her perspective, but instead I chose to see things as Darcy—with the exception of one piece of a chapter.
Early in my research for "Mr Darcy Likes It Wild," I stumbled upon the speculation that Lord Byron coined the phrase ‘truth is stranger than fiction.' The concept is definitely featured in his Don Juan.
"Tis strange - but true; for truth is always strange; Stranger than fiction; if it could be told,"
Upon further investigation of Byron’s ‘Epic Satire,’ I was pleased to find that the most famous of all the romantic poets created a female character who indulged in cross dressing. The Black Friar is an enigmatic ghostly character that Juan sees while staying with Lady Adeline Amundeville and her husband Lord Henry Amundeville. The following night he is visited in his bedroom by the spectre. As the monk’s hood falls down, the "friar" is revealed to be the voluptuous Duchess of Fitz-Fulke. Soon my epilogue for "Mr Darcy Likes It Wild" began to take shape with this gender bending revelation.
I hope I succeed in making you laugh.
Here is a PS for the current period:
I adore Elizabeth Bennet. Mr. Darcy is a fine man, but Austen doesn’t tell me enough about him to be certain he is my ideal man. Ah but her Lizzy is fully fleshed out as a character and is filled with intriguing complexities as well as the requisite ability to grow. Every time I read her story, I see something new and inspiring in my favorite literary character. So far Austen’s impertinent witty ‘rational creature’ has been the stimulation for my journey in writing.
My situation has changed drastically since this essay was written. My partner of almost 50 years died six weeks ago. Since I am no longer his caregiver, I am starting to write again. I am writing a blog post to discuss how Jane Austen novels end at the altar and love and partnership exist much beyond that point. As Shakespeare said in his Sonnet 116, "but bears it out even to the edge of doom."
This preface to "Mr Darcy Likes it Wild" was written in 2013.
"Mr Darcy Likes It Wild, A Pride and Prejudice Diversion" is my imagining of what might happen if Mr Bennet insisted Elizabeth marry Mr. Collins. What would my favorite literary character do? Would she obediently submit to save her mother and sisters; or would she do all in her power to find an alternative to life shackled to a silly man.
Eight years ago as I began dabbling in the world of Jane Austen fan fiction, my life simultaneously became increasingly stressful. It was not cause and effect, just happenstance. My husband of forty plus years became triply disabled, and I was needed as a full time caregiver. Luckily my Bill’s mind is not impaired. Though much activity is curtailed, he is still my well-informed best friend and we are free to engage in a great deal of conversation. We debate ideas, we remember the past, we research entirely too many medical issues, but through it all, we laugh.
Humor has always been important to our partnership. While rubbing along together, I have often been reminded of the line in "The Way We Were:" ‘So it's the laughter, we will remember.’ It echoes the philosophy expressed by the more mature Elizabeth Bennet at the end of Pride and Prejudice: ‘Think only of the past as its remembrance gives you pleasure.’
I have dubbed this period in our life as the happiness of a sad time. It is painfully evident where we are headed, but I am determined to wring as much enjoyment as possible out of this final leg of our journey. My writing is an integral part in achieving this goal. Much of what I read to my love, who is blind due to macular degeneration, revolves around preparing for my next creative endeavor.
The reason I first became involved in the fan fiction world was a desire to teach myself to write. In an online forum, you put your offering on view, see if it inspires, listen to readers’ reactions and learn from your audience what works and what doesn’t. I chose to try the Austenesque genre because to me Jane produced witty, incisive analysis of her age, class and most importantly her sex—exactly what I would like to eventually accomplish.
Each of my stories has had a purpose. With my first novel ("Goodly Creatures"), I wanted to learn how to blend historical, political and serious social issues into an entertaining story. Though mostly successful, it unfortunately traumatized a significant percentage of those in the Jane Austen community who thought an unsentimental portrayal of rape and its realistic aftermath inappropriate. With my second ("Mr Darcy’s Cottage of Earthly Delights"), I aspired to create credible erotica. The jury is still out on whether I was successful. Once again, I drew the ire of a JAFF faction—those who insist literature honoring Jane must be ‘clean.’ As I began my third foray, my desire was to write comedy—not sophisticated witty humor like my beloved Ms Austen, but the sort that causes the reader to choke and spit out any beverage they are sipping. This particular goal also fit in with my increasing need for humor as a coping mechanism.
Bill serves as my sounding board, my test audience and my go to guy. When I need to do some research, he comes up with excellent suggestions. As I was editing "Mr Darcy Likes it Wild" for self-publication, he suggested I check out Annette Rubinstein’s English Literature from Shakespeare to Shaw. He had heard her speak back in the 60’s and remembered she greatly admired Jane Austen.
As we read her analysis, I was struck by her admiration of the scene portraying Elizabeth’s rejection of Mr. Collins’ proposal. My favorite Austen character is resolute in her refusal despite his reminder that, in view of her small fortune: “It is by no means certain that another offer of marriage will ever be made.” This wonderful scene comes to a climax with a statement of one of the author’s favorite themes: “Do not consider me now as an elegant female… but as a rational creature.”
I adore "Pride and Prejudice," not because of Mr. Darcy, but because of the woman he falls in love with. She was the character I most wanted to explore when I first began writing Austen inspired fiction. I have read that my favorite author felt great affection for her Lizzy. Whether a resemblance between Elizabeth and her creator existed, we will probably never know; but she certainly works for me as a self-portrait. To my mind, both are complex individuals, profoundly aware and capable of choice.
Ms Austen depicts Lizzy’s pride in her ability to observe, to analyze and to decide. Her prejudice comes through when she forgets that, even for her, there is only one area of selection—marriage. Throughout all her novels, the author’s witty prose roots this singular choice for women of her class in the numbing pressures of her acquisitive society. Irony is used to discover and illuminate; and though Pride and Prejudice’s setting is the same stratified, materialistic and severely regulated culture, she imbues Elizabeth Bennet with a fierce longing to be a free individual.
Now that I have told you the inspiration for my story’s underlying serious theme, I need to remind you that my goal was to write a comedy. Georgette Heyer, a prolific writer with a great admiration for Austen, has provided me with some excellent belly laughs over the years. She is the author I go to when I want to forget my woes with hilarity. When I read her The Corinthian, I began imagining a fiction featuring Elizabeth Bennet who under the pressure of being forced to marry Mr. Collins takes desperate measures. What would my favorite rational creature do if her beloved father became set on forcing her to relinquish her freedom by tying her to a ridiculous man?
I was further inspired by a soupçon of Shakespeare and an even heavier dose of Billy Wilder. Both wrote great road trip comedies ("As You Like It" and "Some Like it Hot") with the added twist of cross dressing. I must also give credit to the Fielding brothers. They inspired me on numerous levels. One brother wrote a delightful comic journey for the foundling Tom Jones and later joined his brother to create Britain’s first attempt at a national police force.
The final thing I wanted to accomplish with my third story was to force myself to write from one character’s point of view. Obviously it would have made sense to choose to tell Lizzy’s tale from her perspective, but instead I chose to see things as Darcy—with the exception of one piece of a chapter.
Early in my research for "Mr Darcy Likes It Wild," I stumbled upon the speculation that Lord Byron coined the phrase ‘truth is stranger than fiction.' The concept is definitely featured in his Don Juan.
"Tis strange - but true; for truth is always strange; Stranger than fiction; if it could be told,"
Upon further investigation of Byron’s ‘Epic Satire,’ I was pleased to find that the most famous of all the romantic poets created a female character who indulged in cross dressing. The Black Friar is an enigmatic ghostly character that Juan sees while staying with Lady Adeline Amundeville and her husband Lord Henry Amundeville. The following night he is visited in his bedroom by the spectre. As the monk’s hood falls down, the "friar" is revealed to be the voluptuous Duchess of Fitz-Fulke. Soon my epilogue for "Mr Darcy Likes It Wild" began to take shape with this gender bending revelation.
I hope I succeed in making you laugh.
Here is a PS for the current period:
I adore Elizabeth Bennet. Mr. Darcy is a fine man, but Austen doesn’t tell me enough about him to be certain he is my ideal man. Ah but her Lizzy is fully fleshed out as a character and is filled with intriguing complexities as well as the requisite ability to grow. Every time I read her story, I see something new and inspiring in my favorite literary character. So far Austen’s impertinent witty ‘rational creature’ has been the stimulation for my journey in writing.
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