Identity and Meaning in Austenesque Fiction
Happy March!
Teacher that I am, I'm going to begin this post with some questions. If you have the time and interest, consider the questions before you read my rambling thoughts. Then, if you have even more time and interest, I'd love to hear what you think!
The questions are not exactly related to each other -- but they're questions inspired by some recent reading:
1.) How much does an author's identity impact her or his writing? I'm thinking along the lines of gender, race, nationality, religion, sexual orientation -- but you could consider any form of identity that you find significant in your life.
2.) What, beyond borrowing Austen's characters and plot, makes a story "Austenesque?" Can Austenesque fiction ever stray too far from the source material to be considered truly "Austenesque?" (Please don't list specific books or authors here that you think don't work; I'm not looking to bash anyone's writing. Rather, tell me about general tropes or techniques that you think change a work from Austenesque to something else.)
--
Part of the reason I've been thinking of these questions: I had a chance recently to read two great Austenesque novels by male authors (Don Jacobson's The Keeper: Mary Bennet's Extraordinary Journey and Mark Brownlow's Cake and Courtship). Perhaps it shouldn't matter that the authors are male -- and yet I did find myself wondering how it might feel to be a male author in one of the few genres dominated by females.
I enjoyed both novels immensely, and I especially appreciated how different they were from any other Austenesque fiction I've read. These books were certainly different from what I write. But is that just because we're all different people? Or does gender greatly impact how we write?
I suppose the answer to both these questions is yes. Surely all of our life experiences shape how we write and read, which means gender is important--but so are many other factors, as well. Indeed, I'm glad to see more Austenesque novels from authors of colors and authors who hail from nations that aren't the UK or US. (Personally looking forward to reading Pride, Unmarriageable, and Austenistan!)
I believe the varied experiences of authors writing in the Austenesque genre today enrich our appreciation for and love of Austen's original novels.
It's a real testament to Jane Austen's work that her novels cross the boundaries we humans like to set up for ourselves. I also find it beautiful that authors are celebrating unique perspectives by placing our favorite Austen characters in situations Austen herself could never have imagined.
This does lead to a question, however: can Austenesque fiction ever stray too far from the original source material to remain Austenesque?
For me, there needs to be only one constant in Austenesque fiction: the element of self-discovery. Austen's novels are not, in my mind, Regency romances (though I love that genre) -- but instead books that address a universal desire to understand ourselves better. So when I see Austenesque fiction doing that -- no matter who's writing it or how they're changing the setting or context -- I feel a great sense of kinship.
So, what do you think?
(I'd just ask, ever so humbly, that any comments steer clear of criticizing specific authors or books. The one exception -- feel free to leave negative feedback on my own books, as this is my blog, and by writing here, I'm inviting that feedback. Thanks!)
Teacher that I am, I'm going to begin this post with some questions. If you have the time and interest, consider the questions before you read my rambling thoughts. Then, if you have even more time and interest, I'd love to hear what you think!
The questions are not exactly related to each other -- but they're questions inspired by some recent reading:
1.) How much does an author's identity impact her or his writing? I'm thinking along the lines of gender, race, nationality, religion, sexual orientation -- but you could consider any form of identity that you find significant in your life.
2.) What, beyond borrowing Austen's characters and plot, makes a story "Austenesque?" Can Austenesque fiction ever stray too far from the source material to be considered truly "Austenesque?" (Please don't list specific books or authors here that you think don't work; I'm not looking to bash anyone's writing. Rather, tell me about general tropes or techniques that you think change a work from Austenesque to something else.)
--
Part of the reason I've been thinking of these questions: I had a chance recently to read two great Austenesque novels by male authors (Don Jacobson's The Keeper: Mary Bennet's Extraordinary Journey and Mark Brownlow's Cake and Courtship). Perhaps it shouldn't matter that the authors are male -- and yet I did find myself wondering how it might feel to be a male author in one of the few genres dominated by females.
I enjoyed both novels immensely, and I especially appreciated how different they were from any other Austenesque fiction I've read. These books were certainly different from what I write. But is that just because we're all different people? Or does gender greatly impact how we write?
I suppose the answer to both these questions is yes. Surely all of our life experiences shape how we write and read, which means gender is important--but so are many other factors, as well. Indeed, I'm glad to see more Austenesque novels from authors of colors and authors who hail from nations that aren't the UK or US. (Personally looking forward to reading Pride, Unmarriageable, and Austenistan!)
I believe the varied experiences of authors writing in the Austenesque genre today enrich our appreciation for and love of Austen's original novels.
It's a real testament to Jane Austen's work that her novels cross the boundaries we humans like to set up for ourselves. I also find it beautiful that authors are celebrating unique perspectives by placing our favorite Austen characters in situations Austen herself could never have imagined.
This does lead to a question, however: can Austenesque fiction ever stray too far from the original source material to remain Austenesque?
For me, there needs to be only one constant in Austenesque fiction: the element of self-discovery. Austen's novels are not, in my mind, Regency romances (though I love that genre) -- but instead books that address a universal desire to understand ourselves better. So when I see Austenesque fiction doing that -- no matter who's writing it or how they're changing the setting or context -- I feel a great sense of kinship.
So, what do you think?
(I'd just ask, ever so humbly, that any comments steer clear of criticizing specific authors or books. The one exception -- feel free to leave negative feedback on my own books, as this is my blog, and by writing here, I'm inviting that feedback. Thanks!)
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A great blog post here. I must argue that I do try to follow Virginia Woolf's precepts of the androgynous mind as articulated in "A Room of One's Own" as I write my stories. There is no way that I can alter my own life experiences...especially those that grew from my own gender...but what I do try to do is to open myself to allow the female part of my personality to share the same space with the male portion. I pray that I am successful.
I agree with Christina about keeping the underlying characteristics of the original Austen characters visible. For instance, in The Keeper, I could not have possibly cast Mary as a flirty woman...or if she did flirt, it would be something so out of her character that she would respond to it in some manner (excitement? Penitence?). That is not to say that we cannot use stark personality changes to illustrate other plot cruxes.
Consider those stories that have an indecisive Bingley becoming SO indecisive that he is virtually paralyzed. And so on.
Great post!
Interesting questions!From a readers standpoint, I agree with Christina and Don about keeping true to the characteristics Jane Austen imparted in her characters. That being said, I do like when an author writes 'outside the box' and can provide a believable and worthy interpretation of growth and/or redemption or develop a character where Jane has given us only a small bit of information. I am a huge fan of secondary characters being given depth of character that is in keeping with the times they are in. For me Don's books do that, and you are in for treat as you continue The Wardrobe series. I do plan to read Mark's books this year.
Do I see a difference in the writing between male/female writers that I have read in the Austenesque genre? Yes, in a way. I find male authors are, in some scenarios more direct in their approach. I'm not sure if I can explain this, but it is just something that I feel. I am not complaining or critizing, it is a different perspective and one I enjoy.
As for your books? Love them! Can't wait to read your next one!
Christina wrote: "There still needs to be thought for why they react as they do in this new scenario in accordance to how the character was originally written. Otherwise to me, it’s just the same name on a different body."This is a great way to put it. I'm always amazed at how so many different authors can create unique stories based on a shared set of characters. I'm biased, of course, but I honor the ability of JAFF authors to take something fixed (like a set of characters or a plot) and still write something new. I think this is one of the frustrations I have with people who think Austenesque fiction is too derivative: they don't seem to appreciate the creativity involved in the process?
Thanks so much for commenting--and for all your support!
Don wrote: "I must argue that I do try to follow Virginia Woolf's precepts of the androgynous mind as articulated in "A Room of One's Own" as I write my stories. There is no way that I can alter my own life experiences...especially those that grew from my own gender...but what I do try to do is to open myself to allow the female part of my personality to share the same space with the male portion. I pray that I am successful. "Yes! I loved your thoughtful depiction of Mary. Had I not known your gender, I wouldn't have thought, "Oh, a man is trying to write about Mary Bennet." But because I did know you identified as male, I found myself wondering about your experience as a writer in this genre. This is perhaps more than a little unfair of me. I don't ask that question of women -- and really, the question should be, Why do any of us write what we do?
Great connection to Woolf, too. I haven't read nearly enough of her, but "A Room of One's Own" is a brilliant examination of gender and writing. And it reminds me to think more about using that androgynous mind as I write, too.
Thanks for stopping by, Don -- and thanks especially for writing!
Carole (in Canada) wrote: "Do I see a difference in the writing between male/female writers that I have read in the Austenesque genre? Yes, in a way. I find male authors are, in some scenarios more direct in their approach. I'm not sure if I can explain this, but it is just something that I feel. I am not complaining or critizing, it is a different perspective and one I enjoy."Hi, Carole! Yes, I think I understand your point here about directness.
For me, I really appreciated both Don and Mark's willingness to build a world around their characters that I sometimes take for granted. In other words, romance, while significant to the plots of both books, was not the only or even main concern of the main characters. Both Mary in The Keeper and Mr. Bennet in Cake and Courtship were very busy people -- helping others, often.
I don't think this tendency to build a social world outside of the romantic pairing is a purely male characteristic in writing, but perhaps male authors in this genre are more likely to emphasize a variety of perspectives beyond the heroine/hero? I don't know... I haven't read enough authors in Austenesque fiction to really say if that's true. I think you're much better read in this genre than I am. What do you think?
I'm so grateful you stopped by to comment! And thank you so much for your kind words, too. I now must suppose I was being unintentionally coy in my post -- inviting criticism, perhaps in the hopes of receiving praise? ;-) (But seriously, any critiques or different viewpoints you or other want to offer, I'm always glad to hear them.)
Thanks again, Carole!
It's a very interesting point you raise about identity in writing - and how it is informed by one's gender, socio-economic status and culture etc. I can't help thinking that our reading is informed by these factors as well which may account for the widely different reviews of JAFF fiction on forums such as GoodReads.For example, how many of us, particularly those who may have come to Ms Austen's writing in recent years, were at all surprised that Elizabeth and Darcy come together at the end of the novel? Would the Regency audience have approached Pride and Prejudice with the same comfortable expectations - or would they, with their greater knowledge and experience of society as it was then - been shocked or even disgusted at the notion of a marriage between Darcy and Elizabeth?
Imagine how a Lady Catherine would have regarded the premise, with or without a sickly daughter to marry off! How would a staunch Christian have felt when reading the irreverent descriptions of Mr Collins? I haven't read many accounts of how Ms Austen's novels were received during her lifetime but I seem to recall a reference to the Prince Regent enjoying one of them and that the Bronte sisters enjoyed them not at all. Were Regency audiences in general at all divided in their opinion of Ms Austen's works? And if they were, how much of the divide was attributable to questions of class, religion and gender etc?
This may all seem off topic but amidst these ramblings lies my own personal definition of what makes a novel "Austenesque". I'm being subjective here but I feel I should acknowledge how much the expectations I bring to a P&P variation inform whether I find a story Austenesque. I agree with all of the above comments - that I need to recognise the characters Austen wrote and it helps when the author uses language that is appropriate to time and place when trying to recreate the past. But more than that I think I need to feel the delightful spark of anticipation I felt when I first read Ms Austen's works at university - and that desire to enter an author's world.
As a child my favourite books were the Narnia series by C.S. Lewis and the Prydain series by Lloyd Alexander. Both writers created a world which I never wanted to leave and I never thought I'd feel that way about a book as an adult until I read Pride and Prejudice and added a third realm to my dream landscape. Sigh!
In the end I find it hard to determine whether a book is worthy of being deemed Austenesque by virtue of it's writing, plot line, time or place - it really all comes down to that one small question - has the author created a world which I can happily return to again and again and still find something fresh and of interest with each rereading. I've often felt this expectation is too high, that if I were Elizabeth I would laugh at my own pretensions. However I think I am more like Mr Darcy in my search and am delighted with the results of my persistence when I discover gems such as the works of Christina Morland.
Then," observed Elizabeth, "you must comprehend a great deal in your idea of an accomplished woman."
Yes, I do comprehend a great deal in it."
Oh! certainly," cried his faithful assistant, "no one can really be esteemed accomplished who does not greatly surpass knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages, to deserve the word; and besides all this, she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be but half deserved."
All this she must possess," added Darcy, "and to all this she must yet add something more substantial, in the improvement of her mind by extensive reading."
I am no longer surprised at your knowing only six accomplished women. I rather wonder at your knowing any.”
Hello, Svetlana! What insightful points you've made about the expectations of readers. I especially loved these questions you posed:"Would the Regency audience have approached Pride and Prejudice with the same comfortable expectations - or would they, with their greater knowledge and experience of society as it was then - been shocked or even disgusted at the notion of a marriage between Darcy and Elizabeth?"
I can just imagine some fine lady throwing Pride and Prejudice aside in disgust!
I also loved C.S. Lewis's books -- went searching for Narnia in the woods behind my house, always certain I would find the way. (It took me a while to understand the concept of allegory!) I haven't read the The Chronicles of Prydain -- but they seem like just the thing to read with my eight-year-old daughter. Thanks for mentioning them!
Thanks so much for commenting and for your kind words!
There were no woods behind our inner city flat unfortunately but I do remember sneaking into more than a few wardrobes when I thought I could get away with it!I hope you and your daughter enjoy the Chronicles of Prydain if you do seek them out - sadly my daughter refuses to read any fantasy as she has a very low threshold for suspense. I know that heaps of eight year old have read and watched the whole of the Harry Potter series etc but if your daughter is sensitive to darker themes or has any fears about the concept of death you might want to have a read of the Chronicles of Prydain yourself beforehand. Otherwise enjoy!
Svetlana wrote: "I hope you and your daughter enjoy the Chronicles of Prydain if you do seek them out - ..."Hi, Svetlana! We just started reading The Book of Three last night. Really enjoying it so far! Thanks so much for the recommendation!
My pleasure - books 2, 4 and 5 were my favourites - my copies are falling apart!
To me, in Austenesque reading preference, my main thing is that I still want to be able to recognize the character that AUSTEN wrote, regardless of another author’s reimagining of plot or scenes. There still needs to be thought for why they react as they do in this new scenario in accordance to how the character was originally written. Otherwise to me, it’s just the same name on a different body.
And I love all your books so you’ll have no criticism from me. XO