Carlymor

Carlymor asked Jo Baker:

HI, Having read Longbourn, I am curious as to whether you relate more to the Jane Austen works, or to those that relate more to social issues? Longbourn shows the life below the stairs. Is this type of below the stairs issue or social mores more important to you?

Jo Baker Hi Carrie,

it was the interaction of the two.

I love Austen's work - I am a massive, daydreaming fan of her stuff - I love the wish-fulfilment and the wit and the brilliantly structured, totally satisfying stories. But coming from working class roots, I struggle see myself in her characters' shoes. Writing Longbourn was, more than anything else, an attempt to 'locate' myself within Austen's world in a way that felt true to me. So the class issue was important, but the book would never have been written if I hadn't been a total nerd for Austen's work.

More Answered Questions

A Goodreads user

A Goodreads user asked Jo Baker:

Hello Jo! I've read Longbourn and I really like the way you portray the other side of the Bennets' household. It must have taken lots of background reading and imagination to make such a story real. I wonder how long did you take to write each of your novels? And how did you support yourself financially especially when you were just starting out?

Barbara Schlichting

Barbara Schlichting asked Jo Baker:

I have had an English penpal for over fifty years, and she lives on the Isle of Wight. Last summer I spent two weeks with her and we traveled about to Baths and Stratford-Upon-Avon. She wouldn't drive. My question has nothing to do with writing. I'm curious, but does the younger generation drive? Chris will drive on the island but not off of it. What are your thoughts?

Alison

Alison asked Jo Baker:

Hi Jo, I recently read and enjoyed "Longbourn," in part for the sense of getting a better feel for daily life in that era. Did you have to do lots of historical research to get details right about how to make soap, what groomsmen did while waiting to drive carriages home from a ball, who washed the diapers, etc? And how did you choose which chores fit the narrative (aside from shoe roses, of course)?

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