Jane Austen fans.

Thank you escaped. I missed the first two episodes..thought I was recording them, but wasn't! So I bought the book for my Kindle but still couldn't find a reference.
Changing the issue, I was very impressed with Max Irons...as Mr Hobday. He has inherited his father's acting skill.

Thank you, nightowl. Tea sounds a good idea!

specki4eyes

Spoiler alert.
Explanation please...why did Isabella Fowle reject the advances of Mr Lidderdale (until the end)? Was that a red herring/filler? I'm reading the book but can find no explanation.

Wasn't it because her father had deemed him unsuitable? I think because his mother had been a servant? The sister said something like Isabella would bring shame on the family if she married him, but once the father had died it was ok for her to proceed.

I found myself losing concentration, I paused it to pop out to the loo, and didn’t put it back on, may have another try tonight.

I visited the Jane Austen museum in January escaped. I’d resisted visiting in the past - I didn’t expect much for some reason, but I really enjoyed it. There are some interesting film presentations and the guides are very knowledgeable and engaging. We also had ‘Lady Catherine’s tea’ on the top floor - very good scones!

There’s a waxwork of Jane created with the help of eyewitness accounts and a ‘forensic artist’ - who knows if it’s a good likeness but I really liked her face. She looked kind, but fun.

Spoiler alert.
Explanation please...why did Isabella Fowle reject the advances of Mr Lidderdale (until the end)? Was that a red herring/filler? I'm reading the book but can find no explanation.

Thank you Casdon, I'll try to find something else to fill the day alongside the JA museum. I've already "done" the Roman Baths, and the Abbey when DH sings there.

escaped

The famous Mary Anning was collecting fossils in Lyme Regis at the beginning of the 19th century.

We’ve visited Lyme several times, so have read a lot about Mary Anning. At the time of her first discoveries, when the Bible story of creation was first being questioned, it was said by some disbelieving old local that the fossils had been put there by the Devil, ‘to maze men’s minds.’ 😂

Though of course such notions were not confined to uneducated old locals.

Yes, I went last October. It’s quite small, they do have some interesting items, and the guide was excellent - but I’d been to the Roman Baths in the morning, so I was a bit underwhelmed by the Jane Austen museum, in my very unfair comparison.

Has anyone visited the Jane Austen museum in Bath? Is it any good? I'm thinking maybe a day out next month.

Exactly, that's the enigma that was Jane.
Exploring love, happiness, regret and lost chances in life by creating unforgettable characters who grapple with these very emotions.

….and as you can see by my use of the word ex, dear reader, that went well😖

Have always wanted to say, to a proposal of marriage, ‘Why sir! This is so sudden!’
My ex proposed in the car, no going down on one knee and said ‘you want to get engaged?’ Biting back the urge to say ‘oh yeah!but who to?’ I just grinned like an idiot and said yes.

A loveless marriage is still popular today! As long as the man’s wallet is fat enough for some.

escaped

Jane was against marrying as a means to material security. She didn't want a husband just to secure her future, because she could earn an income from her writing. She wanted to marry for love.
We know this from her letters where she said, "Anything is to be preferred or endured rather than marrying without affection."

Jane Austen came from a big family with a many brothers, one of them very wealthy, she had the luxury of choice, her brothers were contributing money and providing housing for the three ladies, Jane, her sister and mother, from the time her father died and would for the rest of their lives.

Many women did not have this luxury. Take a lady like Miss Bates in Emma, she has no wealthy brothers, no father with money to leave. She is already living in genteel poverty as it is, Her mother probably has a small annuity to provide for them, while she is alive. Once her mother dies that annuity will end, Miss Bates will then be close to destitute. One can see why in those circumstances a loveless marriage is preferable to the workhouse.

I watched the first two episodes of this last night. I’m glad I’m not alone in being baffled as to exactly who’s who! It was easy watching, relaxing to view before bedtime.

Was JA left-handed, as shown in the series? I couldn’t find anything to confirm it one way or another online.

Jane was against marrying as a means to material security. She didn't want a husband just to secure her future, because she could earn an income from her writing. She wanted to marry for love.
We know this from her letters where she said, "Anything is to be preferred or endured rather than marrying without affection."

fictionalised versions of people's liives are less accurate than a good biography. and then the tv dramatists add their bit

Thereby creating successful ratings for Sunday night entertainment .

Casdon

It is based around actual letters and accounts though Monica, though although it’s fiction there is some foundation in truth. The book is well written.

Yes, I realise that, but fictionalised versions of people's liives are less accurate than a good biography. and then the tv dramatists add their bit.

It is based around actual letters and accounts though Monica, though although it’s fiction there is some foundation in truth. The book is well written.

Remember this series was the dramatisation of a modern work of fiction, so does not necessarily reflect what the life of the 2 sisters was really like or the decisisons they made in relation to either other family members or, even, each other. It is merely the dramatisation of a fictionalised version of their lives.

I was disappointed by the first episode, like other posters I found the timescales and characters confusing. I rewatched it (when less tired!) and it all made sense, sufficiently for me to binge watch the rest of the episodes immediately. A second look was definitely worth it!

I thought maybe the 2 sisters had been instrumental in bringing about their brother's proposal of marriage? Jane just got a bit carried away.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book, followed by the TV programme.

The actess playing Jane is good & character is very engaging.
Jane loved the place, loved the county, the family. The young man wasn't in any way repellent ( & I think a lot of Jane Austen's men are).
But the main factor, surely, was Cassandra rejecting such an eligible suitor (Henry) for overly sentimental reasons & also so as not to leave Jane alone. Jane's acceptance was a knee-jerk reaction to this & even in Georgian times I wouldn't have thought he could be that heartbroken on 24 hrs of such slight acquaintance.