More brilliant analysis from Mariana!
Dear friends, I just want to post another analysis from Mariana, another brilliant one of course, about the similarities between Jane Austen’s characters and her plight with Tom Lefroy. Enjoy!
Frank Churchill is dependent on his aunt and uncle, who will certainly oppose his match with Jane Fairfax. There is the fear that his aunt would disinherit him as a consequence.
If they are rich then family and friends will interfere trying to stop their marriage (Tom’s family most likely considered this relation as imprudent):
Charles Bingley by his friend Darcy
Anne Elliot by Lady Russell and her father
Edward Ferrars by his mother and sister
Henry Tilney by his father
There are secret engagements (here Joan K. Ray maybe was right with her article– Tom’s engagement to Mary Paul):
Frank Churchill and Jane Fairfax (before meeting Emma)
Edward Ferrars and Lucy Steele (4 years before meeting Elinor; he was 18 -19 years old at that time)
Lady Russell advised Anne Elliot to reject Frederick Wentworth
Mrs. Taylor-Weston hoped that Frank Churchill will marry Emma (but he is already secretly engaged to Jane Fairfax)
Most definitely there is some “ill usage” (Joan’s article will not be that far from the truth at least in Frank Churchill’s case):
Frank Churchill flirts with Emma only to divert attention from his secret love for Jane. He is not heartless and claims he only flirted with her because he thought Emma knew his secret.
Most of the heroines are at the same age or pretty close to Jane’s age when/after she met Tom Lefroy. A major difference is in Marianne Dashwood and Catherine Morland’s age:
Fanny Price 19
Elinor Dashwood 19
Emma Woodhouse 20 (nearly 21)
Jane Fairfax 20 (same age as Emma who does not like her, though she cannot come up with a reason. Mr. Knightley thinks she is jealous, and Emma later realizes she is. Note that Mary Paul was about the same age as Jane Austen– she died in 1858 at age 84)
Elizabeth Bennet 20 (nearly 21)
Jane Bennet 22 (nearly 23)
Marianne Dashwood 17
Catherine Morland 17
Older sisters do not approve their brother’s choice and have “great expectations” (Tom’s older sisters probably had the same hopes for him):
Mrs. John (Fanny) Dashwood does not approve of Edward marrying Elinor (or Lucy). It is most important that he marry someone wealthy.
Mr. Dixon is the Irishman who is Miss Fairfax's benefactor. He once saved Miss Fairfax from drowning, and Emma imagines that they are in love. She shares this piece of invented gossip with Frank Churchill, not knowing he was attached to Miss Fairfax. The name '
Great analysis, Mariana! Might I add re: the ages of the characters that Frank Churchill was about three and twenty when Emma first met him; it was also Cassandra’s age (Cassie was born on
I will post another finding from Mariana re: Sense & Sensibility calendar in a day or two. Meanwhile, thanks a lot, Mariana!
Pic 1. Marianne and
Pic 2. Elinor and Edward Ferrars (BBC, 2008) from The Telegraph UK
Pic 3. Frank Churchill and Jane Fairfax (Emma, 1996) from Boots and Bonnets
7 comments:
Oh well done Mariana! I have also thought of the Irish connexions i many a JA-novel. But I am not a great analyst and stick to fiction! ;)
/tata from Maria in Sweden
It occurred to me just now that there was another secret engagement happening in Jane/Tom story: Tom's brother (Anthony) with Elizabeth Wilkin. Since Anthony's marriage to Ms. Wilkin was disputed by Ben Langlois (to the point of Mr. Langlois pulling off financial support to Anthony), I think Anthony's engagement with Lizzy was also a secret.
Thank you dearest friends for sharing my obsessions with the rest of ‘Planet Jane’ – as a friend of mine, so beautifully inspired, named our world. I think that I’m doing these analyses for the same reason you are writing the fan-fictions, or creating the fan-videos: can’t let Jane and Tom’s story end…
There are definitely many other similarities that are missing from this list of samples. Just the other day I was thinking of Tom’s ‘inclination’ for religion and some of Jane’s characters: Edmund Bertram, Henry Tilney, and Edward Ferrars, who "always preferred" the church but wasn’t “smart enough” for his family.
Mariana, yes that is very interesting! hehe...
Ah well, my I remember love is soon finished. Only one more chapter to go. Very sad indeed.
Would it be very wrong and blasphemous to tell the story in the 21st century?
/maria
Oooh!!! Dearest! I have a deadline this Thursday, so it will delay my reading your installment, but I will do that asap!
Oh, and YES for a 21st Century Jane and Tom! By all means! Though it will be a biiit hard, since the social context etc are different now; unless you place them appropriately in a 3rd world country with disagreeable economic condition. But I trust your imagination!
Oh, and I saw Dan Stevens' Edward Ferrars last nite in YouTube, man, isn't he HOT! I say, though I still pick Alan Rickman as Col Brandon and Greg Wise as Willoughby anytime, Stevens' Edward is winning my heart slowly but sure. Blasphemy indeed! :-D
It will be an obvious re-write of course, well shall see what I make of it.
Oh YES!!! Stevens is a total hottie! Right up there with James and Firth. Totally.
Hello!
I'm so excited to see a site of Become Jane fans like this! I saw the movie a few months ago and ADORE it! I've watched it so many times, and truly believe there was a REAL LIFE connection between Jane and Tom - and Marianna's research seems to just confirm my suspicions! :) I'm glad I'm not the only one who's obsessed with this movie :) Please keep up the great work!!
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