Gill Hornby, author of the novel āMiss Austenā seeks to bring this sister out of the shadows, via the BBCās new dramatic adaptation of Cassandra Austenās life.
Our show opens upon the death of Fulwar, in the first of two timelines, 1830, with Cassandra visiting the house of the dying man with ulterior motives. Whilst visiting the house she missions to find her late sister Janeās letters to their dear friend Eliza before her sister-in-law Mary, who desires a biography to be written. The show uses flashbacks to explore the deep, almost spiritual bond of the two Austen sisters, as they navigate society life and expectations. Yet, it is the focus on the lesser-known sister that is a breath of fresh air, as much as Jane is beloved and admired by many.
Exploring Cassandra’s life, we are opened up to so much heartbreak and grief. The intense love she feels towards Thomas Fowle, and her promise to him to never marry anyone else, a promise that she kept for the rest of her life. In many ways she is likened to the reigning Queen during the end of her life, Queen Victoria. Both women seemed to maintain their position of mourning until their death. It is this strong love that she carries that is believed to be the reason she burnt her sister’s letters, as the show goes on to show us. Though highly debated the reasoning behind this, it feels to be a protective move out of love for her sister. An outspoken, witty character, Jane wrote thousands of letters, and many, especially to her sister and close friends, were vehicles to eloquently spread gossip around; reputation damaging gossip included. This aforementioned love comes in here, as Cassandra is willing to permanently destroy a piece of her deceased sister, to allow her image to remain positive in the highly judgmental Victorian Society.
āShe was the sun of my life, the gilder of every pleasure, the soother of every sorrow, I had not a thought concealed from her, and it is as if I had lost a part of myself.ā
-Cassandra Austen, on the death of her sister. July 20th 1817.
Though the focus of this show is on Cassandra, her past love and society life, her present plotting for her sister, we still are intrigued to find out more about Jane, as so much of her life is unknown. This shows us how strongly she was influenced by the lives being lived around her in the writing of her 6 novels. In Episode 2 for example, we see Cassandra confiding her lack of interest in a current suitor, and Jane hurriedly runs off, admitting that she is going to write. This passionate way of living appears to be a family trait, with Miss Austen being a highly accomplished water colour artist, celebrated in her own right, yet is portrayed here with less confidence in her abilities than her sister. Perhaps it was difficult for one to feel herself shining, despite being somewhat the favourite daughter, the Elizabeth Bennett if you will, as the show suggests. It is easy to imagine the difficulty of being shadowed by your sisters literary success.
‘It is easy to imagine the difficulty of being shadowed by your sister’s literary success.’
Her life in many ways reads as one of her sisterās novels, her illness in visiting the Fowle household a mirror of Janeās illness whilst visiting the Bingleys in ‘Pride and Prejudice‘. It is almost as though the novels are a foreshadowing of some element of Cassandra’s life. She urges herself however to be more than just a similarity to something, she fights for those she believes in and leaves an impression on those around her. From fighting for her friend Isabellaās comfort in housing, to maintaining her sisterās pride, deceiving her sister-in-law Mary to maintain the secrecy of the letters. Both women held such monumental views on love, and an understanding of the love of those around them. More than just gleeful matchmakers, they seemed to see past the facades of those around them, held an awareness of the love of others, and each other, before they even realised they were feeling it. A loving aunt, sister, friend, it is clearer than ever that this ‘Miss Austen‘ deserves her own spotlight, away from that of her sisterās, yet adjacent in spirit.