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I couldn't go yesterday (cannot walk well enough unless someone who
cares about me helps me) so I wrote a blog about E.M. Forster's famous
popular talks to the BBC 1930s-40s, and essays, including "What I
Believe," "3 Anti-Nazi Broadcasts"



Ellen

Interesting. However, I have never believed that Cassandra burned Jane's
letters. Jane knew that few letters were really private. Most were shared
with the family. For one thing, this cut down the postage recipients had
to pay as a writer need not write several letters to the same address to
discuss the same items.



On Mon, Mar 24, 2025 at 8:02?AM Ellen Moody via groups.io <ellen.moody=
[email protected]> wrote:

This is an accurate description of the book. Rachel Dodge does it justice.
Ellen

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Jane Austen's World <comment-reply@...>
Date: Mon, Mar 24, 2025 at 6:26?AM
Subject: Reading Miss Austen by Jill Hornby
To: <ellen.moody@...>


The new BBC miniseries "Miss Austen", based on Jill Hornby's novel of the
same name, is currently the focus of much attention worldwide. The series
aired in the UK in February and comes to PBS this May. Some of you have
maybe already seen the show, depe…

Read on blog
<

or Reader
<

[image: Site logo image] Jane Austen's World <>
Read
on blog
<

or Reader
<

Reading
Miss Austen by Jill Hornby
<

By *Rachel Dodge* on March 24, 2025

The new BBC miniseries "Miss Austen"
<

,

based on Jill Hornby's novel
<

of the same name, is currently the focus of much attention worldwide. The
series aired in the UK in February and comes to PBS this May. Some of you
have maybe already seen the show, depending on where you live, but for
those who are waiting for it to air, I am here to say this:

*Read the book while you wait!*

You won't regret it. In anticipation of the show, I decided to read *Miss
Austen
<

*

by Jill Hornby, fully expecting to dislike it (I'm very picky). But I'm
here to report that I loved it! I actually finished it in two days because
I could not put it down (which is not easy as a writer with a busy
household of teens). The story flows at a slower pace, but Hornby's
style--and the whole world she created--pulled me in and kept me engaged
from start to finish.

In the book, an older Cassandra searches for a packet of Jane's letters
that she does not want anyone to ever see or read. As she finds and reads
the various letters, we travel back through her memories to visit her
younger self. I found myself completely immersed in the real (and imagined)
details about Cassandra's relationship with Tom Fowle (a former pupil of
Reverend Austen), the Fowle family, and the Lloyd family because it all
felt incredibly real.
<

Overall, the book does tell a sad story because it deals with a fictional
retelling of Cassandra's real-life story, her heartbreaks, her deep
affection for her beloved family (many of whom she outlived), the Austens'
move to Bath, Reverend Austen's death, the Austen women and their continual
search for housing after his death, and Cassandra's devotion and loyalty to
Jane. However, there are many endearing and uplifting themes as well. The
writing itself is exquisite.

While Hornby of course employs creative license as a novelist, I was also
impressed by the copious amounts of research she must have done to write
this book. Though fictional, it acts as a poignant biography of Jane's
sister and best friend. I felt as though I understood Cassandra, and had a
deeper understanding of her protectiveness over Jane, by the end of the
book. Hornby's perspective on Jane is intriguing, and her (entirely
fictional) character Henry Hobday adds depth to Cassandra's story.

For those of you that read *Miss Austen* when it released in 2020, you
might enjoy a reread. For those who have never read it, it's a wonderful
way to prepare yourself for the show. And even if you've already watched
the show, you might like to read it and compare the two.
<

*Book Description*

England, 1840. Two decades after the death of her beloved sister, Jane,
Cassandra Austen returns to the village of Kintbury and the home of her
family friends, the Fowles. In a dusty corner of the vicarage, there is a
cache of Jane’s letters that Cassandra is desperate to find. Dodging her
hostess and a meddlesome housemaid, Cassandra eventually hunts down the
letters and confronts the secrets they hold, secrets not only about Jane
but about Cassandra herself. Will Cassandra bare the most private details
of her life to the world, or commit her sister’s legacy to the flames?

Moving back and forth between the vicarage and Cassandra’s vibrant memories
of her years with Jane, interwoven with Jane’s brilliantly reimagined lost
letters, *Miss Austen* is the untold story of the most important person in
Jane’s life. With extraordinary empathy, emotional complexity, and wit,
Gill Hornby finally gives Cassandra her due, bringing to life a woman as
captivating as any Austen heroine.

(The collection of cover art included in this article is from various
editions sold worldwide.)
<

*About the Author*

Gill Hornby is the author of *Miss Austen, The Hive*, and *All Together
Now*,
as well as *The Story of Jane Austen*, a biography of Austen for young
readers. Her most recent novel is *Godermsham Park*, also available from
Pegasus Books. She lives in Kintbury, England, with her husband and their
four children.
<

*About the Show*

Miss Austen takes an historic literary mystery – the notorious burning of
Jane Austen’s letters by her sister Cassandra – and reimagines it as a
fascinating, witty, and heart-breaking story of sisterly love, while
creating in Cassandra a character as captivating as any Austen heroine.

Based on Gill Hornby’s best-selling novel, this period drama brings a fresh
and intimate perspective to the Austen sisters’ lives — their joys,
heartaches, and the passions that shaped Jane’s iconic novels.

Keeley Hawes (T*he Durrells in Corfu, Bodyguard, Line of Duty*) as the
loyal and loving Cassandra leads an ensemble cast that includes Rose Leslie
(*Game of Thrones, Downton Abbey*) as family friend Isabella Fowle, Patsy
Ferran (*Living*) as young Jane Austen, and Synn?ve Karlsen (*Bodies*) as
young Cassy.
<

<

*PBS Episode Schedule*

Premieres: Sunday, May 4, 2025, at 9/8c
Episode 2: Sunday, May 11, 9/8c
Episode 3: Sunday, May 18, 9/8c
Episode 4: Sunday, May 18, 10/9c
*Miss Austen, Dutiful Daughter and Sister*

I cannot wait to watch the show soon, and I hope to come back to discuss it
later this year, but in the meantime, I enjoyed the book immensely. I
usually only review nonfiction books here, but I felt that a novel of such
high caliber warranted a thorough review, especially in light of the
upcoming show. Here's to celebrating Jane Austen's 250th year and to
enjoying her world more fully!
------------------------------

*RACHEL DODGE* teaches college English classes, speaks at libraries, teas,
and conferences, and writes for *Jane Austen’s World
<

*

blog.
She is the bestselling, award-winning author of *The Anne of Green Gables
Devotional
<

*

, *The Little Women Devotional
<

*

, *The Secret Garden Devotional
<

*,

and *Praying with Jane: 31 Days Through the Prayers of Jane Austen
<

*.

A true kindred spirit at heart, Rachel loves books, bonnets, and ballgowns.
Visit her online at www.
<

RachelDodge.com
<

.
Comment
<

Like
<

You can also reply to this email to leave a comment.

Jane Austen's World ? 2025.
Manage
<

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Automattic, Inc.
60 29th St. #343, San Francisco, CA 94110

This is an accurate description of the book. Rachel Dodge does it justice.
Ellen

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Jane Austen's World <comment-reply@...>
Date: Mon, Mar 24, 2025 at 6:26?AM
Subject: Reading Miss Austen by Jill Hornby
To: <ellen.moody@...>


The new BBC miniseries "Miss Austen", based on Jill Hornby's novel of the
same name, is currently the focus of much attention worldwide. The series
aired in the UK in February and comes to PBS this May. Some of you have
maybe already seen the show, depe…

Read on blog
<>
or Reader
<>
[image: Site logo image] Jane Austen's World <> Read
on blog
<>
or Reader
<>
Reading
Miss Austen by Jill Hornby
<>

By *Rachel Dodge* on March 24, 2025

The new BBC miniseries "Miss Austen"
<>,
based on Jill Hornby's novel
<>
of the same name, is currently the focus of much attention worldwide. The
series aired in the UK in February and comes to PBS this May. Some of you
have maybe already seen the show, depending on where you live, but for
those who are waiting for it to air, I am here to say this:

*Read the book while you wait!*

You won't regret it. In anticipation of the show, I decided to read *Miss
Austen
<>*
by Jill Hornby, fully expecting to dislike it (I'm very picky). But I'm
here to report that I loved it! I actually finished it in two days because
I could not put it down (which is not easy as a writer with a busy
household of teens). The story flows at a slower pace, but Hornby's
style--and the whole world she created--pulled me in and kept me engaged
from start to finish.

In the book, an older Cassandra searches for a packet of Jane's letters
that she does not want anyone to ever see or read. As she finds and reads
the various letters, we travel back through her memories to visit her
younger self. I found myself completely immersed in the real (and imagined)
details about Cassandra's relationship with Tom Fowle (a former pupil of
Reverend Austen), the Fowle family, and the Lloyd family because it all
felt incredibly real.
<>

Overall, the book does tell a sad story because it deals with a fictional
retelling of Cassandra's real-life story, her heartbreaks, her deep
affection for her beloved family (many of whom she outlived), the Austens'
move to Bath, Reverend Austen's death, the Austen women and their continual
search for housing after his death, and Cassandra's devotion and loyalty to
Jane. However, there are many endearing and uplifting themes as well. The
writing itself is exquisite.

While Hornby of course employs creative license as a novelist, I was also
impressed by the copious amounts of research she must have done to write
this book. Though fictional, it acts as a poignant biography of Jane's
sister and best friend. I felt as though I understood Cassandra, and had a
deeper understanding of her protectiveness over Jane, by the end of the
book. Hornby's perspective on Jane is intriguing, and her (entirely
fictional) character Henry Hobday adds depth to Cassandra's story.

For those of you that read *Miss Austen* when it released in 2020, you
might enjoy a reread. For those who have never read it, it's a wonderful
way to prepare yourself for the show. And even if you've already watched
the show, you might like to read it and compare the two.
<>
*Book Description*

England, 1840. Two decades after the death of her beloved sister, Jane,
Cassandra Austen returns to the village of Kintbury and the home of her
family friends, the Fowles. In a dusty corner of the vicarage, there is a
cache of Jane’s letters that Cassandra is desperate to find. Dodging her
hostess and a meddlesome housemaid, Cassandra eventually hunts down the
letters and confronts the secrets they hold, secrets not only about Jane
but about Cassandra herself. Will Cassandra bare the most private details
of her life to the world, or commit her sister’s legacy to the flames?

Moving back and forth between the vicarage and Cassandra’s vibrant memories
of her years with Jane, interwoven with Jane’s brilliantly reimagined lost
letters, *Miss Austen* is the untold story of the most important person in
Jane’s life. With extraordinary empathy, emotional complexity, and wit,
Gill Hornby finally gives Cassandra her due, bringing to life a woman as
captivating as any Austen heroine.

(The collection of cover art included in this article is from various
editions sold worldwide.)
<>
*About the Author*

Gill Hornby is the author of *Miss Austen, The Hive*, and *All Together Now*,
as well as *The Story of Jane Austen*, a biography of Austen for young
readers. Her most recent novel is *Godermsham Park*, also available from
Pegasus Books. She lives in Kintbury, England, with her husband and their
four children.
<>
*About the Show*

Miss Austen takes an historic literary mystery – the notorious burning of
Jane Austen’s letters by her sister Cassandra – and reimagines it as a
fascinating, witty, and heart-breaking story of sisterly love, while
creating in Cassandra a character as captivating as any Austen heroine.

Based on Gill Hornby’s best-selling novel, this period drama brings a fresh
and intimate perspective to the Austen sisters’ lives — their joys,
heartaches, and the passions that shaped Jane’s iconic novels.

Keeley Hawes (T*he Durrells in Corfu, Bodyguard, Line of Duty*) as the
loyal and loving Cassandra leads an ensemble cast that includes Rose Leslie
(*Game of Thrones, Downton Abbey*) as family friend Isabella Fowle, Patsy
Ferran (*Living*) as young Jane Austen, and Synn?ve Karlsen (*Bodies*) as
young Cassy.
<>
<>
*PBS Episode Schedule*

Premieres: Sunday, May 4, 2025, at 9/8c
Episode 2: Sunday, May 11, 9/8c
Episode 3: Sunday, May 18, 9/8c
Episode 4: Sunday, May 18, 10/9c
*Miss Austen, Dutiful Daughter and Sister*

I cannot wait to watch the show soon, and I hope to come back to discuss it
later this year, but in the meantime, I enjoyed the book immensely. I
usually only review nonfiction books here, but I felt that a novel of such
high caliber warranted a thorough review, especially in light of the
upcoming show. Here's to celebrating Jane Austen's 250th year and to
enjoying her world more fully!
------------------------------

*RACHEL DODGE* teaches college English classes, speaks at libraries, teas,
and conferences, and writes for *Jane Austen’s World
<>*
blog.
She is the bestselling, award-winning author of *The Anne of Green Gables
Devotional
<>*
, *The Little Women Devotional
<>*
, *The Secret Garden Devotional
<>*,
and *Praying with Jane: 31 Days Through the Prayers of Jane Austen
<>*.
A true kindred spirit at heart, Rachel loves books, bonnets, and ballgowns.
Visit her online at www.
<>
RachelDodge.com
<>
.
Comment
<>
Like
<>
You can also reply to this email to leave a comment.

Jane Austen's World ? 2025.
Manage
<>
your email settings or unsubscribe.
[image: WordPress.com and Jetpack Logos]

Get the Jetpack app

Subscribe, bookmark, and get real?time notifications - all from one app!
[image: Download Jetpack on Google Play] [image: Download Jetpack from the
App Store]
<>
[image: WordPress.com Logo and Wordmark title=]
<>

Automattic, Inc.
60 29th St. #343, San Francisco, CA 94110

I've written my first blog of several on women writers relevant to
this dire historical moment, and serious readings of Jane Austen's
life experiences as seen in her books and competent post-texts
reframing that experience. First up Hannah Arendt & Origins of
Totalitarianism & The Human Condition



Ellen

and took out a copy of The Romance of The Forest. I loved it.

What did you like about _The Romance of the Forest_? I enjoyed _The Mysteries of Udolpho_ but I am finding _The Romance of the Forest_ heavy going.

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Ellen Moody via groups.io" <ellen.moody@...>
Subject: [Janeites] I'm building up a set of Austen post-texts I like or can read
Date: 11 March 2025 at 15:38:15 GMT
To: [email protected]
Reply-To: [email protected]

I wonder if it's a rhetorical pretense, Nancy, yes. We didn't study Jane Austen in school either. The first Fanny Burney book I read was an old 3 volume edition of her diaries and letters, which I found in a used bookshop on 59th Street, Manhattan. Much shrunk in size, it's still there. . She was called Madame d'Arblay on the cover. Then the introduction gave her her other name, Fanny Burney. Burney's Evelina was an old Everyman on my father's bookshelves. I had heard of Radcliffe fro Northnger Abbey. I was teaching at Brooklyn College at the time (1974?) , and went to the bookshelves and took out a copy of The Romance of The Forest. I loved it. To me Austen's major contemporary was Scott. Ellen

I wonder if it's a rhetorical pretense, Nancy, yes. We didn't study Jane Austen in school either. The first Fanny Burney book I read was an old 3 volume edition of her diaries and letters, which I found in a used bookshop on 59th Street, Manhattan. Much shrunk in size, it's still there. . She was called Madame d'Arblay on the cover. Then the introduction gave her her other name, Fanny Burney. Burney's Evelina was an old Everyman on my father's bookshelves. I had heard of Radcliffe fro Northnger Abbey. I was teaching at Brooklyn College at the time (1974?) , and went to the bookshelves and took out a copy of The Romance of The Forest. I loved it. To me Austen's major contemporary was Scott. Ellen

So, here's the final version of 8 weeks into 10: we are reading
Forster as an antidote to this bad time we are in for -- and to stir
up good heart to fight back

If anyone on any of these 3 listservs wants to read along, let me know.



Ellen

My education was so long ago, that we didn't study Jane Austen. However,
even I heard of Fanny Burney's Evelina, if nothing else. We also looked at
Maria Edgeworth and Charlotte Smith. I did learn more about them and
Radcliffe when studying Northanger Abby. Such ignorance would make me
distrust the author.
Nancy


O

Just remembering that years - many years - ago, when I first encountered the name of Fanny Burney, though I don’t remember when or where, I do remember that somehow, the name Madame D’Arblay was familiar to me.

Dorothy

(p.s. - my spell checker is mystified by both names …)


Ellen wrote:

Thank you, Susan. What troubles me about all the reviews of this book
is they all begin with how the author had never heard of Burney.
Really? Radcliffe is treated as if she wrote very obscure stuff in
remote storage in research libraries.. How could Romney think so of
Radcliffe if she'd read up to p 3 of Northanger Abbey . You don't have
to be an erudite 18th century scholar to have read these these authors
(there's a Burney society) or Edgeworth or even Charlotte Smith. It's
praised in terms of how much I'll learn about these books. But I've
read many of them and about many of them and don't need beginners'
descriptions.

Ellen

Thank you, Susan. What troubles me about all the reviews of this book
is they all begin with how the author had never heard of Burney.
Really? Radcliffe is treated as if she wrote very obscure stuff in
remote storage in research libraries.. How could Romney think so of
Radcliffe if she'd read up to p 3 of Northanger Abbey . You don't have
to be an erudite 18th century scholar to have read these these authors
(there's a Burney society) or Edgeworth or even Charlotte Smith. It's
praised in terms of how much I'll learn about these books. But I've
read many of them and about many of them and don't need beginners'
descriptions.

Ellen

On Sun, Mar 9, 2025 at 6:37?PM Susan B via groups.io
<smbiddle15@...> wrote:

Those interested in Jane Austen might enjoy the book reviewed here: Jane Austen’s Bookshelf by Rebecca Romney review – the women behind the woman | Jane Austen | The Guardian

Best wishes
Susan

On Tue, 4 Mar 2025 at 23:10, Ellen Moody via groups.io <ellen.moody@...> wrote:

8 are outstanding; books in their own right. 4 borderline. 2 screenplays
so good they are readable in their own right. Some screenplays made
good movies nut are blueprints. And I've tried -- genuinely -- 25 more
which are dreadful/trash ...

Ellen I'm thinking of doing the same with Austen movies now that there
are so many, and recent ones truly dreadful/trash.

Ellen

Thanks, Ellen, this looks very interesting. I plan to watch, and yes, Tyler, it looks like it comes to PBS in early May.

Dorothy

A still

Since I've not been able to read or write as much as I used to, I've
not gotten truly into Hornby's new post-text, Godmersham Park, except
to say it focuses on Anne Sharpe. So when I finish a review I'm trying
to get out on Monday, I'm going to reread Miss Austen. It's the kind
of film adaptation which expects good watchers to have read the book.
I am not sure who is who and I've now watched 2 of the 4 hours-long
segments.

There are 4 not 3 parts, each an hour long.

What's emerging as striking is how deeply troubled are the
undercurrents. The closest Austen film I've seen to this is Gwyneth
Hughes' Miss Austen Regrets (with Olivia Williams as Jane, Greta
Scachi as Cassandra). The Fowle family is hostile to Cassandra coming;
they are hiding hard truths about themselves. They would destroy
Jane's letters to Eliza (I'm not sure which Eliza) if they could. It's
a race between Mary LLoyd Austen, James' wife and Cassandra to find
them.

Cassandra finds them in Part 1 and in Part 2 is trying to read them,
but under surveillance by complicit servants. The Fowlers want her
gone -- w/o having found the letters. Mary Lloyd Austen is suspicious
she has. Elizabeth Austen,, Edward's wife, is a self-regarding
dullard.

Mary wants to destroy these letters too. I didn't read the novel
sufficiently closely I see. There's a sort of Ibsen subtext going on.
Jane has met the young man in Sidmouth (in flashbacks the letters
cover) but seems to want nothing to do with him as she evades
Bigg-Wither too. He is more drawn to Cassandra whose determination to
stay loyal to Tom Fowle wavers. There is much implicitly about male
yranny (Isabellla Fowle is being kicked out of the rectory as Jane
felt she was when James replaced his father). This is a mature adult
or serious version of the kind of thing Ashford tried in her
Mysterious Death of Austen only Ashford resorted to sensational tricks
like Henry or someone was poisoning Jane to hide an affair)

I'm fascinated by all this because I have also read the letters not
only of Jane but other documents in the Austen papers.

Ellen

On Fri, Mar 7, 2025 at 9:54?AM Tyler Tichelaar via groups.io
<tyler@...> wrote:

I've been waiting for it to appear on PBS on Masterpiece. I believe it will do so in May or June.

Tyler

It's in 3 parts, the script by Andrea Gib, the director is Aisling
Walsh whose series are often excellent.

It's done in the old-fashioned way: genuine scenes, no ratcheting up,
acted subtly and yes Keeley Hawes is pitch perfect. But I was
unexpectedly disappointed from which I learned something. Although
Hornby's book is not an epistolary novel, it is so filled with
letters, and they convey the heartblood of the story, to see it done
so objectively lost something. They needed to do more filmic
epistolarity -- I've seen it done by Nokes for Clarissa, by Andrew
Davies for passages in Trollope's novels. It makes me want to reread
the book, and I shall

A kind Irish friend sent me a DVD copy ahead of time.

Ellen

8ar outstanding; books in their own right. 4 borderline. 2 screenplays
so good they are readable in their own right. Some screenplays made
good movies nut are blueprints. And I've tried -- genuinely -- 24 more
which are dreadful/trash ...

Ellen I'm thinking of doing the same with Austen movies now that there
are so many, and recent ones truly dreadful/trash.

It's a friendly newsletter-journal.

Ellen
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: <jnleditor3@...>
Date: Sat, Mar 1, 2025 at 7:17?PM
Subject: FW: First Born-Digital Issue of The Johnsonian News Letter
To: <jnleditor3@...>




Dear Friends,



The first born-digital issue of the Johnsonian News Letter, Volume
LXXVI, No. 2, can now be viewed online at this address:







We also have an archive of back issues going back to 1940, at this address:







The JNL is now being put out twice a year and offered to all who wish
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If you wish to be removed from our subscription/notification list,
please respond to this email and we will remove you.



Cordially,



Matthew M. Davis

Editor

Anxiety and fretfulness are a form of excitement. Mrs Bennet has a dull life except for the excitement she creates for herself.

I just came across a passage of narration in P&P Chapter 53, which I find to be a perfect example of narration which might at first, while reading or rereading quickly, seem like an objective narrator’s point of view, but which, upon close reading, is then seen to be Elizabeth’s (unacknowledged) point of view.

It describes Mrs. Bennet’s impatience for Bingley, recently returned to Netherfield after his long absence, to somehow meet again with Jane:

“Mr. Bingley arrived. Mrs. Bennet, through the assistance of servants, contrived to have the earliest tidings of it, that the period of anxiety and fretfulness on her side be as long as it could.”

This is clearly Elizabeth’s sarcastic judgment that her mother’s desire to know the exact moment when Bingley arrives is masochistic, since knowing sooner will not make her mother’s wish come true any faster, it will only lengthen the time during which Mrs. Bennet frets, which will then be very unplesant for Elizabeth – and, as sarcasm goes, I think it’s pretty witty and funny.

Arnie

I've just finished participating in a splendid zoom seminar (2 hours)
from Cambridge UP. Dr Alison Hennigan is usually superb and she
managed to elicit very interesting talk on P&P from the aspect of
looking at indoor space as a home (or the opposite). I learned of a
new sequel by Gill Hornby (who wrote Miss Austen), Godmersham Park. If
I'm not mistaken, it was said Austen's friendship with Anne Sharpe is
a feature of it



Ellen

There is no mention of coverts, but in chapter 39 of _Emma_, Harriet and Miss Bickerton are terrified by aggressive gypsies in a part of the Richmond Road that is "deeply shaded by elms on each side". "It became for a considerable stretch very retired", and opens to a small greensward. That sounds like a wooded area with a clearing.