Watercolor, James Stanier Clarke. Portrait of Jane Austen?, 1816
For those who mistakenly think that Jane Austen wrote frothy romances, let her words speak for her. Jane had been invited to view the Prince’s library in Carlton House just before the publication of Emma and had been “encouraged” to dedicate her book to the Prince, which she did reluctantly, for she was no great admirer of his. She had written about the Prince’s long-suffering wife, Caroline: “Poor woman, I shall support her as long as I can, because she is a Woman and because I hate her Husband.”
While visiting Carlton House, she was escorted by Rev. James Stanier Clarke, the Prince’s librarian, who was so struck by her that he painted her watercolor image from memory and kept up a correspondence afterwards. Eventually, Rev. Clarke had the audacity to suggest how Jane might proceed in her next novel. In March 1816, he wrote: “Perhaps when you again appear in print … chuse to dedicate your Volumes to Prince Leopold: any Historical Romance illustrative of the History of the august house of Cobourg, would just now be very interesting.”
Jane penned this terse reply 195 years ago on April 1st:
MY DEAR SIR, — I am honoured by the Prince’s thanks and very much obliged to yourself for the kind manner in which you mention the work. I have also to acknowledge a former letter forwarded to me from Hans Place. I assure you I felt very grateful for the friendly tenor of it, and hope my silence will have been considered, as it was truly meant, to proceed only from an unwillingness to tax your time with idle thanks. Under every interesting circumstance which your own talents and literary labours have placed you in, or the favour of the Regent bestowed, you have my best wishes. Your recent appointments I hope are a step to something still better. In my opinion, the service of a court can hardly be too well paid, for immense must be the sacrifice of time and feeling required by it.
You are very kind in your hints as to the sort of composition which might recommend me at present, and I am fully sensible that an historical romance, founded on the House of Saxe-Cobourg, might be much more to the purpose of profit or popularity than such pictures of domestic life in country villages as I deal in. But I could no more write a romance than an epic poem. I could not sit seriously down to write a serious romance under any other motive than to save my life; and if it were indispensable for me to keep it up and never relax into laughing at myself or at other people, I am sure I should be hung before I had finished the first chapter. No, I must keep to my own style and go on in my own way; and though I may never succeed again in that, I am convinced that I should totally fail in any other.
I remain, my dear Sir,
Your very much obliged, and sincere friend,
J. AUSTEN.Chawton, near Alton, April 1, 1816.
It is so very telling (is it not?), that Jane did not characterize her own novels as serious romance. To whit, I must agree with her self-assessment.
Gentle reader: My April Fool’s joke is subtle. Those who came over after reading my tweet and compared it to the date of the letter will see that I made the announcement five years off.
More on the Topic:
- Read this fascinating article: Jane Austen’s “Tribute” to the Prince Regent: A Gentleman Riddled with Difficulty, Colleen A. Sheehan, Persuasions On-Line, 2006
- Miss Austen Regrets: A Meeting at Carlton House With Rev. James Stanier Clarke
- Carlton House by Patrick Baty
This letter from Jane Austen to Rev. James Stanier Clarke, the prince’s librarian at Carlton House, illustrates the art of complimentary rejection, which skill Jane Austen had developed as an art-form!
We see it on display throughout her novels, but for those of us who are not familiar with her personal letters, it is fascinating to see her use the technique so masterfully in “real” relationships, and, thankfully, preserved for posterity!
Thank you for sharing these delightful vignettes with us !
Sincerely,
Barbara Kidder
Vic,
See my blog post, linked below, from last August, in which I pointed to a deeper April Fool’s subtext of Jane Austen’s April 1, 1816 letter to Clarke:
http://sharpelvessociety.blogspot.com/2010/08/jane-austen-did-not-suffer-fools-gladly.html
If anyone has any doubt that Jane Austen was entirely conscious of playing an April Fool’s joke on the cosmically foolish James Stanier Clarke, and even more so on his boss, the Prince Regent, whom Austen skewers on multiple levels in Emma (in the Prince of Whales secret answer to the charade, but also in the character of Frank Churchill), then consider as Exhibit “B” the following comments I made in another blog post….
http://sharpelvessociety.blogspot.com/2010/02/jane-austens-letter-57-rosetta-stone-of.html
….in which I stated, in relevant part:
“…the date JA wrote ANOTHER much more famous letter, Letter 68(D) dated April 5, 1809 [or four days after April Fool’s Day!] from “Mrs. Ashton Dennis”, in which JA demanded that Crosby publish NA, and further offered to produce another copy of same if somehow Crosby had mislaid the original submitted in 1798. ”
It seems to me that in both 1809 and 1816, Jane Austen did not allow April Fool’s Day to pass without taking the opportunity to engage in a massive put-on of a man with some sort of power over her writing career.
And the biggest put on of all was that, I claim, Jane Austen was not forced to dedicate Emma to the Prince Regent, she actually intentionally put herself in the position of being so commanded!
Cheers, ARNIE
Thanks for this post, Vic!
Two points of special interest: the portrait – I’ve never seen this one before. Can’t see the face well, but the outfit is far more grand than I picture Jane wearing. I wonder if it is an accurate portrayal or not. Second: It’s interesting that Jane says that she couldn’t write a romance if her life depended on it. Obviously she doesn’t consider what she does write as “romance novels”, a classification I stubbornly resist for my own work also. Since I pattern my writing after hers, I find some vindication in her words.
Shannon, the portrait of Jane was found in Rev. James Stanier Clarke’s notebooks. Here’s an article by Joan Klingel Ray and Richard James Wheeler about the portrait’s authenticity (there is some question about it) in Persuasions Online
Thanks for the link. Interesting article. It’s amazing how much scientific analysis was brought to bear on what is a 6″ sketch (the exposed portion of the face being 1/2″ at the very most) done totally from memory!
It should be noted that the meaning of the word “romance” in Jane Austen’s time was not the same as the meaning we attach to that word today. During the Regency a “romance” was a grand historical novel of great figures engaged in high adventure.
For example, at that time, Walter Scott was an author of “romances” such as Ivanhoe, which was set in twelfth-century Scotland. Jane Austen was clearly aware that her talent lay in her ability to capture the quirks and foibles of human nature which she observed around her in daily life. Though when quite young she had written her own quite humorous History of England, she did not aspire to grand romances. And I, for one, am grateful she did not, as I find Scott rather hard going, but Austen’s work is always a delight.
Regards,
Kat
Sir Walter Scott Jr says, “Also read again, and for the third time at least, Miss Austen’s very finely written novel of _Pride and Prejudice_. That young lady had a talent for describing the involvements and feelings and characters of ordinary life, which is to me the most wonderful I ever met with. The Big Bow-wow strain I can do myself like any now going; but the exquisite touch, which renders ordinary commonplace things and characters interesting, from the truth of the description and the sentiment, is denied to me. What a pity such a gifted creature died so early!” I’m so glad Jane wrote what she wrote instead of copying Scott!
Good to know, Kathryn. Thanks.
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