Miss Jane Austen... In Real Life

Tuesday 17 August 2010

Several things happened between the second letter dated 14 and 15 January 1796 and the third letter dated Tuesday 23 August 1796. The first being that Jane Austen started writing First Impressions, which would become Pride and Prejudice; and the second being that her oldest brother, James Austen, who was a widower, started courting their cousin Eliza de Feuillide, who was at this time a widow.

I read somewhere that Mary Crawford (Mansfield Park) and Eliza de Feuillide had many of the same personality traits. Mary did not want to marry Edmond because he was going to be a preacher and it is said that Eliza would not marry James because he was a preacher. After her husband was guillotined in France she made it clear that she wanted to marry money.

Eliza wrote in a letter to her cousin, Philadelphia Walters, on 13th December 1796, “...I am glad to find you have made up your mind to visiting the Rectory, but at the same time, and in spite of all your conjectures and belief, I do assert that Preliminaries are so far from settled that I do not believe the parties ever will come together, not however that they have quarrelled, but one of them cannot bring her mind to give up dear Liberty, and yet dearer flirtation – After a few months stay in the Country She sometimes thinks it possible to undertake sober Matrimony, but a few weeks stay in London convinces her how little the state suits her taste – Lord S’s card has this moment been brought me which I think very ominous considering I was talking of Matrimony, but it does not signify, I shall certainly escape both Peer & Parson...”

She was speaking of Steventon Rectory and James and her relationship. Lord S. might have been Charles Sackville-Germain (1767-1843), Viscount Sackville of Drayton and later 5th Duke of Dorset.

I think Eliza was a character and Jane liked her very much. She was quite a bit older and worldly than Cassandra or Jane so she must have seemed very interesting to them.

There is a very good book out by Deirdre Le Faye about Eliza de Feuillide called Jane Austen's 'Outlandish Cousin' The Life and Letters of Eliza de Feuillide. It is very entertaining.