My Jane Austen Summer
Page 29
Novels are a shortcut to examined experiences. Anyone who reads has a head start because the author does all the work, producing a story where complex characters act under pressure and either succeed or fail. The truth of an accurate portrayal in a novel resonates, as if to say: This is how life is. Like a cautionary lesson, sometimes I see myself reflected in the characters' situations, sometimes I see people I know. But when an author shines a light on a situation, and it resonates, and I can relate the experience to myself, I am saved a lot of time and trouble: disasters from which I learn, without having to experience them for myself. Jane Austen is expert at portraying human nature. True life resonates on every page, big scenes and small exchanges. I admire Jane Austen, agree with her judgment, and can't think of a better teacher for a young woman struggling with Lily's issues. Even though reading on the job got Lily fired, the examined experiences in Jane Austen's novels help Lily imagine a better way to confront her problems. Through learning from failures, guidance from Willis, and immersion in Austen's literature, Lily becomes a more stable person. Books are good for you.
What about the ending?
All of Jane Austen's novels end with a wedding. Although the ending of My Jane Austen Summer is not conventionally happy, Lily gains a sense of identity and the confidence to eventually write her own happy ending. Like the Don't give a man a fish proverb: Don't give a character a wedding; teach her to love her self and she'll find happiness for a lifetime.
Discussion Questions
After being fired for reading on the job, Lily warns that reading can be dangerous to one's mental health. But the literary festival is all about books! Discuss the theme of reading in My Jane Austen Summer. How has reading shaped Lily's hopes and dreams? What role do books play as Lily con fronts her demons?
Describe Lily's relationship with her imaginary Jane Austen. How does the relationship change as the story progresses? Would this story work if Lily's imaginary friend had been Charlotte Bronte or Edith Wharton?
Her mother's death is very hard for Lily. How does it affect her relationships with Vera and her imaginary Jane Austen? What is the significance of the necklace and why is Bets so cavalier with it?
Lily wants a relationship so badly that she keeps squeezing herself into undersized romances. Why is a good relationship beyond her reach? When she discovers Martin with Ginny, Lily says, "I could have done earth for him." Why does she make this comment and what does it say about Lily? What are Lily's demons? When does she finally confront them? What advice would you give her?
Discuss the meaning of only connect from Howard's End. According to Omar, it's about connecting one's thoughts with one's deeds. According to Lily, it means relating to people with greater gusto. Omar suggests that Lily join him at his university once the festival ends and spend her time connecting disjointed personalities. But can Lily connect herself? Do any of the characters in this story only connect?
Willis has secrets. He tells Lily he's working on his master's thesis but Lily discovers he's writing something completely different. Willis's other secrets are hurtful to Lily. How should Willis have behaved differently? Does Lily bear responsibility for not reading him more carefully?
Discuss Lily's family secret. How has it shaped her character and how does it impact her behavior at the literary festival? Discuss parallels between Willis's relationship with Lily and her father's relationship with his mistress. Archie and Magda? Maria Bertram and Henry Crawford? The baron in Lovers' Vows? Lily faults her mother for not confiding the truth before she died. Do you think Lily's parents should have told her? How much do children need to know about their parents' private lives?
Omar tries to prevent Lily from pursuing her self-destructive urges on the evening of the follies, but Lily runs away from him. Magda tries to give Lily sisterly advice, which Lily ignores. What makes for a healthy friendship? Is Omar a good friend to Lily? Is Bets a good friend to Gary? Is Lily a good friend to anyone?
Discuss the different approaches to understanding the meaning of Mansfield Park. Is Mansfield Park about slavery and feminism--or the importance of self-knowledge? Where do you stand--with Magda or Nigel? How does the novel Mansfield Park illuminate the story of My Jane Austen Summer?
Compare and contrast Lily Berry and Fanny Price. Where does Fanny get the strength to resist Henry Crawford? Would Lily, as she fears, have fallen prey to Henry Crawford on page 1? Is Fanny Price insipid or heroic? Take a side in the Fanny Wars and defend your position.
Does the play Lovers' Vows, about a woman whose baby daddy is a baron, speak to modern readers? How did it speak to Lily?
Janeites are a very diverse group of fans, evenly distributed along age lines and listing a wide variety of professions. Discuss the contemporary fame of Jane Austen. What is the reason for her great appeal to readers? Will it last, or, as she once said, will future generations be disappointed?
Consider the elements of traditional gothic fiction: castles, foreign settings, attics, death, secrets, overwrought emotion, mystery, tyrannical men, women in distress, grief, and hereditary curses. Which elements are present in My Jane Austen Summer? How do they enrich setting and story?
Have you ever wanted to live in a novel? Lily believed that attending a literary festival might be a way to accomplish her dream. Are there other practical ways to "live in a novel"? What novel would you pick and how would you move in?
Consider the ending of My Jane Austen Summer. What will happen to Lily? Willis? Will some characters repeat the same mistakes for the rest of their lives? Did the ending satisfy you?
Acknowledgments
Many people helped launch my debut novel. I am fortunate that Mike Lankford was my first serious writing teacher. For careful reading and comments, I thank: Kathleen Kent, Bill Swart, and Ellen Moody. Many thanks to my writing groups: Jana Swart, Erin Burdette, Larry Campbell, and Brett Levy. For helpful assistance: Shilpi Gowda, Lori Reisenbichler, Cindy Corpier, Lori Ingram, Deborah Sundermann, Sarah Lunzer, Will Clarke, Amy Bourret, Bob Jones, Leslie Callahan, Philip Theophilus, and Alma Garcia. For the trip: Justus Sundermann.
I am grateful for everything The Writers' League of Texas and The Squaw Valley Community of Writers offer aspiring writers. The online discussions groups, Austen-L and Janeites, were a constant source of information and I have learned much from my association with the Jane Austen Society of North America.
I am grateful to my wise and talented agent, Laura Rennert, for patient guidance, and to my unflappable and enthusiastic editor, Lucia Macro. Esi Sogah and the team at Avon/Harper Collins have been an absolute pleasure to work with. Thanks to my parents, Dan and Sally Sundermann, with extra gratitude to my mother for reading multiple drafts. Love and appreciation to my sons: George, Daniel, William, and Robert. I would not be thanking anyone were it not for my husband, George, who is also my best friend, first reader, and the person who goes to work every day so I can write.
About the Author
CINDY JONES was born in Ohio and grew up in small midwestern towns, reading for escape. She is a winner of the Writers' League of Texas Manuscript Contest, and she lives with her family in Dallas.
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Praise for My Jane Austen Summer
"When one has read the six great Austen novels, and been through the juvenilia and the letters, and then reread and then reread the six again, one's only recourse is the company of others equally bereft. Cindy Jones's My Jane Austen Summer fills the gap with a nourishing Austen-soaked setting, a wonderfully surprising plot, and Lily, a delightfully peculiar heroine. By being so socially awkward, Lily won my heart. By loving Fanny Price best of all Austen heroines, she also wins my awe and admiration."
--Karen Joy Fowler, author of The Jane Austen Book Club
"A beautifully written novel full of surprises with an unexpected heroine you'll not soon forget. Cindy Jones's deeply honest tale of a woman in search of herself carries you away
on a literary adventure of the mind and heart, proving her maxim: Books are indeed good for you."
--Syrie James, author of The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen
"Austen lovers everywhere will delight in Lily's summer adventure and wish Cindy Jones had cast them in a role, too, so they could play a part in this whimsical literary treat."
--Marilyn Brant, author of According to Jane
"An invitation to get lost in Austen all over again. Janeites will have great fun watching how Cindy Jones cleverly interweaves a very modern romance with the characters, themes, and scenes of Austen's masterpiece."
--Lynn Shepherd, author of Murder at Mansfield Park
"A delightful story that takes us for a romp through the English countryside and into the wonderful world of Jane Austen. You can't help but root for Lily Berry, a refreshingly real heroine, as she searches for herself in a novel and finds something quite unexpected."
--Shilpi Somaya Gowda, author of Secret Daughter
"My Jane Austen: A Season in Mansfield Park is a loving tribute to the timeless appeal of the world created by Jane Austen. A delightful and imaginative coming-of-age story of a young woman's search for romance, acceptance, and belonging, with some help along the way from Jane Austen herself."
--Kathleen Kent, author of The Heretic's Daughter and The Wolves of Andover
Other Books by Cindy Jones
MY JANE AUSTEN SUMMER
Credits
Cover photographs: top (c) Mark Owen/Arcangel Images; bottom (c) Plush Studios/Getty Images
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
MY JANE AUSTEN SUMMER. Copyright (c) 2011 by Cindy Sundermann Jones. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
FIRST EDITION
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
EPub Edition (c) FEBRUARY 2011 ISBN: 978-0-06-207880-3
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