Michele
asked
Natalie Jenner:
Was the information regarding the formation of the Jane Austen Society/Trust based on fact? Are any of the details like the Knight's estate, purchasing the cottage, etc...how it really happened?
Natalie Jenner
Hi Michele, this is a really important question, so forgive the length of my response below!
Although the main settings of Chawton, the Austen cottage, and the Knight family home are all very real, my book is an entirely fictional tale in terms of the characters and events involved. That said, there were a few key historical facts that were a catalyst to my imagination, including the founding of the real-life Jane Austen Society, which is actually a wonderful, poignant story in itself. In 1940s Chawton, a local woman, Dorothy Darnell, saw an old piece of fire grate lying as rubbish by the side of the main Chawton road and decided that Austen’s legacy and home needed to be saved and preserved somehow. She gathered together a handful of other similarly inclined souls, and they met in her front parlour in May 1940 (exactly 80 years ago) to form the first Jane Austen Society in the world. But because WWII was raging, funds were scarce and they were unable to raise enough money through newspaper advertisements and the like to purchase the cottage and turn it into a museum. Then in 1948, a grieving father and Austen fan, T. E. Carpenter, who had lost his son in battle during the war, purchased the cottage outright and donated it to the nation. A trust was formed, and the Jane Austen Society worked with the trust to open the real-life museum in 1949.
With regard to the Knight family, I have also completely fictionalized the family in my book. Jane Austen’s brother Edward Austen Knight did inherit the Chawton Great House and estate, which passed down through the eldest heirs, but that is where any factual connection with my book ends. In real life, a 120-year lease to the Great House was not sold until the early 1990s by Richard Knight, Jane Austen’s fourth great nephew. The lease was acquired at auction by an American philanthropist and cofounder of Cisco Systems, Sandy Lerner. There is a great chapter on Ms. Lerner's acquisition of the Great House in the book "Among the Janeites" by Deborah Yaffe which I encourage you to check out as it is wonderful account of Austen fandom today.
People sometimes ask me why I fictionalized everyone in my book. From the very start, I wanted my book to be a work of fiction that explored themes of grief and community, and how a shared passion can bring different people together. Most of all, given where I was myself in life at the time, I wanted my characters to emerge from past loss and trauma with a sense of newfound hope and purpose. Because I was not trying to document the real historical founding and purpose of the Society, I decided to fictionalize everyone involved, so that I would not be constrained by the real-life events and arcs of the original founders’ lives, or disrespect them in any way. And because I don’t plot or outline before I write, this approach also liberated me to follow my characters in whatever directions they chose to go.
I hope that helps answer your very important question, and kind regards, Natalie
Although the main settings of Chawton, the Austen cottage, and the Knight family home are all very real, my book is an entirely fictional tale in terms of the characters and events involved. That said, there were a few key historical facts that were a catalyst to my imagination, including the founding of the real-life Jane Austen Society, which is actually a wonderful, poignant story in itself. In 1940s Chawton, a local woman, Dorothy Darnell, saw an old piece of fire grate lying as rubbish by the side of the main Chawton road and decided that Austen’s legacy and home needed to be saved and preserved somehow. She gathered together a handful of other similarly inclined souls, and they met in her front parlour in May 1940 (exactly 80 years ago) to form the first Jane Austen Society in the world. But because WWII was raging, funds were scarce and they were unable to raise enough money through newspaper advertisements and the like to purchase the cottage and turn it into a museum. Then in 1948, a grieving father and Austen fan, T. E. Carpenter, who had lost his son in battle during the war, purchased the cottage outright and donated it to the nation. A trust was formed, and the Jane Austen Society worked with the trust to open the real-life museum in 1949.
With regard to the Knight family, I have also completely fictionalized the family in my book. Jane Austen’s brother Edward Austen Knight did inherit the Chawton Great House and estate, which passed down through the eldest heirs, but that is where any factual connection with my book ends. In real life, a 120-year lease to the Great House was not sold until the early 1990s by Richard Knight, Jane Austen’s fourth great nephew. The lease was acquired at auction by an American philanthropist and cofounder of Cisco Systems, Sandy Lerner. There is a great chapter on Ms. Lerner's acquisition of the Great House in the book "Among the Janeites" by Deborah Yaffe which I encourage you to check out as it is wonderful account of Austen fandom today.
People sometimes ask me why I fictionalized everyone in my book. From the very start, I wanted my book to be a work of fiction that explored themes of grief and community, and how a shared passion can bring different people together. Most of all, given where I was myself in life at the time, I wanted my characters to emerge from past loss and trauma with a sense of newfound hope and purpose. Because I was not trying to document the real historical founding and purpose of the Society, I decided to fictionalize everyone involved, so that I would not be constrained by the real-life events and arcs of the original founders’ lives, or disrespect them in any way. And because I don’t plot or outline before I write, this approach also liberated me to follow my characters in whatever directions they chose to go.
I hope that helps answer your very important question, and kind regards, Natalie
More Answered Questions
Karen
asked
Natalie Jenner:
Hi Natalie! I have the name of the person who won a copy of your book in my newsletter drawing. I purchased the book at the Poisoned Pen here in Scottsdale and I'll send that by mail. Could you please send the signed special bookplate you told me about to Paula Huckleberry 6485 E. Elmaro Circle Paradise Valley, AZ 85253? She's so very excited to read your book, as am I. Thanks so much. Cheers, Karen
Steven Adriaanzen
asked
Natalie Jenner:
Hi Natalie I'm sorry to hear about your husband's illness. I wanted to ask a more personal question but then realised it was totally insensitive and stupid as I don't even know you. So my question is just this: How many times have you read Pride and Prejudice in your life and is it a book you turn to during certain challenges over the years?
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