Jane Austen discussion

Hello all. Full disclosure: I just published a novel based on The Watsons.
One of the key assumptions that lead me to write the book was that Emma Watson was mixed race.

At the beginning of the novel, we are introduced to Emma as the neighborhood sees her for the first time.
“Her skin was very brown, but clear, smooth, and glowing –“ Jane Austen, The Watsons
Word choice for an author is extremely important. We slave over each, and every word, asking ourselves is this what we really want to say? In this short text two words jumped out at me: skin and very
Skin. Skin is not the same thing as complexion. A complexion is mutable. A fair person exposed to the sun becomes darker, an ill person might take on a sickly or jaundiced hue. Skin is the outer layer of our body, and we are born into it.
Very. Very is an adverb used to emphasize the adjective. It means “To a high degree” Emma’s skin was not dark, it was not brown. It was very brown.
I'd love to hear what others think on this topic.
I

Interesting. I have never read the partial books.

There are only a few chapters, but they certainly sparked something in me.

I think it’s so interesting, and I genuinely don’t think it’s too fanciful to think it. I’ve read it ages ago so I don’t remember exactly. But people at the time, as now, had complicated backgrounds and it’s a myth that Jane Austen only wrote about a tiny layer of society. What is your book about?

I don't think so because she specifically states Miss Lambe in Sanditon is "half mulatto." Marianne Dashwood also has tan skin but no one else in the family is described as tan and Miss Bingley says Elizabeth Bennet has become “brown and coarse.” Darcy says she is tanned from traveling in the summer. Many characters are described as "brown." Usually characters who spend time outdoors and who have dark hair and brown eyes when the stereotypical English phenotype was blond hair and blue eyes.

Some blog posts you might be interested in
Brenda S. Cox "Women of Colour in Literature of Jane Austen’s England
https://janeaustensworld.com/2021/03/....

A commentor recommends Black and British: A Forgotten History

Mary Robinette Kowal "Look– Jane Austen included characters of color. Stop citing “historical accuracy” with an all white cast."
https://maryrobinettekowal.com/journa...

oh and a new story I just saw this week
This 18th-Century Painting Could Rewrite Black History in Britain
New research brings to light the life of James Cumberlidge, a servant who became a trumpeter for King George III.

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/thi...

Emmy wrote: "I think it’s so interesting, and I genuinely don’t think it’s too fanciful to think it. I’ve read it ages ago so I don’t remember exactly. But people at the time, as now, had complicated background..."

Emmy wrote: "I think it’s so interesting, and I genuinely don’t think it’s too fanciful to think it. I’ve read it ages ago so I don’t remember exactly. But people at the time, as now, had complicated background..."

My book is an attempt to complete the unfinished manuscript. In my interpretation of the story line Emma Watson's mother is West Indian. As in the original, Emma has returned home after the death of her uncle. Unfortunately, her father passes shortly after her return home and she goes to live at Osborne Estate where she soon finds she is developing feelings for the estate's vicar, Mr. Howard.

QNPoohBear wrote: "I don't think so because she specifically states Miss Lambe in Sanditon is "half mulatto." Marianne Dashwood also has tan skin but no one else in the family is described as tan and Miss Bingley say..."

Thank you for all of the links. I will delve into them. I did write a series of short posts on why I think Emma was mixed ethnicity that you should be able to find with the hash tag #thewatsonsemma
There are several sections of the original manuscript where Miss Austen emphasizes just how dark Emma's skin is. In my book, Emma's mother comes from the West Indies.