However, these finances are often misappropriated. In Sense and Sensibility, Jane gives her female characters money, (not the norm at that time) which gives them some degree of control. I have to say that this is so far-fetched and can only diminish Helena’s own credibility and claim that Jane is a radical. Helena claims that Jane probably knew this meaning. Similarly, in Sense and Sensibility, Helena claims that a scene where Edward takes scissors and cuts up the sheath they were in has sexual connotations sheath meaning vagina in Latin and the scissors representing a penis. Helena interprets what Jane wrote as masturbation (p66). I was astonished in the Northanger Abbey chapter, which, Helena claims, is the most ‘sexual’ of Janes’ books. Why then, was Jane so angry and upset when it was not initially published? We’re trespassing.” (P 44) This to me is a contradictory claim. For example, Helena writes, “When we open Northanger Abbey, we’re venturing somewhere that Jane wasn’t really willing to let us go. For example, Helena claims that Jane did not write accurately about childbirth, true, but Jane wrote what she wanted.Īfter reading this very detailed and complex account I believe that Helena cannot make the claim that she knows how Jane wants her novels to be read. I am sure she also took liberties in her interpretation, as many authors do. Of course, Jane wrote of the world as she saw it, or as she wished it to be. These were written from the context of the social time of which I am sure we have at least some understanding. I am sure Helena is correct in refuting some of the past biographies that have been written about Jane, especially those written by her relatives and others. In every chapter pulling information from each and often repeating what she has already written. However, in trying to convince readers of this book that Jane is a ‘radical,’ Helena jumps all over Jane’s books. The chapters are organised in the time sequence of Jane’s writing so we start with Northanger Abbey which is followed by Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma and Persuasion. I could not quite get the point Helena is trying to make and found myself saying out loud, “So!” There are other occasions that Helena has added the number of times a particular word has been used in various books. This definitely makes her qualified to write this book.įor example, in the chapter on Pride and Prejudice, Helena goes to great lengths to record the number of times social introductions are made 30 times here, 19 in Mansfield Park, 23 times in Emma and 15 in Sense and Sensibility. It is also obvious that she has studied in detail every word that is contained in each of the Jane Austen novels. That Helena has done so much research, not only of Jane Austen’s life but of other authors and history of the time, is not in doubt.
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