“Poor dear Mr J.P.!-Oh! dear Fanny, Your mistake has been one that thousands of women fall into. He was the first young Man who attached himself to you. That was the charm, & most powerful it is.”
letter to her niece, Fanny Knight, about Mr. John Plumptre, whom Fanny was considering marrying
November 18, 1814 [109]
Olivia Williams as letter-writing aunt Jane Austen. ©BBC 2007 for MASTERPIECE
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Filed under Austen family, Letters, Love, Men, niece Fanny Knight
“My dearest Fanny, I am writing what will not be of the smallest use to you. I am feeling differently every moment, & shall not be able to suggest a single thing that can assist your Mind.-I could lament in one sentence & laugh in the next, but as to Opinion or Counsel I am sure none will be extracted worth having from this Letter.”
letter to her niece Fanny Knight
November 18, 1814 [109]
Filed under Austen family, Letters, Love, niece Fanny Knight
“From the time of our being in London together, I thought you really very much in love.-But you certainly are not at all-there is no concealing it.-What strange creatures we are!-It seems as if your being secure of him (as you say yourself) had made you Indifferent.”
letter to her niece, Fanny Knight, about Mr. John Plumptre, whom Fanny was considering marrying
November 18, 1814 [109]
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Filed under Austen family, Letters, Love, Men, niece Fanny Knight, Uncertainty in love
“A handsome young Man certainly, with quiet, gentlemanlike manners.-I set him down as sensible rather than Brilliant.-There is nobody Brilliant nowadays.”
letter to Cassandra, about John Plumptre, one of her niece Fanny’s love interests
September 23, 1813 [89]
Filed under Austen family, Letters, Men, niece Fanny Knight, On being a gentleman
I want to post more from Mansfield Park, for Luciana’s sake, but I’ve been reading through Jane’s letters again and had to share this.
One of my favorite sets of letters is to Jane’s niece Fanny, as she is trying to decide whether or not to marry one very good but evidently slightly boring guy. Here’s a snippet:
“There are such beings in the World, perhaps, one in a Thousand, as the Creature You & I should think perfection, where Grace & Spirit are united to Worth, where the Manners are equal to the Heart & Understanding, but such a person may not come in your way, or if he does, he may not be the eldest son of a Man of Fortune, the Brother of your particular friend, & belonging to your own County.”
letter to Fanny Knight
November 18, 1814 [109] (emphasis mine)
I believe that guys like this are out there, but perhaps they may not come my way as often as I would like.
Filed under Austen family, Letters, Love, Men, Money, Money and Marriage, niece Fanny Knight
Just to balance out Friday’s quote:
“I am by no means convinced that we ought not all to be Evangelicals, & am at least persuaded that they who are so from Reason & Feeling, must be happiest & safest.”
letter to her niece Fanny Knight
November 18, 1814 [109]
Fanny was apparently considering rejecting a suitor who seemed to be a little too religious.
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Filed under Austen family, Christianity, Letters, niece Fanny Knight
The Jane Austen Guide to Life: Thoughtful Lessons for the Modern Woman (May, 2012)
A Walk with Jane Austen: A Journey into Adventure, Love, and Faith