Jane and Dorothy

by Marian Veevers

Overview

An intimate portrait of Jane Austen, Dorothy Wordsworth, and their world—two women torn between revolutionary ideas and fierce conservatism, artistic creativity and emotional upheavals.

The lives of Dorothy Wordsworth and Jane Austen have never been examined together before. Born just four years apart, they came from the same class of landed gentry with clergymen for fathers (who both died young); with friends, family and many interests in common. Living in Georgian England, they navigated strict social conventions and new ideals, and were influenced by Dorothy’s brother, the Romantic poet William Wordsworth, and his coterie. They were supremely talented writers yet often lacked the necessary peace of mind in their search for self-expression. Neither ever married.

Jane and Dorothy uses each life to illuminate the other. For both women, financial security was paramount and whereas Jane Austen hoped to achieve this through her writing, rather than being dependent on her family, Dorothy made the opposite choice and put her creative powers to the use of her brilliant brother with whom she lived all her adult life.

Though neither path would bring lasting fulfillment and independence, both women’s mark on literary culture is undeniable. This probing book reveals a crucial missing piece to the puzzle of Dorothy and William’s relationship and addresses enduring myths surrounding the one man who seems to have stolen Jane’s heart, only to break it . . .

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781681776781
Publisher:	Pegasus Books
Publication date:	04/03/2018
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.60(d)

About the Author

Marian Veevers lives in the Lake District, just five miles from Grasmere, and works for the Wordsworth Trust. She lectures on Dorothy Wordsworth and is the author of several novels set in Georgian England under the pseudonym Anna Dean, including Bellfield Hall and A Gentleman of Fortune.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements ix

Prologue: The Inward Secrets of our Hearts xi

Part 1

1 Gentlemen's Daughters 1

2 Little Prattlers among Men 10

3 Original Sin 21

4 Fashionably Educated and Left Without a Fortune 26

Part 2

5 Love and Friendship 43

6 Ladies of the Rectory 54

7 A Happy Command of Language 65

8 Considering the Future 73

9 Falling in Love 82

10 Betrayal 93

11 Journeys, Brothers, Freedom and Confinement 111

12 A House of My Own 123

Part 3

13 An Experiment in Liberty 135

14 My Own Darling Child 142

15 A Small Revolution 157

16 Poetry and Prose 171

17 A Maid Whom There Were None to Praise 182

18 Homecoming and Exile 194

19 Exercised to Constraint 209

20 Our Affections do Rebel 218

21 Very Capable of Loving 233

22 Marriage: The Settlement we should aim at 240

Part 4

23 Writing and Publication 255

24 My Father Cannot Provide for Us 271

25 Another Exile, Another Homecoming 280

Part 5

26 Beyond 1809 297

Epilogue: A Natural Sequel to an Unnatural Beginning? 321

Appendix 1 Stanzas from The Minstrel 325

Appendix 2 The Forest - Epode 327

Appendix 3 Among All Lovely Things My Love Had Been 331

Notes and References 333

Bibliography 367

Index 371

Editorial Reviews

10/16/2017
Veevers (Bellfield Hall) writes an intelligent and sometimes searing portrait of two pivotal women in English literature, near contemporaries Jane Austen and Dorothy Wordsworth. The book focuses on how their spinster status impacted their creative lives at a time of limited options for women. Austen’s writing slowed for years as her dependent status forced her to move against her will, first to Bath, then to wander unsettled with her mother and sister Cassandra until the offer of her brother’s cottage as a place to live saved the day. Wordsworth likewise depended on her famous brother and subordinated her own literary endeavors, including a travelogue of Scotland she’d hoped to publish, to William’s needs, copying his poems and providing emotional support. Luckily for Austen, she enjoyed a close relationship with Cassandra, who enabled her work; Wordsworth, however, often sacrificed her time and energy to William. Veevers’s writing flows effortlessly and sustains interest by moving back and forth between the two women. Most commendable is the way she depicts the insecure and sometimes demeaning reality of their lives—leaving readers to question what more these individuals might have produced in a society less weighted against them. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"Captured the tricky business of presenting a clever and resourceful woman, hedged in by a tight-laced society, who turns those limitations to her own benefit. Decorative and thoughtful, Bellfield Hall is a worthy addition to the historical crime tradition."

Laurie R. King

"Beautifully written. Characters one cares about immediately and a mystery which becomes more urgent with every page."

Ann Perry (Praise for BELLFIELD HALL)

2017-12-19
An in-depth dual biography of two accomplished spinsters who never met.British author Veevers works for the Wordsworth Trust and, as Anna Dean, writes popular historical mysteries featuring Dido Kent as a savvy detective in Georgian England (A Place of Confinement, 2012, etc.). In this entertaining biography, written in an intimate, personal style, the author employs a chronological narrative to explore the different ways in which these two women responded to the obstacles presented by Georgian society. They "were not simply products of their time. They made choices in their lives, and it was those choices which defined them." Veevers uses Austen's Dashwood sisters from Sense and Sensibility as markers: Jane (1775-1817) was more "cautious" and sensible like Elinor, while Dorothy (1717-1855), with her eagerness in everything, sorrows or joys, is "impetuous" like Marianne. Dorothy was an orphan who was separated from her brothers early on, while Jane's life was more stable, allowing her to spend more time with her much-loved brothers. Jane had more formal education, but they were both intelligent, well-read, and loved to write. Jane had her novels, Dorothy her letters, poetry, and journals. The Austen family members were traditional Anglicans; Dorothy lived in more freethinking households. In an age when marriage was seen as a must for women, Jane, although she had her suitors, was never in love. Dorothy, Veevers writes, believed it "would be ‘absurd' for her to think of marriage." When her beloved poet-brother William married Mary Hutchinson in 1802, they all lived together in Dove Cottage. William "attempted to bind her to him more firmly than ever." Veevers is adamant that there is "nothing to suggest that [Dorothy's love for him] was—at its beginning—a sexual attraction." Their close friend Thomas De Quincey was quick to deny it, as well. William was the "emotional centre" of Dorothy's world.A well-researched, wonderfully told story of two women of their times.

Kirkus Review

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