Sisters

Watercolor of Jane Austen by Cassandra Austen 1804
As good as it gets for portraits

Event:        JASNA CWNY April Meeting

Topic:        A discussion of sisters in the novels with Marie Sprayberry and Wendy Jones

When:       Saturday, April 20, 2019 at 1 pm
Where:      Pittsford Barnes and Noble, Community Room

Jane Austen was very close to her sister Cassandra. Most of what we really know about Jane Austen comes from the letters she wrote to Cassandra. So it is not surprising that relationships between sisters figure prominently in Jane Austen's novels. At our April meeting Marie Sprayberry and Wendy Jones will lead a discussion of sister relationships in Jane Austen's novels.

Of Jane Austen's novels, Pride and Prejudice certainly involves the largest number of sisters. We have the five Bennet daughters to start. Jane and Elizabeth are very close and confide about almost everything. Lydia and Kitty are a pair, and Kitty "will follow wherever Lydia leads"(1). Mary is left by herself which is also a specific relationship with her sisters. Charlotte Lucas has a sister Maria. Mrs Bennet has a sister, Mrs. Phillips, in Meryton. Mr. Bingley has two sisters who conspire together to thwart his interest in Jane. Even Lady Catherine de Bourgh has a sister, Anne Darcy, who does not appear in the story, but whose influence is felt when Lady Cathrine confronts Elizabeth in the "prettyish kind of a little wilderness" (2).

The relationships between and among these sisters form much of the underlying substance of the novel. Yes, the relationship of Elizabeth and Darcy takes center stage in the novel, but these sister relationship provide much of the backdrop.

Northanger Abbey and  Emma, on the other hand, have, perhaps the smallest count of sisters. Emma has a sister, Isabella, whose main role is to discuss the importance of sea bathing. Catherine Morland has plenty of siblings but no significant sister relationships. Sarah and Harriet are present to welcome Catherine back from her travels. Sarah tries to be helpful, answering Henry's question about the location of the Allen's house with "You may see the house from this window, sir" (3). She is geographically correct but not helpful. Emma is somewhat isolated and looks for a sister to dominate in Harriet. Catherine's lack of close female relationships has, no doubt, contributed to her naiveté, and misplaced trust in Isabella.

The list goes on: Marianne and Elinor in Sense and Sensibility, the Bertram sisters in Mansfield Park, and the Elliot sisters in Persuasion. Sisters are important in Jane Austen's work. Please join us at our April meeting to learn more about these relationships and how they work in Jane Austen's novels.

1. Pride and Prejudice, chapter 41.
2. Pride and Prejudice, chapter 56.
3. Northanger Abbey, chapter 30.