Friday, February 3, 2012

P.D. James and other Austen Imitators



Jane or James?

Like the hero(ine) of an Ed Wood movie, P.D. James exhibits a split personality, alternating between a creditable Austen persona and her familiar crime-writing persona, throughout Death Comes to Pemberley. Things start well enough with that all-important first sentence -- not, thank God, a truth universally acknowledged, but rather: "It was generally agreed by the female residents of Meryton that Mr. and Mrs. Bennet of Longbourn had been fortunate in the disposal in marriage of four of their five daughters." James goes on to summarize the plot of Pride and Prejudice (hereinafter known as P&P), which might seem unnecessary for any of her likely readers, except that she does so from the point of view of the gossiping neighbors who were convinced that Elizabeth Bennet not only married a man she despised for his money, but that "Miss Lizzy had been determined to capture Mr. Darcy from the moment of their first meeting." This sly reframing of the bones of P&P approaches brilliance, especially, of course, given that tantalizing hint of the fourth marriage. All of this in the prologue, which boded very well indeed.

Sadly, James reverts to her more familiar crime writing. Of course, she keeps up a beautiful style that strikes the right compromise between period and contemporary language, echoing Austen in its elegance if not in its all-too-rare glints of occasional irony. The sad fact is that James is not often witty, certainly not in the constant, barely suppressed fashion that Austen herself was. James gives most of her attention to plot, to evidence, and to some extent to dark atmosphere, with the comic relief confined to a couple of set pieces, such as a letter of "condolence" from Lady Catherine de Bourgh and a scene at the village church. Here she rises to Austen-ish heights ("A brutal murder on one's own property...will inevitably produce a large congregation, including some well-known invalids whose prolonged indisposition had prohibited them from the rigours of church attendance for many years."), but she abandons those heights almost immediately and entirely.

One problem is that Death Comes to Pemberley is mostly Darcy's book. James brings back Colonel Fitzwilliam and, of course, that rake Wickham, apparently to give Darcy an opportunity to reflect on, and perhaps atone for, the negligent attitudes he showed in P&P. Altogether too much time is spent rehashing P&P, with Darcy apologizing yet again to Elizabeth for the infamous proposal and unfortunate letter. Haven't they -- and we -- moved on? Worst of all, there is very little of Elizabeth in Death Comes to Pemberley -- very little of her wit, point of view, or the delightful dialogue we should expect. Whole chunks of the book are (gasp) boring. That doesn't mean that James and Austen fans won't find a lot to like in Death Comes to Pemberley, and certainly they have to read it for themselves.

Mystery or not, I haven't been particularly happy with any of the Austen sequels. The Mr. and Mrs. Darcy mysteries by Carrie Bebris seem to me to be travesties, in which she has the eminently sane and practical Elizabeth Bennet believing in magical amulets and other supernatural silliness. Their merits, such as they are, are the elaborate intertwining of all the Austen characters into one universe (also hinted at by James, with a late, off-stage appearance of the Knightleys of Highbury). For my money, the only reasonable Austen substitute (aside from her collected letters, which are frustrating to those of use who aren't Austen scholars) is the series of mysteries by Stephanie Barron featuring Jane herself. Barron leans heavily on the letters, sometimes paraphrasing or reproducing whole passages (always acknowledged in footnotes). Perhaps because of this, she comes very close to capturing Austen's style and her attitude, with plenty of arch dialogue and ironic wit running throughout. The mysteries themselves aren't always great; they often border on espionage, especially the adventures featuring the Gentleman Rogue, Lord Harold Trowbridge. His character is perhaps the most egregious departure from reality in the series, although it is nice to imagine Austen's life so full of romance and intrigue. Nevertheless, I think Barron comes closest to Austen's style and sensibility (there might be a title in there somewhere) of any of the Austen imitators. I'm very glad the series continues in trade paperbacks, with Jane and the Canterbury Tale published just last summer (August 2011).

If, however, you're willing to take Austen as your point of departure into a completely different world, somewhere between Dickens and Dumas, check out the Sarah Tolerance mysteries by Madeleine Robins, Point of Honor, Petty Treason, and now The Sleeping Partner (published Fall 2011). These are guilty pleasures that you will probably either love or hate, featuring a sword-wielding, female "agent of inquiry" who moves about Regency London in men's clothes and lives behind her aunt's brothel. The first book, Point of Honor, begins with a truth universally acknowledged, but there's little else of Austen here. In fact, Miss Tolerance occupies an alternate Regency, with changes in the royal lineage as well as widespread poverty and degradation. (This invites comparison with Ellen Kushner's Swordspoint, in which the Renaissance/eighteenth century mashup evokes a wonderful fairy-tale quality, but Robins' reasons for the alternate history are not as clear.) Critics continue to cite Austen as part of the mix, however, perhaps because Austen made the template for all Regency romances, especially those with smart, independent heroines. If you love such heroines and are willing to suspend disbelief for a fine ride, go for it. Dare I say it? I'd much rather hang out in Robins' London than at James's Pemberley.



9 comments:

  1. Thanks for the mention; I'm delighted that you like Miss Tolerance. As for the alternate-world, it came about because I knew a little too much about the Regency to feel comfortable doing what I wanted to do there, so I created a world that was just a little more friendly to female enterprise (only a little more friendly.

    As for the James Pemberley...I had such high hopes, but you're right. It doesn't succeed as an Austen pastiche or homage, or as a mystery. I've liked what I've read of James before (her The Maul and the Pear Tree, about a series of spree killings in Regency London, is fascinating), but this book was just dreary. Alas.

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    1. So glad you commented on a beginner's blog! I suspected that the altered history was meant to aid in suspending disbelief, since Miss Tolerance is SO fierce! Not that women aren't that way, but circumstances have conspired against us. Can't wait to catch up with Miss Tolerance in The Sleeping Partner.

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  2. Thanks for the shout-out, Nan; I have to say I skimmed Dame P.D.'s Austen homage myself, finding it a tad too onerous to read. I wonder what you think of C.S. Harris's Sebastian St. Cyr mysteries? I find them a refreshing bridge between the brigandish Regency and Jane's own.

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    1. Wow, it's so great to hear from you! This opinion business is kind of scary, because I'm forced to confess to all of my prejudices. I'm embarrassed to say that I love the Sebastian St. Cyr mysteries. Why embarrassed? I'm a scholarship snob, which is one reason why I admire your work: it's so grounded in historical research. For all I know, so are C.S. Harris's books; but there's just a little too much melodrama and romantic/gothic convention for me to feel comfortable.(Maybe that's the "brigandish" quality you mentioned.) Anyway, for me they are the guiltiest of guilty pleasures.

      P.S. I have to say I love her women characters, especially Hero Jarvis.

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  3. Hey Nan, I'm here! As I told you earlier, I'm not an Austen devotee, so I read Death Comes to Pemberly merely because I AM a PD James fan. I found the book silly in the extreme, and yes, boring in many places. But it was a quick read, and the book was free - so...nothing much lost there. I am also not a fan of historical mysteries, at least not so far. As I follow this blog, I may find things that will convert me to the genre.

    I finally finished the book I told you I was reading: In Other Worlds, by Margaret Atwood - essays and short writings on Science and Speculative Fiction. I read this book in short bits, stretching it out as long as I could, because it was so delicious. I'm going to buy it as soon as it's in paper. My reading is very eclectic and varied - currently I've started a book on E.B. White and the writing of Charlotte's Web.

    Please, set this blog so that it can be "followed" and shared - I will be a faithful follower!

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  4. Well, either "Follow" and "Share" were there all along, and I just couldn't see them - or you added them. In any case, there they are! And I am now a Follower. Although that doesn't seem to show either. Hmmmm.

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    1. Yes, your little marigolds picture shows up under followers. Thank you so much for becoming a follower!

      So far nobody is defending Baroness James, whether they're Austen fans or not. Your endorsement of Margaret Atwood counts for a lot, but -- even though the only book of hers I really loved was SF ("The Handmaid's Tale") -- I don't know if I like her enough to read her non-fiction writing on SF. On the other hand, I love E.B. White, not so much for "Charlotte's Web" as for "Here Is New York." Wow, did that guy get New York and New Yorkers! Even 80 years later, or whatever, his observations are right on the money. I actually would like to know more about him.

      Great to have you on board. Thanks for being open-minded about the genre.

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  5. Nan! First of all, thanks for starting this blog, as it got me to read a book again. I have been a weirdo lately, just listening to pod casts and reading boring newsletters on my computer in bed at night. So, you saved my life and I think I'll start sleeping better now that I am not gazing at a screen deep into the night.
    I am mot all that familiar with PD James but I ADORE Jane Austen. I actually enjoyed Pemberley for reasons that didn't have much to do with the novel. I had just finished watching season 2 of Downton Abby and I was missing those people so much that the world of PD James kept me out of complete withdrawal! The echoes of Austen also kept me eager to keep going with Pemberley. The plot was mildly engaging, but nothing mind blowing. So, without the side stories I just mentioned, I wouldn't have cared much about this PD James book.
    I am so pleased that you started this blog - we can now be blogmates. Your writing is intelligent and true - it's great to be able to spend this time with you. I am now going to read your other entries and see what your latest thoughts on literature and life are!

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    1. Hey, Brenda, so glad you commented! I'm delighted you're back to reading real books (and not on a Kindle or tablet, I take it). I can see that Pemblerley would be a good Downton substitute, with as you said, "echoes" of Austen, though not an actual Austen fix. It's great to be blogmates! (BTW, I just discovered Puppy Poetry, and wish there was more of it.)

      For the rest of you -- Brenda is an alcohol and drug abuse educator, who writes a wonderfully thoughtful blog about youth and addiction issues. Click on her profile to find her Website.

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