Speaking of a Book Launch

In 1917, two young women were staying in Thrift Cottage in Buckinghamshire, enjoying a week of rest and relaxation. One of them, Sheila Kaye-Smith, had come well supplied with reading material; the other, G B Stern (Gladys), had not. Both women were successful novelists. With the weather bad, Gladys picked up the book she had brought with her, The Brook Kerith by George Moore. She didn’t find it an easy read, so Sheila took pity on her and handed her Emma (she never travelled anywhere without a Jane Austen novel). Gladys had had a poor experience with Jane Austen when at school but opened the book. She read that first wonderful sentence and within minutes she was surrendering “wholly and without reservation to the spell of Jane Austen”. “Have I ever thanked Sheila enough?” Gladys mused, almost twenty years later. Reading that book changed her life.

In 1942 they decided to jointly write about their favourite subject, and the result was the 1943 book Talking of Jane Austen (published in the USA as Speaking of Jane Austen). In 1950 they followed it up with More Talk of Jane Austen. Talking of Jane Austen was groundbreaking. Until then, Jane Austen critics had been academic and mainly male. They wrote worthy tomes about her style and themes but did not deign to discuss her characters as if they were real people (which every Janeite knows they are!). Sheila and Gladys, on the other hand, wrote a book about being fans, for fans, and discussed the characters from their own sensible and novelistic points of view.

In their book they talk over such matters as to whether Charlotte was right to marry Mr Collins, was Colonel Brandon a failure as a character, is Fanny too timid, and which of Austen’s characters resemble those of Dickens? They discuss the changing roles of women, imagine some of the foods eaten, and even choose a favourite moment in which they’d like to be a fly on the wall. They added a quiz and pondered what questions they’d ask Jane Austen if they could. In a time of war, they turned to Jane Austen for comfort and began a new genre in Jane Austen books – Jane Austen fandom!

Now, in the 21st century, Dr Ruth Wilson and I have also turned to Jane Austen for friendship and conversation. I first met Ruth in 2012, when she was writing a PhD on the importance of teaching Jane Austen. Later she wrote The Jane Austen Remedy (2022), and today Ruth is Patron of the Jane Austen Society of Australia. Together, we came up with the idea of continuing for 21st-century readers the conversation Sheila Kaye-Smith and G B Stern began in their book. We divided the chapters between us and began what became a labour of love.

Still Speaking of Jane Austen: Six Glorious Novels will be launched by distinguished scholar Dr Larissa Behrendt at the Jane Austen Society of Australia’s Christmas Lunch later this month. Our book has a foreword by scholar Dr Devoney Looser, delightful illustrations by Ruth’s artistic daughter, Laura Wilson, and a beautiful Matisse image on its cover, designed by Jane Townsend.