Bicentenary Celebration of Sense and Sensibility

Posted on January 23, 2011 by Regina Jeffers

 


SENSE & SENSIBILITY BICENTENARY – GRAND CELEBRATION AT MY JANE AUSTEN BOOK CLUB

October 2011 will mark the bicentenary of the publication of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. My Jane Austen Book Club will dedicate a special space to the celebration and discussion of Austen’s first achievement as a published writer. Some expert Janeites have been invited to contribute to the discussion, and they have kindly and generously accepted. Each month a guest will deal with a theme, a character, a topic somehow linked to Sense and Sensibility. The discussion will be open to you all with your comments, questions and suggestions. There will be a monthly giveaway and you will have the chance to win a book or DVD connected to our celebration. Here’s the schedule of our virtual meetings. Take notes.

1. January Jennifer Becton Marriage and money in Sense and Sensibility

2. February Alexa Adams Sense and Sensibility on screen

3. March C. Allyn Pierson Inheritance laws and their consequences in Sense & Sensibility

4. April Beth Pattillo Lost in Sense and Sensibility

5. May Jane Odiwe Willoughby: a rogue on trial

6. June Deb @JASNA Vermont Secrets in Sense and Sensibility

7. July Laurie Viera Rigler Interview with Lucy Steele

8. August Regina Jeffers Settling for the Compromise Marriage

9. September Lynn Shepherd The origins of S&S: Richardson, Jane Austen, Elinore & Marianne

10. October Meredith @Austenesque Reviews Sense and Sensibility fanfiction

11. November Vic @Jane Austen’s World Minor characters in Sense and Sensibility

12. December Laurel Ann @Austenprose Marianne Dashwood: A passion for dead Leaves and other Sensibilities

For commenting on the site, you can will a copy of The Three Weissmanns of Westport, a modern day Sense and Sensibility.

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Pottery Barn and Jane Austen

Posted on January 21, 2011 by Regina Jeffers

Even the Pottery Barn knows the value of Jane Austen.
http://www.potterybarn.com/products/pride-prejudice-quote-jewelry-dish/?pkey=cvalentine-keepsakes

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Jane Austen and Feminism

Posted on January 20, 2011 by Regina Jeffers

Jane Austen and Feminism
by Regina Jeffers

In 1968, the Women’s Liberation Movement staged a demonstration at the annual Miss America Beauty pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey. They protested the idea that the most important thing about a woman is how she looks. Women’s liberation attacked “male chauvinism, commercialization of beauty, racism and oppression symbolized by the Pageant.”(JoFreeman.com) I am a product of that particular generation. I was a teen in the 1960s and a young woman in 1970s. Generally, I was raised in the Southern states, and I thoroughly understand the “good ole boys” system. Recently, at my retirement recognition gathering at the high school where I taught for many years, instead of praising me for my dedication to my academic area or to my students, my principal stood up and said, “If you have ever served on a committee with Regina, you know that she has no problem in speaking her mind.” Well, that is something, but, obviously, not how one would like to be remembered after 40 years in the classroom. In other words, I had “ruffled his feathers” on more than one occasion by not always conforming to how he thought a woman should act. I have never been subservient to a male. That was my mother. I am a daughter of the women’s movement. So, like Jane Austen, while I write about romance and tradition and virtue, I still place my female characters in roles where they “defy” the never ending patriarchal society in which they live.

In 18th Century England, certain educated women began to question why men did not see women as rational creatures. Among those were Mary Astell and Catherine Macaulay, who discussed such issues as the lack of a female educational system and the absolute authority of males in the family unit. One must wonder if these ideas influenced a young Jane Austen. In each of Austen’s six main novels, the concept of marriage is told from a female perspective. Is Jane telling us that the male view is obsolete?

It would be difficult to call Austen a feminist because her point of view is very subtle. Yet, her message has been read by millions of women around the world, and I openly admit that it influenced me. But who influenced Jane? We shall never know for sure, but it is likely that one of those could have been Mary Wollstonecraft. In 1792 (when Jane was but an impressionable 16-year-old), Wollstonecraft released A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. As an English teacher, this was one of my favorite pieces to bring to my students for it has strong parallels to modern times. Wollstonecraft openly stated that both men and women have the potential to conduct themselves as reasonable and rational human beings. One sex did not have dominance over the other. Wollstonecraft also attacked earlier writers, especially John Milton and Rosseau, for advocating the subordinate position of women in a man’s life. The author’s idea that the 18th Century English educated their women only in how to attract (or “trap”) a man into marriage, but did nothing to equip them with the skills to be good wives and mothers was quite controversial. With Vindication’s release, new doors opened for women writers.

However, Wollstonecraft soon lost her life to childbirth. (BTW, her daughter was Mary Godwin, who eventually became the wife of Percy Shelley and the author of Frankenstein.) Afterwards, Wollstonecraft’s husband, William Godwin, wrote a sometimes embellished Memoir of his wife’s life. He told the world of the love affair that produced an illegitimate child and of her suicide attempts and of her rejection of Christianity. Wollstonecraft was labeled an atheist and a “whore.” Critics held a new weapon in discrediting her work, and indirectly, the writings of all women.

Unfortunately, Mary’s downfall brought close scrutiny on those who followed. A female writer could not be seen as advocating the overthrow of marriage rituals. In 1798, the Reverend Richard Polwhele published an anti-feminist satirical poem entitled “The Unsex’d Females.” In it, Polwhele argued that the “sparkle of confident intelligence” was proof that female writers were immodest and that it was a sign of the “corrupt” times that anyone would go so far to consider a woman’s work on the same level as a man’s. Please remember that it was that same year (1798) when the publisher Cadell refused Rev. Austen’s offer of his daughter Jane’s First Impressions manuscript.

Jane Austen does one thing better than any other female writer. She writes dominate female characters with spotless reputations. In each novel, one finds the seduced-and-abandoned plot embedded in the main story line, but Austen’s subject is not courtship. Kathryn B. Stockton of the University of Utah says, “Austen’s works are about ‘marriageship: the cautious investigation of a field of eligible males, the delicate maneuvering to meet them, the refined outpacing of rivals, the subtle circumventing of parental power and the careful management, which turns the idle flirtation into a firm offer of marriage with a good settlement for life. All this must be carried on in a way that the heroine maintains her self-respect, her moral dignity, and her character as daughter, sister, friend, and neighbor.'” For myself, I am more inclined to agree with G. K. Chesterton, who said, “Jane Austen could do one thing neither Charlotte Bronte or George Eliot could do: She could cooly and sensibly describe a man.”

In Persuasion, Austen wrote, “But let me observe that all histories are against you, all stories, prose and verse. If I had such a memory as Benwick, I could bring you fifty quotations in a moment on my side the argument, and I do not think I ever opened a book in my life, which had not something to say upon woman’s inconstancy. Songs and proverbs, all talk of woman’s fickleness. But perhaps you will say, these were all written by men.”
“…Men have had every advantage of us in telling their story. Education has been theirs in so much higher a degree; the pen has been in their hands. I will not allow books to prove any thing.”
After Wollstonecraft’s “downfall,” women writers, even those who did not express views of “female philosophers,” had difficulty finding a market for their writing and gaining respect for their talents in a male-dominated occupation. They had to stress the virtue of ladylike qualities and respectable lives. Rights for women could not be their focus.

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Persuasion 1995 Movie Discussion

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Regina Jeffers

In describing Persuasion in his script’s introduction, Nick Dear said, “The story essentially describes an old order fading away into decadence, and a new tribe, a meritocracy, coming to the fore.” Persuasion has seen four renderings. The first was presented on four consecutive weeks from December 30, 1960, to January 20, 1961. Daphne Slater, who incidentally portrayed Elizabeth Bennet in 1952’s Pride and Prejudice, played Anne Elliot, while Paul Daneman took on the role of Frederick Wentworth. ITV presented the second adaptation in five parts from April 18 to May 16, 1971. This adaptation starred Ann Firbank and Bryan Marshall in the main roles. In April 1995, BBC-2 presented the third rendering. This one was later released to theatres. It brought us Amanda Root and Ciarán Hinds. In 2007, Rupert Penry Jones and Sally Hawkins took on the parts of Anne and Wentworth. As cinematic adaptations of Jane Austen’s novels go, the 1995 version of Persuasion has kept its critics at bay. For me, it is by far the superior film. In 2009, when I wrote Captain Wentworth’s Persuasion, it was Amanda Root and Ciarán Hinds that I saw in my mind’s eye as the book’s characters.

So, these are a hodge podge of my ramblings on this particular film adaptation. I would love to hear your own thoughts on this one, as well as any comments on the other versions of Persuasion. This is, after all, a movie discussion.
*In the 1971 version, Ann Firbank is always perfectly dressed, but Nick Dear wanted Root’s portrayal to show Anne’s movement from “dowdy” to “blossoming.” It amazes me that some wanted a more more glamorous actress to play Anne. At the time (and even now), I thought Amanda Root the perfect choice.
*Anne is portrayed as a “servant,” creating sympathy for her character. At Uppercross, she picks up toys and tends to the injured Little Charles. At Kellynch Hall, it is Anne who holds the keys to the house, very much as a housekeeper might. She catalogues the house’s belongings.
*Roger Michell uses several close ups of Anne, but they often off center. This makes the viewer see her as out of sync with her family.
*We never see Sir Walter in a natural setting, whereas Wentworth and Croft are.
*There is a sharp contrast between the sterile Kellynch Hall and the welcoming “home” of the Musgroves.
*Nick Dear creates a “caustic” Elizabeth Elliot, as she sprawls on her chair, laughs too loudly, and talks with her mouth full. This is one area that is often criticized in the film. This Elizabeth Elliot is less “ladylike” than the one presented by Austen.
*When Anne travels to Uppercross, she is deglamorized by riding with a pig and a goose in the open cart.
*Like we noted previously with Colin Firth’s character, Root is often shown staring out windows, essentially distancing herself from the others. She is preoccupied and uncomfortable.
*The scene where creditors crowd around Mr. Shepherd creates a sense of chaos. This is achieved through hand held tracking shots and a swish pan. Usually movement indicates strength and vitality, but not in this case.
*Besides establishing the historical context of the film, the “invented” opening sequence with Admiral Croft and the sailors rowing in unison is a powerful contrast to the indolence shown by Sir Walter at Kellynch Hall.
*The characters remain seated at Kellynch. There is no movement. It is a “dying” culture.
We see the same “staleness” in the Elliots’ Bath residence. Hand held tracking shots show them lounging on chaises longues.

*Nick Dear describes the scene where Anne, dressed in white and sitting among the sheet-covered furniture at Kellynch, as a “shroud for a dead house.”

*In the Kellynch dining room, the vast, over-decorated table dwarfs the Elliots.
The ship’s ward room is small, dark, and smoky, and it is filled with action-filled officers. A single, tight circling shot relays the cohesiveness of the group. This is in contrast to the previous dining room scene. The ward room’s table is covered with various hats all tossed together, indicating the group’s solidarity. Sir Walter’s table holds the iced-swan sculpture.
*A lack of real substance is shown in Lady Dalrymple’s caked on makeup and the use of backlighting.
*Only a “letter folded up into a paper boat” and concealed inside a copy of “the Navy List, 1806” elicits any emotional response from Anne while she is at Kellynch.
*The sun lights Anne’s face for the first time when she arrives at Uppercross.
*The swiftly moving paper boats are bringing Anne to her future. These boats are made for the children by Admiral Croft, a direct connection to Wenworth.
*The high angle swish pan shot of Wentworth’s desperate attempt to catch Louisa indicates his being out of step on land.
*Wentworth is separated from Anne by a table and three seated figures when she looks out the window for Mr. Elliot. There is a “gulf” between them.
*Nick Dear’s Anne is more assertive than the one in Austen’s novels. This plays to the more modern female viewer. She chases Wentworth from the concert room, sharply answers her father’s criticsm of Mrs. Smith, blocks Wentworth’s path in the Octagon Room, snipes at both Lady Russell and Wentworth when they question her marrying Mr. Elliot, and accepts Wentworth’s kiss on the the crowded street.
*We have a shot of Anne looking backwards at Kellynch. This leads to a lengthy pan shot bringing Uppercross into view. Austen does not give us the feeling of Kellynch being the past. This scene does.
*The camera shot of Anne’s face at Uppercross Cottage shows her pensiveness. We see her only in the cloudy mirror. This indicates her isolation.
*To show her leanness and her desperation, Anne is seen early on in loose-fitting dresses and large cloaks. In Bath, Anne wears form-fitting pelisses and spencers.
*In the 1971 version, Bryan Marshall wears Regency civilian wear, but Ciarán Hinds portrays the rugged, self-made man in his naval attire.
*William Elliot’s character is more villainous than the Austen version.
*This adaptation uses pieces of both of Austen’s endings for the novel.
*The kissing scene is sometimes criticized, but it summarizes a chapter of reflection from Austen’s novel. It shows the “lovers” making their own way in life. Their hands are clasped. (BTW, in the 1971 version, Anne and Wentworth kiss twice, but it is indoors.)
*The final scene was filmed at Portsmouth on the HMS Victory.
*The last shot of a ship silhouetted against a sunset is actually taken from the 1984 film, The Bounty.

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Firth longs to play Darcy as a daddy in ‘Bridget Jones 3’ – Chicago Sun-Times

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Regina Jeffers

Firth longs to play Darcy as a daddy in ‘Bridget Jones 3’ – Chicago Sun-Times.

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Golden Globe Winners Announced

Posted on January 17, 2011 by Regina Jeffers

 

BEST ACTOR DRAMA
Jesse Eisenberg, “The Social Network”; Colin Firth, “The King’s Speech”; James Franco, “127 Hours”; Ryan Gosling, “Blue Valentine”; Mark Wahlberg, “The Fighter.” (As a card carrying member of the Jane Austen Society of North America, I said, “It’s about time. Firth should have won last year for ‘The Single Man.'”)

WINNER BEST PICTURE BEST COMEDY OR MUSICAL
“Alice in Wonderland,” “Burlesque,” “The Kids Are All Right,” “Red,” “The Tourist.” 

BEST ACTRESS IN A FILM DRAMA
Halle Berry, “Frankie and Alice”; Nicole Kidman, “Rabbit Hole”; Jennifer Lawrence, “Winter’s Bone”; Natalie Portman, “Black Swan”; Michelle Williams, “Blue Valentine.” (This was an excellent movie, although one does not come out of the theatre feeling “refreshed.” It is very draining emotionally.)

WINNER BEST ACTOR IN A FILM COMEDY
Johnny Depp, “Alice in Wonderland”; Johnny Depp, “The Tourist”; Paul Giamatti, “Barney’s Version”; Jake Gyllenhaal, “Love and Other Drugs”; Kevin Spacey, “Casino Jack.”

WINNER BEST COMEDY OF TV
“30 Rock,” NBC; “The Big Bang Theory,” CBS; “The Big C,” Showtime; “Glee,” Fox; “Modern Family,” ABC; “Nurse Jackie,” Showtime.

WINNER BEST FILM DIRECTOR
Darren Aronofsky, “Black Swan”; David Fincher, “The Social Network”; Tom Hooper, “The King’s Speech”; Christopher Nolan, “Inception”; David O. Russell, “The Fighter.”

WINNER BEST SUPPORTING FILM ACTRESS
Melissa Leo, “The Fighter”; Helena Bonham Carter, “The King’s Speech”; Mila Kunis, “Black Swan”; Amy Adams, “The Fighter”; Jacki Weaver, “Animal Kingdom.” (Amy Adams looked gorgeous, but Helena Bonham Carter’s dress was ridiculous.)

WINNER BEST ACTOR TV COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock”; Steve Carell, “The Office”; Thomas Jane, “Hung”; Matthew Morrison, “Glee”; Jim Parsons, “The Big Bang Theory.”

WINNER BEST ACTRESS TV COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Toni Collette, “The United States of Tara”; Edie Falco, “Nurse Jackie”; Tina Fey, “30 Rock”; Laura Linney, “The Big C”; Lea Michele, “Glee.”

WINNER BEST SUPPORTING TV ACTRESS
Hope Davis, “The Special Relationship”; Jane Lynch, “Glee”; Kelly Macdonald, “Boardwalk Empire”; Julia Stiles, “Dexter”; Sofia Vergara, “Modern Family.”

WINNER BEST FILM SCREENPLAY
Danny Boyle, Simon Beaufoy, “127 Hours”; Lisa Cholodenko, Stuart Blumberg, “The Kids Are All Right”; Christopher Nolan, “Inception”; David Seidler, “The King’s Speech”; Aaron Sorkin, “The Social Network.”

WINNER ACTRESS TV MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Hayley Atwell, “Pillars of the Earth”; Claire Danes, “Temple Grandin”; Judi Dench, “Return to Cranford”; Romola Garai, “Emma”; Jennifer Love Hewitt, “The Client List.” (My sentimental favorite was Judi Dench, although both Romola Garai and Hayley Atwell were brilliant in their roles. I was surprised that “Pillars of the Earth” won nothing. It was one of the best of the season.)

WINNER ACTOR, TV MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Idris Elba, “Luther”; Ian McShane, “Pillars of the Earth”; Al Pacino, “You Don’t Know Jack”; Dennis Quaid, “The Special Relationship”; Edgar Ramirez, “Carlos.”

WINNER BEST ACTRESS, MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Annette Bening, “The Kids Are All Right”; Julianne Moore, “The Kids Are All Right”; Anne Hathaway, “Love and Other Drugs”; Angelina Jolie, “The Tourist”; Emma Stone, “Easy A.” (I would have taken Julianne Moore for the trophy. How some of these movies fit into the “musical or comedy” category makes no sense.)

WINNER BEST ANIMATED FILM
— Animated Film: “Toy Story 3,” “The Illusionist,” “How to Train Your Dragon,” “Despicable Me,” “Tangled.” (“Toy Story” was a sentimental favorite. I was partial to “Tangled.”)

WINNER ORIGINAL SONG
“Bound to You” (written by Samuel Dixon, Christina Aguilera, Sia Furler), “Burlesque”; “Coming Home” (written by Bob DiPiero, Tom Douglas, Hillary Lindsey, Troy Verges), “Country Strong”; “I See the Light,” (written by Alan Menken, Glenn Slater), “Tangled”; “There’s a Place for Us” (written by Carrie Underwood, David Hodges, Hillary Lindsey), “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader”; “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me,” (written by Diane Warren), “Burlesque.”

WINNER BEST ACTOR DRAMA
Steve Buscemi, “Boardwalk Empire”; Bryan Cranston, “Breaking Bad”; Michael C. Hall, “Dexter”; Jon Hamm, “Mad Men”; Hugh Laurie, “House.” (Again, sentimentally, I would take Hugh Laurie, although his show has lost some momentum. However, I had bet on Michael C. Hall.

WINNER BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR, SERIES, MINISERIES OR MOVIE:
Scott Caan, “Hawaii Five-O”; Chris Colfer, “Glee”; Chris Noth, “The Good Wife”; Eric Stonestreet, “Modern Family”; David Strathairn, “Temple Grandin.”

WINNER BEST MINISERIES OR MOVIE “Carlos,” Sundance Channel; “The Pacific,” HBO; “Pillars of the Earth,” Starz; “Temple Grandin,” HBO; “You Don’t Know Jack,” HBO. (Remember this is the Foreign Press awards. Most of us in the U.S. would have chosen one of the others.)

WINNER BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA, TV
— Actress, Drama: Julianna Margulies, “The Good Wife”; Elisabeth Moss, “Mad Men”; Piper Perabo, “Covert Affairs”; Katey Sagal, “Sons of Anarchy”; Kyra Sedgwick, “The Closer.”

WINNER BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR WINNER, FILM:
— Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, “The Fighter”; Michael Douglas, “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps”; Andrew Garfield, “The Social Network”; Jeremy Renner, “The Town”; Geoffrey Rush, “The King’s Speech.”

What did you think? Did your favorites win?

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New Zodiac Signs, but I Am Still a Virgo

Posted on January 16, 2011 by Regina Jeffers

When news starting reaching the media outlets, that a 13th sign of the zodiac was likely and that most of us are not what we have always believed ourselves to be, I scoffed with good reason. It has seemed all my life that if one is to read the characteristics associated with a Virgo, that he was reading about me. I fit the profile completely. I certainly was not a Leo. My son has always been a Scorpio, but now he is a Libra. It is all very confusing.

So, here is the truth about the new zodiac sign. Scientists have said that it really is not a new discovery. In reality, these 13 signs have been “in existence” for over 2000 years. This new zodiac sign comes to us from the Babylonians, who once used the concept, but then thought otherwise. For some reason the Babylonians did not want Ophiuchus. If one is under this new sign, he will first have to learn to pronounce it and then change his bar pick up line. There will be no more, “What’s your sign?”
Here are the new divisions. I wonder what this change does to gemstones, etc., associated with the older signs.

Capricorn – Jan 20 to Feb 16

Aquarius – Feb 16 to Mar 11

Pisces – Mar 11 to Apr 18

Aries – Apr 18 to May 13

Taurus – May 13 to Jun 21

Gemini – Jun 21 to Jul 20

Cancer – Jul 20 to Aug 10

Leo – Aug 10 to Sep 16

Virgo – Sep 16 to Oct 30

Libra – Oct 30 to Nov 23

Scorpius – Nov 23 to Nov 29

Ophiuchus – Nov 29 to Dec 17

Sagittarius – Dec 17 to Jan 20
Now you know about the new zodiac sign. Which sign are you? Have you changed? Does this mean a “whole new you” for the New Year?

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Learn to Dance Like in Pride and Prejudice

Posted on January 15, 2011 by Regina Jeffers

This is an announcement from Orlando, Florida’s Shakespeare’s Theater. They are currently presenting Pride & Prejudice.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Our dance card will fill up quickly, so ask us to dance today!

Learn how to dance Regency style with the choreographer from Pride and Prejudice! This is your chance to charm Mr. Bingley, fall in love with Elizabeth, lavish your partner with affections, or scandalously conduct indiscreet conversations with your friends and neighbors. Shocking!

Choreographer W. Robert Sherry, an excellent beginner friendly instructor, will teach the regency style dances. No experience necessary and no partners required — the custom in the late 1700s was to change partners frequently — canned music, but it’s better than Mary Bennet on the piano. We suggest comfortable dress and shoes you can move in.

Thursday, March 3, 2011
Dancing begins at 5:30 p.m. and continues until 6:30 p.m. Stay for drinks, and Pride and Prejudice afterwards. Show starts at 7:30 p.m.

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A Birthday Salute to Abigail Reynolds

Posted on January 15, 2011 by Regina Jeffers

Saturday, January 15, is Abigail Reynolds’s birthday. Happy Birthday, Abigail.
http://pf.kizoa.com/sflite.swf?did=1402227&k=P26353159&hk=1

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Introducing The Phantom of Pemberley

Posted on January 13, 2011 by Regina Jeffers

“Cozy” Up 2 a Great Mystery!

The Phantom of Pemberley: A Pride and Prejudice Mystery is my sixth Jane Austen book. I am more than a bit of a “Jane Austen geek.” I have loved Jane Austen’s works since I was a pre-teen.

If he has to kill a thousand men, the Phantom will kill and kill again!

Phantom is what is known as a “cozy mystery,” along the lines of what one would find with Agatha Christie or Sherlock Holmes. A “cozy” has very specific characteristics: is set in a country house or small town; is a domestic crime; has a gifted amateur who cross examines the suspects and after a clever explanation discloses the guilty person. It mostly focuses on solving the mental aspects of the crime.

So, we open the book to find Darcy and Elizabeth, married for a year and blissfully happy with plans for the future of the estate and their marriage. However, we know what happens when we tell God our plans. He has a hearty laugh and sends us a good dose of humility. Enter that humility in the form of the worst snowstorm in a decade. Add the appearances of Lydia Bennet Wickham for a planned visit and of Lady Catherine and Anne de Bourgh, both making an unexpected call at Pemberley, the first since Darcy and Elizabeth’s wedding. Of course, an eclectic mix requires a bit more than the Austen standard fare. Because of the storm, Lydia invites her fellow traveling companions from the public coach to stay at Pemberley. As readers we meet Nigel Worth, a country solicitor, and Evelyn Williams, a naval widow. Compound the mix of guests at Pemberley with a friend of Colonel Fitzwiliam, the future earl of Greenwall, who also finds himself stranded in Derbyshire with no place to stay. Therefore, against his better judgment, Darcy accepts Adam Lawrence, Viscount Stafford, and Lawrence’s mistress, Cathleen Donnel, at the estate.

You will curse the day you did not do all that the Phantom asked of you!

Snowed in for, at least, a week, Darcy and Elizabeth set about entertaining so varied a guest list, but entertainment becomes a minor problem. First, Elizabeth sees an unknown stranger along one of the fields surrounding the manor house, then Georgiana spots a like figure close to the cottagers’ huts. The Pemberley staff think it the Shadow Man, but even that legend does not explain the unusual thefts about the house, the appearance of a disembodied ghost in Georgiana’s room, a staged accident on the stairs, and a series of what appears to be unconnected murders. What Darcy has at Pemberley is a “phantom,” who is obviously set on revenge.

One of the things I enjoy when I write is exploring history and incorporating it into the story line. First, for Phantom, I used the legend of the Shadow Man or Hat Man, as he is sometimes called. Most cultures have a variation on this legend. The easiest way to

 

explain a Shadow Person is when one thinks he sees someone out of the corner of his eye and then turns his head to find nothing. I found it very interesting that Wes Craven spoke of a scary experience with a shadowy creature as a young boy. Some suggest that this incident was the inspiration for Freddy Krueger. To read more of Craven’s story and Shadow People go to http://www.unsolved-mysteries.com/paranormal/shadow_ghosts_hat_man.html

Next, finding out creative ways to dispose of the chosen victims was essential. I was very lucky in that women of the Regency era, quite literally poisoned themselves with their beauty products. During this era, white skin signified a life of leisure while skin exposed to the sun indicated a life of outdoor labor. In order to maintain a pale complexion, women wore bonnets, carried parasols, and covered all visible parts of their bodies with whiteners and blemish removers. Unfortunately, more than a few of these remedies were lethal. Into the nineteenth century, ladies used a whitening agent composed of carbonate, hydroxide, and lead oxide, which the body stored with each use, resulting in muscle paralysis or death. By the nineteenth century zinc oxide became widely used as a facial powder, replacing this more deadly mixture. Even in the early 1800s, we must ask the question: What price beauty? Hopefully, the red herring is not too obvious for those of you who devour mysteries.

I have planned some twists and turns to the story, which I pray will keep it interesting. For example, in Phantom, I play a bit more with the character of Anne de Bourgh. In Darcy’s Temptation, I gave Anne a life after Darcy’s desertion, but I found I did not like her much afterwards; and I wanted to like Anne. Therefore, in this one Anne finally gets a spine and seeks love in all the wrong places before finding what is important in a relationship: a apt lesson for a woman well on the shelf by Regency standards.

One of the things I found in writing this book is I became quite interested in the character of Adam Lawrence, a very “major” minor character in The Phantom of Pemberley. Lawrence has developed into what Francis Henning is to author Victoria Alexander. He makes an appearance in two other of my works. Therefore, I have written a novella about what happens to Lawrence in the future, six years after the close of Phantom. I hope to release three novellas together, all based around the minor characters in my other novels. Fans always ask what I would plan for certain characters. Now they will get a chance to find out. “His Irish Eve” is Lawrence’s story, and “His American Heart Song” is that of Lawrence Lowery from my “Touch” series. The third novella is in development.

In dreams, that voice calls to me and speaks my name. And do I dream again? For now I find the Phantom is there, inside my mind.

Come and join me at my website Regina Jeffers. Read excerpts from all my books.

“It is far harder to kill a phantom than a reality.” (Virginia Woolf)

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