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Jane Austen’s First Love Reader’s Guide

By Syrie James

Jane Austen's First Love by Syrie James

READERS GUIDE

Questions and Topics for Discussion

1. INTRODUCTION
Fifteen-year-old Jane Austen dreams of three things: doing something useful, writing something worthy, and falling madly in love. When she visits her brother in Kent to celebrate his engagement, she meets wealthy, devilishly handsome Edward Taylor—a fascinating young man who is truly worthy of her affections. Jane knows a match between her and Edward is unlikely, but every moment she spends with him makes her heart race—and he seems to return her interest. Much to her displeasure, however, there is another seeking his attention
 
Unsure of her budding relationship, Jane seeks distraction by attempting to correct the pairings of three other prospective couples. But when her matchmaking aspirations do not all turn out as anticipated, Jane discovers the danger of relying on first impressions. The human heart cannot be easily deciphered, nor can it be directed or managed. And if others must be left to their own devices in matters of love and matrimony, can Jane even hope to satisfy her own heart?


ABOUT SYRIE JAMES
Syrie James is the national bestselling author of many critically acclaimed novels, including The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen, The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen, The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte, Nocturne, Dracula My Love, and Forbidden. Her books have been translated into eighteen foreign languages.  She lives in Los Angeles, California.


DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  1. What challenges does the author face by tackling such a well known, and well loved, literary figure?  If you are a reader of Austen, how did this rendering of her early life reflect her own fiction?

  2. In First Love, we encounter a social sensibility that now appears very gendered and antiquated.  What behavior did you observe in the character of Jane Austen that speaks to today’s expectations for female independence and autonomy?

  3. In what ways did Jane subvert expectations as a young unmarried woman? In what ways was she a typical, or even stereotypical, young woman of her time?

  4. Jane and her companions perform Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in one of the climactic scenes of the book.  In what ways does the book resemble a play, and how do each of the characters perform their respective “roles”? Do we see tropes at play: the gallant knight, the wicked witch, etc.?

  5. Jane and Edward Taylor’s courtship begins when Jane and her siblings’ carriage is mired in mud.  How does the physical act of Jane jumping off the carriage into Edward’s arms hint at their future relationship? How do perilous physical situations propel their relationship forward?

  6. When describing Elizabeth Bridges, Jane says, “that charm did not appear to reach great depths, however; for her soft voice appeared more to convey a discharge of a duty to appear welcoming, rather than a sincere reflection of the emotion.”  When are other characters “duty bound” to “appear” a certain way?

  7. When Cassandra describes the Bridges family as all having “interesting” qualities, Jane says that “interesting” is a term “I reserve to describe people or things so dull or ordinary, that I can find no more promising attribution. When and how do we use euphemisms to obscure our true feelings?
  8. Why do you think Fanny criticizes her fiancé to others, despite her affection for him?  Do you think this episode might sway her to act differently?

  9. The book deals with the relationship between art and artifice; for example, the play provided Jane with a guise: her trick of manipulating the two couples.  How do art and artifice differ, and where do they intersect?

  10. Edward Taylor remarks to Jane that in other cultures, there are different expressions of beauty: from feet binding to lip piercings.  What cultural practices of beauty are present in this historical novel, and how do they factor into the plot?

  11. Ultimately, Jane realizes that she is not in love with Edward Taylor as an adult, but he has helped her discover a part of herself.  How is finding this other facet of self even more rewarding than her finding a romantic partner?  Was it rewarding or disappointing as a reader?

  12. How does the comedic confusion of the crossed lovers reflect the plays of Shakespeare and A Midsummer Night’s Dream in particular?  How does Shakespeare reflect the frustrations of romantic love?

  13. Did your first love change you—for better or worse?  How are past relationships of value to our character despite their limited romantic success?

 
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