If we talk about the British Empire's hidden treasures that are revered by audiences around the world, the TV series adapted from Jane Austen's works must occupy a place. Especially the series produced by the BBC, even though they are national brands, they cannot transform Dickinson into the spirit of Dickinson like their counterparts on the other side of the ocean, but with the original dialogues, the reproduction of historical details, and the carefully selected actors, they have created a golden signboard of "BBC + Austen", and even gave birth to the world-famous "fan work" such as "Bridget Jones's Diary".
This year is the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth, and the BBC will not miss the great opportunity to re-polish this brand. Although the actual date will not be until December 16 at the end of the year, a four-episode mini-series called "Miss Austen" was released on the screen in early February. This time, the BBC even showed the courage to innovate. It is neither a rehash of the novel adaptation nor a Hollywood movie with wild imagination, which weaves the romantic affairs of the female writer to attract attention. Instead, it presents the lives of the sisters from the perspective of her sister Cassandra Austen.
Miss Austin poster
There is no doubt that the protagonist of this new drama is Cassandra, who is two years older than Jane. Like Jane, she never married, so she has always been called "Miss Austen". But unlike Jane, who died early at the age of 42, Cassandra lived to be 72 years old, which was considered quite old at the time. Her most well-known anecdote is that after Jane Austen's death, most of her approximately 3,000 private letters were burned, resulting in only more than 160 letters from the writer surviving. This move has always been interpreted as maintaining her sister's public image, but the real reason is probably only known to her. In 2020, Gill Hornby (Gill Hornby) started from this personal history and created the novel "Miss Austen" by combining reality and fiction and interweaving time and space. The BBC series is adapted from it.
Keeley Hawes as Cassandra in Miss Austin
It is precisely because the protagonist is Cassandra that the audience can learn more about this woman who left her name in history because of her sister than the great writer Jane Austen. In the past, Cassandra was an NPC in Jane Austen's world. For example, in the movie "Becoming Jane Austen", this sister has far less scenes than the cousin who came back from France, and her presence is not much stronger than the mahogany desk in their family. In the BBC biographical film "Miss Austen Regrets", although she will come forward to give her sister some advice when she accepts the proposal in a moment of excitement, her role is only that of a housekeeper, and she does not show her personal thoughts. Finally, this time in "Miss Austen", the usual supporting role has transformed into the protagonist, and the flesh and blood are naturally fuller.
The story of "Miss Austen" is set in 1830, 13 years after Jane Austen's death, and Cassandra, played by Keeley Hawes, is about to enter her old age. She originally lived a quiet country life, but one day she suddenly received a letter from her family's close friend, Reverend Fowler, and learned that the latter was not long for her. So, she was very sensitive to the fact that there were still a lot of emails between Jane and her best friend Eliza in the other party's house. The latter had also passed away for many years, leaving only her to watch her little daughter Isabella grow up at home. So, she rushed to Fowler's house, carefully looking for letters to prevent them from falling into the hands of her brother and sister-in-law, and worrying about the future fate of the orphan Isabella. In the process of Cassandra reading those letters, the passing time and the distant old friends also emerged one by one between the lines of ink.
Stills from Miss Austin
The entire series is interwoven with two timelines, one of which is the moment when Cassandra finds the letter, and the other is a flashback of the sisters' youth. Cassandra was originally in love with the young priest Tom Fowler and was engaged, but the latter died of illness while sailing to the West Indies with the nobles. Later, she met Hobdy, a rich boy with similar interests, but she rejected his proposal twice because of the promise she made to her fiancé and the care for her sister Jane. Unlike Jane, who is emotional, Cassandra is forbearing and cautious. Even when she learned of the death of her fiancé, she was still very restrained because she was worried that her grief would affect the people around her.
However, "Miss Austen" does not deliberately portray Cassandra as a victim, but rather she has a far-sighted survival wisdom. In the Regency era, when women had no inheritance rights, no right to work, and could only rely on marriage, she, as a single woman, did her best to struggle between her personal wishes and disciplinary dogma. Especially after her father's death, she used her considerate tolerance and superb communication skills to not only find a place for herself and her mother to live, but also tried every means to provide the most suitable creative environment for her sister. Although she was not as talented in literature as Jane and did not leave behind a literary legend like the Bronte sisters, she was a brave woman who tried her best to fight against the absurd social mechanism, just like thousands of women of her time.
Cassandra's care for her sister Jane was not only out of a sense of responsibility as a family member. She was the first to recognize Jane Austen's talent, the first reader of her novels, and a witness to the latter's rise from being signed as "a lady" to becoming famous all over the world. So, let's go back to the question that people are most curious about: Jane Austen's letters clearly did not contain any so-called secrets or scandals, so why did Cassandra burn them on her own initiative? The answer given in this series is: her purpose was not simply to maintain Jane Austen's public image, but to help Jane Austen retain the public image she wanted to create. From this point, we can see the deep emotional bond between the two and the spiritual resonance that goes beyond ordinary sisters.
Patsy Phelan as Jane Austen in Miss Austen
Although Jane Austen is not the main character of "Miss Austen", there is no need for Austen fans to feel disappointed. Many plots in the play can make her loyal readers smile. For example, Cassandra's uninvited visit to Reverend Fowler's house reminds people of Elizabeth Bennet's rush to Mr. Bingley's house in the rain after hearing that her sister Jane was sick. The flattery of the future minister who forced Isabella to move within two weeks is comparable to that of Reverend Collins. As for Cassandra's random matchmaking for her brother and finally shooting herself in the foot, isn't it the inspiration for "Emma"?
The series also shows the clash between the old and new eras through the comparison of the two generations of women in the Regency and Victorian eras in practicing their self-worth, indicating that change is just around the corner. Recalling the sharp satire on women being shackled by marriage and unfair systems in Jane Austen's novels, isn't this the hope brought by the struggle of their previous generation?
It can be said that Jane Austen's spirit is everywhere in Miss Austen. Even many years after her death, she still lingers beside Cassandra and helps her solve her problems, just as her works still nourish generations of readers to this day.
