NEW YORK OSV News – In 2020, Gill Hornby published a history-rooted novel that speculated on the reasons for the posthumous destruction of beloved author Jane Austen’s letters. Of the 3,000 missives Austen is believed to have penned, only about 160 have survived, and Hornby set out to provide her readers with a plausible reason why.
Written by Andrea Gibb and directed by Aisling Walsh, an eponymous television adaptation of Hornby’s work, “Miss Austen,” premieres on PBS Masterpiece Sunday, May 4, 9-10 p.m. EDT. The second episode will air in the same timeslot Sunday, May 11, and the series will conclude with back-to-back episodes Sunday, May 18, 9-11 p.m. EDT.
The action opens in 1830 – 13 years after Austen’s death – as her only sister, Cassandra (Keeley Hawes), travels to the home of a dying family friend, Rev. Fulwar Fowle (Felix Scott). There, Cassandra feels certain she’ll find letters written by Jane to Fowle’s deceased wife, Eliza (Madeline Walker).
Cassandra’s sister-in-law, Mary (Jessica Hynes), arrives at the Fowles’ not long after her. Mary is also on the hunt for Jane’s correspondence with Eliza to round out a biography she wants written of her late husband, James. The oldest Austen sibling, James was also the first in the family to have been published.
While Cassandra settles in to attend to the Fowles’ needs with a genuine concern for their well-being, she also searches every possible nook and cranny where Jane’s epistles might lie hidden. Subsequently finding and reading them, Cassandra is transported by the memories Jane’s words evoke.
These recollections are captured in long flashbacks that seem to mirror a drama playing out in Cassandra’s present as Fulwar passes away and attention turns to the future of his as-yet unmarried adult daughter, Isabella (Rose Leslie).
Isabella is reading Austen’s last completed volume, “Persuasion,” and hanging on the fate of its heroine as though it might determine her own. Isabella’s situation piques Cassandra’s sympathy, and she joins at times in reading the book, which she describes as Jane’s best.
As past and present play out, correlations emerge between Isabella’s situation and the world that comes to life in Cassandra’s reminiscences of Jane (Patsy Ferran). The possibility that Isabella may be left homeless in the wake of her father’s death, for instance, parallels a similar plight in which the young Austen sisters once found themselves.
Viewers familiar with the plot of “Persuasion” will also note that its protagonist faces much the same peril. Such multilayered references exist throughout the story, providing an intellectual feast for avid Austen fans.
While Cassandra openly acknowledged destroying Jane’s letters, her real reasons for doing so remain mysterious. The program’s exploration of her possible motives proves both convincing and intriguing – all the more so since the script boasts adept characterizations that the cast bring vividly to life.
Although this elegantly understated period piece is not likely to appeal to little kids, it is free of objectionable content. So family members both old and young can enjoy it together. Having done so, they might like to turn to the classic novels that inspired the show, grateful that, while many of Austen’s personal writings may be lost, her literary legacy endures.
Garan Santicola is a guest reviewer for OSV News.
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