Molland's Community

[Deb R.]

http://www.janeausten.co.uk/magazine/page.ihtml?pid=572&step=4

"...for when he was inspired, Henry could be very convincing indeed."

YOWSER!!! Talk about ending with a bang -- where's that blushing smiley face when you need it?

L-o-n-g chapter, but nicely ties up most of the loose ends (mumbleMatthewmumblefuturewifemumble).  Well done!!!

[Mags]

(mumbleMatthewmumblefuturewifemumble)

Not Biddy.

Glad you liked it! And yes, it is verrrrry long. I think it suffers a bit for it, but there you go. Might need to do a tiny bit of rewriting.

[robin]

Very nice - and thanks for the suggestion, I think I will take the Midnight Bell  home for the holidays (we have the 1968 edition in the library here.)
Now, the large family from Hampshire, on the riverbank... could it be..?

Robin

[Deb R.]

"Now, the large family from Hampshire, on the riverbank... could it be..?"

Dang!  I thought it strange that The Large Family got such attention in the story. Nosey mother, down-to-business helpful father with access to a carriage. Robin, are you implying that The Author has given us an Easter Egg just in time for Christmas?

[robin]

Problem is, Cat tells the nosey mother from Hampshire that Henry is a priest .. wouldn't NM then have said, "oh, so is my husband?"

Robin

[Deb R.]

OK Robin, you got me.  I was thinking the Bennett family, or perhaps the Persuasion field trip to the sea (but they didn't have children along, did they?).

"My husband is a priest," said Catherine firmly. "He will say all that is necessary."

The woman's face cleared. "Oh, a priest," she said. "Aye, he'll take care of the poor devil." She turned to shoo her children away.

Nah to your question. The Woman accepted that A Priest would take care of the situation.  She didn't need to pull a "my husband is a bigger/better/older/wiser priest than your husband."  Probably had seen too many Large Family Outings ruined by priestly emergencies.

Now IF The Large Family is indeed who we are tap-dancing around, I can't place all the young children to be shooed away.  Were there many young siblings?  Would Catherine & Henry be approximately same age as You-Know-Who?

Truth? I think Ms.Authoress just threw this into the scene and dared us to analyze it.  I had to reread it to be sure The Large Family had not been picking strawberries or gleaning nuts earlier.   

[Mags]

Uh...I'm really enjoying this speculation, but no, they were just a nice average well-to-do but not overly genteel country family with several children who were in Bath for papa's gout. Very like the Musgroves, I guess. I needed someone who would be well-to-do enough to have a carriage in Bath, would have it nearby to take them all home from their walk, be able to provide a horsey-smelling blanket, and the nosy wife for a bit of comic relief.

I was really conscious in that scene to not make it seem as though I were taking depression and suicide lightly. I tried to make it very clear that Shaw was not really suicidal, he was a big emo drama queen and just wanted to make a big production and get some attention--like Henry said, he had a half-baked plan that someone would get Judith to talk him in. He's very self-absorbed--remember when Henry and Catherine ran into him earlier in the story, he recognized Mac--he's hard to miss--but didn't remember Catherine's name or even her marital status, because she didn't matter. The lady with the big hairy dog sort of registered on the edge of his brain and that was it. I had a notion at first that he purposely waited for Henry and Catherine to come along, because he knew they knew the story and would be likely to fetch Judith to talk him out, but that doesn't really fit with his personality. He's the center of the universe and the rest of us are extras. It didn't matter who he performed to. Anyway, that's why I needed the nosy wife and bloodthirsty kids for comic relief, to keep it very lighthearted. Not to mention the whole idea of Mac standing there with the tail of Shaw's coat in his mouth, preventing him from doing anything. Henry had Shaw figured out pretty quickly, too.

Also I'm not sure of the geography--I think they should have been closer to Beechen Cliff and further from the Pulteney Bridge, because there isn't really shallow enough water there--the bank drops off very steeply. I think there's a concrete or stone seawall now lining the bank of the river, but even in 1799, I dare say there was no shallow water. But I found some pictures of ducks on the bank of the Avon (that inspired Mac's chasing the ducks earlier in the story) and the water seemed quite shallow, and it worked for the story, but I got the impression it was further downstream, outside the main city. There was so much to wrap up that I got behind and finished this very, very late (that's why no illustrations yet--they are coming--I'm told Shaw's Virginia Woolf impression will be one of them) and I did an Ann Radcliffe and tried to stuff everything in that I had to wrap up.

I like the idea of Henry and Catherine reading The Midnight Bell with us... 

[robin]

Jane Austen reports in October 1798 that her father is reading The Midnight Bell. And, she specifically says that he got it from the library!

Robin

[Mags]

I dare say by Feb. 1799 he would be done, though! It's not that long of a book. But if you want to believe it's the Austens, go ahead! 

[Kelley B]

I'm so sorry to see this come to an end!  I've really enjoyed catching the latest installments each month and indeed it is always a pleasure to peek in on Henry and Catherine now that they are secured in their perfect felicity.  Very well done Mags!  I didn't even notice the length until it was mentioned here (but am eagerly waiting for the accompanying illustrations!)  I thought the story came to a very nice and tidy end and that we got to see continued growth from Catherine.  The added characterization of Captain Tilney was also nicely done.  It certainly puts him a new light.  I also loved the extra dash of melodrama...it was so gothic 

Dare I ask if we will get to savor a treat like this again in the future? 

[Mags]

The illustrations are done--but I think the editor took off for the holidays (and might even be out of town). There's one of Lady Josephine that is just--I about fell off my chair laughing when I saw it. Cassi told me Lady J is gloating at the General for being a cheap lunk. Her expression is just priceless.

I'm hearing rumblings from Bath that they want to publish it in hard copy. No details yet. I just hope they realize I expect to be consulted about it.

I don't have anything planned at the moment though who knows what might happen...I have to get on top of a few things and then we'll see.

I was approached about a project that would have been very time-consuming for a couple of months (I have to keep it confidential--but it's interesting) and I had to say no. I want to do my own things in 2008.

[Mags]

Heh. The illustrations are up.

[Deb R.]

Awwwww!!!  Give that doggie a bone ... he is adorable! 

[Mags]

He's practically rolling his eyes at Mr. Emo.