The Power of a Well-Written Austen Letter

“Let us never underestimate the power of a well-written letter.”

Okay, so this line isn’t strictly a Jane Austen quote… but it certainly could have been. She must have subscribed to this policy (as I do) because she often allowed her characters to explain themselves and express their innermost feelings in letter form. Case in point: the 8-pager Mr. Darcy wrote to Elizabeth after his failed proposal in the middle of Pride and Prejudice:

Be not alarmed, Madam, on receiving this letter, by the apprehension of its containing any repetition of those sentiments, or renewal of those offers, which were last night so disgusting to you. I write without any intention of paining you, or humbling myself, by dwelling on wishes, which, for the happiness of both cannot be too soon forgotten… You must pardon the freedom with which I demand your attention; your feelings, I know, will bestow it unwillingly, but I demand it of your justice…

The letter, over which Elizabeth obsessed for days, represented the turning point in their relationship. Elizabeth’s eyes were opened and she began to see Darcy and his behavior in a new light because of it. And Austen included several other letters in the novel – at least three from Mr. Collins, Lydia’s note about her elopement,  the letter from Jane to inform Lizzy of the elopement, and the one to Elizabeth from Mrs. Gardiner (excerpted below) immediately spring to mind.

Will you be very angry with me, my dear Lizzy, if I take this opportunity of saying how much I like him. His behaviour to us has, in every respect, been as pleasing as when we were in Derbyshire… He wants nothing but a little more liveliness, and that, if he marry prudently, his wife may teach him. I thought him very sly; he hardly ever mentioned your name. But slyness seems the fashion. Pray forgive me, if I have been very presuming, or at least do not punish me so far as to exclude me from P. I shall never be quite happy till I have been all round the park. A low phaeton with a nice little pair of ponies would be the very thing…

Perhaps the inclusion of so many letters in Austen’s books is a holdover from the epistle prose that had been popular before the advent of the true novel. In her lesser-known work Lady Susan, Austen used this format herself, telling the story entirely through letters exchanged by a handful of interrelated people. And did you know that the earliest drafts of Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility were also written in this style?

The line at the top of the page is actually taken from the movie The Jane Austen Book Club, of course, and it’s said in reference to arguably the most compelling letter composed by one of her characters (or any other) – the culminating note left by Captain Wentworth for Anne Elliot near the end of Persuasion. After years of painful separation, they have a second chance at love. This letter seals the deal:

…You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone for ever. I offer myself to you again with a heart even more your own than when you almost broke it eight years and a half ago. Dare not say that man forgets sooner than woman, that his love has an earlier death. I have loved none but you. Unjust I may have been; weak and resentful I have been, but never inconstant…

Did I hear a collective sigh, ladies? Was there ever a more poignant plea for the ultimate consummation of long-thwarted love? I think not. I was thrilled to get to use a variation of this letter in my Persuasion tie-in novel The Persuasion of Miss Jane Austen!

Letter writing is a lost art, I’m afraid. But people used to take a lot of care and pride in it. Jane Austen certainly did so in her personal correspondence, making sure that what she wrote entertained as well as informed the recipient. For instance, she once wrote an entire letter backwards (every word spelled back to front, instead of front to back), just to amuse her niece Cassy. Cassandra Austen ultimately destroyed a large portion of Jane’s letters. But many were preserved and give us more insight to her movements, her thoughts, and her sharp wit. Be sure to read them if you haven’t already.

I especially enjoy writing the many letters in my novels, trying to make each one a little work of art, as Jane Austen did. For example, I made sure to allow Mr. Darcy plenty of time to carefully compose the following letter to Lady Catherine in The Darcys of Pemberley, being sure to set the right tone – neither too harsh nor too yielding. (As it says in the last chapter of Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth at length persuaded him to seek a reconciliation.):

Allow me to offer my congratulations on the engagement of your daughter Anne… Much as you are looking forward to this addition to your family circle, Mrs. Darcy and I find that we are expecting an addition to ours by a different means. This blessing causes me to reflect on the importance of maintaining (and restoring when necessary) peace and unity within my extended family. I regret the disagreement that has broken that bond in our case.

Although I will make no apologies for a marriage in which I have been supremely happy, I am sorry that the accomplishment of it occasioned you pain. My hope is that the success of the match now made for your daughter will produce a degree of felicity eclipsing any pleasure lost by a disappointed former plan.

Though I am amenable to conciliation, what passed between us – especially uncharitable words spoken and written against my wife – cannot be easily forgotten. However, if after the passage of time you have experienced an alteration in your position to the extent that you now find yourself able to make some reparation, I am willing to hear whatever you have to say on the subject. The matter is entirely in your own hands, Madam…

This is a letter written to an “enemy” of sorts, but writing one to a “lover” is just as enjoyable a challenge, one I had occasion to undertake more recently. I’m currently finishing up a Northanger Abbey sequel entitled Murder at Northanger Abbey. And in the course of events, Catherine Morland Tilney has occasion to think back on a rather steamy letter Henry wrote to her during their long separation while they waited for permission to marry. It starts like this:

My dearest Catherine, May I presume to call you mine, though I cannot yet fully possess you? I dare to hope that I may, for when I look into my mind, into my heart, and into my imagination, I find you already resident there, a warm and vital part of me. In these three seats of my affection, there is no one but you, Catherine. In truth, there never was and never will be another. You have captured me altogether, and I ache with longing until our union can at last be made complete…

(Visit my post Who Knew Henry Tilney Was Such a Passionate Guy? to read the rest.)

Perhaps Henry Tilney’s letter doesn’t equal Captain Wentworth’s masterpiece, but I’m pretty sure it made a favorable impression on Catherine’s tender heart. After all, you should never underestimate the power of a well-written letter!

Considering all the letters in Austen’s works, what’s your favorite? Do you have another favorite from a different book or another source? Have you ever received a letter that made a powerful impact on you?