BBC's Miss Austen taught me these surprising facts about the author

Miss Austen offers a fascinating look astatine Jane Austen

Warning: Contains Miss Austen spoilers

As a Jane Austen enthusiast since my teens, I thought I had an extended knowing of the renowned author. However, aft viewing BBC and PBS Masterpiece's Miss Austen, I've discovered there's overmuch much to her communicative than I initially thought.

The four-part series, adapted from Gill Hornby's 2020 caller Miss Austen, is embellished with originative liberties but remains grounded successful facts. Specifically, it focuses connected however Cassandra Austen (portrayed by Keeley Hawes), Jane's sister, burned letters written by the writer, reports the Express.

As the executor of her sister's literate estate, Cassandra's reasons for destroying Jane's immense correspondence stay unknown, but Miss Austen attempts to supply viewers with imaginable explanations for this humanities enactment of destruction. Furthermore, the play sheds airy connected Austen's household dynamics, notably that Jane had lone 1 sister and 7 brothers.

This information was peculiarly surprising, particularly erstwhile compared to Pride and Prejudice's protagonist Elizabeth Bennet and her 4 sisters, whose affluent and analyzable relationships were truthful vividly depicted.

Interestingly, Jane Austen wasn't the lone 1 successful her household with a flair for writing; her member James Austen was a writer and the archetypal successful the household to beryllium published. Due to societal norms of the Regency Era, Jane initially had to people anonymously arsenic women were chiefly seen arsenic wives and mothers.

Like galore authors, Jane drew inspiration from her ain life, and it's evident that her adjacent narration with her sister Cassandra influenced the enslaved betwixt Lizzy and Jane successful Pride and Prejudice. Despite crafting blessed endings for each her heroines, Jane herself didn't acquisition one.

The TV bid provides an intimate glimpse not lone into Jane's beingness but besides into the beingness of her lesser-known sister Cassandra.

Miss Austen is simply a captivating and visually stunning series, offering much grit than Jane Austen's typically genteel countryside narratives.

However, the play is not without its nods to Austen's novels, featuring delightful Easter eggs for avid Janeites: from an overly dramatic, hypochondriac woman to a pompous clergyman, rejected proposals, enduring loves, and cunning matchmaking.

Andrea Gibb’s publication beautifully weaves unneurotic past and present, portion the casting of Synnøve Karlsen arsenic a young Cassandra Austen is simply a cleanable prime with a startling resemblance betwixt the 2 - histrion Hawes and the rising prima antecedently portrayed parent and girl successful The Midwich Cuckoos.

Miss Austen encapsulates the wit, heart, and romance of a Jane Austen novel, promising to go an instant classic.

Catch Miss Austen connected BBC One contiguous astatine 9.05pm oregon binge-watch it arsenic a boxset connected BBC iPlayer now.