My Dearest Emma - Jane Austen Show

Dear Jane, 

                   Walking through the halls of your literary sanctuary I was inspired by your writing.

You never minced a single word, your confidence on the page is truly awe-inspiring.

“My Dearest Emma” was born from the proposals of your novel “Emma”. I am of a

similar age to Emma, and like her, I have no intention of marrying yet. I simply do

not feel I need a man to complete my goals, as it is my life to live with my own autonomy.

I wonder if you felt a similar emotion in your life, your heroines often had traditionally happy

ever afters in marriage, and you clearly knew of romance, yet you never said: “I do”? 

Typically, marriage and romance focus on the male, their desires, connections and

ultimately his name ownership over the bride, although in Emma’s case she and Mr

Knightley’s relationship is built on support. Her feminine empowerment comes from the

fact she does not need to give up her position in society nor her wealth and importance

in society. “My Dearest Emma” takes influences from the language you use,

reappropriating it for a modern audience. By rereading the proposal I intend

to bring life back to the words, as well changing the comprehension using voices,

projection, and text. Read in a feminine voice, the proposal takes on new meaning,

from a traditional gender role, as well as bringing the private moment public.

The imagery swirls representing the failed and complicated proposal of Mr Elton

as well as reflecting the emotions Emma goes through, not necessarily needing

or wanting marriage until she is ready and ultimately falls in love. 

Thank you for opening your home and work for us, 

                                                                                   Sincerely Chelsea-Anne Salter

Influences

A lot of my work and interests lie in literature, femininity and gender roles, so when I found out we had the opportunity to show at Jane Austen I was more than ecstatic. Focusing on gender roles and sexuality my instant reaction was to link her writings to other female authors I had looked at. Through research, I settled on the novel “Emma” as my primary influence. This was due to a few factors including the setting of the book as well as the fact that I am of a similar age to the main character and match the sentiment of Emma to not want to or feel the need to marry yet. While completely different in content, I connected Austen's work with that of Pauline Reage, which further led me to the idea of anonymity and nicknames in writing. During the late 18th and early 19th century, writing, and especially the writing of fiction for money, was seen as a most unladylike activity. Unseemly parallels with prostitution arose regarding the notion of women writing novels which were then sold to anyone willing to pay. Derogatory terms such as ‘female quill-driver’ were common. Women from well-to-do backgrounds were not expected to pursue a career at all but rather to devote their efforts to make a good marriage. Between 1660 and 1750 approximately 50% of published prose fiction did not list an author on the title page, while a further 20% appeared under a pseudonym or tagline. 3 Something that Jane might have fought against in her time, as well as her character Emma who, as the wealthiest of Austen’s heroines has no need monetary need for marriage and in the end ultimately married for love. By the mid-18th century, the tag ‘By a Lady’ became a common sight on title pages. This indicated not only the sex of the author but also that the book was by somebody of a certain class and thus suitable for perusal by respectable women.1 Jane Austen’s first published novel, Sense and Sensibility (1811), appeared with the tag ‘By a Lady’. Her next, Pride and Prejudice (1813), appeared with the line ‘By the author of “Sense and Sensibility”’.1 Furthermore, places mentioned in Emma that are real, include Box Hill (which I have lived next to my entire life, so I felt I could in a way walk the same path as she did), the River Mole, Richmond, Kingston, Weymouth, Cobham and London of course. The fictitious places are Highbury and Hartfield, Donwell Abbey, Rosings and Maple Grove. 2 Connecting her Chawton house to my Dorking house and the in-between travel was almost as if we shared a journey. 

Why film/audio

I decided to focus on the final wedding proposal in “Emma” by Mr. Knightly. His declaration of love on his return to her is almost thrown out uncontrollably, unlike most of his prudent, well-planned actions. Yet Knightley’s loss of control humanizes him rather than making him seem like a failure.5 Not only was this attractive from a romantic point of view but also Mr Knightly was willing to practically give up his societal title for Emma as she didn’t want to give up her money, autonomy or life for that of a man, Although perhaps in a very realistic reaction Emma becomes very unhappy as finally, it dawns on her that she loves Mr. Knightley—and has for a time, apparently unconsciously 6, this is not because of regret, but rather had grown up believing she didn’t need a relationship, content in her single life. In a way to connect the historic literature to modern materials, I chose to use a female google translate voice in order to link the process to studio books and the rise of Kindle readers. In an intended juxtaposition the google voice is almost completely monotone, which not only destroys the romantic element of the proposal that is being read but also demands attention in its official documentary-esk accent. Additionally, the use of a female voice for a traditionally male activity of proposing could have been an unconscious connection to Austen's suggested bisexuality. While I am not suggesting my opinion as fact, she did play against the traditions of her time in preference for her own autonomy and wishes. It is also interesting to acknowledge that Austen’s ‘bawdy allusions – while simultaneously outrageous and funny – protest against patriarchal privilege and address contemporary historical notions of masculine and feminine identities. 7

Visually, the video shows a stop motion animation of a photo of a book in Austen's bedroom. It reminded me of a personal bible that further linked to the idea of marriage, the church and relationships. Ironically, the first proposal towards Emma is from Mr Elton - a vicar. He mistakes Emma's hospitality as encouragement and assumed she was aware of his intentions, for which he drunkenly confesses. Although, unlike Mr Knightly, he aspires to secure Emma's hand in marriage just in order to gain her dowry. 9 The swirling and editing show emotional confusion and journey that Emma goes through as well as the disrespect almost that the vicar puts on the ceremony of marriage. I found these connections important to consider since Austen never said “I do”, yet a lot of her heroines (and family members) do. In the museum, there was a cabinet dedicated to Jane as an auntie, so it's clear that she appreciated children and a family atmosphere, yet ultimately she didn’t want to/ feel the need to devote herself to a husband and the “responsibilities” of a wife, which might have taken her away from her writing. 

Placement in the house

My work is set in the old kitchen of Jane Austen’s House, I also have the whole area to myself. This meant that the sound could be a little louder as it wouldn’t disturb anyone else as well as invite the audience to it. Originally it was in the corner by the stove, although I didn’t have a long enough extension lead for the screen so instead, we set in on one of the benches. This worked out better in the end in the end and added a new reading to the work. As Bob Ross once said: there's no mistakes just happy little accidents. The benches reminded me of that of churches and with the motif of marriage/ romance and femininity, it made sense that the screen should be on a bench almost like a confessional or attendance at a wedding. Austen would have experienced weddings and perhaps took the exact same position as the audience will to interact with my work. Furthermore, the addition of one of the museum artefacts includes a reference to the marriage register is her handwritten additions to her father's marriage register in the Church in which he preached. Hampshire Archives, which holds the Steventon marriage register for 1755-1812, says Austen had access to the book because her father, George Austen, was the rector of the parish, it is said that "Jane would have been in her teens when she wrote these fake marriage entries, and some could say it reveals a mischievous side during her younger years." 8 Taking this into consideration, not only did I take inspiration from her books, her settings and her historic time frame but also the modern museum as well. Looking back I feel this ultimately worked a lot better, next to the costume, allowing the art to breathe and blend in with the artefacts, rather than disrupting the scene with its physcial presence. Verbally however it strikes the historic atmosphere with modern technology. Although having said that, my screen is not the first technology in the house as the home has security cameras, sensors and fire alarms (for obvious reasons). 

Please check out the Jane Austen House website (4) for more detail about the show. I feel very proud to have my work displayed in a professional show with website coverage and the opportunity for an artist talk. It’s very exciting and brings me a lot of confidence about what I can do as an artist. 

1https://www.bl.uk/womens-rights/articles/women-authors-and-anonymity 

2 https://janeaustensworld.com/2016/04/09/emma-woodhouses-surrey/ 

3 Leah Orr, ‘Genre Labels on the Title Pages of English Fiction, 1660–1800’, Philological Quarterly, 90.1 (2011), pp. 80–81. 

4 https://janeaustens.house/display/subtext/  

5 https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/emma/character/mr-knightley/ 

6 R. Jenkyns, A Fine Brush on Ivory (Oxford 2007) p. 170-1 

7 Aintzane Legarreta Mentxaka, ‘Where She Could Not Follow’ –The Lesbian Subplot in Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park, English Language and Literature Studies, 3:1, 2012, p.13.

8 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-39330703 

9 https://janeausten.fandom.com/wiki/Philip_Elton