I read somewhere that Jane Austen was vaguely aware of Dido during the Mansfield Park period. Would it be possible, maybe from a "what if" view point, to have a story where Jane Meets Dido? Perhaps that would make a more interesting work of prose than a movie.
shareWhy not? I wouldn't be surprised if she was aware, considering the fact Dido's great-uncle Lord Mansfield was England’s most powerful judge, which would attract a lot of attention.
Miss Lambe in Austen's incomplete novel Sandition is mixed race black. Quote: "about seventeen, half mulatto, chilly and tender, with a maid of her own". More details can be found here: http://janeausten-herlifeandworks.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/sundry-thoughts-on-sanditon.html Miss Lambe was based on a real-life black heiress living in Bath. If Austen noticed this heiress, then it's easy to guess that she would be aware of Dido as well.
I don't think they met in real life, though, but there's nothing wrong with creating a story that would have them meeting. That's what fiction is all about. :)
Lord Mansfield was the most powerful judge, but not Dido. Nearly all of you tend to elevate her person, her importance over the top. Thanks to the romcom "Belle", no doubt. Even her relatives after her guard's death chose to get rid of her, and forget very quickly. Lord Judge might like her very much, but not the rest of his wealthy and famous family.
It's easy to read about real Dido.
Actually, after her marriage to Davinier who as a steward, Dido lived in London till she died in 1804. Austen hated London, and seldom visited the town even when she became a published writer and had to, from time to time.
Really interesting though, that Austen met Elizabeth Murray in her brother Edward Austen (Knight) house - http://www.jasna.org/persuasions/on-line/vol31no1/jones.html
Austen knew Lady Elizabeth personally in her later life, after she had married and become Lady Elizabeth Finch-Hatton. The two women’s meetings are recorded several times in Austen’s letters between 1805 and 1813 when the Finch-Hattons were neighbors of the Edward Austen (from 1812 Edward Knight) family in Kent. It seems from Austen’s comments that she was aware of Lady Elizabeth’s ancestry and origins, and was disappointed not to find her a more interesting person or more forthcoming in conversation. On 24 August 1805, for example, Jane reported to Cassandra: “I have discovered that Ly Eliz:th for a woman of her age & situation, has astonishingly little to say for herself, & that Miss Hatton has not much more.” Subsequently the taciturnity of Lady Elizabeth and her daughters became a running joke between the Austen sisters (see 30 June-1 July 1808; 26 October 1813, and 6-7 November 1813), and it has been suggested that Lady Elizabeth may have been the model for the “elegant but dumb” ladies in Austen’s fiction, including Lady Middleton in Sense and Sensibility, and of course Lady Bertram in MansfieldPark (Lawrence).
You assumed I was referring to her social status when in fact, I was referring to Lord Mansfield's critics, who questioned his ability to be 'rational' as the Lord Chief Justice.
They made veiled attacks, through newspapers and pamphlets, in implying that a 'certain resident' in his household was distorting his ability to be objective in several cases involving West Indians and Africans. Bearing in mind that Lord Mansfield had never publicly acknowledged Dido's existence until the publication of his will shortly after his death.
Nearly all of you tend to elevate her person, her importance over the top. Thanks to the romcom "Belle", no doubt.
I know, lots of mulatto girls-boys, it was quite fashionable in XVIII century; and the famous portrait Dido-Elizabeth just a bit differ from many others where a lady and her Negro maid might be seen.
Maybe Dido was of interest - then, but what I want to stress - as soon as her guard was dead and his successor had Dido quickly married off, actually getting rid of her - all the fuss was over. The Judge might be fond of Dido, but the new owner of his estate obviously wasn't.
So - I'm more interested in this - when Jane Austen emerged on the scene, hardly any talk over Dido in any society circulated still, I'm sure. As you write yourself, she was no unique then.
Till Dido's story was re-discovered quite recently, even the Mansfields had no idea that the coloured girl behind Lady Elizabeth was related her - they were sure she was just her maid. When I was in Scone Palace surely there was no talk about Dido. Though they are very proud of all their paintings, to be sure.
Oh, my goodness! Thank you for your wonderful reply, Zerose! I have always been intrigued by the "what if" of life and even movies and books: What if Hitler made it as an artist, what if Castro was a successful baseball player, what if, what if, what if?
Why not? I love the plot of a show called Outlander, where a woman falls through time and goes back to another age and tries to help change certain courses of Scottish history for the better. The "what if" scenario has always been intriguing to me.
Yes. I saw the romantic movie about Dido and that brought me here. Thank you for that link, too.