‘Miss Austen' imagines the motives behind Jane Austen's sister burning her letters

For decades, English novelist Jane Austen has been a constant source of inspiration for filmmakers and TV creators looking to adapt her work, but also authors who want to expand her world and our understanding of it.
Such is the case with 'Miss Austen,' the 2020 novel by Gill Hornby. The fictional account focuses on Jane's sister, Cassandra, and her decision to destroy much of Jane's correspondence from over the years — something rooted in fact. 'Miss Austen' is the first of three novels by Hornby that immerses readers in the lives of Jane and her close-knit family, which the author found 'completely captivating.'
'They were all bright and all rather extraordinary, although Jane was the most extraordinary of all,' Hornby said. 'She would write in the day and then read aloud in the family circle at night, which they all did.'
Hornby's novel is not unlike a Jane Austen novel, filled with wit, playful bickering, tragedy and romance. But it was the love between sisters Jane and Cassandra that inspired this particular book, which has now been adapted for television.
'Miss Austen,' a four-part miniseries, will premiere at 9 p.m. PST Sunday on PBS as part of 'Masterpiece.' (Subsequent episodes will air on Sundays, with the final two airing May 18; they also will stream on the PBS app and PBS.org.) The period drama, starring actor Keeley Hawes as Cassandra Austen, premiered in the U.K. on BBC One in February to favorable reviews.
Hornby was joined by executive producer Christine Langan of Bonnie Productions, which produced the series for 'Masterpiece,' at a screening of 'Miss Austen' at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books on Sunday, where they discussed Jane's legacy and adapting the book for TV. It's the production company's first TV series.
'I absolutely loved the read,' Langan said about why she chose to produce it. 'I was moved to tears by the end, and I found it a completely unique angle on a writer I have adored for decades, and very immediate and gripping and relatable.'
Langan, who has previously produced award-winning series and films including 'Cold Feet,' 'The Deal' and 'The Queen,' said she loved the idea of rehabilitating the reputation of Cassandra, who was 'an ever-present good influence, good source of support and love to one of the world's most famous writers.'
In the series, Cassandra is slightly younger than her counterpart in the book, and that partly had to do with Hawes, whose dramatic and comedic abilities were crucial to the role.
'We had already decided to make Cassandra a little younger than she is in the novel, the feeling being that middle-aged women are every bit as invisible in this society as elderly women,' Langan said. 'We loved [Hawes'] versatility and her grace, and then she met us on an equal footing with the same vision and passion.'
'Keely has a huge and brilliant reputation in the U.K. She's hugely loved,' she added.
That stands in contrast with Cassandra, who has long been viewed with some consternation by historians of her sister. She burned all but 160 of Jane's letters, which could have provided scholars and fans alike with more details about the author and her life. There are various theories as to why Cassandra chose to destroy them, including preventing negative scrutiny of Jane and wanting to preserve her sister's legacy.
The series, like the book, attempts to recast Cassandra more positively, along with her motive for destroying Jane's letters, which includes keeping them away from family members like the sly Mary Austen (played by Jessica Hynes), who was married to James Austen, brother to Cassandra and Jane. We also see flashbacks of young Cassandra (Synnøve Karlsen) and Jane (Patsy Ferran) as the events in the letters come to life, revealing their true nature.
The story is mostly set in Kintbury, a village in Hampshire, England, where Hornby has resided for more than 30 years and where she first learned about Cassandra. 'I feel that Cassandra found me,' she said.
While the letters are central to the drama, 'Miss Austen' is also about Cassandra and her fiancé, Tom Fowle (Calam Lynch), whose family resided in Kintbury. He died of yellow fever during a voyage to the Caribbean, and Cassandra never married.
'I knew that she [Cassandra] was there on the last Christmas that they had together, and that she went down to our gate at dawn on a January morning and said goodbye to Tom and never saw him again,' Hornby said. 'And she began slightly to haunt me because I've always been quite obsessed about those women in history.'
It's a notable time to reconsider Cassandra's role in Jane's life: This year marks the 250th anniversary of Jane's birth. Hornby said it was Cassandra who gave Jane the ability to produce 'six of the greatest novels in the English language' by taking care of her when she was sick and running the household so Jane could write. And two and a half centuries later, Jane's stories continue to delight readers and inspire creators like Hornby and Langan.
'She wrote about what it's like to have a mom, a sister, to fall in love, have a roof over your head, what the weather's like and how annoying the neighbors are — all stuff we all still do,' Hornby said. 'She speaks to us in a way that none of her contemporaries do.'
'And she's fantastically funny,' Langan adds.
Imagining the Austens and their lives has been fruitful territory for Hornby, whose subsequent works, 'Godmersham Park' and the upcoming novel 'The Elopement,' slated for release in the U.K. in May and in the U.S. in October, also are centered on the family.
And Hornby's partnership with Langan will continue; the producer has already optioned 'The Elopement.'
This year also marks the 30th anniversary of the TV adaptation of 'Pride and Prejudice' that starred Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle and the 20th anniversary of the film version, with Keira Knightley and Matthew MacFadyen. (Netflix recently greenlighted a limited series too.) 'Miss Austen' also contains references the novel — making the show's premiere this year feel like a full-circle moment.
'It's so fascinating that she's still going,' Hornby said. 'She's very much a posthumous success, and she really wanted success. She was clever enough to know that what she was writing was really good.'

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