May 01 2020
Nearing the End: Sanditon
For your final blog assignment of the semester, first finish reading Austen’s last, abandoned novel “Sanditon.” As I mentioned last week, Austen had to put the novel aside as her illness worsened, and she was never able to return to it, dying at the age of 41 in 1817.
Above, you’ll see the trailer for a very recent adaptation of the novel. (The full thing is available from PBS; a week-long free trial is available if you want to binge it!) One of the useful things about seeing this adaptation is that you can picture what a seaside resort town like Sanditon might have looked like (especially one that is so clearly “in progress” like this one). But the challenge (and potential) of an adaptation of an unfinished work is also, of course, the need to finish the story.
By Monday evening, write a comment on this post speculating about how “Sanditon” might end. You can take this from a number of different angles: you can write about what you think Austen would have done, you can write about what you would do, you can focus on a single character trajectory, you can think more about plot holistically, etc. Whatever approach you take, be sure to say a little about your reasoning. Even if you propose a somewhat fantastical ending, you should say how it might follow from the chapters available to us.
We’ll finish our discussion of “Sanditon” in next Wednesday’s Zoom session. I’ll post a short secondary reading here shortly, which I will also email out to everyone.
UPDATE: The secondary reading on “Sanditon” is now posted under the “Syllabus” tab above.
8 Responses to “Nearing the End: Sanditon”
To start, the trailer for Sanditon is nothing like I expected either the characters, and especially the resort to look like. It felt very run-down which makes sense due to Mr. Parker’s attempt to renovate it and make it ideal for tourists. However, I didn’t realize how much it would resemble an actual town. I thought it would be more of just some houses along the beach with maybe one or two main buildings for activities. I also found the portrayal of Charlotte’s character to be interesting. It wasn’t for me until the last three of four chapters where I felt her character really began to develop. She does have some really good moments, but it was nothing like any of Austen’s other Heroines, even Fanny. I am not sure if I would necessarily even call Charlotte a heroine yet.
This would-be novel ended abruptly and unfortunately, in what feels to me like Jane Austen’s style, without any clues into what might happen next. The only part that is hinted at is Sir Edward Denham and Clara’s having some sort of closeness in relation. I could see that being developed, possibly even into some sort of scandal. Maybe Miss Lambe will rise to the occasion as Lady Denham wishes and actually end up marrying Edward. I can’t decide if I think Charlotte will end up with Sidney (most likely) or Miss Lambe. Austen, as I have noticed throughout all of our readings has situated the novel in one way, and then throws a curveball in the end which is why I feel it might happen that Sidney ends up with Miss Lambe. I also could see a possible death occurring, maybe even of Mr. Parker. The whole scene with Charlotte and him with the toast was very comical but I think there was maybe some hinting about a possible underlying health problem that he would have.
It was so disappointing for this to end when it was just getting really good. The beginning of this started off slow but once more and more people began to show up, I think every character, especially Charlotte’s was beginning to take precedent and evolve.
There is a quote by Austen:
“If a book is well written I always find it too short.”
With all of the work she had put into slowly revealing and developing the landscape, and the slow trickling in of new characters I can’t but help to assume that we’ve only touched on the first quarter of the novel at the very best. I believe it might have been her most intricately weaved of plots and such a departure from her other work.
While I’d love to say that the novel would end in some marriage or another, none of the characters seem disposed to the commitment. Definitely not Arthur nor Sir Edward who are both so shamelessly self involved. Sir Edward is in my opinion a Henry of Mansfield Park figure and although he and Clara appeared to be having a private moment, Austen was very adamant in stating that Clara did and would not return his advancements further than propriety led. (Even though Austen tends to lead us astray in matters of love) Edward’s character is so unlikeable and Clara is mentioned the heroine several times which leads me to believe she would have a more prominent and respectable role in the novel’s later development. Sidney’s character is a curiosity, I couldn’t help but have the impression that his two guests may have been females as he is described as bold and controversial in speech and sort of the lovable black sheep of the family. Considering that he is so much unlike his siblings in that he isn’t an invalid, nor is he setting out on some lofty adventure, he may have been the only one capable of setting himself aside enough to forge some kind of relationship with anyone, or it’s possible that he would have proved just as self absorbed as the others, but in a more likable (and still just as humorous) way. Charlotte’s future is the one I’m most interested by, like Fanny, she seems to be the observer, but she’s unattached in affections to mostly everyone and more objective and less emotionally driven in her opinions. Like in her other novels, I believe Austen would have brought the younger generation to the forefront and let the older fade more into the background. Some characters are far too undeveloped and not integrated into the group and Sanditon’s society so far to tell what could happen for them.
Revisiting the earlier quote by Austen, I think she intended like many of her novels, for it to have a somewhat uneasy ending. In this case, I believe it would have been a dissolving of bonds (once those bonds would have been further developed), no permanence in their relationships (aside from family and those which are already strongly established and like the Parker siblings, are indulged in for their own satisfaction), and a shaky fate for Sanditon because while this place is so intricately developed there is a lot of satire surrounding Mr. Parker’s hopes for its success.
Is anyone else having a problem joining the zoom meeting today or just me?
Full disclosure. Before writing this comment I did take a look at the live-action adaptation of Sandition that was released in 2019 and directed by Oliver Blackburn, Lisa Clarke, and Charles Sturridge. While the novel itself is riddled with the traditional Jane Austen feeling and character development that we’ve come to know throughout the semester, this particular adaptation stood out to me because it was adapting an unfinished novel and making things up as it went along. I’d say that majority of the first episode was content ripped straight from the book whereas the rest of the series was original and developed out of what characters were already established. But what really stuck with me about the adaptation was the ending that they stuck in. Mainly the fact that it doesn’t really have the typical Jane Austen ending. I don’t want to spoil too much in case anybody has any sort of interest in checking out the adaptation for themselves but needless to say the ending was pretty much the exact opposite of what anybody here was probably expecting in fact it’s almost cynical in someway. I can say for certain that I wasn’t expecting the novel to end this way and in fact I think it actually serves to the novels detriment. I understand the creators and writers were probably trying to play with the audience expectations and subvert them. But it comes off as more of an attempt to pad out the show into a second season rather than tell a complete and interesting story. Let alone complete one of Jane Austen stories.
The first thing I believe will happen is that I believe the book would end with Charlotte marrying Sydney and choosing to stay in Sanditon. This is obvious to most as the book sets it up from the early chapters. The second thing that will happen in the end of the book is that Miss Lambe will eventually reject Edwards advances. I feel like she might be too strong willed a character to succumb to Edward Denham’s advances. She will likely choose to go back to the West Indies but will still maintain a friendship with Charlotte and maybe visit Sanditon in the summers on some sort of regular basis. The most interesting and elusive character is Lady Denham. I believe that by the end of the novel she will die, and, on her deathbed, she will confess to poisoning her first husband and forging the will so that she gets everything. Some sort of revelation like this must happen as the mysteries of the portraits in the house is the last bit of important information given in the novel. Her in-laws suspected as much which explains the bad blood between them. In her death she will bequeath the estate to her friend Clara, much to the dismay of Edward. Ashamed, he will leave town in search of new targets (Rich Women) to seduce. Edward is a character that reminds me of Henry Crawford and as such, it easy to believe nothing good could come of his manipulative games with women’s hearts. All in all, Sanditon will end with the town becoming a sort of success with Clara, Charlotte and Sydney essentially being the biggest landowners after Mr. Parker dies. If Austen were to finish the novel, I believe that this ending would be likely as it reflects the themes of renewal of good health.
It’s a little difficult to predict how Sanditon will wrap up. If we follow Austen’s pattern, I’m tempted to say Charlotte will marry, but she seems too sensible for either of the eligible men. Austen had a talent for hidden romances, and I’ve never been able to see or predict them, not Frank Churchill and Jane, not Lady Susan and Sir Andrew, not Henry Crawford and Maria. So, if I play Emma here for a moment and just arrange who I’d like to see together:
A new man would be introduced, someone nice and sensible, with a bit of money but not too much. What do they call it? –Independent wealth, and that’s who Charlotte would end up with. She isn’t looking for anything more than what her parents have, and she doesn’t seem to esteem any of the men already there. (I just remembered Sidney Parker, who comes in right at the end and who is exactly that, so there you go Charlotte dear.)
Miss Brereton would not marry yet but be left substantial money by Lady Denham. Somewhere down the line she’ll find some guy who’s a little more down to earth than Edward. (Have the sneaking suspicion she could end up with Sidney…)
Sir Edward Denham would learn to chill out (haha) but really I feel like he would be a good match for either of the Miss Beauforts. They’re all on an ego trip, concerned with passions and fashion and what they think is their due. His character is exactly what the young women might find exciting.
Miss Lambe, the rich west Indian, would marry Arthur and they can be sickly together. She doesn’t need anyone with too much energy, and he doesn’t like going out, so they can have lots of quiet evenings at home
Oh, I also believe that Sanditon will fail. Some scandal will happen and it will either close or remain at it’s current popularity. I can’t explain this well, it’s mostly just a feeling. I feel like Mr. Parker needs to see that he needs to reign himself in. Also, his sisters would continue as they always have.
I think /Sanditon/ is nowhere near completion, as I believe that the character of Charlotte has not been developed nearly enough to make her the heroine that Austen had intended for her to be. I also don’t see how many of the characters would have developed entirely close relations with one another for me to partner any two characters for marriage. Sir Edward and Clara might end up marrying one another. I have a feeling that Charlotte was intended to get married to one of the male characters, though I do not think it would be to Sidney. I actually think Miss Lambe might be able to better find a husband than Charlotte would. It’s really hard for me to predict the ending because I think that /Sandition/ is a lengthier version of a novel that Austen had in mind, and it may be true that we have not been introduced to the full set of characters.