Young Austen's mock sentimental masterpiece, dedicated to her cousin, Eliza de Feuillide.
From the Gallery of Fashion, August 1794
May I offer a most hearty welcome, dear Janeites, to the Austen 250 Reader series! Today, our perusal of Austen's Juvenilia includes a brilliant, zany piece from "Volume the Second". Dated June 13th 1790, "Love and Freindship" was dedicated to Austen's fascinating cousin, Eliza, addressed in the dedication as Madame La Comtesse De Feuillide.
If you find yourself without a copy of Austen's Juvenilia, you can read this epistolary "novel" at this link– along with a few of Austen's other early writings– thanks to Project Gutenberg. To enhance the reading experience I would suggest procuring victuals of choice. Perhaps, as "devour[ed]" in Letter the 15th, some "Green tea & buttered toast"?
(Additionally, if you find yourself in the mood for some theatrics, a staged version of "Love and Freindship", adapted by JASP's own Adam McCune, can be viewed on YouTube here.)
A Brief Letter-by-Letter Summary
Letter The First – From Isabel to Laura
Laura, turning fifty-five years old, is requested by her friend Isabel to share the dramatic tale and circumstances of her life with the latter's daughter, Marianne.
Letter 2d – Laura to Isabel
Setting up the rest of the "novel", Laura agrees to shed light on her past in the hopes of providing Marianne with wisdom and guidance.
Letter 3d – Laura to Marianne
Laura introduces herself to Marianne and shares important details of her life, such as being born in Spain and taught in France. By her eighteenth birthday, however, Laura resides with her parents in Wales. Laura gently impresses upon Marianne that while melancholy details or unfortunate circumstances of the past remain vivid, personal accomplishments have more uncertain footing in her memory.
Letter 4th – Laura to Marianne
Laura describes the nature of her and Isabel's first meeting, which came to pass mainly due to the fact that they were neighbors. Isabel has traveled widely and encourages Laura to do the same, while entertaining caution when it comes to Southampton, London, and Bath.
Letter 5th – Laura to Marianne
Laura recounts the night a man and his servant, lost on the road, knock on their door with the hope of seeking asylum. She immediately falls in love with the handsome young traveler.
Letter 6th – Laura to Marianne
The visitor, Edward, details his life and describes the situation at hand. It turns out he is on his way to his aunt's house to escape the woman– Lady Dorothea– his father wants him to marry. Laura and Edward are "married" instead, with the ceremony performed by Laura's father, noted by Austen not to be a minister.
Letter 7th – Laura to Marianne
Laura and Edward journey onward to the home of the latter's Aunt Philippa, surprising both the aunt and Edward's sister, Augusta. Augusta is not pleased with her brother's marriage and cites the disapproval of their father as her reasoning. Lady Dorothea pays a brief visit, but it is long enough for enough for Laura to solidify her dislike.
Letter 8th – Laura to Marianne, in continuation
The young couple is soon graced by another visitor: Sir Edward. Edward stands up to his indignant father and he and Laura promptly go to the home of friends– another young husband & wife duo– Augustus and Sophia. Upon meeting one another, Laura and Sophia promise to be friends forever and in one of Austen's most comic and sentimental scenes, the reunited Augustus and Edward are overcome with joy.
“Never did I see such an affecting Scene as was the meeting of Edward & Augustus. 'My Life! my Soul!' (exclaimed the former) 'My Adorable Angel!' (replied the latter) as they flew into each other's arms. ––It was too pathetic for the feelings of Sophia and myself––We fainted Alternately on a Sofa.”
Letter the 9th – From the Same to the Same
Aunt Philippa, very suddenly, marries a fortune-hunter and Edward and Laura's friend and host, Augustus, is arrested. The reason? Debt, of course! Augustus had taken a sum from his father's desk upon his and Sophia's elopement and it had run out all too quickly. The house is set to be seized and the letter concludes with Sophia, Edward, and Laura all fainting.
Letter 10th – Laura in continuation
Later, when they are feeling well, Edward departs to visit a poor friend and Laura and Sophia decide to leave before the house is seized. When Edward does not come back, Sophia and Laura decide to visit Augustus in his London prison. Once there, Sophia changes her mind, as she believes the sight of poor Augustus would be too disturbing. At this point in the narrative, Laura mentions (rather offhandedly) that her parents passed away soon after she left home with Edward. This unfortunate event does not seem to have upset her young self.
Letter 11th – Laura in continuation
Laura and Sophia travel to stay with the latter's Scottish relation. On their way, they stop at an inn and Laura notices an elderly gentleman. She immediately recognizes him to be her grandfather. The man, Lord St. Clair, is incredibly surprised but ascertains that Laura is his granddaughter... and that Sophia is, as well, which turns the friends into cousins. Two young men appear, Philander and Gustavus, and it turns out they, too, are long-lost grandchildren. Lord St. Clair hands each of them a banknote and goes on his way.
Letter the 12th – Laura in continuation
After a fainting spell, Sophia and Laura realize their notes have vanished, likely stolen by the two other cousins. Sophia's Scottish relation, Macdonald, allows the girls to come stay with him, and the cousins meet his daughter, Janetta. Macdonald has chosen a man named Graham to marry his daughter, but Laura and Sophia convince Janetta that she is instead in love with a Captain M'Kenzie, who loves her in return. The cousins orchestrate a clandestine marriage between Captain M'Kenzie and Janetta and the couple elopes to Gretna-Green.
Letter the 13th – Laura in Continuation
Sophia and Laura, who dislike Macdonald, begin to pilfer banknotes from their host's desk. They are caught in the act one day and banished from the house. After walking for a while, they witness a terrible carriage accident and upon going over to help they realize the victims are their husbands. The sight of the severely-injured Augustus and Edward causes Sophia to faint and Laura to "r[un] mad". After both men die the cousins rush to the nearest cottage.
Letter the 14th – Laura in continuation
The following day Sophia develops consumption and gives Laura heartfelt advice before eventually passing away. Laura then decides to take a coach to Edinburgh. It is evening, so she cannot see very well, but the next day realizes she is in the same coach as Edward's father, sister, Aunt Philippa, Lady Dorothea, and her two other cousins: Philander and Gustavus. The coach itself is, incidentally, driven by Philippa's fortune-hunting husband. Laura is the first to break the news of Edward's death, which proves to be beneficial for Augusta as she will now inherit her father's fortune.
“Beware of swoons Dear Laura... A frenzy fit is not one quarter so pernicious; it is an exercise to the Body & if not too violent, I dare say conducive to Health in its consequences––Run mad as often as you chuse; but do not faint––".
Letter the 15th – Laura in continuation
The band of travelers stop for breakfast and it is then that Laura learns the backstory of Philander and Gustavus. They originally ran away from home with a stolen £900, spending it all in London over the course of less than two months. After becoming actors in a theatre, they seek out their grandfather in hopes of receiving money. On the topic of money, Sir Edward decides to pay his son's widow, Laura, £400 a year, and Laura moves to the Scottish Highlands to be alone in mourning. In quick succession Augusta marries Graham– Janetta's original suitor– and Sir Edward marries the wealthy Lady Dorothea. Laura concludes her chronicle by telling Marianne that Philander and Gustavus head to Covent Garden to pursue their acting careers whilst Philippa's husband continues to drive the stagecoach.
Finis.
A Very Brief Analysis
The subtitle of the story, "Deceived in Freindship and Betrayed in Love", hearkens readers back to the mid-1700s. These were the days of sentimental literature, of plot-lines brimming with reunions and long-lost relatives, faints and swoons. Austen's "Love and Freindship" is, at its core, a vicious and biting satire. Just like Northanger Abbey cleverly mocks the genre of Gothic literature, so too does this earlier work parody the trope of the recognition scene.
Stay tuned for more Juvenilia-related content. If you enjoyed this article, please consider making a donation to keep all online Jane Austen Summer programming free to the public.
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