Hello! A hearty welcome to all my fellow Janeites as well as those who are joining our ranks for the very first time. This year, the Jane Austen Summer Program is dedicating this space to exploring all of Jane Austen’s literary works in honor of her 250th birthday celebration. We have elected to start with the fragments and bits that were cobbled together during her youth and are now lovingly referred to as her Juvenilia. And so, with that in mind, we turn our attentions to Jane Austen’s short story, The Memoirs of Mr. Clifford.
Synopsis
Having never been to London town, Mr. Clifford sets out bright and early on Monday, May 1st from his home in Bath. He is taking his coach and four, which is, of course, a carriage that is pulled by four horses and requires but one driver. The author remarks that Mr. Clifford has an extensive number of horses in his stables and plenty of carriages from which to choose, but he is content with these travel accommodations.
Mr. Clifford pushes his team to cover more than nineteen miles on that very first day. Then, three days later, he makes a stop in Overton. Unfortunately, his progress is impeded at that point because he has a dangerous fever, which he contracted due to his over exertions.
Compelled to stay in Overton so that he might recuperate, Mr. Clifford spends the next five months there. When he proceeds with his journey, he travels to many more towns including Dean Gate, Worting, and Basingstoke. As far as the reader knows, his last stop is at Mr. Robin’s. It is unclear if Mr. Clifford ever reaches his destination in London.
Analysis
While reading, I was struck by the way this piece was written. It reminded me vaguely of notes a journalist might take while they were preparing a news article on a celebrity. The attention to details like the number of horses and the sorts of coaches Mr. Clifford owned made me believe he was someone of importance.
When Mr. Clifford finally makes it to Mr. Robin’s house, it can be assumed that this is a friend he means to stay with in London and therefore, this is where the story would pick up in earnest and be told from Mr. Clifford’s point of view. Since this work is called a “memoir”, I naturally figured it would be told from Mr. Clifford’s first-person perspective and this bit would serve as a sort of prologue. But…maybe I’m wrong.
That’s the beauty of reading these works that were penned by young Jane Austen. Quite often, in her own remarks or in dedications that she sent to others, she noted that her writings were incomplete. And it seems that sometimes, she meant to leave these works unfinished. Whether that is because she wrote all she wished to do or simply for some other reason, we may never know.
Feel free to peruse the text yourself by downloading a file or listening to the story as it is read aloud. After reading it, please let me know what you think. Was Mr. Clifford destined to be a hero who would weave a tale most sensational? Or was he someone who merely had a great admiration for travel and his horses and Jane Austen wrote about him because this sort of person amused her? Leave your comments in the section below.
And do join us next time, if you will, as we continue exploring and evaluating the works Jane Austen wrote in her youth.
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