An brief yet uproarious tale from the mind of young Jane Austen.
French fashion plate in the English style, c. 1780s
Janeites, hello and welcome to the Austen 250 Reader series! Today, we focus on a story from "Volume the First" of Austen's extensive adolescent portfolio.
Austen dedicated "Sir William Mountague" to her younger brother, Charles. Ironically, at the time of the dedication, Charles was quite young, unable to understand the story's satire, significance, and scandal. Should you not have a copy of Austen's Juvenilia on hand at the moment, you can read the story online here, graciously uploaded by Jane Austen's House.
Follow along very carefully, now. These characters are intertwined the most muddled of hijinks and without the proper care names and circumstances may become confusing...
A Very Brief Summary of a Very Brief Work
This story begins with a genealogy, as many notable works do. Sir William Mountague comes from a long line of Sir Mountagues, and is still a young man when he comes into an ample inheritance upon the death of his father. Soon after, Sir William falls in love with three sisters, the Miss Cliftons. (Yes... all three of them.) This proves to be difficult, as Sir William cannot make up his mind between them, so he decides to settle in a different area. He has no trouble finding a balm for his wounded heart and soon finds himself attached to a certain Lady Percival, a young widow. The two decide to marry and Lady Percival wastes no time in choosing the date: the following Monday. This just so happens to be the first of September, and as Sir William is a "Shot", he simply cannot give up the first day of hunting season for his own wedding. He asks his love to pick another day, but she refuses and leaves. (Oh, woe! What is to become of poor Sir William?)
Never fear! Sir William does not mourn for long, as he is soon struck again by passion. The girl? Miss Arundel, the niece of his friend, Mr. Brudenell. Unfortunately for our hero, Miss Arundel's heart lies with another, a Mr. Stanhope. Thus, Sir William takes matters into his own hands and– quite surprisingly– shoots Mr. Stanhope. Miss Arundel has no choice but to acquiesce to marry the former on the 27th of October. Two days before the wedding, the sister of Mr. Stanhope– the man killed by Sir William– arrives and asks that fourteen shillings be paid as compensation. Sir William throws marriage into the bargain and the two are married in London the very next day. (There is no further mention of Miss Arundel; I wonder what she thought of that.) A fortnight passes before Sir William notices a beautiful girl and feels the familiar flutter of attraction. The girl is Miss Wentworth, sister of Lady Percival, to whom he had been (briefly) engaged. Always one for sparkling optimism, Sir William hopes his connection to Lady Percival will allow him to easily seek an acquaintance with her sister...
An Even Briefer Analysis
Beyond its appearance as a simple tale to shock and enthuse, "Sir William Mountague" is a highly satirized interpretation of the rivalrous task of securing attachments in the late 18th century. Additionally, it is an exaggerated example of how high-ranking men were granted enormous amounts of power in important matters, while many women were consigned to passivity within their own lives. In short, while "Sir William Mountague" could seem like a simply flippant tale, it is really a socially incisive exploration of very complex and deep topics.
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