A Literary Genius Becomes a Human Being: First Draft Revelations - by SC Skillman
Do we sometimes pause to wonder about those literary masters whom we admire almost as if they occupy a rarefied level of existence above the rest of us? Shakespeare, for instance, or Homer?
How different might this be if we were to see their first drafts?
I love Jane Austen, and believe 'Pride and Prejudice' is close to being the perfect novel, for many reasons. I know people exist who don't agree with me, but for the sake of argument let us say here, that for me Jane Austen the novelist is a rarefied being. So recently I feel as if I have seen her in a new light, in a light I might even identify with; I have had an insight into her first draft.
The first draft I'm talking about is, of course, Chapters 1-12 of her last, unfinished, novel, 'Sanditon', which the screenwriter Andrew Davies has recently adapted and completed for ITV as a very successful and enjoyable drama series.
Even Andrew Davies says of the material he had to work with: "It reads like a first draft. But the concept's interesting." Doesn't that sound a bit like a polite rejection from a publisher?
Now I've read Jane's 12 chapters which she sadly had to finish on 18th March 1817, suffering from the illness of which she would die four months later. It is said the disease that killed her was Addison's Disease, and among other symptoms, this would have made her feel very tired and lethargic. But these chapters are energetic, lively and exuberant. Her characters are caricatures; their dialogue is a bit 'in your face' and she makes statements which would have been far better conveyed through the lips of a character. Yet all this she would have transformed in her subsequent drafts, weaving in the subtlety and complexity and irony for which she is so celebrated.
It amazes me that she chose to write in such an entertaining style about hypochondriacs who revel in imaginary ill health, at a time when she was herself genuinely ill; and to take as a subject outrageous speculators and the easy-come-easy-go nature of wealth, when she and her mother and sister were never free from financial insecurity. Even the fortune of her wealthy brother Edward was under threat at that time. But here in this first draft we see Jane Austen the human being, who carried on writing even through the progression of her illness - and that makes it so much more moving.
Have you ever come upon the first draft of one of your most admired writers? What has helped to remind you that even the greatest of authors was a human being, and even, perhaps, a little like you?
How different might this be if we were to see their first drafts?
I love Jane Austen, and believe 'Pride and Prejudice' is close to being the perfect novel, for many reasons. I know people exist who don't agree with me, but for the sake of argument let us say here, that for me Jane Austen the novelist is a rarefied being. So recently I feel as if I have seen her in a new light, in a light I might even identify with; I have had an insight into her first draft.
The first draft I'm talking about is, of course, Chapters 1-12 of her last, unfinished, novel, 'Sanditon', which the screenwriter Andrew Davies has recently adapted and completed for ITV as a very successful and enjoyable drama series.
Even Andrew Davies says of the material he had to work with: "It reads like a first draft. But the concept's interesting." Doesn't that sound a bit like a polite rejection from a publisher?
Now I've read Jane's 12 chapters which she sadly had to finish on 18th March 1817, suffering from the illness of which she would die four months later. It is said the disease that killed her was Addison's Disease, and among other symptoms, this would have made her feel very tired and lethargic. But these chapters are energetic, lively and exuberant. Her characters are caricatures; their dialogue is a bit 'in your face' and she makes statements which would have been far better conveyed through the lips of a character. Yet all this she would have transformed in her subsequent drafts, weaving in the subtlety and complexity and irony for which she is so celebrated.
It amazes me that she chose to write in such an entertaining style about hypochondriacs who revel in imaginary ill health, at a time when she was herself genuinely ill; and to take as a subject outrageous speculators and the easy-come-easy-go nature of wealth, when she and her mother and sister were never free from financial insecurity. Even the fortune of her wealthy brother Edward was under threat at that time. But here in this first draft we see Jane Austen the human being, who carried on writing even through the progression of her illness - and that makes it so much more moving.
Have you ever come upon the first draft of one of your most admired writers? What has helped to remind you that even the greatest of authors was a human being, and even, perhaps, a little like you?
So interesting - I too see the great Jane as a rarefied being, but the first 12 chapters of Sanditon and the revised chapters towards the end of Persuasion, which are appended to my copy, give us an overview of Jane the writer in progress.
ReplyDeleteThat's right. The unfinished last works of great writers have so much to teach us.
ReplyDeleteLovely interesting post. You are right, I do put some of the 'greats' up on a pedestal, Jane Austen included. Thank you for reminding me they are all human beings just like us!! Perseverance and hard work makes all the difference but perhaps a dab of natural talent never hurts!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment, Nikki. Jane Austen had an exceptional gift for discernment, but the first draft teaches us that even with enormous God-given gifts, the craft of writing is worked out in very human conditions of toil and constant practice and self-correction.
DeleteDid you read Harper Lee's 'Go Set A Watchman' when it came out? That was apparently a draft and I think it really showed, although I enjoyed reading it out of curiosity, mainly. In my opinion, it's very hard to write a perfect first draft and if anyone ever says, 'Oh, that just came straight out and needed no editing' I am very suspicious! Good post, Sheila. Really interesting stuff.
ReplyDeleteNo I didn't read 'Go Set a Watchman' but I did read several reviews which mentioned how raw it was. Definitely, when I read some authors' claims that a book took 3 weeks to write and was submitted to the publisher straightaway, and that it was published with very little editing, I meet those claims with total disbelief.
DeleteIt was definitely raw. They say it was just the first version of Mockingbird. I think it caused ructions though because some of the attitudes in it were more racist than in Mockingbird and it changed people's view of the characters. I could certainly see that.
DeleteThis is a very useful concept: nobody belongs on a pedestal, whether an admired writer or any other well known 'name', we are all human with faults and foibles, and with bodies, minds, and emotions/moods. Equally, everyone is human, even those politicians we may be very annoyed by (or even feel are very wrong in their behaviour) at present. I find that a useful thought, when I think of God who 'loved the world...' But it's easy, isn't it to admire those who do beautifully what we aspire to do well? I also love Austen's work, and enjoyed studying her books at school, even for exams! Dickens I didn't like, but nowadays I enormously admire his work, and feel studying his writings I learned a great deal about telling a story...
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment, Clare. Not only do I put my most admired authors and creator on pedestals for their creativity, but also as human beings... which is where problems arise. It seems we have a tendency to think if someone was such an inspired creator they must also have been a fine moral and spiritual character. And of course that wasn't the case with Dickens or Tolstoy, or many others. I recently watched the film "All is True" about Shakespeare and his family relationships in later life, and found it difficult to accept that he might have been less than perfect in all his dealings with his fellow human beings.
DeleteThank you for such an encouraging post. When I visited Chawton, and toured her house I was also encouraged to learn that she wrote “around her nieces and nephews.” She seemed to place her family as high as her writing in life’s priorities. What a role model!
ReplyDelete