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Today on My Jane Austen Book Club, I’m delighted to welcome back author Shannon Winslow, a dear friend of our community and well known for her insightful Austen-inspired novels. Her latest release, Captain Wentworth – In His Own Words (out September 18th), invites us to experience Persuasion anew through the eyes of one of Jane Austen’s most beloved heroes. Shannon generously joined me for an interview to talk about her inspiration, her process, and the joys (and challenges!) of giving Captain Wentworth his own voice. I hope you’ll enjoy reading her answers as much as I did! MG
Captain Wentworth is such a beloved character in
the Austen universe. What drew you to telling his story “In his own words”?
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed
writing each book in this series, and it was definitely Captain Wentworth’s
turn to have his say! Persuasion is
one of my very favourite books (a close second to Pride and Prejudice), and so I was excited to have a good reason to
finally return to it. It’s hard for me to believe, but The Persuasion of Miss Jane Austen – my only other Persuasion tie-in and possibly my best
work – was published over ten years ago now.
In Persuasion, we only see Wentworth
through Anne Elliot’s perspective. How did you approach finding and shaping his
unique voice?
Exactly! We only see Austen’s
heroes through her heroines’ eyes, which leaves so much of the story untold. Or
in other words, one big blank for me to fill in! That’s what I’ve discovered I
enjoy doing most. I look for what’s missing, a place where I can supplement the
stories we love so much, filling in and rounding out the world of the
characters Austen created.
So I always start with a
careful study of the original novel: what’s there and what’s missing. Then it
feels like I’m “discovering” what belongs in the gaps, rather than “inventing”
it. In Wentworth’s case, I needed to figure out what could have happened in his
background to shape his character and the behaviour we see later. What had past
experience taught him?
This book continues your “…in His Own Words”
series. How does Captain Wentworth’s journey compare to those of the other
Austen heroes you’ve written about?
Wentworth is, I believe,
Austen’s most flawed hero, and in many ways he has further to go than the rest.
But that’s what makes his character arc especially satisfying.
He’s also unique among
Austen’s heroes in that he’s not from the landed gentry class. He’s a self-made
man from fairly humble beginnings, which I think makes him feel a bit more
approachable and relatable to the average reader. We can admire him for how
he’s risen and succeeded by hard work and his own wits. And we can love him for
how he redeems himself in the end.
Writing from a male perspective in a Regency
world often dominated by women’s voices must pose special challenges. What aspects
of Wentworth’s story were the hardest — or most rewarding — to capture?
I feel like I have gained at
least a little insight into the male perspective by having lived with men all
my life: my father, my brother, then my husband and two sons. And I normally
have at least one male friend read the books before publication to catch me
where I might have gone too far off course.
This book, though, did pose a
special challenge. I was full of trepidation at the prospect of trying to
convincingly write the sailing scenes (which I knew I couldn’t reasonably leave
out of Wentworth’s backstory). Then fellow Austenesque author Jack Caldwell came
to the rescue, volunteering his knowledgeable assistance. I’m not sure how I
would have managed without him.
Were there moments in Austen’s Persuasion
that you especially enjoyed expanding upon or reimagining through Wentworth’s
eyes?
Oh, yes! So many! Some of my
favourite scenes are those that show Anne and Wentworth’s earlier relationship,
which is only briefly mentioned in the original novel. So I got to write how
they met and fell in love, and then their painful parting. The dialogue of the
break-up scene was especially compelling to write. Kind of like a train wreck;
horrible, and yet you can’t look away.
Another special part was
telling how Wentworth felt upon returning to Kellynch all those years later, somewhat
like a conquering hero. He’s now the rich and successful one. His former
detractors (the Elliots) have been humbled and deposed, and Kellynch has fallen
into the more worthy hands of Wentworth’s own relations. It’s a bittersweet
victory, though, since painful memories still lingered in that place.
Many readers adore the famous letter Wentworth
writes to Anne near the end of Persuasion. How did you handle such an
iconic moment in your retelling?
Yes, that was wonderful
chapter to write! Again, other than Wentworth’s words in the letter itself, we
only see the scene through Anne’s eye in Persuasion.
My focus would be entirely different. I wanted to include the letter itself, of
course, but also all Wentworth’s thoughts, feelings, and motivations that
framed it.
I considered his state of mind
before coming to the White Hart that day, deciding he intended to just be
patient, do nothing rash. Once there, though, things changed. So what exactly did
he see and hear – particularly of that conversation between Anne and Captain
Harville – and how did it affect him? Something in it caused him to take
decisive action! Then there was the tricky business of making sure Anne (and
only Anne) noticed the letter. His suspense wasn’t over yet, though. Remember,
he had to go uncertain of his fate!
It wasn’t until Anne emerged and they met again that their renewed mutual
attachment was finally confirmed.
What do you hope readers will take away from Captain
Wentworth – In His Own Words that they might not find in Austen’s original
narrative?
There are at least two sides
to every story, and even eye witnesses rarely see things exactly the same way.
What the listener hears isn’t always what the speaker meant, and we often
misjudge the motives for how people behave.
When you know Wentworth’s
whole story, I hope you will understand him better. He’s a flawed but
essentially honourable man who has often proved to be his own worst enemy. Over
the course of this book, he learns to let go of the things that stand in the
way of his own happiness, to subdue his almighty pride for the sake of the
woman he loves. I find that kind of journey very satisfying, and I hope readers
will too.
And finally, can you give us a little hint — do
you already have another Austen character in mind for a future “…in His Own
Words” book?
I haven’t definitely decided
what to write next, but I will say this. Of the Austen men who are left, Henry
Tilney is the current frontrunner!
Find the answers in Captain Wentworth in His Own Words. Catch a glimpse of his difficult childhood, and learn how he ended up in the Navy so young. Witness his first meeting with Anne, their falling in love, and tragic parting. Sail along on his daring adventures at sea. Before he meets Anne again, Captain Wentworth has travelled the globe. He’s risen to riches and respect. Yet, he’s still missing the one thingneeded tocrown all his other success: the woman he’s never stopped loving.
Thisis not a variation from but a supplement to the original story ofPersuasion, chronicled in Wentworth’s point of view. It’s a behind-the-scenes look at the things Jane Austen didn’t tell us about one of her most iconic heroes.
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