March 8, 2025 • 16 mins
(Host: Christine)
Cassandra Austen is certainly not as famous as her author sister, Jane, but one thing is for certain: she was a massively significant presence in Jane’s world. In this episode of Footnoting History, Christine takes a look at Cassandra’s life and her close, protective, bond with the author of Pride and Prejudice.
For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Happy Women’s History Month! Today, on Footnoting History, we are looking at the
life of the person who was arguably Jane Austen’s favorite woman: her elder sister, Cassandra.
(00:23):
Hey everyone, Christine here. Again, happy Women’s History Month! I thought it might
be fun to look at the woman behind a famous woman today, in this case Cassandra Austen,
whose love and support was integral to the success of literary icon, Jane Austen. If
you’re not familiar with Jane’s work, she is the author of such titles as Pride and Prejudice,
(00:45):
Sense and Sensibility, Emma, and Mansfield Park. We haven’t done a lot of Austen-related topics,
for some reason, though we did cover Jane’s extremely brief engagement in an episode back
in 2016. It was called “The Un-Engagement of Jane Austen” and can be found in our
episode feeds across platforms or at our website, if you’re looking for additional
(01:08):
Austen content. As always, too, captioned versions of this and all episodes are
available at FootnotingHistory.com and YouTube.com/FootnotingHistory,
plus FootnotingHistory.com is where to go for our list of further reading sources.
Now, the reason I called Cassandra Austen the woman behind a famous woman, is because so much
(01:33):
of what we know about Jane Austen, comes from her and because we know that she was Jane’s
closest confidant. While Jane and Cassandra were both very private people, we can hope that Jane
would be a little amused that Cassandra is getting more attention than her today.
Our Cassandra was born on January 9, 1773, to George and Cassandra Austen in Hampshire,
(01:56):
England. Name twins with her mother, Cassandra was the couple’s 5th child, but 1st daughter.
Their family would ultimately be completed when there were 8 children: six boys (James,
George, Edward, Henry, Frank, and Charles) and two girls (Cassandra and Jane, who was born in 1775).
(02:18):
As the only two girls in the family, and with such a small age gap, Cassandra and Jane
grew up in close quarters at the family’s home, Steventon, where their father was both a clergyman
and a boys’ tutor/teacher. Their mother was known to talk about her two daughters as if they were a
set, and it was particularly emphasized that Jane had an intense attachment to Cassandra. Much,
(02:42):
much later in time, Cassandra and Jane’s nephew wrote about the sisters that,
“Dearest of all to the heart of Jane was her sister Cassandra…Their sisterly affection for
each other could scarcely be exceeded.” Further, he said, “Even in the maturity of her [that is,
(03:02):
Jane’s] powers, and in the enjoyment of increasing success, she would still speak of Cassandra as
of one wiser and better than herself.” That is highly complimentary of Cassandra, indeed. Still,
her nephew wanted readers to know that just because the sisters were close did not mean they
shared a personality. He noted, “Cassandra’s was the colder and calmer disposition; she was always
(03:28):
prudent and well judging, but with less outward demonstration of feeling and less sunniness of
temper than Jane possessed.” Another relative once observed that Cassandra, “keeps up conversation
in a very sensible and pleasing manner.”But, I digress. Back to childhood. The girls were
(03:48):
allowed to spend time in their father’s library, they also learned typical skills for girls in the
era–things like sewing and music, and they were participants in a family culture of reading aloud,
playing cards, puzzles, and charades. Cassandra and Jane weren’t solely educated at home, though.
Initially, they were educated by Mrs. Ann Crawley. When their teacher moved their schooling from
(04:12):
Oxford to Southampton, disease swept through and hit the girls, causing them to be swiftly brought
home. They would later attend a second school, from 1785 to 1786, in Reading. This was the extent
of their formal, out-of-home, schooling.The end of their schooling, however,
did not stem their creativity or collaborations. There is a collection of works created by Jane
(04:37):
when she was young that are usually released as her “juvenilia”, but Cassandra’s influence
is in there as well. One of Jane’s earliest pieces was a “novel” (air quotes intended)
called The Beautifull Cassandra. This short piece, while not literally about Cassandra,
gave its adventuring heroine her name, and she was the recipient of a delightful dedication
(05:00):
that I feel is filled with youthful playfulness. It reads: “Madam. You are a Phoenix. Your taste is
refined, your Sentiments are noble, & your Virtues innumerable. Your Person is lovely, your Figure,
elegant, & your Form, magestic. Your manners, are polished, your Conversation is rational & your
(05:22):
appearance singular. If therefore the following Tale will afford one moment’s amusement to you,
every wish will be gratified of. Your most obediant humble Servant The Author.”
The other piece of juvenilia that features Cassandra is more famous. It is Jane’s The
History of England by a partial, prejudiced, & ignorant Historian. Written when Jane was a teen,
(05:46):
it goes through England’s rulers from Henry IV to Charles I and is filled with witty commentary. For
example, for Richard III, she wrote “The Character of this Prince has been in general very severely
treated by Historians, but as he was York, I am rather inclined to suppose him a very respectable
(06:07):
Man.” If you’re someone who favored the Yorks in the Wars of the Roses, a line like that is bound
to get a smirk. This piece is also dedicated (though with less flourish) to Cassandra, and
more importantly it contains illustrations by her. Most of the monarchs have been drawn by Cassandra,
with surprising detail, but often exaggerated features. While many historians draw attention
(06:30):
to her skewering of Elizabeth I (made to look very witchlike, indeed), my personal favorite of
Cassandra’s contributions is for Edward V. Edward V was a child when he inherited the throne and
he never actually ruled on his own, as his uncle Richard III took over. Jane tells us that he lived
such a short time that no one drew his picture so, to accompany this entry, Cassandra perfectly
(06:58):
drew…the image of an empty frame. What discussions occurred around this writing and drawing match up,
I fear we will never know in detail, but the end product is an absolutely charming display
of developing humor and skill for both women.By the time Cassandra and Jane were finished
collaborating on the History, it was the early 1790s. For Cassandra, this would possibly be the
(07:23):
most important and traumatic decade of her life. You see, she became engaged. The man she was to
marry was Thomas Fowle, who had been one of her father’s students. Thomas’ intention to marry
Cassandra was completely sincere, even if his ability to do so was long in coming. Intending
to have a life as a clergyman, the engagement lingered as Thomas sought to find a living that
(07:46):
could support a wife and family in addition to just himself. While he was waiting for that to
come to fruition, he agreed to go on a trip with a relative to the West Indies as an army chaplain.
Cassandra waited, no doubt hopefully, for Thomas to return to England, but that was not to be. He
passed away from yellow fever while abroad and never made the successful return. He did, however,
(08:10):
leave her an inheritance of 1000 pounds, which amounted to about 50 pounds per year. Surely,
though, Cassandra would have seriously preferred to have Thomas back than the money,
because she never even considered another marriage match. His loss hit her so hard,
that the idea that marrying could give her a way to support herself and even Jane if needed, was
(08:32):
not something she was willing to even entertain.Despite the brief (very, very brief) engagement
that Jane would have at one point, ultimately both sisters remained single for their entire lives.
Never being drawn into marriages did, I believe, contribute to how they were able to stay so close,
though it did cause them to be in a perilous situation. As they grew up, and it became more
(08:56):
and more evident that neither would marry, and it also became more and more evident that
they would have to rely on first their parents and then their brothers for financial support,
as in this era, it would have been quite unlikely that they would branch out into
the world and easily earn their own keep.While both of their parents were alive,
(09:18):
Cassandra and Jane lived with them. This meant leaving Steventon in the early 1800s for Bath,
and traveling either with relatives or to visit relatives at various times. When their father,
George Austen, died in 1805, suddenly their situation changed. Cassandra’s inheritance
from Thomas and the money her mother had was not enough to support herself, her sister,
(09:42):
and her newly-widowed mother, and the trio found themselves living at the mercy of the generosity
of the remaining men in the family–again, namely, Cassandra and Jane’s brothers. Joined by a close
family friend, Martha Lloyd, the four women took up residence together, eventually staying
in places like Southampton, before settling in Chawton, Hampshire, in 1809. This home, which
(10:06):
is now a museum I’d love to visit one day (and note: I’ve already visited the Jane Austen Centre
in Bath, and it was awesome), anyway, this house was organized for them by their brother Edward,
who possessed the wider estate on which it stood. Family members would remember that the sisters,
now devoted to their perpetual singledom, had adapted dressing older than their ages
(10:29):
and embraced a somewhat matronly lifestyle.That said, the Chawton house was a generous
and wonderful gift for the women. They stayed there for many years, with Cassandra, her mother,
and Martha Lloyd taking care of all the domestic duties in order to enable Jane to dedicate her
time to writing. During this period of time, four of Jane’s novels are anonymously published:
(10:52):
Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, and Emma. Eventually, Jane
became ill and in early 1817, she drew up a will that named Cassandra her executor. Cassandra,
ever supremely loyal to and supportive of Jane, went with her to Winchester where
she sought medical aid and was there with her when she passed away on July 18, 1817.
(11:18):
Cassandra’s life following Jane’s death was quiet, but it wasn’t inactive. I can’t emphasize enough
that so much of what we know about Jane, the famous author, comes from or was enabled by
Cassandra. It was she who, with their brother Henry, arranged for the posthumous publishing
of two more of Jane’s novels (11:36):
Persuasion and Northanger Abbey. An extension of that, is that
those novels are the first two that bore Jane’s name, removing the veil of anonymity that had
been in place for all of her prior publications.While many people have tried to capture Jane’s
essence visually, there are only two authenticated depictions of her from the era…and both are thanks
(12:02):
to Cassandra’s art skills. Both done between 1804 and the early 1810s, were informal and the
first is actually quite amusing. In it, Cassandra depicts her sister as wearing a bonnet so large
it covers her face. So, in a way, it is and isn’t showing us what Jane looked like. The
(12:22):
latter image is the one you have probably seen if you’ve ever looked for a picture of Jane.
It’s a lightly colored image of a woman wearing a white gown and bonnet with a serious expression,
her arms folded, big eyes, and curls of brown hair peeking out from beneath her cap. While not
everyone in the family believed this was the most accurate capturing of Jane’s looks and essence,
(12:45):
Cassandra is the one who knew her best and no doubt did what she could with the skills she had.
Further, any time you hear about or read one of Jane Austen’s famously witty letters,
you likely have Cassandra to thank. While the sisters were emotionally inseparable,
it was still true that they spent time apart–often visiting various relations. Their closeness bred a
(13:07):
situation where the sisters wrote to each other almost daily. While the exact number of letters
they wrote to one another is lost to us, we know that Cassandra was fiercely protective
of her sister, while also understanding that people might want to know more about her.
Cassandra kept letters from her sister over the years, then went through a process of destroying
those she felt should not see the light of day. What was left was approximately 160 letters,
(13:32):
which continuously receive new publications and annotations by Austen scholars. If you ever have
the opportunity to read any of them, you should certainly take it. Despite Cassandra’s decision
to respect much of her sister’s privacy and protect her entire intimate life from being
aired to the public, the ones that were allowed to remain and be shared with the public still
(13:53):
give great insight into who Jane was as a person and their sisterly relationship. For example,
the letter I chose for the image for this episode is from 1796. It begins, “My dearest Cassandra,
The letter which I have this moment received from you has diverted me beyond moderation. I could
die of laughter at it, as they used to say at school. You are indeed the finest comic writer of
(14:18):
the present age.” The letter goes on to share news about their family, but this introduction not only
shows the playful relationship between the sisters but helps to show the world that Cassandra, too,
had a much-appreciated sense of humor.Jane, we know, appreciated everything
about Cassandra. In her memoir about “Aunt Jane”, their niece Caroline talked of this affection.
(14:40):
She said that when she was small, Jane would “frequently say to me, if the opportunity offered,
that Aunt Cassandra could teach everything much better than she could–Aunt Cass knew more–Aunt
Cass could tell me better whatever I wanted to know.” Caroline, who preferred Jane to Cassandra,
might have disagreed with this assessment of Cassandra’s talents,
(15:02):
but to Jane she was more than a bit of an icon.It is not surprising then that Cassandra’s
domestic world must have felt markedly smaller with her sister gone, and it continued to shrink
in the period that followed. By the end of the 1820s, her mother had passed away and Martha
Lloyd moved out upon marrying one of Cassandra’s brothers. This meant she was left to live alone,
(15:25):
though I believe she had a dog called Link who must have been good company.
She kept herself busy with domestic tasks, family visits, and interactions with those
who lived around her, keeping a quiet life until her death at the age of 72 in 1845.
She was buried at Chawton, near family, and has continually been viewed as the
most significant relationship of Jane’s life…and quite rightfully so. In fact,
(15:51):
she’s still being given attention. This year there is a BBC new series Miss Austen,
where Cassandra and fate of Jane’s letters are the center of the action. In it, I believe
adult Cassandra is played by Keeley Hawes. I haven’t seen it yet myself, but I hope to, soon.
Thank you for joining me for this episode of Footnoting History. I hope you enjoyed kicking
(16:14):
off Women’s History Month with this focus on Cassandra Austen as much as I did. Don’t
forget to check out FootnotingHistory.com for more Women’s History and further reading suggestions
for this episode. As always, remember, the best stories are in the footnotes.
Happy Women’s History Month! Today, on Footnoting History, we are looking at the
life of the person who was arguably Jane Austen’s favorite woman: her elder sister, Cassandra.
(00:23):
Hey everyone, Christine here. Again, happy Women’s History Month! I thought it might
be fun to look at the woman behind a famous woman today, in this case Cassandra Austen,
whose love and support was integral to the success of literary icon, Jane Austen. If
you’re not familiar with Jane’s work, she is the author of such titles as Pride and Prejudice,
(00:45):
Sense and Sensibility, Emma, and Mansfield Park. We haven’t done a lot of Austen-related topics,
for some reason, though we did cover Jane’s extremely brief engagement in an episode back
in 2016. It was called “The Un-Engagement of Jane Austen” and can be found in our
episode feeds across platforms or at our website, if you’re looking for additional
(01:08):
Austen content. As always, too, captioned versions of this and all episodes are
available at FootnotingHistory.com and YouTube.com/FootnotingHistory,
plus FootnotingHistory.com is where to go for our list of further reading sources.
Now, the reason I called Cassandra Austen the woman behind a famous woman, is because so much
(01:33):
of what we know about Jane Austen, comes from her and because we know that she was Jane’s
closest confidant. While Jane and Cassandra were both very private people, we can hope that Jane
would be a little amused that Cassandra is getting more attention than her today.
Our Cassandra was born on January 9, 1773, to George and Cassandra Austen in Hampshire,
(01:56):
England. Name twins with her mother, Cassandra was the couple’s 5th child, but 1st daughter.
Their family would ultimately be completed when there were 8 children: six boys (James,
George, Edward, Henry, Frank, and Charles) and two girls (Cassandra and Jane, who was born in 1775).
(02:18):
As the only two girls in the family, and with such a small age gap, Cassandra and Jane
grew up in close quarters at the family’s home, Steventon, where their father was both a clergyman
and a boys’ tutor/teacher. Their mother was known to talk about her two daughters as if they were a
set, and it was particularly emphasized that Jane had an intense attachment to Cassandra. Much,
(02:42):
much later in time, Cassandra and Jane’s nephew wrote about the sisters that,
“Dearest of all to the heart of Jane was her sister Cassandra…Their sisterly affection for
each other could scarcely be exceeded.” Further, he said, “Even in the maturity of her [that is,
(03:02):
Jane’s] powers, and in the enjoyment of increasing success, she would still speak of Cassandra as
of one wiser and better than herself.” That is highly complimentary of Cassandra, indeed. Still,
her nephew wanted readers to know that just because the sisters were close did not mean they
shared a personality. He noted, “Cassandra’s was the colder and calmer disposition; she was always
(03:28):
prudent and well judging, but with less outward demonstration of feeling and less sunniness of
temper than Jane possessed.” Another relative once observed that Cassandra, “keeps up conversation
in a very sensible and pleasing manner.”But, I digress. Back to childhood. The girls were
(03:48):
allowed to spend time in their father’s library, they also learned typical skills for girls in the
era–things like sewing and music, and they were participants in a family culture of reading aloud,
playing cards, puzzles, and charades. Cassandra and Jane weren’t solely educated at home, though.
Initially, they were educated by Mrs. Ann Crawley. When their teacher moved their schooling from
(04:12):
Oxford to Southampton, disease swept through and hit the girls, causing them to be swiftly brought
home. They would later attend a second school, from 1785 to 1786, in Reading. This was the extent
of their formal, out-of-home, schooling.The end of their schooling, however,
did not stem their creativity or collaborations. There is a collection of works created by Jane
(04:37):
when she was young that are usually released as her “juvenilia”, but Cassandra’s influence
is in there as well. One of Jane’s earliest pieces was a “novel” (air quotes intended)
called The Beautifull Cassandra. This short piece, while not literally about Cassandra,
gave its adventuring heroine her name, and she was the recipient of a delightful dedication
(05:00):
that I feel is filled with youthful playfulness. It reads: “Madam. You are a Phoenix. Your taste is
refined, your Sentiments are noble, & your Virtues innumerable. Your Person is lovely, your Figure,
elegant, & your Form, magestic. Your manners, are polished, your Conversation is rational & your
(05:22):
appearance singular. If therefore the following Tale will afford one moment’s amusement to you,
every wish will be gratified of. Your most obediant humble Servant The Author.”
The other piece of juvenilia that features Cassandra is more famous. It is Jane’s The
History of England by a partial, prejudiced, & ignorant Historian. Written when Jane was a teen,
(05:46):
it goes through England’s rulers from Henry IV to Charles I and is filled with witty commentary. For
example, for Richard III, she wrote “The Character of this Prince has been in general very severely
treated by Historians, but as he was York, I am rather inclined to suppose him a very respectable
(06:07):
Man.” If you’re someone who favored the Yorks in the Wars of the Roses, a line like that is bound
to get a smirk. This piece is also dedicated (though with less flourish) to Cassandra, and
more importantly it contains illustrations by her. Most of the monarchs have been drawn by Cassandra,
with surprising detail, but often exaggerated features. While many historians draw attention
(06:30):
to her skewering of Elizabeth I (made to look very witchlike, indeed), my personal favorite of
Cassandra’s contributions is for Edward V. Edward V was a child when he inherited the throne and
he never actually ruled on his own, as his uncle Richard III took over. Jane tells us that he lived
such a short time that no one drew his picture so, to accompany this entry, Cassandra perfectly
(06:58):
drew…the image of an empty frame. What discussions occurred around this writing and drawing match up,
I fear we will never know in detail, but the end product is an absolutely charming display
of developing humor and skill for both women.By the time Cassandra and Jane were finished
collaborating on the History, it was the early 1790s. For Cassandra, this would possibly be the
(07:23):
most important and traumatic decade of her life. You see, she became engaged. The man she was to
marry was Thomas Fowle, who had been one of her father’s students. Thomas’ intention to marry
Cassandra was completely sincere, even if his ability to do so was long in coming. Intending
to have a life as a clergyman, the engagement lingered as Thomas sought to find a living that
(07:46):
could support a wife and family in addition to just himself. While he was waiting for that to
come to fruition, he agreed to go on a trip with a relative to the West Indies as an army chaplain.
Cassandra waited, no doubt hopefully, for Thomas to return to England, but that was not to be. He
passed away from yellow fever while abroad and never made the successful return. He did, however,
(08:10):
leave her an inheritance of 1000 pounds, which amounted to about 50 pounds per year. Surely,
though, Cassandra would have seriously preferred to have Thomas back than the money,
because she never even considered another marriage match. His loss hit her so hard,
that the idea that marrying could give her a way to support herself and even Jane if needed, was
(08:32):
not something she was willing to even entertain.Despite the brief (very, very brief) engagement
that Jane would have at one point, ultimately both sisters remained single for their entire lives.
Never being drawn into marriages did, I believe, contribute to how they were able to stay so close,
though it did cause them to be in a perilous situation. As they grew up, and it became more
(08:56):
and more evident that neither would marry, and it also became more and more evident that
they would have to rely on first their parents and then their brothers for financial support,
as in this era, it would have been quite unlikely that they would branch out into
the world and easily earn their own keep.While both of their parents were alive,
(09:18):
Cassandra and Jane lived with them. This meant leaving Steventon in the early 1800s for Bath,
and traveling either with relatives or to visit relatives at various times. When their father,
George Austen, died in 1805, suddenly their situation changed. Cassandra’s inheritance
from Thomas and the money her mother had was not enough to support herself, her sister,
(09:42):
and her newly-widowed mother, and the trio found themselves living at the mercy of the generosity
of the remaining men in the family–again, namely, Cassandra and Jane’s brothers. Joined by a close
family friend, Martha Lloyd, the four women took up residence together, eventually staying
in places like Southampton, before settling in Chawton, Hampshire, in 1809. This home, which
(10:06):
is now a museum I’d love to visit one day (and note: I’ve already visited the Jane Austen Centre
in Bath, and it was awesome), anyway, this house was organized for them by their brother Edward,
who possessed the wider estate on which it stood. Family members would remember that the sisters,
now devoted to their perpetual singledom, had adapted dressing older than their ages
(10:29):
and embraced a somewhat matronly lifestyle.That said, the Chawton house was a generous
and wonderful gift for the women. They stayed there for many years, with Cassandra, her mother,
and Martha Lloyd taking care of all the domestic duties in order to enable Jane to dedicate her
time to writing. During this period of time, four of Jane’s novels are anonymously published:
(10:52):
Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, and Emma. Eventually, Jane
became ill and in early 1817, she drew up a will that named Cassandra her executor. Cassandra,
ever supremely loyal to and supportive of Jane, went with her to Winchester where
she sought medical aid and was there with her when she passed away on July 18, 1817.
(11:18):
Cassandra’s life following Jane’s death was quiet, but it wasn’t inactive. I can’t emphasize enough
that so much of what we know about Jane, the famous author, comes from or was enabled by
Cassandra. It was she who, with their brother Henry, arranged for the posthumous publishing
of two more of Jane’s novels (11:36):
Persuasion and Northanger Abbey. An extension of that, is that
those novels are the first two that bore Jane’s name, removing the veil of anonymity that had
been in place for all of her prior publications.While many people have tried to capture Jane’s
essence visually, there are only two authenticated depictions of her from the era…and both are thanks
(12:02):
to Cassandra’s art skills. Both done between 1804 and the early 1810s, were informal and the
first is actually quite amusing. In it, Cassandra depicts her sister as wearing a bonnet so large
it covers her face. So, in a way, it is and isn’t showing us what Jane looked like. The
(12:22):
latter image is the one you have probably seen if you’ve ever looked for a picture of Jane.
It’s a lightly colored image of a woman wearing a white gown and bonnet with a serious expression,
her arms folded, big eyes, and curls of brown hair peeking out from beneath her cap. While not
everyone in the family believed this was the most accurate capturing of Jane’s looks and essence,
(12:45):
Cassandra is the one who knew her best and no doubt did what she could with the skills she had.
Further, any time you hear about or read one of Jane Austen’s famously witty letters,
you likely have Cassandra to thank. While the sisters were emotionally inseparable,
it was still true that they spent time apart–often visiting various relations. Their closeness bred a
(13:07):
situation where the sisters wrote to each other almost daily. While the exact number of letters
they wrote to one another is lost to us, we know that Cassandra was fiercely protective
of her sister, while also understanding that people might want to know more about her.
Cassandra kept letters from her sister over the years, then went through a process of destroying
those she felt should not see the light of day. What was left was approximately 160 letters,
(13:32):
which continuously receive new publications and annotations by Austen scholars. If you ever have
the opportunity to read any of them, you should certainly take it. Despite Cassandra’s decision
to respect much of her sister’s privacy and protect her entire intimate life from being
aired to the public, the ones that were allowed to remain and be shared with the public still
(13:53):
give great insight into who Jane was as a person and their sisterly relationship. For example,
the letter I chose for the image for this episode is from 1796. It begins, “My dearest Cassandra,
The letter which I have this moment received from you has diverted me beyond moderation. I could
die of laughter at it, as they used to say at school. You are indeed the finest comic writer of
(14:18):
the present age.” The letter goes on to share news about their family, but this introduction not only
shows the playful relationship between the sisters but helps to show the world that Cassandra, too,
had a much-appreciated sense of humor.Jane, we know, appreciated everything
about Cassandra. In her memoir about “Aunt Jane”, their niece Caroline talked of this affection.
(14:40):
She said that when she was small, Jane would “frequently say to me, if the opportunity offered,
that Aunt Cassandra could teach everything much better than she could–Aunt Cass knew more–Aunt
Cass could tell me better whatever I wanted to know.” Caroline, who preferred Jane to Cassandra,
might have disagreed with this assessment of Cassandra’s talents,
(15:02):
but to Jane she was more than a bit of an icon.It is not surprising then that Cassandra’s
domestic world must have felt markedly smaller with her sister gone, and it continued to shrink
in the period that followed. By the end of the 1820s, her mother had passed away and Martha
Lloyd moved out upon marrying one of Cassandra’s brothers. This meant she was left to live alone,
(15:25):
though I believe she had a dog called Link who must have been good company.
She kept herself busy with domestic tasks, family visits, and interactions with those
who lived around her, keeping a quiet life until her death at the age of 72 in 1845.
She was buried at Chawton, near family, and has continually been viewed as the
most significant relationship of Jane’s life…and quite rightfully so. In fact,
(15:51):
she’s still being given attention. This year there is a BBC new series Miss Austen,
where Cassandra and fate of Jane’s letters are the center of the action. In it, I believe
adult Cassandra is played by Keeley Hawes. I haven’t seen it yet myself, but I hope to, soon.
Thank you for joining me for this episode of Footnoting History. I hope you enjoyed kicking
(16:14):
off Women’s History Month with this focus on Cassandra Austen as much as I did. Don’t
forget to check out FootnotingHistory.com for more Women’s History and further reading suggestions
for this episode. As always, remember, the best stories are in the footnotes.
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Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.