"something between a Man & an Angel"
JASNA Wisconsin Region R.C. Elizabeth Philosophos Cooper has followed up her excellent article on Brook Edward Bridges, portrayed by Hugh Bonneville in Miss Austen Regrets, with a piece on Charles Haden, played by the eminently woof-worthy Jack Huston. As in the first essay, Ms. Cooper busts a few myths while showing an appreciation for the film.
Austen’s letters to her sister, Cassandra, written from London in the autumn of 1815 include many references to Haden but provide no support for the screenplay’s invention of a romantic triangle. On the contrary, they suggest that Austen enjoyed both Haden and his flirtation with Fanny.
There also is some information on the real Mr. Haden’s distinguished medical career. We encourage our Gentle Readers most strongly to check it out!
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Warning: we are getting into murky Freudian territory here. It’s like people who say Emma was really in love with Harriet Smith. Jane was too perceptive for that. She did think Haden was admirable and wished Fanny Knight would marry such a man. Wouldn’t you like to know what Jane would have thought of Fanny’s marrying a Mr Knightly who was a widower? Would she have been surprised?
There more on Dr. Charles Thomas Haden here:
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/pagerender.fcgi?artid=1844866&pageindex=1
Cassandra, I’m not sure where you’re getting that the article goes into “murky Freudian territory.” That was one of the things that bugged me about Miss Austen Regrets. I think her jealous sulks over Fanny and Haden are a misreading of her letters. The article refutes such a reading. From the first paragraph of the article: