Today I am so pleased to welcome J.L. Merrow to Joyfully Jay. J.L. has come to talk to us about her latest release, Played!. She has also brought along…. Please join me in giving her a big welcome!
Jane Austen’s Bad Boy
Hi, I’m JL Merrow, and it’s great to be here today as part of the Played! blog tour.
It’s fairly obvious that in writing Played!, I took inspiration from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It’s perhaps less apparent that another classic I had very much in mind was Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park.
Mansfield Park is one of Austen’s more difficult novels to like, although it’s always been one of my personal favourites (because I’m like that). To be blunt, the heroine, Fanny Price, is a total prude and a bit of a drip:
Fanny is almost totally passive [and] never, ever wrong – Tony Tanner, Introduction to the Penguin Classics edition of Mansfield Park.
[Fanny is] a monster of complacency and pride – Kingsley Amis
The makers of the 1999 film Mansfield Park felt driven to deal with the unlikableness of the heroine by in essence replacing her with the wittier, more mischievous Miss Austen herself, in a sort of reverse Mary Sue. I haven’t seen the 2007 version, but given the casting of the irrepressible Billie Piper I imagine they took a similar path. So much for Fanny.
But what of the “villain”, Henry Crawford? Speaking personally, I always found him much more interesting. He’s lively and witty enough to make up for any deficiency in the looks department, and it’s he who suggests the amateur theatricals which Fanny regards with such horror in the book. Fanny worries such shenanigans will lead to inappropriate intimacy between persons not engaged to one another—the horrors! (And she’s actually dead right on that.)
Henry is not one to hide his light under any bushels with regard to acting ability:
“I feel as if I could be any thing or every thing, or rant and storm, or sigh, or cut capers in any tragedy or comedy in the English language.” – Henry Crawford, Ch13, Mansfield Park
He sets out to seduce Fanny merely as a way of amusing himself and his equally lively sister—and, of course, ends up getting his comeuppance by falling in love with her. She refuses his proposal of marriage, having been all her life in love with her rather dull foster-brother Edmund. Henry determines to win her, and actually behaves in a very kind and thoughtful manner to her and to her ill-mannered, lower-class family (of whom Fanny is priggishly ashamed) right up until he commits an unforgiveable lapse with her cousin Maria and virtue (i.e. Fanny) is seen to triumph. She weds Edmund.
I always rather thought she’d have had more fun if she’d married Henry after all. So I created Tristan, who has some very Henry-like qualities, and set out to have him learn by his mistakes before all was lost. But what of Con?
Well, clearly I wasn’t going to pattern him after Fanny: Con’s no prude and he knows how to have fun. Although he does share one or two qualities with Fanny, such as a determination to do the right thing. And a mortal fear of being called upon to act, although for very different reasons:
“Indeed you must excuse me. I could not act any thing if you were to give me the world. No, indeed, I cannot act.” – Fanny Price, Ch15, Mansfield Park
“Yeah, well, you know that’s not gonna happen. I don’t do acting, all right?” – Con, Played!
Unlike Fanny, Con is, as on this occasion, sometimes wrong!
***
Question: I think it’s fairly clear from the above that I prefer my protagonists flawed, not perfect. But what about you? Do you like your heroes good, or bad?
Blurb
All the world’s a stage…but real-life lessons are hidden in the heart
Though Tristan must join his family’s New York firm at summer’s end—no more farting around on stage, as his father so bluntly puts it—he can’t resist when Shamwell’s local amateur dramatics society begs him to take a role in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
The bonus: giving private acting lessons to a local handyman who’s been curiously resistant to Tristan’s advances. Not only is Con delicious, there’s fifty pounds riding on Tristan getting him in his bed.
A late-diagnosed dyslexic, Con’s never dared to act, convinced he’d never be able to learn his lines. But with Tristan’s help, he takes the chance. Trouble is, the last time Con fell for a guy, he ended up getting his heart broken. And with Tristan due to leave the country soon, Con is determined not to start anything that’s bound to finish badly.
Just as Tristan thinks he’s finally won Con’s heart—and given his own in return—disaster strikes. And the curtain may have fallen forever on their chance for happiness.
Warning: contains a surfeit of Bottoms and asses, together with enough mangled quotations to have the Bard of Avon gyrating in his grave.
Amazon US | Amazon UK | ARe | Samhain
Bio
JL Merrow is that rare beast, an English person who refuses to drink tea. She read Natural Sciences at Cambridge, where she learned many things, chief amongst which was that she never wanted to see the inside of a lab ever again. Her one regret is that she never mastered the ability of punting one-handed whilst holding a glass of champagne.
She writes across genres, with a preference for contemporary gay romance and mysteries, and is frequently accused of humour. Her novel Slam! won the 2013 Rainbow Award for Best LGBT Romantic Comedy, and her novella Muscling Through and novel Relief Valve were both EPIC Awards finalists.
JL Merrow is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, International Thriller Writers, Verulam Writers’ Circle and the UK GLBTQ Fiction Meet organising team.
Find JL Merrow online at: www.jlmerrow.com, on Twitter as @jlmerrow, and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/jl.merrow
Giveaway
Prizes! I’m offering a prize of an ebook of the winner’s choice from my backlist to one lucky commenter at EVERY stop on the tour, plus a grand prize of a signed copy of Caught!, the first Shamwell Tale, which comes out in paperback on 4th August. I’m happy to ship worldwide, and I’ll throw in some small goodies as well. 🙂
Please remember to leave an email addy in your comment so I can get in touch with you if you win. I’ll be making the draws for all the contests around teatime on Friday 10th July, GMT. Good luck! 😀
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Great post! Mansfield Park was my first book by Jane Austen… And I loved it. As I love them all. As for your question, I have no use for perfect characters. I like them flawed, imperfect and why not? a little bit twisted as well. There is nothing better than a character who travels the insconsistent line between good and evil… 😉
susanaperez7140(at)gmail(dot)com
*a little bit twisted* – you’re a woman after my own heart! 😀
I know I will offend somene but i am not a fan of Jane Austen…like at all! But love shakepeare!! sabrinad1977@comcast.net
Heh, liking Jane Austen isn’t compulsory! I think she was a very talented writer, but the world she wrote in, her subject matter and – dare I say it? – the things she leaves out of her novels, won’t appeal to everyone. 🙂
Have watched the movies only. Thanks for the chance!
There have been some very good adaptations of Jane Austen’s novels for the screen, but I’d definitely recommend reading the books. 🙂
I love this blog tour, really interesting posts so thank you for sharing 🙂 I like it when the hero is a good guy but with flawes! he should not be perfect because that is just boring and what is the fun in that 😉 Characters in books should have some weakness so you can sheer them on, cry and laugh with them and so they can develop in great characters you love and would love to read about 🙂
Thanks for this post and the giveaway chance ahpg(at)ziggo(dot)nl
Thank you! I’m glad you’ve enjoyed the tour. 😀
And I’m definitely with you on the perfect=boring front!
Since real people aren’t perfect it’s hard to believe in perfect characters in books. As most everyone else has said as well there’s not much fun in reading about someone without flaws, where would the story go if someone didn’t mess something up along the way?
aahickmanathotmaildotcom
Absolutely! Thanks for commenting. 😀
I no longer remember Mansfield Park, even though I read all of Austin’s books when I was in my later teens. But I do know that I completely loathe fictional heroes that are over the top too handsome, too good, and /or too rich. I like them best when fictional characters are almost “real life”-like and I can relate in some way.
sorgbarn at hotmail dot com
Absolutely. Why are there so many romance novels about billionaires? The only billionaire I’d be interested in reading or writing about would be one who doesn’t act like a billionaire – but even then, to have that amount of money solves so many problems it takes all the fun out of it! 😉
I definitely like flawed heroes and heroines…who’s perfect in real life, after all? I remember liking the MANSFIELD PARK movie a lot when it came out, but I confess I haven’t read the book yet (though I do have a copy). I admit I’m not the biggest Austen buff, though it’s not her fault that it’s mostly because I get annoyed with the mannered conventions of the time period…
vitajex(at)Aol(Dot)com
Fanny in the film was much spunkier (ugh, I hate that word!) than in the book.
I kind of like the mannered-ness of it all. Because there’s such an undercurrent of bitchiness! 😉
I love Jane Austen, but I’m afraid to read Mansfield Park, because I know enough about it to know that I will find myself irrationally angry at every single character. One day I’ll get past it, maybe, but in the meantime…
I’ve been racking my brains for you, and I do believe Fanny’s brother William (who has a small part) is entirely unobjectionable. Other than that, yes, you’re quite right! ;D
I’d say that I like my heroes to be human. Odds are that means they have some flaws.
Thanks for a fun post.
Yay! Glad you enjoyed. 🙂
Don’t put me in the giveaway, I’ve already read and loved PLAYED! It was so fun, and Tristan is such a complacent guy in the beginning, but he turned out well in the end. I loved Con. So steadfast and earnest… 😉
Aw, thank you! *beams*
So glad you liked it! 😀
At first I couldn’t see how Mansfield Park inspired Played!, and I will have to re-read it to see whether I recognise Tristan in Henry (or vice versa), but I agree that Henry is much more fun than most of the characters in MP. One does rather feel that he isn’t allowed to be redeemed because it might send the wrong message.
Have you read Robert Rodi “Bitch In a Bonnet: Reclaiming Jane Austen From the Stiffs, the Snobs, the Simps and the Saps”? I read parts of it online when he was blogging while reading Mansfield Park and found it both entertaining and quite insightful. Not for the faint-hearted! He cannot stand Fanny, who he thinks is an evil hypocrite.
I really enjoyed all the quotations spouted by Tristan! Thank you for listing the sources at the end of the book.
Ooh, I shall have to check out that book – it looks right up my street! Can’t believe I’ve never come across Robert Rodi before. Thanks for sharing that.
You probably guessed how much fun I had with Tristan’s quotations – not to mention the chapter headings! 😀
I’m not familiar with Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park but have enjoyed most everything based on A Midsummer Night’s Dream. From the blurb and your introduction, I really believe I will enjoy this. Thanks for a chance in the giveaway.
flutterfli01 (at) yahoo (dot) com
Thank you – and you’re welcome! 😀
I think at least part of Shakespeare’s enduring popularity is the way the stories he presented are capable of constant reinterpretation to fit the standards of the time. 🙂
Prefer them bad
bn100candg at hotmail dot com
😀
Thanks for the great post! I prefer characters flawed. It makes them much more relatable. amaquilante(at)gmail(dot)com
You’re welcome! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
I want a bit of both, I guess it’s what makes them more real in my mind. No one is perfect and mistakes do happen even in the best intentions.
humhumbum AT yahoo DOT com
Mm, yes – too flawed and it’s hard to want the romance to succeed! 🙂
Definitely flawed. It just isn’t realistic that every single gay male would be tall, muscled, handsome, have a well-paying job, and well both mentally & physically. There are bound to be people who are short, overweight, pimply, and/or living paycheck to paycheck.
waxapplelover (at) gmail (dot) com
Although (playing devil’s advocate here!) some would argue that romance writers are providing a fantasy of the perfect lover. I’m afraid, for me, perfection is a suspension of disbelief too far! 😉
I prefer my heroes to be a bit of each. 🙂
ashley.vanburen[at]gmail[dot]com
*nods* They’ve got to have SOMETHING going for them! 😉
I don’t care if they’re good or bad, just that they’re real. Good characters can be flawed, too.
As for Mansfield Park: While it’s not my favorite Austen, I applaud her bravery in keeping Fanny and Henry apart. Can you imagine today’s romance writer doing that? Her editor would go nuts. I don’t think they would have suited each other at all.
It’s actually Mary Crawford whom I find more interesting, because although she’s somewhat thoughtless, she’s a far more modern, forward-looking character than Fanny. But Mary Crawford could care less about her brother ruining Fanny’s cousin. Whatever one thinks of her attitude toward sex, that alone confirms that underneath it all, she not an admirable person; she only cares to wander through life doing well for herself, the riffraff be damned. Her brother is exactly the same.
I find Fanny tiresome as well, but it’s more because of her passivity than her goodness. Besides, she gets walked on by people all the time. However, I have a really good way to turn this around: Think of Fanny as someone who’s very conscientious and has massive social anxiety who needs Klonopin and Paxil to get through her day. As a neuroatypical, Fanny is a more sympathetic characters than she seems when viewed as the mouthpiece for conservative mores (which she also is). No wonder her biological family is such a trial to her.
Also, thank you for the first concise and helpful explanation of what is so bad about the private theatricals. I could never decide if it was that or that they were theatricals or frivolous or what.
Mm, yes – you’re probably right re Henry and Fanny not being a good match, if you look at it objectively. While I’d like to think he’d make her loosen up and have a bit of fun, and she’d tame his more wayward impulses, it’s equally likely he’d tire of her passive virtue and end up making her unhappy with a string of affairs. 🙁
Mary Crawford is interesting. She’d be fun to be around, and she reminds me a little of Emma – only an Emma without a heart.
And I like your way of “saving” Fanny! Yes, looking at her in that light makes her a lot more sympathetic. And she really does find all the noise and chaos of her old Portsmouth home a trial, so there may really be something in it! I wonder if Jane Austen knew someone like that?
Glad you appreciated my explanation of the theatricals! 😀
Sorry, forgot to leave my e-mail address. lawless523 at gmail dot com.
I love both the flawed and the perfect. It depends if I want to just escape into a “perfect” world for a time. Thank you for the post and the opportunity at the giveaway!
Mm, yes – sometimes we just want the fantasy for a bit. 😀
Another great post. Thanks! I prefer my heroes (and really any character) to be flawed. If they are perfect, they irritate me. 😉
jen(dot)f(at)mac(dot)com
Thank you! 😀
I’ve never read Mansfield Park, so interesting to read about this book. I like my heroes/ heroines with some flaws. They are so much more relatable, and we can see them grow or overcome difficulties or weaknesses.
Absolutely! If they’re perfect to start with, where’s the room for growth? 🙂
Hi, I think my favourite Jane Austin story is Persuasion, partly as it is a second chance story and partly as its based on a real life romantic situation for Jane. Sadly unlike Jane the heroine had a second chance and defied her family this time to be with the man she had always loved. Yes I prefer the characters I read about to be flawed, to be capable of learning from their mistakes, to be redeemable, if considered a bad guy to still have good qualities. Thank you for a chance to win one of your books.
sorry slholland22 [at} hotmail {dot} com
Yes, Persuasion is an interesting story, with its older characters and more measured pace. You really feel Anne’s deserved her happiness at the end. 🙂
And you’re welcome!
I prefer non unreal (or non Gary Tsu) heroes, who being good and bad at the same time like everibody in the real life…
Everybody* mevalem258 AT gmail DOT com
Thanks for commenting! 🙂