Today in Jane Austen’s life: on November 13, 1815, Jane Austen visited Carlton House, the London home of the Prince Regent, at the invitation of the Prince’s Librarian James Stanier Clarke. Austen was “asked” to dedicate her next book – Emma – to the Prince – it is the only dedication in her six novels [her juvenilia was humorously dedicated to her family members – see Peter Sabor’s article in Persuasions 31 (2009) “Brotherly and Sisterly Dedications in Jane Austen’s Juvenilia”].
Carlton House - front view
This is Austen’s letter to Clarke on the 15th:
Wednesday 15 November 1815
Sir,
I must take the liberty of asking You a question – Among the many flattering attentions which I rec’d from you at Carlton House, on Monday last, was the Information of my being at liberty to dedicate any future Work to HRH the P.R. without the necessity of any Solicitation on my part. Such at least, I beleived to be your words; but as I am very anxious to be quite certain of what was intended, I intreat you to have the goodness to inform me how such Permission is to be understood, & whether it is incumbent on me to shew my sense of the Honour, by inscribing the Work now in the Press, to H.R.H. – I sh’d be equally concerned to appear either presumptuous or Ungrateful.-
I am etc…
[Le Faye, Ltr. 125 (D), p. 296]
Clarke responded immediately:
“It is certainly not incumbent on you to dedicate your work now in the Press to His Royal Highness: but if you wish to do the Regent that honour either now or at some future period, I am happy to send you that permission which need not require any more trouble or solicitation on your Part.” (Ltr. 125 (A), p.296)
Austen and Clarke engaged in a lively correspondence about this dedication and Clarke’s efforts to have Austen write a book about a clergyman… Austen responded in her most humorous fashion:
“I am fully sensible than an Historical Romance founded on the House of Saxe Cobourg might be more to the purpose of Profit or Popularity, than such pictures of domestic Life in Country Villages as I deal in – but I could no more write a Romance than an Epic Poem. – I could not sit seriously down to write a serious Romance under any other notice than to save my Life, & if it were indispensible for me to keep it up & never relax into laughing at myself or other people, I am sure I should be hung before I finished the first Chapter.- No – I must keep to my own style & go on in my own Way…” (Ltr. 138(D), p. 312).
It is unfortunate that no letter exists in which Jane writes Cassandra her impressions of Carlton House and the Prince’s request – it surely must have been written – how could Austen resist sharing her thoughts about Clarke and Carlton House with her sister! – it is likely one of those that Cassandra felt could not be passed on perhaps for its anti-P.R. sentiments. – In Letter 128 to Cassandra (Le Faye, 300), Austen writes “I did mention the P.R.- in my note to Mr. Murray, it brought me a fine compliment in return…” – which seems to indicate that Austen had written just previously to Cassandra about this request for a dedication. But all we have is Austen’s very humorous dedication to Emma:
TO HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THE PRINCE REGENT,
THIS WORK IS, BY HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS’S PERMISSION,
MOST RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED,
BY HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS’S
DUTIFUL AND OBEDIENT HUMBLE SERVANT,
THE AUTHOR
***********
Carlton House staircase
Further reading:
- Carlton House at Wikipedia
- Ray, Joan Klingel and Richard James Wheeler. “James Stanier Clarke’s Portrait Of Jane Austen” Persuasions 27 (2005): 112-118.
- Sheehan, Colleen A. “Jane Austen’s ‘Tribute’ to the Prince Regent: A Gentleman Riddled with Difficulty.” Persuasions On-Line 27.1 (Winter 2006).
- Summerson, John. Georgian London. 1945. New Haven: Yale U Press, 2003
- Viveash, Chris. James Stanier Clarke. Winchester: Sarsen Press, 2006.
- Austenonly post on “Jane Austen and London: A Visit to Carlton House“
[Images from the Wikipedia article on Carlton House]
Jane Austen in Vermont 
A very nice post. I too have often wished Jane Austen had written down her impressions of her visit to the royal residence and her meeting with the seemingly very pompous Mr. Clarke, or, if she did, that it had survived. The letter in which he encourages her to write about a clergyman is both funny and cringe-worthy — I like to imagine JA’s reaction upon reading it:
Accept my best thanks for the pleasure your volumes have given me. In the perusal of them I felt a great inclination to write and say so. And I also, dear Madam, wished to be allowed to ask you to delineate in some future work the habits of life, and character, and enthusiasm of a clergyman, who should pass his time between the metropolis and the country, who should be something like Beattie’s Minstrel —
Silent when glad, affectionate tho’ shy,
And in his looks was most demurely sad;
And now he laughed aloud, yet none knew why.
Neither Goldsmith, nor La Fontaine in his “Tableau de Famille,” have in my mind quite delineated an English clergyman, at least of the present day, fond of and entirely engaged in literature, no man’s enemy but his own. Pray, dear Madam, think of these things.
Believe me at all times with sincerity and
respect, your faithful and obliged servant,
J. S. Clarke, Librarian.
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Thanks Kathleen – and for that additional letter quote – it is cringe-inducing, isn’t it?! – didn’t he read P&P and understand Mr. Collins?? – there is so much in those few letters between her and Clarke, one should quote them verbatim rather than leave anything out – she says more here about how she writes than almost anywhere else – plus, how very FUNNY she is, how very finessed – he is after all the Prince Regent’s Librarian!
Glad you stopped by,
Deb
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