Jane Austen, Meet Charles Dickens

I often see Jane Austen characters turn up on Midjourney.  

Images by dsafopjlnksg

Images by m0rph_1

Images by m0rph_1

Images by MaryGehad

One day, I set out to see if I could create interesting images of the prim, proper and elegantly attired Austen characters.  I eventually became playful and matched various characters, including Miss Haversham, Elizabeth Bennet and George Wickham, with less elegant characters from Charles Dickens novels.

It could be interesting but also a challenge to create a literary mashup of Dickens and Austen.  Let us consider the possibilities.  

Dickens and Austen greatly differ as authors in their style and focus.  Dickens wrote to expose society's ills and cruelties. Austen wrote to gently mock the values of high-class society.  Could Dickens' evocative descriptions of poverty and social injustice be blended with Austen's subtle and playful engagement with the wit, manners and romances of the elite?  It hardly seems possible.  

No doubt the novels of these great authors share a number of similarities.  To start, you will find that both authors provided keen observations and criticisms of the social norms and class structures of nineteenth century England.  Both authors created memorable and often complex characters, though Dickens' characters tended to be more exaggerated and eccentric.  Both authors employed satire to critique social issues and behaviors.  Irony was Austen's favorite form of satire while Dickens preferred caricature.  Finally, both authors explored loving relationships.  Austen focused on romantic relationships and marriage. Dickens mostly explored family relationships and friendships.

Austen, who focused on the polite relations and intrigues of high-society gentleman and ladies, said that she worked with a fine brush.  She admitted that her novels, which have often been characterized as country house novels and comedies of manners, were not in any way manly.  

Austen exposes the hypocrisy of the upper class through characters who profess moral values but behave in morally questionable ways.  This can be seen in her portrayal of characters like Lady Catherine de Bourgh in "Pride and Prejudice" and Sir Walter Elliot in "Persuasion."  Don't let their displays of civility and dignity fool you.  Lady Catherine is pompous, domineering and condescending.  Sir Walter is vain, selfish and spendthrift. 

Intrigue is subtly woven into several Austen's novels.  John Willoughby creates great intrigue in "Sense and Sensibility."  Willoughby initially presents himself as a charming and romantic figure who shows a deep affection for Marianne Dashwood.  However, it is revealed that his actions are motivated by financial considerations rather than genuine love.  He is pursuing a wealthy bride strictly to secure his financial position.  The intrigue surrounding Willoughby's true intentions creates tension and drama.  Austen uses intrigue to explore the effects of betrayal and the consequences of romantic illusions.  It adds depth to the characters and challenges societal expectations about love and marriage in Regency-era England.

Many of Dickens's novels focus on the struggles of the poor.  Dickens was deeply concerned with the plight of the impoverished and used his writing to highlight the harsh realities of life for the underprivileged in Victorian England.  "Oliver Twist" tells the story of a young orphan who endures a miserable existence in a workhouse.  It exposes the brutal conditions of the workhouse system and the exploitation of the poor.  “Bleak House" explores the inefficiencies and corruption within the legal system, which often left the poor vulnerable and without recourse.  “Hard Times," which is set in the fictional industrial town of Coketown, critiques the dehumanizing effects of industrialization and the neglect of the working class.  "Little Dorrit" highlights the burdens of debt and the injustices of the debtor's prison system.

Intrigue was also important to Dickens’ stories.  In "David Copperfield," the young David suffers betrayal from various characters.  Mr. Murdstone, David's stepfather, betrays David's trust by gradually revealing his cruel and abusive nature.  James Steerforth is David's charming and charismatic school friend who later betrays him by seducing and ruining Little Em'ly, a young woman David deeply cares about.  Uriah Heep pretends to be humble and ingratiates himself with David's friends and family, only to betray them by attempting to embezzle money and gain control over Mr. Wickfield's business and family.  The novel explores the impact of these betrayals on David’s life and psyche.

Dickens' novels often depict traditionally manly themes such as struggle, perseverance and moral integrity.  The author’s protagonists are usually earnest, industrious and strong-willed young men.  

Dickens and Austen have remained immensely popular and influential writers, with their works continuously adapted into various media and studied in literature courses worldwide.

I have compiled the Midjourney images in a video slideshow. 

This publicity still from Ang Lee's 1995 Sense and Sensibility was a reference source for the following Midjourney images.  The handsome couple is Kate Winslet as Marianne Dashwood and Greg Wise as John Willoughby.  

To be frank, the images stopped me in my tracks.  

Willoughby's hats look funny, right?  Was Midjourney being overly creative?  Regency-era British gentlemen wore top hats with large and fancy crowns.  

Think of the Mad Hatter, who wore a Wellington Top Hat.  Patrick Troughton's wardrobe as the Second Doctor Who included this odd variation of the Stovepipe Hat.  

Other eye-catching Regency top hats included The Paris Beau, The D'Osay and The Regent.  This is a vintage Belle Top Hat.  

Hats did have adornments, including buckles and bands.  Look at the adornment on this Chapeaux-bras hat.  

But does this justify the extravagances of the Midjourney hats?  

John Willoughby is wearing a Continental Hat in the first picture.  I cannot match the second hat to a particular style.  But it is the last hat that really has me stumped.  Yes, I suspect that Midjourney was being overly creative in this instance.  Still, whether real or not, it is a fine hat.