A companion to The Penderwicks

Jane and ..., Wesley and...?

Jane was always my favorite character. That's why I would like to figure out, what Birdsall has planned for Jane. Jane...and ? I was completely shocked with Jane's situation in the last book, but then I tried to figure out with rereading...
One the one hand, she could stay alone, like in Rainbow's role, a fictional Alcott or  Jane Austen. Or is she like  Emily of New Moon, a sworn spinster until she'll find the one? 

Jane might be the girlish, dreamy one, but she had clear "tomboyish" tropes: She diguises as Tommy at Halloween, has Mick Hart as alter ego, and she mentions at Point Mouette that she probably won't marry.

Or is she Jeanne Birdsall herself, who's going to write 5 books about her own life? That's why the hints for a vegetarian, who likes cooking and cleaning? Is this a sweet hint for her own husband? I'm a bit in love with the William Diehl- theory, but each sister represents somwhow Birdsall. Jeanne married with (43?) her husband, seeing him not 27 years, which would make an age of 16-13 if this is right. The biographical context is quitw striking because there are Bills though the series mentioned and Birdsall did even act with a boy called Peter Simpson (aka Pearson in the Penderwicks series).

I always supposed  that Jane is similar to Flora, a character from "Der Trotzkopf" (the stubborn Girl) by Emmy van Rhoden, a German classic from 1885.

Flora is scribbling in a blue booklet and wishes to become a famous actress. She is crushing her teacher, gets very disappointed and writes a love ode for him. Flora is an aspiring writer and loves her blue booklet (like Jane). Flora writes a story "The sacrifice", where a girl decides to die heartbroken because her sister is in love with the same boy. (Sister and sacrifice!). Flora writes a theatre play about a tulip fairy (reminds me of Jane's switched poem)and dreams how she is standing on stage as the leading role, getting flowers and the audience is calling for the author. Flora sends her manuscript to her teacher, Dr. Althoff, who turns it down with a few words (like Dexter did it), but Flora falls in love with him, again, after he defended her against some nasty comments, and starts writing a ode "To him". Reminds me of a skateboard.

I don't know if it's coincidence or if Birdsall could really know a German classic (probably not translated). In the book, Flora drops out, and only the three main characters marry, the tomboy Ilse, oldest Lucie and sweet Nellie.
Is Jane only the desperate writer writers make fun of? Or is the key in Birdsall's biography?By the way, the book is on Goodreads and I found also an English title for it: Taming a tomboy.

I don't think that there are too many references, but I could imagine that Birdsall read it because she has access to several languages.
And to deal with Skye: Tomboys are changing suddenly in beautiful, elegant ladies and marry quite suddenly ..I could imagine that Ilse was model for Ilse in Emily of New Moon. But in this "Backfischliteratur" we witness this growth.

There's also an artist who thanks Ilse for figuring out..but this could be coincidental. This would lead to Wesley (:

Another theory is that Jane is in the same symmetry as Ben (Rosalind and Skye are one, Batty and Lydia are one). If I would count now Alice and Wesley, we could have two matches.

Is she  supposed to get together with Wesley? (but since there's no clear who's who, I doubt it). 

In the ending, Lydia mentions figuring out also Jane and Wesley, and Wesley phones Jane, when he is leaving, although both characters never interact.

Wesley is one of my favorite characters of the series, although he appears just in the ending of the series. His name means "western" and he is indeed leaving for heading west, so, yeah, this his main purpose. It's almost a trope that the rival either dies or turns out to be evil or to to be the brother. I pity always them because those characters are actually incredibly strong and generous and help the couple to get together. Oregon least a place for artists and I'm glad that Wesley survives. He reminds me greatly of a character in "The little bookshop at the corner" by Jenny Colgan.

Wesley is so far like Teddy/Dean (Emily's quest),  Dan from Jo's Boys (heartbreaking male death No. 2) and Mr. Simpson from Ballet Shoes (guest with technical knowledge).

But Wesley's literature precedent is probably from Rose in Bloom, by Alcott, the sequel to Aunt Hill. I think the whole triangle between Jeffrey, Batty and Wesley is actually Mac, Rose and "Prince" Charlie (Hitch is a "regal dog"). The last chapter is very similar to "A new beginning". I mean like Rose is clueless, and then how it's just foreshadowed, when the family is gone. ..

He is indeed similar like Prince Charles - (oh yes, also the gift for Batty, and that he can figure more out- by the way, he has a similar heartbreaking death like Beth.) from Rose in Bloom ,

And I noticed now that there are more references to Wesley and Hitch as "Prince Charles". Charles dies after an accident with his horse Bruno (or dog? I'm not sure if I understood it on the right way). Hitch is said to be named Bruno before Wesley saved him after an accident. And Wesley phones Charlene (because of his broken cable). Do you get it? Charlene and Charles...

The main character Rose has 8 male(!) cousins. Her cousin "Prince" Charles is in love with her- he's the charming, but careless part of the family, who's into ball seasons, and later gets into the wrong friends, and alcoholism. Mac is Rose's best friend, a quiet " professor", studying medicine and writing poetry. The tragedy arises when Charles has a fatal accident, falling with his horse Bruno (?) down from a bridge, and is buried under the horse a whole, cold night, but he's not dead, when he's found. (I'm thinking all the time of Wesley and the broken clutch cable). He's waiting for the death then at home, and Rose can't help him, but just pities the man he could have been. And Charles wants his heart stone back.
Anyway, Charles dies and Rose gets into education like Jo, and her best friend and her cousin are planning a double wedding, and ask her to join because she loves Mac, and Rose says only "No, we're too young", but Mac comes in ( He had overheard) and leaves with Rose.

Well, in 8 Cousins I preferred the reclusive bookworm Mac - Charles was fun, but that's somehow the difference between Jane and Skye. But Charles won my heart in Rose in Bloom because he was so strong when he had to die. I like such sad characters in novels - how can I be happy then for the couples? I have this problem in many books - not because I would be a big fan of "bad boys" (in contemporary lit). But yes, in classics. Byronic hero.

I guess 8 cousins could be found a bit in The Penderwicks in Spring, but I'm afraid that Birdsall prefers Mac. And meanwhile, I think I shouldn't care too much for each word, but perhaps the flowers mentioned in bloom in the beginning of the last book are hinting for Rose in Bloom.