josette's mother

[denise]

Does the storyline ever explain what Josette's mother
died from?

[Julia99]

officially no, not that i know of. . .of course in fanfic world there are a number of theories. . .namely. . .Natalie was Josette's mother --not aunt. . . so it actually raises the 'who was her papa' question. . .(there has also been discussion that Grayson may have operated from this theory as background for Natalie & Josette. . apparently Grayson always tried to come up with a 'secret' for her characters.)  

What was Hoffman's secret, one wonders?? hee hee

[VAM]

officially no, not that i know of. . .of course in fanfic world there are a number of theories. . .namely. . .Natalie was Josette's mother --not aunt. . . so it actually raises the 'who was her papa' question. . .(there has also been discussion that Grayson may have operated from this theory as background for Natalie & Josette. . apparently Grayson always tried to come up with a 'secret' for her characters.)  

What was Hoffman's secret, one wonders?? hee hee

That is an interesting comment about Natalie and Josette. Yes, you can observe a very close relationship almost mother/daughter like.

Your question-I don't want to touch it!

[Gerard]

Does anyone recall if Lara Parker made any mention of it in her novel "Angelique's Descent"?  I can't remember now.

By the way, speaking of "Angelique's Descent", I noticed one thing quite different in her novel from something mentioned in one of Friday's episodes.  Joshua snidely tells Angelique that he really doesn't care about her claims regarding praying for Barnabas since she had never been baptized.  However, in the novel, Angelique indeed had been baptized and raised as a Roman Catholic as a child, and when she was forcefully introduced into the world of the occult, it was under the guise that she was being prepared for her confirmation and first holy communion.

Gerard

[VAM]

By the way, speaking of "Angelique's Descent", I noticed one thing quite different in her novel from something mentioned in one of Friday's episodes.  Joshua snidely tells Angelique that he really doesn't care about her claims regarding praying for Barnabas since she had never been baptized.  However, in the novel, Angelique indeed had been baptized and raised as a Roman Catholic as a child, and when she was forcefully introduced into the world of the occult, it was under the guise that she was being prepared for her confirmation and first holy communion.

Gerard

SPOILER for Angelique's Descent



That would follow Ms. Parker's line of thought since she tells us Andre DuPres is Angelique's father. The Series suggested that the DuPres were Roman Catholic.

[MrsJ]

SPOILER for Angelique's Descent...
"That would follow Ms. Parker's line of thought since she tells us Andre DuPres is Angelique's father. The Series suggested that the DuPres were Roman Catholic."

Maybe I'm just too picky...but that is one of my problems with "Angelique's Descent".  As a stand alone novel, it is okay I suppose, but it had too many outright descrepancies with the original series for me to really feel it was part of the DS I knew.  It obviously had Dan Curtis' blessing, but for me it was too much of a stretch.  

MrsJ

[VAM]

MrsJ says

"Maybe I'm just too picky...but that is one of my problems with "Angelique's Descent".  As a stand alone novel, it is okay I suppose, but it had too many outright descrepancies with the original series for me to really feel it was part of the DS I knew.  It obviously had Dan Curtis' blessing, but for me it was too much of a stretch. " 


I personlly liked Ms. Parker's novel and felt it covered large gaps in the character that the Series did not. Yes, there were discrepancies but that was also true in "Dreams of the Dark" with the corruption of the Victoria Winters Character.The definition for novel is new, strange or unusual. Both authors adhere to the definition and make for enjoyable reading. If it followed the Series exactly it would not make for an interesting book

[Julia99]

Your question-I don't want to touch it!

Why not Vam?  Scaredy cat. . . :-*actually I think we all have a pretty good idea what Hoffman's secret was. . .she was modeled after Mrs. Danvers and Danny's intense love for Rebecca was pretty evident. . .

[VAM]

Why not Vam?  Scaredy cat. . .

That's right -Angelique  put that same Josuha spell on me!

[Luciaphile]

I think it really would have to be a given that the DuPres family were Catholics--there weren't a whole lot of titled French Protestants at that time period.

Warning to LP fans--sorry, but this is my opinion.  You might want to hit page down.

I don't think much of Parker's novel.  Overblown prose, Amos 'n' Andy dialect that would have been much better left unattempted, no real attempt to jive with the already existing canon, on the trite side.  Thank God, I didn't spend money on the thing.

Dreams of the Dark though is definitely worth getting--Mark and Elizabeth Massie (sp?) did a great job with the book.  I have to disagree with you, VAM, I thought he used Victoria much in the original spirit of the early episodes.  And I absolutely loved the new character.  

As for Josette's mother, we have a number of options: death in childbirth (either from Josette or from another child that didn't live), diseases of all kinds (cholera, TB, cancer, influenza), accident, and the list goes on.

I really don't see Natalie as being Josette's real Mama.  No set up for that at all.  Her devotion to Josette seems natural enough, particularly if Mama died and left pauvre petite there motherless, it's logical that an aunt would feel the need to step in and be there.  

Luciaphil

[Joeytrom]

I don't see Natalie as Josette's mother either.

Josette's mother was named "Marie" as stated by Natalie in the episode where Barnabas is to marry Josette and she has disappeared.  She is describing Andre and Marie's wedding.

As for "Angelique's Descent", remember...Angelique came to the Dupre house a while after her upbringing.  She simply could have lied to them by stating she never was baptized.

Joey

[Dr. Eric Lang]

That is an interesting comment about Natalie and Josette. Yes, you can observe a very close relationship almost mother/daughter like.

Your question-I don't want to touch it!

Actually, there is a rather disturbing correlation between The Countess DuPres and her young charge, Josette and the character Grayson Hall played in Night of the Iguana (Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination) where she was a lesbian with a young girl in her charge.

[Luciaphile]

Actually, there is a rather disturbing correlation between The Countess DuPres and her young charge, Josette and the character Grayson Hall played in Night of the Iguana (Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination) where she was a lesbian with a young girl in her charge.

My mind is reeling right now because I'm suddenly picturing Sue Lyons as a pubescent Josette  ::)

Getting away from that rather scary visual place . . .

I don't see how there's a correlation at all between the two Grayson Hall characters--they're nothing at all alike.  It's not as if Hall had an established screen persona; she didn't.  Even Hoffman isn't like Judith Fellowes except in the most general sense.

And I don't get how there is one from a narrative standpoint.  Josette isn't Natalie's charge (let alone a young girl--KLS easily looks like she's in her mid-twenties--and at the time period, that was periously close to middle-aged); she's her niece.  

Luciaphil

[Dr. Eric Lang]

My mind is reeling right now because I'm suddenly picturing Sue Lyons as a pubescent Josette  ::)

Getting away from that rather scary visual place . . .

I don't see how there's a correlation at all between the two Grayson Hall characters--they're nothing at all alike.  It's not as if Hall had an established screen persona; she didn't.  Even Hoffman isn't like Judith Fellowes except in the most general sense.

And I don't get how there is one from a narrative standpoint.  Josette isn't Natalie's charge (let alone a young girl--KLS easily looks like she's in her mid-twenties--and at the time period, that was periously close to middle-aged); she's her niece.  

Luciaphil

I only just thought of this watching the 3/25 episode - when Josette was headed out the door to see Vicki in jail and Natalie stopped her, reminding her it was too late a night to be going out, that it was dangerous, telling her what not to do, etc. Same for when Josette wanted to leave town - Natalie tried everything to stop her, then insisted on going with her if she had to leave. Of course I don't mean that Natalie might have had the same interest  in Josette that Judith Fellowes had in her charge, but I do see Josette as being Natalie's "charge." Certainly she has assumed the role of mother/protector/keeper of propriety where Josette is concerned. And although Josette could be considered an "old maid" by 1795 standards, she is still a "proper young lady," at the insistence of her Aunt Natalie.