Synopses & Reviews
All the documented facts concerning the novelist are collected in this detailed account of Jane Austen's life, background and literary career. Her role within an affectionate and talented family group is described in the Austens' own words, showing how Jane was valued as daughter, sister, aunt and friend. The book demonstrates how Jane transformed the details of her peaceful life in the Hampshire countryside, along with the wartime careers of her brothers, into six novels that are among the most popular in the English language.
Review
'Indispensable ... it is impossible to overestimate the value of this book.' The Jane Austen Society Newsletter
Review
'Clear and quick-witted, this biography offers insights into Jane's personality and her relationships with her family and acquaintances ... Not to be missed.' Good Book Guide
Synopsis
An account of Jane Austen's life, background and literary career drawn largely from family letters and diaries.
Synopsis
This book is the outcome of years of research in Austen archives, and stems from the original family biography by W. and R. A. Austen-Leigh, Jane Austen: her Life and Letters (1913). Deirdre Le Faye's version was first published in 1989, and this new edition incorporates new information, illustrations and family trees. Le Faye gives a detailed account of Austen's life and literary career. She has collected together documented facts as well as the traditions concerning the novelist, and places her within the context of a widespread, affectionate and talented family group.
About the Author
Deirdre Le Faye has been actively researching the life and times of Jane Austen and her family for the last thirty years. In 1995 she prepared a completely new edition of Jane Austen's Letters. She has also written several other books: a short illustrated biography, Jane Austen (1998), Jane Austen's 'Outlandish Cousin', the Life and Letters of Eliza de Feuillide (2002), and Jane Austen: The World of Her Novels (2002), as well as numerous articles in literary journals.
Table of Contents
Illustrations; Foreword by Joan Impey; Preface; Acknowledgments; Notes and Abbreviations; Chronology of Jane Austen's life; 1. Austens and Leighs, 1600-1764; 2. Deane and Steventon, 1764-75; 3. India and France, 1752-85; 4. Childhood and Steventon, 1775-86; 5. Family Life, 1786-92; 6. First compositions, 1787-92; 7. The young Jane, 1792-96; 8. Later years at Steventon, 1796-99; 9. The Leigh-Perrots and Bath, 1799-1801; 10. Bath and the West Country, 1801-1804; 11. Bath and Southampton, 1804-08; 12. Southampton and Chawton, 1808-09; 13. First publication, 1809-12; 14. Pride and Prejudice, 1813; 15. Mansfield Park and Emma, 1814-1815; 16. Emma and Persuasion, 1816-17; 17 Biography, 1817 and after; References; Bibliography; Family pedigrees; Origin and descent of biographical information on Jane Austen.