Jane Austen's Letters

Amazon.com

Jane Austen famously labeled her literary ambit a "little bit (two inches wide) of ivory." Luckily, her personal travels and those of her family were slightly more extensive, otherwise we should be without her letters. Not only should every Janeite possess them, but also every connoisseur of correspondence. Austen's wit is ubiquitous--even though some protest it edges into waspishness. E. M. Forster, for example, described the letters between Austen and her beloved sister, Cassandra, as "the whinnying of harpies."

On September 18, 1796, she tells Cassandra, "What dreadful Hot weather we have!--It keeps one in a continual state of Inelegance.--If Miss Pearson should return with me, pray be careful not to expect too much Beauty..." The dashes and capitalization alone make one long for the days before stylistic rules had so cemented. As for the sentiments! Austen paces her monologues to perfection, making the comic and ironic most out of the smallest incidents. Still, her frustration does occasionally emerge. "I am forced to be abusive," she implodes to Cassandra, "for want of a subject, having nothing really to say." Jane Austen has more than enough to say for lovers of literature and the cultural pinprick.

Book Description

Jane Austen's letters afford a unique insight into the daily life of the novelist: intimate and gossipy, observant and informative, they bring alive her family and friends, her surroundings and contemporary events with a freshness unparalleled in modern biographies. Above all we recognize the unmistakable voice of the author of Pride and Prejudice, witty and amusing as she describes the social life of town and country, thoughtful and constructive when writing about the business of literary composition. R. W. Chapman's ground-breaking edition of the collected Letters first appeared in 1932, and a second edition followed twenty years later. For this third edition Deidre Le Faye has added new material that has come to light since 1952, and re- ordered the letters into their correct chronological sequence. She has provided discreet and full annotation to each letter, including its provenance, and information on the watermarks, postmarks, and other physical details of the manuscripts, together with new biographical, topographical, and general indexes.

Customer Reviews:

Shoddy treatment of such valuable things!.......2007-09-10

I dare not argue with the importance of Jane Austen's letters, nor with the pleasure to be obtained by reading them. This edition, however, is the poorest-bound book I have ever seen! I just received it in the mail, and the copyright page has already fallen out. The margins are equally dismal, and I am afraid one reading will finish the whole thing off. Buy this edition if you must, but find a better copy if you can.

Great insight into an author who didn't write enough!.......2007-08-30

I think all Austen fans lament her early death - only six completed novels just isn't enough!

These letters do help fill that gap. Austen was smart, honest, funny; you can hear her voice so clearly in these letters. It is a shame that her sister destroyed most of her letters before she died (since she thought they were too indecent or personal or just downright mean!), but I allow Austen SOME privacy! These letters are just wonderful.

The only slight drawback is that, as a lay person, the layout was a little cumbersome. I'm not a Regency expert, so I needed to keep flipping back to the explanatory notes to understand the language. That flipping became annoying at times. I would prefer to have the notes at the bottom of the page so I could scan them without leaving the body of the letter. Just a personal preference thing, though.

Disintegrating letters........2007-05-19

I had already read Jane Austen's letters but wanted to have my own copy. They give a fascintating insight into her life, although somewhat limited by the fact that her sister Cassandra burnt all of Jane's leters to her after Jane's death. Unfortunately the copy I have recently bought is poorly bound and the pages started coming loose the first time I opened it. I just couldn't be bothered returning the book from New Zealand.

The Best Source For Austen-ites Ever!.......2006-03-15

This is the best edition of Austen's letters ever published. It includes recently discovered letters from Jane Austen or about Jane Austen. It also provides details regarding the postmarks on the letters and an index (with description!) of the many people, servants and friends in Austen's life. While this book doesn't provide much cultural context or criticism, serious students of Jane Austen will learn more about Austen's authorial project and her daily life. While we can never know Austen as a person, we can get a sense of her life, her family, and the pressures she faced on an intimate level. It is interesting to find the paralells between Austen's letters and her novels. Astute readers will find that Austen was witty and sarcastic outside of her novels as well. I used this book as a resource in a college class in which we only read Austen's novels, and found her Letters to open up the texts in suprising ways. An excellent tool that should be part of your Austen collection!

A Must Have for the English Regency reference shelf.......2002-09-25

Primary sources are always the best in understanding the mindset of a period. Here we have a thick collection of Jane Austen's letters, which have been very well annotated by the editor. The contrast between the Memoirs of Harriette Wilson (who lived in the same period, published by the famous courtesan in 1825) are hilarious. Witty but staidly Anglican Jane at one point savagely attacks the very high aristocrats romping their scandalous way through Harriette's world, that "race of Pagets". Jane Austen's letters let us have a glimpses of what daily life in the English gentry and aristocratic class was like in Regency England; seeemingly trivial details such as the buying of Wedgwood china with the personal crest, buying the breakfast set separate to the other china sets (longing to see what a Regency breakfast set looked like! The breakfast set is mentioned in Sense and Sensibility) are actually very difficult to find out about, it is not something historians generally write about. The notes by the editor are fascinating and could lead to further research, for example how did one lord prove his title after being a Dublin potboy? And the gentleman who divorced his wife after the proper lady decided to become a professional actress...usually it was the other way around, the actress became a proper lady! The biographical details added by the editor on various gentry/aristocratic families mentioned in Jane Austen's letters are very tantalising.

More Letters From Pemberley: 1814-1819: A Further Continuation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice

Average customer rating:

One of the best Austin sequels.....
Well written and enjoyable!
A little too sad but worthwhile
Starts as good as the fist, BUT . . .
More letters from Pemberly

More Letters From Pemberley: 1814-1819: A Further Continuation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice
Jane Dawkins
Manufacturer: iUniverse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Family Saga | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Romance | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Letters from Pemberley: The First Year
These Three Remain: A Novel of Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman
An Assembly Such as This: A Novel of Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman (Fitzwilliam Darcy Gentleman)
Duty and Desire: A Novel of Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman (Fitzwilliam Darcy Gentleman)
Mrs Darcy's Dilemma: A sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice

ASIN: 0595283721

Book Description

Letters from Pemberley, Jane Dawkins's popular continuation of Pride and Prejudice, described Elizabeth Bennet's first year at Pemberley as the newly wed Mrs. Darcy. More Letters From Pemberley picks up the story in 1814 and follows the life of one of literature's best loved figures for another six years to the twilight of the Regency period in 1819.

Again incorporating Jane Austen's own words and characters from her other works (who appear with different names, either associated with Austen's life, borrowed from another of her novels, or a word-play on their original name), Jane Dawkins has pieced together another literary patchwork quilt. The result is an entertaining and satisfying tale which Â…will surely delight Jane Austen fans, and please the many readers of Letters From Pemberley who asked for more.

Customer Reviews:

One of the best Austin sequels............2007-08-27

The format of this book is unique and interesting. The author has taken great care to write in the style of the Regency period. The characters, for the most part were dealt with in a manner true to the original stories. A great summer afternoon read.

Well written and enjoyable!.......2007-06-18

This was a very fast read but to anyone that loves Darcy and Elizabeth this is a must own! As in the first book, the letters are compelling and so well written that you can certainly follow what has happened through out the years -- and not wonder about possible gaps. Enjoyable from the first letter to the last!

A little too sad but worthwhile.......2007-03-09

Like its predecessor, this was a very easy and pleasant read. At one point, a little too sad and tragic for me but pleasing overall. The book provides a satisfying portrayal of the Darcys. As was Letters from Pemberley: The First Year, this is one of the better sequels to PnP.

Starts as good as the fist, BUT . . . .......2006-10-18

P&P is one of my favorite books. I love Jane Austen so much that I did an independent study in college on Jane Austen! I bought both Letters books based on customer reviews that I would not be disappointed. The first was wonderful, and the second began that way, but loving Austen the way I do, I can trust her not to induce tears. This book became heart wrenching toward the end. I escape to other worlds when this one is too harsh, so being slapped in the face with such raw tragedy here was both unexpected and more than troublesome.

I wish I had left off with the first book.

More letters from Pemberly.......2006-07-04

What a delight this book is! If you are familiar with Austin's other works besides Pride and Prejudice, you pick up on who the letters are addressed to. This book is like receiving letters from dear friends.

Average customer rating:

A Let-down
A Wrong-headed View of the Future
Good if you are in the mood to watch a movie like The Love Letter
Clever, intriguing Mr. Darcy fantasy fiction! A keeper!
Ridiculous.

The Man Who Loved Jane Austen
Sally Smith O'Rourke
Manufacturer: Kensington
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Romance | Subjects | Books

General | Historical | Romance | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

By a Lady: Being the Adventures of an Enlightened American in Jane Austen's England
These Three Remain: A Novel of Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman
Me and Mr. Darcy: A Novel
The True Darcy Spirit: A Novel
Mr. Darcy's Diary

ASIN: 075821037X

Download Description

What if you found a 200-year-old love letter written from a fictional character to the writer who created him? And what if, next to that letter, was another addressed to this character . . . from the author herself? Truth may be stranger than fiction, but one woman is about to find out what happens when fiction becomes truth...New York artist Eliza Knight certainly did not realize it at the time, but her life changed when she bought the old, beat-up vanity table one lazy Sunday afternoon. Tucked away behind the mirror she found two letters, one sealed, but one already opened: May 12th, 1810. Dearest Jane, the Captain has found me out. I am being forced to go into hiding immediately. But if I am able, I shall still be waiting at the same spot tonight. Then you will know everything you wish to know. F. Darcy.

Customer Reviews:

A Let-down.......2007-08-10

What was an intriguing book title in theory unfortunately disappointed in reality. After a few pages it was clear that this was an awkwardly written book. I'm even embarrassed posthumously for poor Jane Austen, that her delicious read would be followed by such a bland and tasteless response. The metaphors were groaners, the plot predictable and the characters unengaging to the end. It read more like a Lifetime or Hallmark made-for-TV movie screenplay than a serious tribute to P & P (if you've seen "Somewhere in Time", you'll have a pretty good idea of the storyline). There are even preachy little references about the inhumanity of capital punishment, women's liberation, and sexual freedom alongside Darcy's pontification about "...what we call morality is always only relative to the standards of a given society". Hmmm...maybe for some people, but that doesn't speak for me or a large number of religious people that populate the US. Anyway, I don't appreciate tired political talking points in my fun reads. If you want an easy, enjoyable book along the lines of Jane Austen's works, I wouldn't recommend this one.

A Wrong-headed View of the Future.......2007-07-08

I loved this book, except for a rather heavy-handed attempt to link birth control and sexual freedom to the wonderful world of the twenty-first century. Hasn't the author ever looked at a modern classroom or a day-care center or the whole foster-care system? Haven't the readers noticed how many college girls go to bars, leave with someone they hardly know, and end up dead?
Instead of sexual freedom bringing in the modern Utopia, it has delivered one or two generations with untold numbers of lost souls. Any day you want, I'll be happy to take Jane's morals and values--the family, fidelity, chastity, children who know their fathers, young women who accept the protection of their families.

Good if you are in the mood to watch a movie like The Love Letter .......2007-06-17

This is the kind of book to read if you were in the mood to watch a movie like The Love Letter or You've Got Mail but there was a big thunderstorm and the lights went out or you are getting over the flu and you can't process a complicated plot line but are getting bored of just watching TV. It is what it is and it was an enjoyable.

Clever, intriguing Mr. Darcy fantasy fiction! A keeper!.......2007-05-24

It's a fantastical fiction -- so I don't get why others are so opposed to this story. I thought it clever and totally entertaining. A great way to spend an evening. Honestly, I find myself blushing defending the absurdity of the premise of Jane Austen's Mr. Darcy accidentally time travelling through a portal from modern day to the regency era (yes, it's a stretch!,) meeting Miss Austen herself, falling in-love with her, resulting in the re-writing of First Impressions/Pride and Prejudice. Rather than be a complete spoiler (because that is just part of the story...) believe me when I say, I was totally sucked in. I'm only sorry I didn't buy it in hardback as this was an intriguing book of fantasy Mr. Darcy fiction.

Ridiculous........2007-05-01

I had hope for the beginning, but then TIME TRAVEL??
I found the dialogue trying at times as well. At points I'd actually lower the book and roll my eyes.
I'd suggest almost anything else but this.

Letters to Alice on First Reading Jane Austen

Average customer rating:

as much about literature as Austen, and a great read
A "must read" for sceptics of the value of literature
Read This Book
Required reading for all who aspire to create.
Not really about Jane Austen, more for Fay Weldon fans

Letters to Alice on First Reading Jane Austen
Fay Weldon
Manufacturer: Carroll & Graf Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Authors | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Letters & Correspondence | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Down Among the Women (Cassandra Editions)
Splitting
Negotiating with the Dead
The Robber Bride
Jane Austen: The World of Her Novels

ASIN: 0786706880

Book Description

Inspired by a series of instructive letters written by Austen to a novel-writing niece, Letters to Alice is an epistolary novel in which an important modern writer responds to her niece's complaint that Jane Austen is boring and irrelevant. By turns passionate and ironic, "Aunt Fay" makes Alice think - not only about books and literature, but also life and culture.

Customer Reviews:

as much about literature as Austen, and a great read.......2002-04-08

Written in the form of witty letters to a niece taking an undergraduate English Lit course, this book attempts to bring insight to the work of Jane Austen in particular and to answer those who question the relevance of literature in general. First published in 1984, there is no mention of deconstruction's effect on academic departments, but otherwise the author seems to address most issues pertinent to the reading and writing of fiction, beginning with a wonderful chapter on the lovely metaphoric City of Invention. Elsewhere, Weldon discusses non-literature, Latin, a writer's relatives and friends, feminism, literary truth, critics and invention. Austen is here as well,and the author enlightens with her discussions of Austen's life, times, works, style and death. There are many wonderful passages, and I especially admired the analyses of Austen's work, but I would have liked more of this, and in more detail. At one point the author writes: "[Jane Austen] knows how to end a scene, an episode, a chapter, before beginning the next: when to allow the audience to rest, when to and how to underline a statement, when to mark time with idle paragraphs, allowing what went before to settle, before requiring it to inform what comes next. It is a very modern technique. It requires ... consciousness of audience, and audience reaction." It should be evident from that passage that Weldon is an elegant, insightful and articulate writer, and I would have *loved* to have seen extended examples and analysis of specific Austen passages to illustrate the points made in the preceding excerpt.

Ultimately, I didn't think the niece's subplot worked. Weldon first advises her not to attempt to write a novel, and then advises her to write it, and then advises her about dealing with the publisher when the novel is not only published but very successful. What's Weldon's greater meaning? Why would this undergrad's novel be published and who is reading it? Is it a condemnation or just a device to drive the conceit?

I learned a lot about Jane Austen and about writing, and got some help for the next time someone tells me it's a waste of time to read a novel. Very enjoyable and highly recommended.

A "must read" for sceptics of the value of literature.......2000-09-10

There's a national debate going on in my country concerning the value and relevance of literature in modern society. Students are liberally encouraged by their schools to drop literature from their curriculum in favour of more examination friendly subjects to increase their chances of achieving the maximum aggregate score for their "O" and "A" levels. So, it is not without some irony that I should be reading Fay Weldon's "Letters to Alice On First Reading Jane Austen" as my introduction to this author's works. Well, I was completely blown away by its first chapter/letter entitled "The City of Invention" which alone is worth the price of the book and....says it all. The imagery she uses in distinguishing the different genres in writing as well as the intrinsic or superficial merits of each form of writing is absolutely breathtaking. In it, she hints at why Shakespeare in the "city of invention" is that castle that marks the skyline and a compulsory stop for every tour group making the rounds of the "city". Weldon is eloquent, witty and wickedly funny with her pen. While she never quite hits the high of that first chapter again, she offers some rare and valuable insight into why Austen is read even today. Great literature has the power when read (whether quietly or aloud) to touch the masses by revealing the universality of some home truths or values they espouse. Although Austen fans will be delighted to see their favourite characters come to live in Weldon's world, you don't have to like Jane Austen to enjoy this book. To fellow Singaporeans sceptical about the value of literature in schools, my advice is "read this and you will see how absurd the question really is". No matter if you disagree after reading the book, b'cos you would have had a jolly good time. Great stuff. Truly.

Read This Book.......1999-10-30

I loved this book when it first came out years ago, and it still makes me laugh, as Jane Austin still makes me laugh. Fay Weldon is one of the few writers I know of who has the wit and the irony that we Austin-lovers look for. Letters to Alice is wise and insightful; read it!

Required reading for all who aspire to create........1998-06-12

Borrowed from a friend during my Jane Austen period, this book so delighted and inspired that it is now a dog-eared resident of my nightstand. As a neophyte pro-writer, I often have people ask me how I made the transition from "wanna-be" to "real" writer. This book was an important part of that process.

Not really about Jane Austen, more for Fay Weldon fans.......1998-04-04

I thought someone ought to give fair warning to diehard "Jane Fans" that this book is not so much about Jane Austen as it is about coming of age and the relationship between two different generations. Jane is not its main focus. Borrow it from your local library, if they have it, but I wouldn't recommend buying it.

Average customer rating:

Transcends Time
Strong Edition
Jane Austen anti-Modern Library consipiracy??
Caveat Emptor - DO NOT BUY THIS ITEM BEFORE READING THIS
Jane's prose is perfect

Complete Novels of Jane Austen
Jane Austen
Manufacturer: Modern Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Essays | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Literary Criticism & Collections | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Northanger Abbey (Modern Library Classics)
Pride and Prejudice - The Special Edition (A&E, 1996)
My Life in France
Pride & Prejudice
Sense & Sensibility (Special Edition)

ASIN: 0394604369
Release Date: 1978-01-12

Customer Reviews:

Transcends Time.......2006-09-26

This is an EXCELLENT collection of Jane Austen's novels. Yes, when buying it, my brother and I chuckled over the irony of "The Complete Novels... Volume I," but neither of us was silly enough to think we were immune from having to also purchase Volume II in order to have the Complete Novels. If you are looking for quality at a reasonable price, this is the collection to buy. These books are exceptionally well made, and the type and paper quality are well above average.

Volume I Review:

I originally read Volume I years ago after having first seen the television and movie adaptations of Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility. I recently decided to re-read this volume and was even more enraptured with it than I was during the first read. The plight of the Dashwood sisters and the malleability of their step-brother by his cold wife in Sense and Sensibility is made so vivid by Jane Austen's flawless writing. What girl or woman reading Pride and Prejudice doesn't imagine she is Elizabeth Bennet, with both her beauty and intelligence, inadvertantly making Mr. Darcy fall in love with her? My heart positively ached for Fanny Price in Mansfield Park, and I wondered how she could put up with the neglect of her rich, fancy relatives and the tyranny of her Aunt Norris and maintain such a pure heart. I am awed by the timelessness and reality of these novels. In my mind, it simply does not get any better than Jane Austen.

Volume II Review:

I also recently finished re-reading Volume II. Jane Austen's novels certainly do transcend time. Whenever I read them I am struck by some new truth applicable either to my life or life today in general. What was true about human nature approximately 200 years ago remains true today, which makes relating to and understanding Jane Austen so easy as well as gratifying.

Like the heroine in Emma, who hasn't known a spoiled brat whose natural vanity is the result of being blessed in everything? Emma's superior attitude is a bit galling at times, and I positively cringed at some of her blunders, but Emma has a good heart. She makes mistakes, like we all do, but eventually she begins to understand her errors through the help of her good friend Mr. Knightly. Thank goodness for friends who love us in spite of our imperfections!

In Northanger Abbey, I am tickled to death not only by Catherine's naivete but also by Jane Austen herself. The first half of this novel is filled with the most hilarious observations which seem to come directly from Austen, and the second half is filled with the overactive imagination of Catherine Morland, who has read perhaps too many novels. In this parody of Gothic fiction, Austen pokes fun at both herself and her audience. It is truly a delight.

When I first read Jane Austen in my mid-twenties, Persuasion was my favorite novel. It gave me hope. I felt so strongly for Anne Elliot, who at nineteen was convinced by her family to reject the man she loved because of his lack of rank and fortune. Seven years later, after he has acheived his fortune, she is thrown into this same man's company. She must watch, agonizingly, while he courts two other young ladies. Anne's courage and fortitude are inspiring.

Strong Edition.......2006-03-20

This hardback is a solid binding on good quality paper. It easily stands up to the many re-readings Austen's novels deserve.

Jane Austen anti-Modern Library consipiracy??.......2005-11-10

There are two similar in tone if not identical reviews on amazon.com and amazon.ca warning people away from this edition because it's not "complete".

Clearly, they didn't read the title past "Complete Novels" to the "Volume I" part which specified pretty precisely which of the six complete novels were part of this volume.

I'm mystified. Surely anyone who's willing and eager (let alone able) to read Austen could understand it would take two volumes to publish the complete works? Come on, they average 300 pages apiece!

So I think the two correspondents are agents of Penguin or Oxford World's Classics or somebody who has an interest in turning people away from the Modern Library editions.

Oh yeah, a review: the Modern Library editions are excellent. They're complete (so you have to buy TWO books!), they're affordable, and they're durable.

Caveat Emptor - DO NOT BUY THIS ITEM BEFORE READING THIS.......2000-08-16

This review is not for the novels of Jane Austen, rather for the item offered here on amazon.com

Much to my surprise, after I ordered "The Complete Novels of Jane Austen (Modern Library Series)" ISBN 0679600264, only one book arrived. As pictured above, Vol I contains S&S, P&P, and MP.

The other three novels must be in Vol II, you surmise? Wrong! THAT IS ALL YOU GET !

Apparently, "complete" is a relative term, meaning "half of". At best, this listing shows ignorance. At worst, this listing is fraud.

Jane's prose is perfect.......1998-04-14

Jane Austen is still where she belongs, between book covers. We know the stories are good, but what isn't immediately obvious is the many recent adaptations is what an impeccable writer of English prose she is - no posturing word-dropper, no purveyer of hoary terminology, but a fine, simple, straightforward narrator.

She is brief but telling, using tilt and tone to make us smile. She doesn't bore with tedious flashbacks or podding descriptions of a new character's background. And she tells us what we wanted to know, just when we want to know it. As I am wondering what became of Mr. Bingley, he turns up; as I am trying to remember what the party is doing in Bath, it becomes clear. She's always ahead, dropping just the right number of crumbs.

Jane's world moved slowly, and reading her takes time. Her cncerns are universal - how to fill the hours of the day, the pairing of single young men and women, the effects of money, household matters. Her ethical domain is dominated by consideration - of others' feelings, needs, requirements. The occasional rebellious spirit is not admired, concepts such as fulfillment and freedom never enter her head. As for "needs" beyond basic physical ones - an idea that would have astonished her - she would have substituted "obligations."

Book Description

The new readers brought to the works of Jane Austen through the film versions of Pride and Prejudice, the soon-to-be released Emma, and the Academy Award-nominated Sense and Sensibility will enjoy discovering the author's personal side through this richly illustrated collection of her letters. 320 illustrations, 120 in full color.

Jane Austen's 'Outlandish Cousin': The Life and Letters of Eliza de Feuillide

Average customer rating:

An exceptionally well-written life story

Jane Austen's 'Outlandish Cousin': The Life and Letters of Eliza de Feuillide
Deirdre Le Faye
Manufacturer: British Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Authors | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Irish | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Essays | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Jane Austen: A Family Record
A Memoir of Jane Austen: and Other Family Recollections (Oxford World's Classics)
Jane Austen's Letters
Jane Austen: The World of Her Novels
So You Think You Know Jane Austen?: A Literary Quizbook (Oxford World's Classics)

ASIN: 0712347623

Customer Reviews:

An exceptionally well-written life story.......2003-03-04

Jane Austen's 'Outlandish Cousin': The Life and Letters of Eliza de Feuillide by Austen biographer Deirdre Le Faye is the informative and engaging story of Eliza de Feuillide, a grand woman who is best known to history as the strong-willed first cousin of Jane Austin. Eliza's international life, her time in the court of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, her marriage to a French aristocrat, her sudden widowhood when the guillotine claimed her husband in 1794, and much, much more are covered in depth in this fascinating, aptly researched, and exceptionally well-written life story which is enhanced with excerpts drawn from Eliza's elegantly written correspondence. Jane Austen's 'Outlandish Cousin' is especially recommended reading for students and scholars of Jane Austen and 18th Century French history.

My Dear Cassandra (The Illustrated Letters)

Average customer rating:

A lovely introduction to Jane Austen and her times - vibrant, colourful

My Dear Cassandra (The Illustrated Letters)
Jane Austen
Manufacturer: Collins & Brown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Jane Austen's Letters
Jane Austen: In Style
A Memoir of Jane Austen: and Other Family Recollections (Oxford World's Classics)
Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict

ASIN: 1855850044

Customer Reviews:

A lovely introduction to Jane Austen and her times - vibrant, colourful.......2005-08-16

It is a shame that this book is not more readily available as it is lovely, these are the illustrated letters of Jane Autsen and it is a wonderful introduction, not just to her wit and style, but to the colourful times she lived in and to her family and background

I was impressed with Hughes-Hallet text which helped put the letters into context, but I was mostly really thrilled about the the pictures chosen and the overall layout. The book is in landscape format with the text in the middle of the page and illustrations on the outside of the pages. They are therefore both part of the text but illustrations in their own right and fit seamlessly in with the whole.

There are colourful choices of illustrations both from the period and selected from the family. So it is nice to thumb through just for the pictures, which are well captioned too and give a sense of the period at a glance

Each chapter is well defined with an overall chapter heading such as "A New and Settled Home" with a subtitle Chawton 1809-1813 - it really helps to define the period and the possible mind-set for Austen herself

The letters are printed in full with explanations and chapter summaries as well. A great idea as Cassandra destroyed many if not most of Austen's letters on Jane's on her death - leaving a small selection to go on for later scholars and fans. This format allows a nice expansion of the small resource available to show Austen's times rather than attempting simply to analyse her thinking.

Overall I found this book to be a great read, and a good book for a browse through as well. It is less scholarly than Claire Tomalins collected letters of Austen, but a fantastic collection to have on a different level. I will definitely be lookin gout for more of Hughes-Hallet's works and would highly recommend it to others as well.

Letters from Pemberley, the First Year: A Continuation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice

Average customer rating:

Boring
Sweet, but unoriginal
Fabulous - Terrific - Must Read for Austen Fans
Amusing look into Mrs. Darcy's new life
"An old-fashioned patchwork quilt"

Letters from Pemberley, the First Year: A Continuation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice
Jane Dawkins
Manufacturer: Chicken Soup Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Romance | Subjects | Books

General | Historical | Romance | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

More Letters From Pemberley: 1814-1819: A Further Continuation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice
These Three Remain: A Novel of Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman
An Assembly Such as This: A Novel of Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman (Fitzwilliam Darcy Gentleman)
Duty and Desire: A Novel of Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman (Fitzwilliam Darcy Gentleman)
Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife: Pride and Prejudice Continues

ASIN: 1893337006

Book Description

A delightful continuation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. In writing a series of letters to her beloved sister, Jane, Elizabeth Darcy describes her first year as mistress of Pemberley with all its anxieties and joys, but never losing her sense of humor and sparkling wit.

Customer Reviews:

Boring.......2007-10-02

I found this book boring and not up to the reviews I read here. It didn't have the same sense of sly humor present in Austen's work.

Sweet, but unoriginal.......2007-09-17

I have to admit myself disappointed by this book. While it is sweet, the format of it allows for no dialogue, by definition of course. But the witty dialogue between Elizabeth and Darcy is the most fun part about P&P. Also, the author mercilessly steals characters from other Jane Austen books. The Norlands are there, cameoing as themselves. That is not so bad because there story does take place in Derbyshire and so is appropriate. But there is a Emma/Knightly couple, given another name but their story is exactly the same. There is also a Mr./Mrs. Elton couple, again under a different name but the characters are exact. I find this just plain laziness. Please, give us some freshness!

It is a quick read, and nice for that feeling of escape to elegant times. But so far it is my least favorite of the Jane Austen fan fiction I have read this past year. My favorite is An Assembly Such as This, told from Darcy's perspective. That is a three volume series and gives you new characters, and plots to get involved in. Much more fun than this book.

That all being said I may read the sequel, because as I said it is lighthearted and pretty to read. But, as with the first, I will get it at the library rather than spend the money for it.

Fabulous - Terrific - Must Read for Austen Fans.......2007-08-17

I believe there are a multitude of devoted fans who have read Jane Austen's PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, loved it, and wanted to see it continue. With this book, LETTERS FROM PEMBERLEY, author Jane Dawkins does an admirable job of what could be. She is not necessarily trying to write a sequel in Ms. Austen's style; as this would be impossible, but gives a believable look at Elizabeth's life through a series of letters to her sister Jane during the first year of her marriage. These letters, all written by Elizabeth bring back fond memories of lovable characters from both the book and the BBC series (which I've watched numerous times) and introduces new characters as well.

I say now, I liked this book! The letters, all written by Elizabeth to her beloved sister Jane, were concise enough for the reader to read between the lines and able to imagine Jane's responses. Elizabeth's letters were witty and lively describing her initial discomfiture at becoming the mistress of such a grand estate and how worried she was at making a good impression in front of Mr. Darcy's friends; knowing full well, that in their mind Darcy had married beneath him.

What I found so very sweet were the lovely and thoughtful things Mr. Darcy did to ease Elizabeth's path into feeling like Pemberley was indeed her home, and how she described how very dear her Mr. Darcy truly was after her initial harsh determination of his character. And of course, I laughed out loud when she made mention of their mother's (Mrs. Bennet) `nerves' and how `vexed' she could get with her two elder married daughters.

In Elizabeth's letters, one is able to see the joy she has found in her new life with new friends she's met as well as keeping up with the daily lives of past friends, such as her friend Charlotte, who married Mr. Collins; her selfish sister Lydia (now Mrs. Wickam) and a multitude of other acquaintances during her first year at Pemberley. I was fully engrossed from the first letter to the last, and so wish there were more. For all Jane Austen fans, this is definitely a must read!

Marilyn Rondeau, RIO - Reviewers International Organization, for www.TheMysticCastle.com

Amusing look into Mrs. Darcy's new life.......2007-08-15

Dawkins really captured the feeling of Pride and Prejudice in Letters from Pemberley, especially Lizzy's wit and sense of humor. A bit of warning to the future reader though - this isn't really a book with a goal in mind.

Dawkins offers a peek into the new Mrs. Darcy's letters. Just imagine a time without phones and e-mail, when your correspondence is a part of your daily routine, reading letters over breakfast and responding to them. Maybe I'm just old fashioned like that, as I still enjoy writing and receiving snail mail. The action doesn't focus on Lizzy and Darcy; it just gives the reader the details of the year after their marriage, introducing some new characters while staying true to those we've already met in the original novel.

One of my favorite parts of this book was when Lizzy described Darcy's attempt to obtain the services of a certain artist to capture her likeness for the Pemberley gallery. She jokes to Darcy that the artist probably considers his skills above capturing "merely tolerable beauty." Darcy then fires back that in response to this, he would write to the artist:

"On the contrary, his wife's incomparable perfections are marred only by a head filled with fanciful nonsense, the result of an excellent memory and a cruel fondness for teasing an adoring Husband who surely deserves better treatment at her hand."

It's really an interesting book to read, as it really does feel like the way Lizzy would write and I'm glad Dawkins didn't dishonor the tone of Pride and Prejudice. I would sometimes think that I'd like to read a "Letters from Netherfield," but it wouldn't be as amusing because Jane's too nice to poke fun at people.

"An old-fashioned patchwork quilt".......2007-07-30

As the title implies, Letters from Pemberley: The First Year is a series of twenty-five letters from the new Mrs. Darcy (aka Elizabeth Bennet) to her sister, the new Mrs. Bingley (aka Jane Bennet). Readers of Pride and Prejudice will remember that a letter played an important part in changing Elizabeth's feelings about Darcy, so Dawkins choice of letters as her medium fits quite well.

Dawkins described her work as "an old-fashioned patchwork quilt, where in place of the scraps of fabric . . . there is a line or a phrase or a sentence from one of Jane Austen's books or letters stitched alongside the lesser scraps" of Dawkins' work. She also took favorite characters from other Austen novels, gave them different names, and worked them into Lizzie's letters. It was very amusing to pick out who was who or which lines were from which books or letters (I even kept a little list! It is quite gratifying to figure these things out!).

I quite enjoyed Letters from Pemberley: The First Year and was glad that Dawkins did not feel the need to make Lizzie, Darcy, Jane, Bingley, Georgiana, and other characters new again. We read Jane Austen novels repeatedly because Jane created such realistic and fabulous characters. I think too often people try to "improve" upon them, which just cannot be done. Dawkins also understands this and wrote these letters in Lizzie Bennet Darcy's persona, not some other Lizzie's. I can easily imagine Jane having written these herself.

Lizzie is adjusting to life as mistress of Pemberley and wife of Mr. Darcy, attempting to develop a deeper relationship with Darcy's sister, Georgiana, and find her place in a higher level of society than she is used to living in. As much as her family drove her crazy on occasion, she misses being with them. Her letters to Jane describe her activities, her feelings, and her hopes.

Elizabeth and Jane are closest to each other out of the five Bennet daughters and their letters provide solace as they make their ways in their new lives. I can imagine doing the same with my sister (if she wrote letters).

I look forward to reading Letters from Pemberley: The First Year again (and figuring out more of Jane's lines!) and would recommend it to any Austen fan!

Laughing Feminism: Subversive Comedy in Frances Burney, Maria Edgeworth, and Jane Austen (Xumor in Life and Letters Series)

Average customer rating:

scholarly but accessible feminist look at Austen et al.

Laughing Feminism: Subversive Comedy in Frances Burney, Maria Edgeworth, and Jane Austen (Xumor in Life and Letters Series)
Audrey Bilger
Manufacturer: Wayne State University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Women Writers & Feminist Theory | Books & Reading | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Feminist Theory | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Women Writers | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0814330541

Book Description

An examination of comedy and feminism in the works of early women British novelists.

Customer Reviews:

scholarly but accessible feminist look at Austen et al........2003-03-26

I was anxious to read this book because I've always enjoyed 18th and 19th century literature, and believed that the humor found in the works of Austen and Burney were overlooked and undermentioned. Author Bilger examines the works of Frances Burney, Maria Edgeworth and Jane Austen, and posits that the humor they used was subversive -- laughter at the expense of the overbearing patriarchal culture in which they lived.

While this isn't exactly what I'd hoped it would be, it was more accessible than many scholarly works, and after I got into the rhythm and jargon of the academic writing, I found myself entertained as well as informed -- such a lovely combination.

Laughter is a commodity too often ignored and a tool too often overlooked, but the author makes her case that these three authors consciously used satire, burlesque and parody to criticize their culture while maintaining the guise of docile co-conspirators. Bilger begins with interesting chapters on women & comedy and Mary Shelley's feminism before discussing the lives of her subjects, their beliefs and their use of comedic technique and characters to undermine the dominant paradigm, as it were. Naive observers, female tricksters, competitive women, nimcompoop suitors and ignorant patriarchs are described and then illustrated with short excerpts from the many works by these talented authors -- in particular Austen's Pride and Prejudice, and Northanger Abbey; Burney's Camilla and The Wanderer; and Edgeworth's Belinda and Helen.

I thought the most interesting chapter was on "goblin humor", dark humor that is still considered distasteful by many and seems shocking when found in these quiet comedies of manners. Here the author displayed a mastery of comic theory as well as the literature, and made her case admirably, without descent into the jargon-laden victimization theory that dominates feminist film theory, for example. Rather, Bilger posits that Austen, Burney and Edgeworth found an outlet for what they could have considered a hopeless situation, and that they consciously and actively did their best to undermine the system in which they lived, reflecting and building upon the work of earlier feminists, and sending out beacons of camaraderie to women living under cultural and personal subjugation.

The book concludes with a fine Notes section, a bibliography and a good index.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books