Jane Austen: Her Life, Her Times, Her Novels

by Janet Todd

Overview

Over the past 200 years—although never more than in recent decades—Jane Austen's sharp and witty novels have delighted a diverse and devoted international readership. With scant information about her life available, fans have a bottomless hunger for details about the woman behind the work. Jane Austen feeds that appetite with background on her relationships with family and friends; on the contemporary attitudes that shaped Austen and her writing; and on the settings that inspired her and feature in her stories. Austenites will particularly treasure the 15 pieces of removable memorabilia, which include facsimiles of early manuscripts, a handwritten note outlining the profits from her novels, and a letter from Austen's father to the publisher Thomas Cadell that was returned with the words “Rejected by return of post” written on it.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780233003702
Publisher:	Carlton Books
Publication date:	04/01/2014
Pages:	112
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 11.20(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Janet Todd is an authority on literature and culture of the early eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. She was educated at Cambridge University and the University of Florida and is currently the Professor of English Literature at Aberdeen University and the President of Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge. She is a well-respected author of many books on women in literature, including Mary Wollstonecraft: A Revolutionary Life (W&N) and Jane Austen: In Context (Cambridge University Press).

Editorial Reviews

08/01/2014
Gr 6 Up—This book for the avid Austen fan presents information on the author's work in the context of her own life. The book examines the relationships between Austen's personal experiences and her profession, covering the author's early life and works and the places and people that influenced her. Chapters include "Loves," "The Professional Author" (where readers will find information on Austen's fellow women writers), and "War and Peace" (a look at the influence of ongoing British wars). There are also sections on specific examples of Austen's writings interspersed throughout. Fold-out envelopes contain copies of original documents, including Austen's own writings, maps, and other ephemera. Each section is enhanced by drawings, paintings, and photos, some done by Austen's own family, that illuminate significant aspects of her life. The information is interesting and thorough, although the volume's size and format may appeal more to pleasure readers than researchers. The references to movies based on Austen's writing add to the fan appeal. A lovely title that may not satisfy research demands but that will please readers who love her books.—Marian McLeod, Convent of the Sacred Heart, Greenwich, CT

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