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Jane Austen’s Letters 2003
This is a comprehensive collection of all the known letters written by Jane Austen from 1796 when she was 18 to her death in 1817.
Most of the letters are to her sister, Cassandra, but some are to her brother Francis (who was in the Navy), and her cousin Anna. Others were to other relatives, friends and business letters to publishers.
The tone of the letters is very like that in her novels, with details of her daily activities, journeys to London, Bath and elsewhere, balls, fashion, relationships, money and entertainments. Her journey and accommodation descriptions are particularly interesting. Jane’s reactions to the publication of her first (particularly) and subsequent books is lovely to read about in her own words. The letters give a very interesting first-hand insight to genteel life in the early 19th. century.
It is not really a book to read cover to cover, but to skim while delving occasionally into more interesting passages and letters.
Amazingly, 44% (293 pages) of the xxx + 642 page book are given over to very detailed appendices on abbreviations, citations, notes, a bibliography, a biographical index, a topographical index and a general index. Anything you ever wanted to know about Jane Austen, her family and connections is here.
Collected, introduced and edited by Diedre le Faye, there is a frontispiece portrait of Jane and 18 pages of bound-in colour illustrations that show people, places, rooms and objects that Jane would have visited, seen or otherwise have been associated with. The square-backed book is bound in grey silk printed with a Victorian era flowery wallpaper design. It has dark red endpapers and the plain red slipcase measures 25x16.6cm.
An index of the other illustrated reviews in the "Folio Archives" series can be viewed here.
This is a comprehensive collection of all the known letters written by Jane Austen from 1796 when she was 18 to her death in 1817.
Most of the letters are to her sister, Cassandra, but some are to her brother Francis (who was in the Navy), and her cousin Anna. Others were to other relatives, friends and business letters to publishers.
The tone of the letters is very like that in her novels, with details of her daily activities, journeys to London, Bath and elsewhere, balls, fashion, relationships, money and entertainments. Her journey and accommodation descriptions are particularly interesting. Jane’s reactions to the publication of her first (particularly) and subsequent books is lovely to read about in her own words. The letters give a very interesting first-hand insight to genteel life in the early 19th. century.
It is not really a book to read cover to cover, but to skim while delving occasionally into more interesting passages and letters.
Amazingly, 44% (293 pages) of the xxx + 642 page book are given over to very detailed appendices on abbreviations, citations, notes, a bibliography, a biographical index, a topographical index and a general index. Anything you ever wanted to know about Jane Austen, her family and connections is here.
Collected, introduced and edited by Diedre le Faye, there is a frontispiece portrait of Jane and 18 pages of bound-in colour illustrations that show people, places, rooms and objects that Jane would have visited, seen or otherwise have been associated with. The square-backed book is bound in grey silk printed with a Victorian era flowery wallpaper design. It has dark red endpapers and the plain red slipcase measures 25x16.6cm.
An index of the other illustrated reviews in the "Folio Archives" series can be viewed here.
