Janeite Delight

A Brief Guide to Jane Austen: The Life and Times of the World’s Favourite Author – Charles Jennings

I rarely read articles about or biographies of my favorite writers because I agree with A.S. Byatt that we are not meant to know anything about writers’ lives.

I think that to know writers’ short-comings, style of work, or their awful family and friends is to not care about their short-comings, style of work, or their awful family and friends.

But.

Jane Austen!

E.M. Forster, like many of us, called himself:

a Jane Austenite, and therefore slightly imbecile about Jane Austen. My fatuous expression, and airs of personal immunity, how ill they sit on the face, say, of a Stevensonian! But Jane Austen is so different. She is my favourite author! I read and re-read, the mouth open and the mind closed. Shut up in measureless content, I greet her by the name of most kind hostess, while criticism slumbers.

So at the used book sale I couldn’t help snatching this book up. 

This short overview is divided into four sections: biography, criticism, period and posterity. It provides insights into the life which I knew nothing about, reflections on the works that seemed reasonable, an overview of the Regency  period about which I knew only about bad George,  and a bit on the various adaptations up to the present day, not particularly interesting. Jennings gives space to put the mores and artifacts of the time into perspective. The explanations of dancing and etiquette were interesting; indeed, I had little suspicion Regency politeness was similar to politeness in Heian Japan. Subordinates could unknowingly walk into tank traps just by speaking to superiors who thought themselves above being approached for conversation.

His explanation of economic and social pressures gives a much better understanding of the functioning of the Austen family as what was normal but also in what was exceptional for the period. One feels grateful that the Austen family was rich to support Jane Austen without her having to struggle for food and shelter.

Still the nosy reader who re-reads Miss Austen can’t help but regret those burnt letters – it was weak-minded of the Austens to fret so much over reputation. We thinking people would have been charitable and fair-minded about their content and who gives a damn what the mob thinks?