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The Making of Jane Austen
Just how did Jane Austen become the celebrity author and the inspiration for generations of loyal fans she is today? Devoney Looser's The Making of Jane Austen turns to the people, performances, activism, and images that fostered Austen's early fame, laying the groundwork for the beloved author we think we know.
Here are the Austen influencers, including her first English illustrator, the eccentric Ferdinand Pickering, whose sensational gothic images may be better understood through his brushes with bullying, bigamy, and an attempted matricide. The daring director-actress Rosina Filippi shaped Austen's reputation with her pioneering dramatizations, leading thousands of young women to ventriloquize Elizabeth Bennet's audacious lines before drawing room audiences. Even the supposedly staid history of Austen scholarship has its bizarre stories. The author of the first Jane Austen dissertation, student George Pellew, tragically died young, but he was believed by many, including his professor-mentor, to have come back from the dead.
Looser shows how these figures and their Austen-inspired work transformed Austen's reputation, just as she profoundly shaped theirs. Through them, Looser describes the factors and influences that radically altered Austen's evolving image. Drawing from unexplored material, Looser examines how echoes of that work reverberate in our explanations of Austen's literary and cultural power. Whether you're a devoted Janeite or simply Jane-curious, The Making of Jane Austen will have you thinking about how a literary icon is made, transformed, and handed down from generation to generation.
Here are the Austen influencers, including her first English illustrator, the eccentric Ferdinand Pickering, whose sensational gothic images may be better understood through his brushes with bullying, bigamy, and an attempted matricide. The daring director-actress Rosina Filippi shaped Austen's reputation with her pioneering dramatizations, leading thousands of young women to ventriloquize Elizabeth Bennet's audacious lines before drawing room audiences. Even the supposedly staid history of Austen scholarship has its bizarre stories. The author of the first Jane Austen dissertation, student George Pellew, tragically died young, but he was believed by many, including his professor-mentor, to have come back from the dead.
Looser shows how these figures and their Austen-inspired work transformed Austen's reputation, just as she profoundly shaped theirs. Through them, Looser describes the factors and influences that radically altered Austen's evolving image. Drawing from unexplored material, Looser examines how echoes of that work reverberate in our explanations of Austen's literary and cultural power. Whether you're a devoted Janeite or simply Jane-curious, The Making of Jane Austen will have you thinking about how a literary icon is made, transformed, and handed down from generation to generation.
282 pages, Hardcover
First published June 27, 2017
65 people are currently reading
1648 people want to read
About the author
Devoney Looser
18 books182 followersHi! I'm Devoney Looser, Regents Professor at Arizona State U. I also go by Stone Cold Jane Austen, especially on roller skates. I'm really excited about my latest book, Wild for Austen: A Rebellious, Subversive, and Untamed Jane (St Martin's Press), was published in 2025, as part of the celebrations of her 250th birthday.
I've also written or edited eleven other books, including Sister Novelists and The Making of Jane Austen. Check out my lessons on Jane Austen on The Great Courses and Audible. Then sign up for my free author newsletter on history's strong women, from Jane Austen to roller derby. Thanks so much for connecting here.
P. S. I pronounce my name DEV-oh-knee LOH-zer. It wasn't a great name to have as a kid on a playground, but it definitely made me stronger!
I've also written or edited eleven other books, including Sister Novelists and The Making of Jane Austen. Check out my lessons on Jane Austen on The Great Courses and Audible. Then sign up for my free author newsletter on history's strong women, from Jane Austen to roller derby. Thanks so much for connecting here.
P. S. I pronounce my name DEV-oh-knee LOH-zer. It wasn't a great name to have as a kid on a playground, but it definitely made me stronger!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
July 23, 2017
Scholarly yet sprightly, full of short chapters of surprising information about various aspects of Jane Austen's afterlife. However much you might think you know about Austen, you will be amazed by all you didn't know. I particularly enjoyed the account of the difficult birth of the notoriously campy 1940 film version of "Pride and Prejudice." Judging from Looser's descriptions of some of the scenes that did not make it into the final version, it could have been much, much worse.
May 1, 2019
In The Making of Jane Austen, Professor Devoney Looser offers a captivating, thoroughly-researched examination of Jane Austen's cultural legacy from the middle of the nineteenth century through the late twentieth century. At once scholarly and amusing, this book mirrors Austen's own ability to write works that would become popular and highbrow, academic and accessible. Perhaps best of all, Professor Looser introduces her readers to suffragists and psychics, poorly-paid illustrators and world-famous actors, stuffy Victorian gentlemen and pioneering female stage directors--in other words, all the quirky, insufferable, fascinating, learned, and passionate people who helped make Austen into a cultural phenomenon.
One of this book's central arguments is that Jane Austen entered the realm of pop culture long before most of us think she did. The 1995 production of Pride and Prejudice may have made so many of us swoon, but it didn't invent the idea of sexy Darcy. And all those fears that we're ruining Austen by commercializing her? Well, those concerns have been around for over a century. By examining the way people outside the literati read Austen in the 19th and 20th centuries, Professor Looser is able to show just how influential illustrators, stage performers, textbook authors, and street activists were in shaping and reshaping how millions of people thought about the works of Jane Austen.
There was so much to love about this book, but I particularly appreciated Looser's extensive primary source research and her witty, balanced writing style. Because this book falls under the category of reception studies--or how "ordinary" people, those outside the literati, were receiving Austen's work--Looser had to comb through so many different kinds of primary sources. She made use of everything from late 19th century elementary school textbooks to 1970s script notes on a never-to-be-made television miniseries. (And there were so many more interesting sources I'm not mentioning here!)
Through it all, Looser is careful never to oversell her argument; she never tries to claim she knows absolutely how people reacted to the popular culture versions of Austen being thrown at them. Looser's acknowledgement of these limitations actually strengthens her overall argument -- for she is less interested in convincing us how we should think about Jane Austen's legacy than in showing us that this legacy is more nuanced than we might otherwise believe. Perhaps best of all: Looser writes with such humor and verve. It's as if she's channeling Austen herself.
I highly recommend The Making of Jane Austen to anyone interested in cultural history or Jane Austen's legacy!
One of this book's central arguments is that Jane Austen entered the realm of pop culture long before most of us think she did. The 1995 production of Pride and Prejudice may have made so many of us swoon, but it didn't invent the idea of sexy Darcy. And all those fears that we're ruining Austen by commercializing her? Well, those concerns have been around for over a century. By examining the way people outside the literati read Austen in the 19th and 20th centuries, Professor Looser is able to show just how influential illustrators, stage performers, textbook authors, and street activists were in shaping and reshaping how millions of people thought about the works of Jane Austen.
There was so much to love about this book, but I particularly appreciated Looser's extensive primary source research and her witty, balanced writing style. Because this book falls under the category of reception studies--or how "ordinary" people, those outside the literati, were receiving Austen's work--Looser had to comb through so many different kinds of primary sources. She made use of everything from late 19th century elementary school textbooks to 1970s script notes on a never-to-be-made television miniseries. (And there were so many more interesting sources I'm not mentioning here!)
Through it all, Looser is careful never to oversell her argument; she never tries to claim she knows absolutely how people reacted to the popular culture versions of Austen being thrown at them. Looser's acknowledgement of these limitations actually strengthens her overall argument -- for she is less interested in convincing us how we should think about Jane Austen's legacy than in showing us that this legacy is more nuanced than we might otherwise believe. Perhaps best of all: Looser writes with such humor and verve. It's as if she's channeling Austen herself.
I highly recommend The Making of Jane Austen to anyone interested in cultural history or Jane Austen's legacy!
January 30, 2025
This is one of those stories I read but never reviewed. I do want to reread all those stories which I did not review but as time has slipped by and I haven't done so, I just want to mark all those books, even just concerning Jane Austen, as "read" so I have a record of the true number of books in the JA genre I have read. I do not remember how I rated this story back when I read it. If I ever get around to rereading it I will look at my rating to make sure it is true to my opinion. It was published June 27th, 2017 so that is most likely when I read it. (I do know that I bought this directly from the author as she was presenting her work in a workshop in NYC on my birthday, June 29th, 2017. She signed the book for me.)
nonfiction-tbr
May 4, 2020DNFd at 22%, but I definitely want to revisit this later on.
April 21, 2026
Looser fills a gap in Austen criticism by researching Austen’s reception prior to the 1990s Austen boom that culminated in Colin Firth inspired Darcy-mania. Her argument is that Austen was commercialized, politicized, and adapted many times before then! To ignore Austen’s early history is an oversight that results in reusing limited arguments about what Jane means as a cultural phenomenon.
Her book is well structured, well-researched, and interesting to read. It is divided into four parts:
1. Austen, Illustrated (my favourite section):
Her chapter on the first illustrator of Austen’s novels Ferdinand Pickering explains that he drew Austen’s Regency characters in Victorian clothes to make the novels appealing and relatable to his Victorian audience. Funny-enough (or even appalling) is that his illustrations heavily influenced subsequent illustrators, so that Austen’s characters are wearing Victorian corsets and bustle gowns for almost half a century. Hugh Thomson’s illustrations (which later become iconic by his association of peacock feathers with Pride and Prejudice) bring back the historically accurate empire waistlines of Regency fashion.
Another early illustrator Francis Lydon drew Fanny Price within a natural landscape, symbolic of her psychological landscape, thereby placing Austen with her Romantic contemporaries (Looser 43). Looser’s essay shows how the choices to illustrate a damsel in distress, indicative of a story of morals, compared to illustrations of social scenes, inviting satiric commentary and drama, build her argument: how the novels are illustrated impact how Austen’s stories are read.
2. Austen, Dramatized:
This section points out that Austen’s novels were adapted into plays and tableaus for amateur performances decades before Austen entered Hollywood. Of particular interest and attention are Rosina Filippi’s Duologues, which are seven scenes that this female actress and director chose from Austen’s novels to write as little theatre scripts to be re-enacted at home or use for school productions. The Duologues are a product of their context The New Women’s Movement and lasted to influence later interpretations of Austen’s female characters as independent and self-assertive. Productions put emphasis on Austen’s heroines, like feisty Elizabeth, were appealing and taught to young women and girls. Ironically, when theatre productions gave a more rounded character to Darcy, he was portrayed in a more sympathetic light at a cost. These productions mark a shift away from an Elizabeth who says no, to favour the male hunky hero.
This chapter includes MGM’s 1940 film production of Pride and Prejudice, placing it in well-researched context. Looser argues that Greer Garson and Laurence Oliver’s performances are well rooted in the theatrical decisions of nineteenth-century plays, and the many draft film scripts that came before the Hollywood production.
3. Austen, Politicized:
Here Looser points out that Austen has been largely critiqued as an apolitical novelist, writing about small country life, and yet, her words have been quoted and appropriated for political causes of both liberal and conservative intent. Looser researched how Austen was brought in as an emblem for women’s suffrage, while at the same time she was celebrated in private men’s clubs as upholding traditional gender and class roles in the domestic space. This section would be an excellent reference for studying the early history of feminism and Austen.
4. Austen, Schooled:
These last essays look to Austen’s entrance into academia, marked by the first dissertation on Austen in the 1880s by a Harvard law student, and provide an overview of how Austen was brought into school curriculum, which for the most part was via abridged selections of her novels (sacrilege!). Decisions were made to downplay her satire to present her as a moral guide, while other publications highlight the opposite. Looser hammers home her thesis that how Austen is presented, in illustrations, in adaptions or in teaching materials influence how we teach and think of Austen.
Throughout Looser’s book, she places importance on studying Austen in academia and in popular culture, and that one approach cannot be isolated or prioritized over the other. Exemplified by her research, both venues mix together to participate in shaping our reception of Jane.
Her book is well structured, well-researched, and interesting to read. It is divided into four parts:
1. Austen, Illustrated (my favourite section):
Her chapter on the first illustrator of Austen’s novels Ferdinand Pickering explains that he drew Austen’s Regency characters in Victorian clothes to make the novels appealing and relatable to his Victorian audience. Funny-enough (or even appalling) is that his illustrations heavily influenced subsequent illustrators, so that Austen’s characters are wearing Victorian corsets and bustle gowns for almost half a century. Hugh Thomson’s illustrations (which later become iconic by his association of peacock feathers with Pride and Prejudice) bring back the historically accurate empire waistlines of Regency fashion.
Another early illustrator Francis Lydon drew Fanny Price within a natural landscape, symbolic of her psychological landscape, thereby placing Austen with her Romantic contemporaries (Looser 43). Looser’s essay shows how the choices to illustrate a damsel in distress, indicative of a story of morals, compared to illustrations of social scenes, inviting satiric commentary and drama, build her argument: how the novels are illustrated impact how Austen’s stories are read.
2. Austen, Dramatized:
This section points out that Austen’s novels were adapted into plays and tableaus for amateur performances decades before Austen entered Hollywood. Of particular interest and attention are Rosina Filippi’s Duologues, which are seven scenes that this female actress and director chose from Austen’s novels to write as little theatre scripts to be re-enacted at home or use for school productions. The Duologues are a product of their context The New Women’s Movement and lasted to influence later interpretations of Austen’s female characters as independent and self-assertive. Productions put emphasis on Austen’s heroines, like feisty Elizabeth, were appealing and taught to young women and girls. Ironically, when theatre productions gave a more rounded character to Darcy, he was portrayed in a more sympathetic light at a cost. These productions mark a shift away from an Elizabeth who says no, to favour the male hunky hero.
This chapter includes MGM’s 1940 film production of Pride and Prejudice, placing it in well-researched context. Looser argues that Greer Garson and Laurence Oliver’s performances are well rooted in the theatrical decisions of nineteenth-century plays, and the many draft film scripts that came before the Hollywood production.
3. Austen, Politicized:
Here Looser points out that Austen has been largely critiqued as an apolitical novelist, writing about small country life, and yet, her words have been quoted and appropriated for political causes of both liberal and conservative intent. Looser researched how Austen was brought in as an emblem for women’s suffrage, while at the same time she was celebrated in private men’s clubs as upholding traditional gender and class roles in the domestic space. This section would be an excellent reference for studying the early history of feminism and Austen.
4. Austen, Schooled:
These last essays look to Austen’s entrance into academia, marked by the first dissertation on Austen in the 1880s by a Harvard law student, and provide an overview of how Austen was brought into school curriculum, which for the most part was via abridged selections of her novels (sacrilege!). Decisions were made to downplay her satire to present her as a moral guide, while other publications highlight the opposite. Looser hammers home her thesis that how Austen is presented, in illustrations, in adaptions or in teaching materials influence how we teach and think of Austen.
Throughout Looser’s book, she places importance on studying Austen in academia and in popular culture, and that one approach cannot be isolated or prioritized over the other. Exemplified by her research, both venues mix together to participate in shaping our reception of Jane.
May 10, 2017
My review will appear on my blog June 18, 2017 with photos and illustrations. The link is
http://theliteratequilter.blogspot.co...
Her novels were published anonymously when novels were still considered suspect, thought to arouse women's passions. She was presented as a spinster leading an uneventful life, with little knowledge of the world. The Victorians were not impressed by her and Charlotte Bronte detested her novels.
How did Jane Austen become the influential celebrity so important that the Bank of England will celebrate her 200th birthday by printing her image on 10-pound notes and the Royal Mint will portray her on a coin?
The Royal Mint described the novelist in its official statement as “a revolutionary romantic,” adding:“The Jane Austen 2017 £2 coin celebrates one of the best-loved authors in the world, 200 years after her death.
Jane died in 1817 after publishing four books; two more books were published posthumously. Her family idealized Jane as a pious maiden aunt.
Fast forward a hundred years and Suffragettes put Jane Austen on banners and feminists turned her into a role model.
Jump another hundred years and we have Jane Austen coloring books and fan fiction.
Pride and Prejudice Paper Dolls from Dover Publications
In The Making of Jane Austen scholar Devoney Looser traces how Austen was 'made' through her illustrators, the dramatization and adaptation of her novels in plays, movies, and television, the political employment of Austen, and finally through how her novels were used in education.
I became a Janite in 1978 in an honors class at Temple University. Guided by Professor Toby Olshin our small class read all of Austen's novels, juvenilia. letters, and the novels that influenced her. We came to understand Austen's social, material, and political world. Before taking this course no teacher had ever required me to read Austen and she had no popular culture representation.
Jane Austen Action Figure
I appreciated reading this book and enjoyed its approach showing how Austen became a culture heroine. I especially enjoyed learning about her early illustrators and how their choices impacted readers understanding. New to me was Austen's use in politics, a fascinating study.
Sense and Sensibility, 1913 Little, Brown and Company edition
copyright 1898 by Robert Brothers.
Illustration by Edmund H. Garrett
I have several sets of Austen's complete works, including a 1913 edition from Little, Brown, and Company. Illustrations by Edmund H. Garrett show period fashions for Austen's time. Many Victorian illustrators, and even the Laurence Olivier/Greer Garson movie version, put the characters in mid-19th c dress.
Sense and Sensibility,
1910 Little, Brown and Company edition
copyright 1898 by Robert Brothers.
Illustration by Edmund H. Garrett
Looser calls illustrator Hugh Thomson 'the Colin Firth of Austen-inspired book illustration." The Thomson edition ' is often called "Cranfordized," referring to the commercially successful novel Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell which Thomson also illustrated.
The Illustrated Pride and Prejudice Companion
illustrations by Hugh Thomson
Dover Publications
Detail from Pride and Prejudice Story Book Quilt
by Nancy A. Bekofske
I adopted a Hugh Thomson illustration from Emma
for Darcy's proposal
Hugh Thomson illustration from Emma
Thomson picked up on the humor in Austen's novels and usually had the characters in social settings.
One of his competitors was Charles Brock. I adapted several Brock illustrations for my Pride and Prejudice Story Book Quilt.
Detail from Pride and Prejudice Story Book Quilt
by Nancy A. Bekofske.
She's tolerable... adapted from an illustration by Charles E Brock
Detail Pride and Prejudice Story Book by Nancy A. Bekofske.
Mr. Collins introduces himself to Darcy.
Based on an illustration by Charles E. Brock.
Charles Brock illustration
The Making of Jane Austen is a fascinating study. I would not recommend the book to the casual reader who wants entertainment over intelligent content. The Appendix includes Further Reading suggestions. The Notes and Bibliography are extensive.
I received a free ebook from the publisher through Edelweiss in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
http://theliteratequilter.blogspot.co...
Her novels were published anonymously when novels were still considered suspect, thought to arouse women's passions. She was presented as a spinster leading an uneventful life, with little knowledge of the world. The Victorians were not impressed by her and Charlotte Bronte detested her novels.
How did Jane Austen become the influential celebrity so important that the Bank of England will celebrate her 200th birthday by printing her image on 10-pound notes and the Royal Mint will portray her on a coin?
The Royal Mint described the novelist in its official statement as “a revolutionary romantic,” adding:“The Jane Austen 2017 £2 coin celebrates one of the best-loved authors in the world, 200 years after her death.
Jane died in 1817 after publishing four books; two more books were published posthumously. Her family idealized Jane as a pious maiden aunt.
Fast forward a hundred years and Suffragettes put Jane Austen on banners and feminists turned her into a role model.
Jump another hundred years and we have Jane Austen coloring books and fan fiction.
Pride and Prejudice Paper Dolls from Dover Publications
In The Making of Jane Austen scholar Devoney Looser traces how Austen was 'made' through her illustrators, the dramatization and adaptation of her novels in plays, movies, and television, the political employment of Austen, and finally through how her novels were used in education.
I became a Janite in 1978 in an honors class at Temple University. Guided by Professor Toby Olshin our small class read all of Austen's novels, juvenilia. letters, and the novels that influenced her. We came to understand Austen's social, material, and political world. Before taking this course no teacher had ever required me to read Austen and she had no popular culture representation.
Jane Austen Action Figure
I appreciated reading this book and enjoyed its approach showing how Austen became a culture heroine. I especially enjoyed learning about her early illustrators and how their choices impacted readers understanding. New to me was Austen's use in politics, a fascinating study.
Sense and Sensibility, 1913 Little, Brown and Company edition
copyright 1898 by Robert Brothers.
Illustration by Edmund H. Garrett
I have several sets of Austen's complete works, including a 1913 edition from Little, Brown, and Company. Illustrations by Edmund H. Garrett show period fashions for Austen's time. Many Victorian illustrators, and even the Laurence Olivier/Greer Garson movie version, put the characters in mid-19th c dress.
Sense and Sensibility,
1910 Little, Brown and Company edition
copyright 1898 by Robert Brothers.
Illustration by Edmund H. Garrett
Looser calls illustrator Hugh Thomson 'the Colin Firth of Austen-inspired book illustration." The Thomson edition ' is often called "Cranfordized," referring to the commercially successful novel Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell which Thomson also illustrated.
The Illustrated Pride and Prejudice Companion
illustrations by Hugh Thomson
Dover Publications
Detail from Pride and Prejudice Story Book Quilt
by Nancy A. Bekofske
I adopted a Hugh Thomson illustration from Emma
for Darcy's proposal
Hugh Thomson illustration from Emma
Thomson picked up on the humor in Austen's novels and usually had the characters in social settings.
One of his competitors was Charles Brock. I adapted several Brock illustrations for my Pride and Prejudice Story Book Quilt.
Detail from Pride and Prejudice Story Book Quilt
by Nancy A. Bekofske.
She's tolerable... adapted from an illustration by Charles E Brock
Detail Pride and Prejudice Story Book by Nancy A. Bekofske.
Mr. Collins introduces himself to Darcy.
Based on an illustration by Charles E. Brock.
Charles Brock illustration
The Making of Jane Austen is a fascinating study. I would not recommend the book to the casual reader who wants entertainment over intelligent content. The Appendix includes Further Reading suggestions. The Notes and Bibliography are extensive.
I received a free ebook from the publisher through Edelweiss in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
January 7, 2019
Review to come...tl;dr, I'm not sure this for everybody but Austen nerds (of which race I am a proud member) will love it.
April 6, 2022
Lots of small and seemingly disconnected bits of Austen history but the author manages to pull it together very convincingly in the end.
July 24, 2017
One of the very best pieces of Austen scholarship of the past ten years.
June 17, 2017
In this nonfiction book, Looser shows what influenced Austen's popularity down through the years. Her main point is that Austen's reputation has "shifted with the times and with the needs and desires" of the various audiences, from Suffragettes to modern cosplayers, from gentlemen's club members to National Lampoon readers.
This is not a quick read; it is an intellectual study that requires thought to both consume and digest the material. (I would compare it to a college textbook.) Janeites expecting a brief pop culture look at Austen fans will not find it here. What the reader will find, though, is an exhaustively researched, well noted and documented, look at the history of Austen's popularity. I recommend this work highly, but only to the serious, scholarly reader.
This is not a quick read; it is an intellectual study that requires thought to both consume and digest the material. (I would compare it to a college textbook.) Janeites expecting a brief pop culture look at Austen fans will not find it here. What the reader will find, though, is an exhaustively researched, well noted and documented, look at the history of Austen's popularity. I recommend this work highly, but only to the serious, scholarly reader.
April 23, 2017
This is the rare book of deep scholarship written with verve and intelligence, accessible to readers interested in Jane Austen and the history of her role in the world.
July 15, 2018
Nearly everyone loves Jane Austen. People have favorites and can get quite heated over whether “Emma” or “Mansfield Park” or “Pride and Prejudice” are the best or who wrote the best completion of Sanditon or how anyone would dare, but outright dislike for Jane Austen? I sure, like the yeti, it may exist, but only in theory. Most everyone likes Jane Austen, but which one? There’s so many to choose from, the prim and proper defender of class and privilege, the saucy, dry wit skewering class and privilege, the proto-feminist whose success mocks the idea that great literature is written by men? In The Making of Jane Austen, Devoney Looser looks at how these many ideas of who Jane Austen was and how our understanding of her books was formed as much by people who publicized her work as by Jane Austen herself.
Clearly organized into sections that dive deeply into the illustrated, the dramatized, and the politicized Austen as well as Austen pedagogy, from the first dissertation to the McGuffey Reader, The Making of Jane Austen provides a review of how Austen’s image was shaped and shifted over time by those who marketed her work in books, films, and texts. Looser also looks at how both anti-suffrage men and suffragettes used Austen to prop up their viewpoint as people continue to look to Austen for conservative and liberal ideas. It seems Austen in almost biblical in her ability to be all things to all people.
What makes The Making of Jane Austen compelling, though, is the stories of people who are simply fascinating as the man who first illustrated Austen, Pickering. He was the ultimate perpetual student at the Royal Academy and his understanding of Austen reflected the melodrama of his real life perhaps more than the actual storylines. Then there is Pellow, who wrote the first Austen dissertation. He died under mysterious circumstances which no one seems to agree upon. I am curious why that mystery was not cleared up when the most famous medium of the time began channeling him.
When writing this review, I looked at the author’s web site and discovered she has posted many additional pictures of the illustrations, handbills, and other items she talks about in the book. I wish we had been directed there in the book, because she often wrote about illustrations in addtion to those in the book.
I love Jane Austen, in fact, I love Austen a bit too much to watch the films, TV series, and adaptations, let alone the zombies. I didn’t even watch “Clueless” because…”Leave my “Emma” alone!” However, I was interested in seeing how the perception of Austen may have changed over time or why there is such fervor at the moment. Perhaps it is because her novels can be read at two levels, as the conservative stories of love, marriage, and class sensibilities or the satiric sendup of those same things. Perhaps what we really find in Austen is ourselves.
In any event, Looser has persuaded me that Austen can stand up to good and bad adaptations, to silly vampires and serious Colin Firth, so I will no longer fear Austen being ruined by bad acting. Maybe I will even watch “Clueless.”
I received The Making of Jane Austen as a thank you gift from Johns Hopkins University Press with no obligation to review.
The Making of Jane Austen at Johns Hopkins University Press
Devoney Looser author site, Faculty Page at Arizona State University
Book Extras – more illustrations and photos for the book
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpre...
December 5, 2018
I loved this! So much information about what made Jane Austen the figure she is today. I especially enjoyed the section on the plays that were based on her life and her work.
Also, yes, the 1940 film version of Pride and Prejudice was terrible, but apparently it also could have been much worse? Frankly, I wish that some of the terrible scenes in question were filmed because I just really want to watch Jane get smallpox and Darcy tell Elizabeth that her favorite dog is of inferior breeding. Oh, there's an actual deleted scene where Darcy quotes Byron (She walks in beauty because what else would he quote?) while attempting to think of Elizabeth and shoot arrows at the the same time. Oh, the depth of his passion. It's okay, Laurence Olivier. Colin Firth would later show us the depth of Darcy's passion by smiling at Elizabeth over a piano.
Okay, time to go watch the BBC version again.
Also, yes, the 1940 film version of Pride and Prejudice was terrible, but apparently it also could have been much worse? Frankly, I wish that some of the terrible scenes in question were filmed because I just really want to watch Jane get smallpox and Darcy tell Elizabeth that her favorite dog is of inferior breeding. Oh, there's an actual deleted scene where Darcy quotes Byron (She walks in beauty because what else would he quote?) while attempting to think of Elizabeth and shoot arrows at the the same time. Oh, the depth of his passion. It's okay, Laurence Olivier. Colin Firth would later show us the depth of Darcy's passion by smiling at Elizabeth over a piano.
Okay, time to go watch the BBC version again.
September 22, 2020
As an author, Jane Austen has reached a near mythic status, and this book, focusing not on the author's life but her afterlife, tells part of the story of how that came to be. Looking at how Austen's stories were illustrated in the 19th century, how stage actors adapted her novels, how politicians from different ends of the political spectrum made use of her words, and how students were introduced to Austen through curriculums, this book pieces together the story of an author's legacy. Different eras and generations have examined Austen and found something slightly different that speaks to the moment. If you're a Jane Austen fan, this book is definitely recommended.
February 2, 2022
Well researched, but the tone is dry and too academic to hold my interest. This one was a bit of a slog, and I probably wouldn’t have finished it except that it fit my reading challenge theme for January.
My one and only highlight in the entire book was: “In 1957, Benson and Hedges used Jane Austen’s name to link expensive elegance, romance, and cigarettes, using a misquoted line from Pride and Prejudice.” Why that sentence? Because it was buried in a paragraph really talking about Jane Austen as used by early feminists while they campaigned for the vote, and honestly it didn’t seem to make much sense or really add to the point. More importantly, what was the misquoted line?? What if it was funny and I missed out on the one chance this book had to remind us that Jane Austen had a sense of humor?
That’s been bothering me for days.
My one and only highlight in the entire book was: “In 1957, Benson and Hedges used Jane Austen’s name to link expensive elegance, romance, and cigarettes, using a misquoted line from Pride and Prejudice.” Why that sentence? Because it was buried in a paragraph really talking about Jane Austen as used by early feminists while they campaigned for the vote, and honestly it didn’t seem to make much sense or really add to the point. More importantly, what was the misquoted line?? What if it was funny and I missed out on the one chance this book had to remind us that Jane Austen had a sense of humor?
That’s been bothering me for days.
June 21, 2020
Really well written, and I learned a lot about one of my favorite authors, but it was a bit too academic at times and I didn’t love that. I loved the author’s exploration of early Austen adaptations though!
February 7, 2024
3.5 Very well written and informative! I learned a lot about how Jane Austen has been adapted and thought of over the years. It made me laugh and think about how we consume media now and how it’s really not all that different.
March 2, 2017
Non-fiction need not be dull as ditch water. There is simply no reason to make even a scholarly work feel like a slog. And yet, here we are. After 148 pages (which is slightly more than halfway through the book), I simply cannot take anymore.
It's clear that author Devoney Looser knows her subject matter ... but she writes like that pedantic professor we all dreaded getting in college. I don't read textbooks for entertainment.
It's clear that author Devoney Looser knows her subject matter ... but she writes like that pedantic professor we all dreaded getting in college. I don't read textbooks for entertainment.
November 10, 2017
It's difficult to create a narrative of literary historiography with mass appeal—but Devoney Looser's The Making of Jane Austen comes close. Looser examines the ways that Austen's body of work has been adapted and co-opted through the years. Illustrated editions of Austen's novels, for example, were initially slow to arrive to a burgeoning market for such volumes in the years after the author's death, yet once they did, they became so rapidly popular that many of the engravings became canon in the imaginations of her readers to this day.
Likewise, although Austen was thought to be unstageable for decades, theatrical readings and interpretations of her output have thrived both on stage and screen for over a century. Quite often, as Looser takes pains to illuminate, the earliest of those productions walked hand in hand with the nascent women's rights movement—and yet Austen's philosophies were equally and eagerly appropriated by the most conservative of men's groups as well, for their own purposes.
It's the many and sometimes oppositional ways through the ages in which Austen has been appropriated and exploited that's of fascination to Looser in this account. What might be dry and ephemeral, she makes relevant and pointed.
Likewise, although Austen was thought to be unstageable for decades, theatrical readings and interpretations of her output have thrived both on stage and screen for over a century. Quite often, as Looser takes pains to illuminate, the earliest of those productions walked hand in hand with the nascent women's rights movement—and yet Austen's philosophies were equally and eagerly appropriated by the most conservative of men's groups as well, for their own purposes.
It's the many and sometimes oppositional ways through the ages in which Austen has been appropriated and exploited that's of fascination to Looser in this account. What might be dry and ephemeral, she makes relevant and pointed.
January 7, 2018
I do not know Professor Looser personally, but my MA thesis advisor does through Jane Austen scholarship, and my former department chair at Marquette gets a shout-out in her acknowledgments! It's fun playing the Six Degrees of Academic Kevin Bacon. Name recognition made me pick up this book, but the content is a game-changer for Austen scholarship.
Looser focuses on less-known aspects of scholarship or culture surrounding Jane Austen. In so doing, she opens up avenues for future researchers to explore. The part on dramatizing Austen is perhaps the most fascinating, because it shows the origin of the "sexy Darcy" which has been popularly attributed to Colin Firth, who took his performance from Laurence Olivier, who has HIS roots in a theater adaptation in the 1930s and an ever-evolving screenplay. It's fascinating, and a great accompaniment to The Cinematic Jane Austen.
Looser proficiently bridges the gap between scholarly and general writing, and this book is all the more worth reading, because of it. If you like reading about Jane Austen culture, this book is for you. If you are interested in cultural literary movements and authors' afterlives, this book is also for you.
Looser focuses on less-known aspects of scholarship or culture surrounding Jane Austen. In so doing, she opens up avenues for future researchers to explore. The part on dramatizing Austen is perhaps the most fascinating, because it shows the origin of the "sexy Darcy" which has been popularly attributed to Colin Firth, who took his performance from Laurence Olivier, who has HIS roots in a theater adaptation in the 1930s and an ever-evolving screenplay. It's fascinating, and a great accompaniment to The Cinematic Jane Austen.
Looser proficiently bridges the gap between scholarly and general writing, and this book is all the more worth reading, because of it. If you like reading about Jane Austen culture, this book is for you. If you are interested in cultural literary movements and authors' afterlives, this book is also for you.
May 28, 2022
Saggio meraviglioso sui modi in cui Jane Austen è stata percepita durante i secoli e di come queste interpretazioni di chi era e delle sue opere abbiano influenzato anche i modi in cui la si considera ora. Fra sfere diverse come educazione, teatro, politica, cinema, l'autrice ha il merito di portare alla luce modi interpretativi (e periodi storici) spesso rimasti nell'ombra, sottolineando come Jane Austen sia stata (ed è in realtà ancora oggi) parte di un universo variegato. Ho scoperto una miriade di cose nuove su Jane (e di libri su di lei un po' ne ho letti) e lo consiglio a tutti soprattutto perché qualunque sia la vostra idea di chi Jane fosse e qualunque opinione abbiate sulle sue opere, questo libro vi farà trovare spunti interessanti e perché no, magari anche cambiare idea su alcuni preconcetti (che siate Janeites o no).
December 12, 2023
Did you know that the first ilustrations were in the 1830's? With the glory that is 1830's hair and fashions? And that later Victorian ones were insipid and done by people who didn't understand the assignment? (Keep your laptop or Ipad handy; the scope of this book can't encompass all the illustrations referenced, and they are all worth seeing.)
That one of the first scholars, after an untimely mysterious death (thrown from a horse? falling into a construction site after a dinner party? dead outside a gambling establishment with his head bashed in?) was brought back by the direct-voice medium Leonora Piper?
"This tidbit has gone unnoticed in Austen studies, but it has long been known among parapsychologists, suggesting the two groups don't communicate often enough." p. 192.
This book discusses the illustrations (the first being a matricidal bigamist), plays ("Jane and Cassandra" was staged by a same-sex couple), the first fandom among upper-class gentlemen, and Austen's image as a political, social, and feminist writer. She is a woman for all seasons, once you realize she is more than just cute love stories.
That one of the first scholars, after an untimely mysterious death (thrown from a horse? falling into a construction site after a dinner party? dead outside a gambling establishment with his head bashed in?) was brought back by the direct-voice medium Leonora Piper?
"This tidbit has gone unnoticed in Austen studies, but it has long been known among parapsychologists, suggesting the two groups don't communicate often enough." p. 192.
This book discusses the illustrations (the first being a matricidal bigamist), plays ("Jane and Cassandra" was staged by a same-sex couple), the first fandom among upper-class gentlemen, and Austen's image as a political, social, and feminist writer. She is a woman for all seasons, once you realize she is more than just cute love stories.
August 13, 2017
The author delves into a detailed exploration of the development of Jane Austen's celebrity. She discusses the various illustrators who achieved fame through their associations with Austen; the playwrights, scholars, and other figures who interpreted Austen and helped make her more than a lady authoress. This book sounded more interesting than it was; Looser is extremely academic in her approach and only the most dedicated Austen scholars will really find their attention held. Kind of disappointing. The section on the illustrators was the most interesting for its obscure information. Adult.
October 16, 2017
This book focuses on how Austen became a celebrity author. Looser discusses little known and well known facts beginning with Austen’s first illustrators. Sadly the 1946 edition of P&P, that was my grandparents and is now mine, by the World Publishing Company and illustrated by Edgar’s Cirlin is not mentioned. Those illustrations are quite entertaining. Looser goes on to discuss dramatizations of Austen’s work, basically ending with the first movie version in the 1940s. She ends with a discussion of Austen in politics and education. There are some fascinating tidbits here, though the academic language means you need a lot of concentration.
March 18, 2024
A well-researched and well-written book covered how Jane Austen’s legacy has been received and interpreted by the Elite and the public over the past two centuries. It’s a wonderful book written by an academic that does not feel like a textbook. Looser leverages previous research and provides her own take on Jane Austen’s impact in an enjoyable-to-read manner.
While the more you remember about Austen’s works, the more you will get out of the book; even a minimal recollection is sufficient as the author provides enough background about the books, plays, and movies to allow everyone to enjoy the story.
While the more you remember about Austen’s works, the more you will get out of the book; even a minimal recollection is sufficient as the author provides enough background about the books, plays, and movies to allow everyone to enjoy the story.
November 30, 2025
4 stars
Definitely too dense and academic in nature for the casual reader, but dedicated Janeites will get a lot out of this impressively researched book. I particularly enjoyed the section about the different styles/eras of Austen illustrations and how they informed public reception of the novels. The parts about stage and film adaptations were also interesting (and delightfully gossipy at times). I thought the chapters on Austen in the political sphere were less convincing, but I believe Looser covers this topic in more depth in her recently published book, so I look forward to reading that soon.
Definitely too dense and academic in nature for the casual reader, but dedicated Janeites will get a lot out of this impressively researched book. I particularly enjoyed the section about the different styles/eras of Austen illustrations and how they informed public reception of the novels. The parts about stage and film adaptations were also interesting (and delightfully gossipy at times). I thought the chapters on Austen in the political sphere were less convincing, but I believe Looser covers this topic in more depth in her recently published book, so I look forward to reading that soon.
March 17, 2019
An impressive and compelling work of Austen scholarship. Who knew? About the history of Austen illustration, dramatization, her uses by Hollywood, textbook editors, etc.? About how political players across the spectrum have claimed her for their side? How the focus on Elizabeth vs. Darcy as the most interesting character in P&P was a tug-of-war over the centuries. Thank you for this important work. Not for the casual Austen fan, but a fascinating exploration of previously unstudied aspects of her legacy.
October 4, 2021
Where was this when I was writing a thesis in college?? Although this book may not be everyone's cup of tea, I say bravo to an author who can make literary criticism/reception history interesting on a whole variety of levels and who studies Jane Austen in an entirely new way. For scholars, there is immense research here that is fully footnoted and with an extensive bibliography, and for Austen fans, there's an excellent discussion guide at the end.
August 4, 2022
3.5 rounded up to 4 stars. The author covers a lot of interesting ground, certainly a whole area of Jane Austen production and distribution that I was much less familiar with, including illustrations and theatricals. The tone was accessible and engaging, and she makes a compelling case. I think I expected a little more analysis in the current and more recent Austen milieu, but I suspect she's leaving that well-tread ground to others.
August 19, 2018
Devoney Looser nimbly balances the academic world of Jane Austen scholarship with the more popular approach of Jane Austen fandom. This book examines how the English-speaking world has adapted and received Austen’s work since shortly after the author’s death in 1817. Accessible and well-written, this book is highly recommended for Janeites.
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