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Selected Letters
In one of her personal letters, Jane Austen wrote "Little Matters they are to be sure, but highly important." In fact, letter-writing was something of an addiction for young women of Jane Austen's time and in her social position, and Austen's letters have a freedom and familiarity that only intimate writing can convey. Wiser than her critics, who were disappointed that her correspondence dwelt on gossip and the minutiae of everyday living, Austen understood the importance of "Little Matters," of the emotional and material details of individual lives shared with friends and family through the medium of the letter. Ironic, acerbic, always entertaining, Jane Austen's letters are a fascinating record not only of her own day-to-day existence, but of the pleasures and frustrations experienced by women of her social class which are so central to her novels.
Vivien Jones's selection includes nearly two-thirds of Austen's surviving correspondence, and her lively introduction and notes set the novelist's most private writings in their wider cultural context.
About the For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
Vivien Jones's selection includes nearly two-thirds of Austen's surviving correspondence, and her lively introduction and notes set the novelist's most private writings in their wider cultural context.
About the For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
294 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
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844 people want to read
About the author
Jane Austen
3,904 books74.5k followersJane Austen was an English novelist known primarily for her six novels, which implicitly interpret, critique, and comment upon the English landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots often explore the dependence of women on marriage for the pursuit of favourable social standing and economic security. Her works are an implicit critique of the novels of sensibility of the second half of the 18th century and are part of the transition to 19th-century literary realism. Her deft use of social commentary, realism and biting irony have earned her acclaim among critics and scholars.
The anonymously published Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), and Emma (1816), were a modest success but brought her little fame in her lifetime. She wrote two other novels—Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, both published posthumously in 1817—and began another, eventually titled Sanditon, but died before its completion. She also left behind three volumes of juvenile writings in manuscript, the short epistolary novel Lady Susan, and the unfinished novel The Watsons.
Since her death Austen's novels have rarely been out of print. A significant transition in her reputation occurred in 1833, when they were republished in Richard Bentley's Standard Novels series (illustrated by Ferdinand Pickering and sold as a set). They gradually gained wide acclaim and popular readership. In 1869, fifty-two years after her death, her nephew's publication of A Memoir of Jane Austen introduced a compelling version of her writing career and supposedly uneventful life to an eager audience. Her work has inspired a large number of critical essays and has been included in many literary anthologies. Her novels have also inspired many films, including 1940's Pride and Prejudice, 1995's Sense and Sensibility and 2016's Love & Friendship.
The anonymously published Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), and Emma (1816), were a modest success but brought her little fame in her lifetime. She wrote two other novels—Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, both published posthumously in 1817—and began another, eventually titled Sanditon, but died before its completion. She also left behind three volumes of juvenile writings in manuscript, the short epistolary novel Lady Susan, and the unfinished novel The Watsons.
Since her death Austen's novels have rarely been out of print. A significant transition in her reputation occurred in 1833, when they were republished in Richard Bentley's Standard Novels series (illustrated by Ferdinand Pickering and sold as a set). They gradually gained wide acclaim and popular readership. In 1869, fifty-two years after her death, her nephew's publication of A Memoir of Jane Austen introduced a compelling version of her writing career and supposedly uneventful life to an eager audience. Her work has inspired a large number of critical essays and has been included in many literary anthologies. Her novels have also inspired many films, including 1940's Pride and Prejudice, 1995's Sense and Sensibility and 2016's Love & Friendship.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
October 9, 2017
I didn’t specifically read this edition but a collection of Austen’s letters from the public domain. Quite enjoyed reading them even though I felt like a bit of an interloper. The letters are about the everyday average things (such as discussing Mansfield Park with her brother or sharing the news of the death of her father). Truly humanizes the woman behind the novel.
August 1, 2019
Well what to say these are everyday letters sent from Jane Austen to Cassandra or other people and like domestic life usually is this was mostly a dull read. Probably with context it would have been more interesting. But one gets glimpses into the wit and intelligence of Jane Austen. As well into her reading taste or what plays she attended (Macbeth, Tartuffe,..). And of course everything related to the creation of her books or the selling/earning aspect of it was fascinating. (P. & P is sold., 1812, 125)
Some favourite passages:
26. To Martha Lloyd. Wednesday 12 Nov. [1800]
I come to you to be talked to, not to read or hear reading. I can do that at home (38)
52. To Cassandra Austen. Monday 20 June [1808]
Mr. Waller is dead I see; I cannot greive about it, nor perhaps can his Widow very much. (84)
I am quite ashamed - but you have certainly more little events than we have. Mr. Lyford supplies you with a great deal of interesting Matter (Matter Intellectual, not physical) (85)
76. To Cassandra Austen. Friday 29 Jan. [1813]
I do not write for such dull elves
As have not a great deal of ingenuity themselves.
(132, parody of Marmion)
91. To Cassandra Austen. Saturday 6 Nov. [1813]
Having half an hour before breakfast (very snug, in my own room, lovely morng, excellent fire, fancy me) I will give you some account of the last two days (147)
By the bye, as I must leave off being young, I find many Douceurs in being a sort of Chaperon for I am put on the Sofa near the Fire & can drink as much wine as I like. (148)
Jane Austen July 2019: Read something by Jane Austen that is not one of her main six novels.
Some favourite passages:
26. To Martha Lloyd. Wednesday 12 Nov. [1800]
I come to you to be talked to, not to read or hear reading. I can do that at home (38)
52. To Cassandra Austen. Monday 20 June [1808]
Mr. Waller is dead I see; I cannot greive about it, nor perhaps can his Widow very much. (84)
I am quite ashamed - but you have certainly more little events than we have. Mr. Lyford supplies you with a great deal of interesting Matter (Matter Intellectual, not physical) (85)
76. To Cassandra Austen. Friday 29 Jan. [1813]
I do not write for such dull elves
As have not a great deal of ingenuity themselves.
(132, parody of Marmion)
91. To Cassandra Austen. Saturday 6 Nov. [1813]
Having half an hour before breakfast (very snug, in my own room, lovely morng, excellent fire, fancy me) I will give you some account of the last two days (147)
By the bye, as I must leave off being young, I find many Douceurs in being a sort of Chaperon for I am put on the Sofa near the Fire & can drink as much wine as I like. (148)
Jane Austen July 2019: Read something by Jane Austen that is not one of her main six novels.
March 5, 2019
Some of Jane Austen’s personal correspondences... interesting reading, she writes letters just as well as she writes novels.
July 30, 2020
Well Jane Austen was a lot more snarky than I had assumed!
September 27, 2009
Many people who read Austen’s letters feel that something is missing; surely the author of Pride and Prejudice and other novels famous for their adroit writing could have produced better letters! There are instances where her sarcastic wit and humor shines through, as when she wryly described a dinner party guest as being ‘at once both expensively and nakedly dressed’, but to get at them we must wade through pages of fabric prices, travel logistics and seemingly random gossipy tidbits about people, some of them so obscure as to be of interest only to biographers or historians of the period. Many of her letters, especially those written to her sister Cassandra, were also written in an elliptical, disjointed style that make them difficult to follow. R.W. Chapman, the prominent Austen scholar, speculated that the ‘deficiencies’ of her extant correspondences must have been caused by Cassandra’s destruction of the bulk of Austen’s letters in her possession. Everything interesting or piquant must have been censored in the name of the privacy that Austen so highly prized. Others argued that the letters’ opaqueness were deliberate, a part of a defense mechanism for a poor spinster dependent on the generosity of wealthier relatives. I have no idea which theory is more valid, but I must admit that reading through her letters could be a slog at times.
My perseverance was rewarded by several amusing letters, mostly from the period after her books were successfully published: one to an errant publisher in which she adopted an alias that enabled her to sign the letter M.A.D, another in which she self-deprecatingly (but not without a certain mocking irony) declined the royal librarian’s suggestion that she should write a historical romance about the Prince Regent’s ancestors, and still another in which she visited a portrait exhibition to look for the likenesses of Mrs. Bingley and Mrs. Darcy (she found Mrs. Bingley, but not Mrs. Darcy, whose husband, Austen speculated, ‘prizes any Picture of her too much to like it should be exposed to the public eye’).
Some critics have argued that Austen’s fiction is too narrow in scope as it hardly acknowledges the Napoleonic wars and other historical events at that time, but her letters indicate how au courant she was with the wars and even certain colonial affairs. She maintained an active correspondence with her brothers in the Royal Navy and must have received many firsthand reports. If there are hardly any references to contemporary events in her fiction, it must have been deliberate on her part.
We can feel her growing confidence as a writer and a mature woman in her later letters, in which she revealed herself as an affectionate aunt who dispensed literary and romantic advices to her nieces. Her last letters, written as her fatal illness progressed, are a moving testament to her determination to not surrender to physical or mental infirmity.
My perseverance was rewarded by several amusing letters, mostly from the period after her books were successfully published: one to an errant publisher in which she adopted an alias that enabled her to sign the letter M.A.D, another in which she self-deprecatingly (but not without a certain mocking irony) declined the royal librarian’s suggestion that she should write a historical romance about the Prince Regent’s ancestors, and still another in which she visited a portrait exhibition to look for the likenesses of Mrs. Bingley and Mrs. Darcy (she found Mrs. Bingley, but not Mrs. Darcy, whose husband, Austen speculated, ‘prizes any Picture of her too much to like it should be exposed to the public eye’).
Some critics have argued that Austen’s fiction is too narrow in scope as it hardly acknowledges the Napoleonic wars and other historical events at that time, but her letters indicate how au courant she was with the wars and even certain colonial affairs. She maintained an active correspondence with her brothers in the Royal Navy and must have received many firsthand reports. If there are hardly any references to contemporary events in her fiction, it must have been deliberate on her part.
We can feel her growing confidence as a writer and a mature woman in her later letters, in which she revealed herself as an affectionate aunt who dispensed literary and romantic advices to her nieces. Her last letters, written as her fatal illness progressed, are a moving testament to her determination to not surrender to physical or mental infirmity.
August 17, 2021
Lovely reading! It was a bit hard tho because there are many explanatory notes and some lines in the letters are missing (long story). The notes are great but it slows down the pacing of the reading.
Anyway, I loved to read some of Jane's letters. She was witty and funny in her remarks about daily life and family. We have a little glimpse about the publication of S&S, P&P, Emma and MP and her feelings about it. Now I think I'm more prepared to read the complete letters edited by Deirdre Le Faye since I know what to expect.
It pays off the effort to read!
Anyway, I loved to read some of Jane's letters. She was witty and funny in her remarks about daily life and family. We have a little glimpse about the publication of S&S, P&P, Emma and MP and her feelings about it. Now I think I'm more prepared to read the complete letters edited by Deirdre Le Faye since I know what to expect.
It pays off the effort to read!
Read
May 15, 2014“You deserve a longer letter than this; but it is my unhappy fate seldom to treat people so well as they deserve.” Jane Austen, 24 December 1798
Jane Austen’s personal correspondence has stirred up controversy since her untimely death in 1817 at age 41. The next year her brother Henry Austen wrote in the ‘Biographical Notice of the Author’ included with the publication of her novels Northanger Abbey and Persuasion that she ‘never dispatched a note or a letter unworthy of publication’. Years later, a niece Caroline Austen did not agree, ‘there is nothing in those letters which I have seen that would be acceptable to the public.’ In comparison to her published works, the letters do dwell upon ‘little matters’ of domestic life in the county, but to the patient reader we begin to understand Austen’s life and experiences beyond the minutia and realize through her clever descriptions and acerbic observations how this simple parson’s daughter became the author of novels that are so valued and cherished close to 200 years after their publication.
This reissue by Oxford University Press of their 2004 edition of Jane Austen Selected Letters is more than worthy of a second printing. Not only does it include two thirds of the known surviving letters and a thoughtful introduction by scholar Vivien Jones chronicling the history of the letters stewardship with the family, its supplemental material alone makes it an incredible value for the price. As with the other Oxford World’s Classics of Austen’s major and minor works that have been reissued this past year, it includes a brief biography, notes on the text, a select bibliography, a chronology of Jane Austen’s life, and explanatory notes. Unique to this edition, and by far the highlight are the glossary of people and places and the detailed index for quick reference.
For students and Austen enthusiast seeking a compact edition in comparison to the comprehensive and hefty Jane Austen’s Letters edited by Deirdre Le Faye, this reissue is a sleek and densely informative package. Usually I abhor abridged editions of anything, but in this instance we are given an excellent selection of letters and a lively introduction at less than a third of the price of its competitor. In this economy, I say better and better.
Laurel Ann, Austenprose
Jane Austen’s personal correspondence has stirred up controversy since her untimely death in 1817 at age 41. The next year her brother Henry Austen wrote in the ‘Biographical Notice of the Author’ included with the publication of her novels Northanger Abbey and Persuasion that she ‘never dispatched a note or a letter unworthy of publication’. Years later, a niece Caroline Austen did not agree, ‘there is nothing in those letters which I have seen that would be acceptable to the public.’ In comparison to her published works, the letters do dwell upon ‘little matters’ of domestic life in the county, but to the patient reader we begin to understand Austen’s life and experiences beyond the minutia and realize through her clever descriptions and acerbic observations how this simple parson’s daughter became the author of novels that are so valued and cherished close to 200 years after their publication.
This reissue by Oxford University Press of their 2004 edition of Jane Austen Selected Letters is more than worthy of a second printing. Not only does it include two thirds of the known surviving letters and a thoughtful introduction by scholar Vivien Jones chronicling the history of the letters stewardship with the family, its supplemental material alone makes it an incredible value for the price. As with the other Oxford World’s Classics of Austen’s major and minor works that have been reissued this past year, it includes a brief biography, notes on the text, a select bibliography, a chronology of Jane Austen’s life, and explanatory notes. Unique to this edition, and by far the highlight are the glossary of people and places and the detailed index for quick reference.
For students and Austen enthusiast seeking a compact edition in comparison to the comprehensive and hefty Jane Austen’s Letters edited by Deirdre Le Faye, this reissue is a sleek and densely informative package. Usually I abhor abridged editions of anything, but in this instance we are given an excellent selection of letters and a lively introduction at less than a third of the price of its competitor. In this economy, I say better and better.
Laurel Ann, Austenprose
March 17, 2017
Having read the majority of Jane Austen's novels in the last few months, I've found myself a little obsessed with her. I think she's such an amazing character, with sassy wit, a feminist mind and a sharp tongue which all make her so accessible despite the 200 years separating us.
When I spotted this book of letters in the library where I work, I picked it up without hesitation. The opportunity to get inside the mind of a genius was irresistible.
Jane herself acknowledges that her letters are full of 'little matters', but that didn't put me off. I didn't mind reading the minor occurrences that happened in her life, because it painted a picture of a version of England that I'm never going to be lucky enough to experience. There will be no long stimulating walks in the country or rides in horse-drawn carriages for me, and it really blows my mind to consider just how vastly everything has changed in what is a relatively brief period of time.
However, I struggled at points with the vast array of characters that Jane wrote about, and because a lot of them shared names it was hard to keep all of them in order. If I'd been studying the letters rather than reading them for enjoyment, I probably would have referred to the glossary in the back of the book more regularly, but it's hard to appreciate them when you're breaking your flow by flipping to the back of the book every couple of pages!
When I spotted this book of letters in the library where I work, I picked it up without hesitation. The opportunity to get inside the mind of a genius was irresistible.
Jane herself acknowledges that her letters are full of 'little matters', but that didn't put me off. I didn't mind reading the minor occurrences that happened in her life, because it painted a picture of a version of England that I'm never going to be lucky enough to experience. There will be no long stimulating walks in the country or rides in horse-drawn carriages for me, and it really blows my mind to consider just how vastly everything has changed in what is a relatively brief period of time.
However, I struggled at points with the vast array of characters that Jane wrote about, and because a lot of them shared names it was hard to keep all of them in order. If I'd been studying the letters rather than reading them for enjoyment, I probably would have referred to the glossary in the back of the book more regularly, but it's hard to appreciate them when you're breaking your flow by flipping to the back of the book every couple of pages!
April 3, 2018
"My Dearest Cassandra:
I do not wish to tell you that your mulberry trees are dead... but, they are not exactly alive....."
Sweet Jane.
Imagine what this woman would have done with a twitter account.
I do not wish to tell you that your mulberry trees are dead... but, they are not exactly alive....."
Sweet Jane.
Imagine what this woman would have done with a twitter account.
July 11, 2008
The letters are edited by Vivien Jones. Austen is funny, gossipy, and sly. Well worth reading.
August 19, 2025
A collection of letters sent by Jane Austen, mostly to close family members, and in particular her sister Cassandra. What they lack in worldliness or historical matter they more than make up for with the tales of daily small doings, with the best part for me being dear Jane’s wonderful sense of humor. She was exceptionally clever with words and that shines through in her letters, even if the matters were somewhat trivial due to the “addiction” to letter writing she and her family had. Definitely worth reading for any serious Janeite.
October 22, 2018
Let me get one thing straight Jane Austen is my favourite author by a long way and I have read a few of her books more times than I can remember but ( and I believe I will be struck down for this) I hated this! I was looking forward to reading her letters but without context, with bits missing and a constant need to look at notes in the back of the book just killed this for me. Yes she still writes well and is gossipy and all the things that you would expect. But all the letters seem pointless because of lack of context. It’s like listening to a one sided phone conversation about people you have never heard off. After a while you just get bored and want to hear something else. I am saddened by this and it feels that because Jane Austen is probably our best author that everything she writes is worth reading, but to print her letters minus the full understanding of them does Austen a serious disservice. I know there are those who would shout me down about this and feel I have missed the point, and maybe I have, but I just couldn’t get on with this book and having forced myself to read nearly 70 pages I just couldn’t take anymore. Life is too short to waste on books that don’t make you feel good. What’s more I believe Jane Austen would agree after all she wrote novels for me to enjoy, which I do, and she wrote letters to her family and friends which were probably not meant for public consumption.
November 6, 2011
I found this collection an excellent way of learning about the life of Jane Austen, her relationship with her family and friends, particularly her sister Cassandra and to a certain extent the inspiration for her novels.
It is interesting to note that back in Austen's day, the recipient of the letter actually paid for the letter so it was only right that the sender fill the whole page with as much content as possible, as otherwise the recipient would be payng for empty space.
As this was essentially a history book, it should be no shock to you that her last few letters before her death were extremely sad and served as a reminder that death can come all too soon, therefore make the most of life as you can.
It is interesting to note that back in Austen's day, the recipient of the letter actually paid for the letter so it was only right that the sender fill the whole page with as much content as possible, as otherwise the recipient would be payng for empty space.
As this was essentially a history book, it should be no shock to you that her last few letters before her death were extremely sad and served as a reminder that death can come all too soon, therefore make the most of life as you can.
January 27, 2010
I am having a hard time getting through this one.. I love JA but while it is interesting seeing her letters and things about her day to day life, it is just taking me a really long time to read.
Finally finished! I did enjoy reading about Jane's life as she is a most beloved author to me, but did have a hard time getting through it. Since most of the letters are about day to day life, there was nothing spurning me on to get to the end.
Finally finished! I did enjoy reading about Jane's life as she is a most beloved author to me, but did have a hard time getting through it. Since most of the letters are about day to day life, there was nothing spurning me on to get to the end.
September 19, 2023
The beloved Jane Austen comes to life in her letters. This is what you read after finishing her novels and grieving that there are no more, and reading her unfinished work and juvenilia.
I turned to the letters and feel more like I know Jane Austen, see her genius, her kindness, and also her edge.
After reading this I purchased a more complete volume of letters.
I turned to the letters and feel more like I know Jane Austen, see her genius, her kindness, and also her edge.
After reading this I purchased a more complete volume of letters.
May 15, 2011
See my review on my book blog: http://quirkyreader.livejournal.com/2...
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October 5, 2022I found it interesting to look into the everyday gossip of Jane Austen’s life. Was this riveting? No, but the insight into her casual correspondence was enjoyable. It's also cute how Austen talks about literature with her niece and helps her with writing. Since we don't have the full context of the letters, it was helpful to look at the explanatory notes. I don't think this is for everyone, but I wanted to read everything by Austen.
Read
July 22, 2021“Imagine to yourself everything most profligate and shocking in the way of dancing and sitting down together.”
What surprised me the most about these letters was JA amazing sense of humor, she always wanted to amuse her sister and it was very fun to read. Couldn’t stop thinking about the ‘she’s just like me’ meme bc of how relatable she was.
What surprised me the most about these letters was JA amazing sense of humor, she always wanted to amuse her sister and it was very fun to read. Couldn’t stop thinking about the ‘she’s just like me’ meme bc of how relatable she was.
January 16, 2023
JA was a prolific letter writer especially to her sister, Cassandra. This book gives a sense of JA’s imagination and a look into what was going on in her mind while she was visiting with people, attending balls, spending time with family, etc. She was quite the observer of human nature! I thoroughly enjoyed this book - a nice quiet read, especially at the end of the day.
February 8, 2023
I decided to re-read Jane Austen over 2023, and I began with this book of her letters that I happen to own. Her letters feel like a conversation, and her topics are all over the place. It was fun to discover the context of different quotes of hers, and how many of her famous quotes are from her letters.
August 29, 2021
I think this would have been a much more interesting read if the letters had some context to them. As it is, I loved it because it was more from my beloved Austen but it is mostly personal and mundane. Still some excellent and witty quotes are sprinkled throughout. 3.5 stars
March 23, 2022
There is a lot here that is uninteresting to me… people visited, people who visited Jane, who was at what ball, etc. But mixed in with that are some very interesting bits. After a while I got fairly good at skipping for the parts I enjoyed.
July 25, 2017
So sad that not all of her letters have survived.
February 22, 2018
Austen will always be one the greatest British writers in history, and her personal letters give us a small look into her life and thoughts. A must read for Austen fans
December 25, 2018
These letters are...interesting in their boringness. Quotidian existence, quietly lived; not a lot happens, but it's always humbling to see how little people have changed over the centuries. I was expecting this book to be something comforting to read before bed, but these letters often left me feeling a little sad, I'm not sure why. I'm glad she had such a rich inner life.
I struggled with this edition, especially the choice to use endnotes rather than footnotes—so aggravating.
I struggled with this edition, especially the choice to use endnotes rather than footnotes—so aggravating.
January 24, 2021
This was so interesting. Loved reading about Austen's daily life and getting a glimpse into this period. As I've recently started writing letters myself, I found this really interesting and really enjoyed highlighting parts that I found particularly amusing and intriguing.
May 31, 2022
DNF after 152 pages. I had to force myself to pick this up. The letters are very repetitive.
July 14, 2023
What a delight it was to read this collection of Jane’s letters! First off, I find it remarkable that there are so many letters of hers that have been recovered — considering the fact that so many of her letters on personal subjects were destroyed by Cassandra. As much as I’d love to be able to read those, I found myself enjoying her writing on trivial matters and day to day happenings just as much. It gives insight into her life, and humanizes her in sharp detail. I particularly love that she misspells words and sometimes seems to not be making a mistake, but simply to prefer an odd spelling — something I never would have expected about her. In her letters, she writes of so many of the places I got to see in person (in Bath and in Hampshire) and that made her writing feel extra alive and present for me. She often sounds so contemporary in tone, snarky and self assured. Her overall relatability is startling in the best way! I highly recommend this collection for any reader with a deep love for Austen or the Regency Era.
Favorite quotes:
“My dear Cassandra
Here I am once more in this Scene of Dissipation & vice, and I begin already to find my Morals corrupted.”
“But I will not torment myself with Conjectures & suppositions; Facts shall satisfy me.”
“I do not want People to be very agreable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them a great deal.”
“My dear Cassandra
Where shall I begin? Which of all my important nothings shall I tell you first?”
“Could my Ideas flow as fast as the rain in the Storecloset, it would be charming. —We have been in two or three dreadful states within the last week, from the melting of the snow &c. — & the contest between us & the Closet has now ended in our defeat; I have been obliged to move almost everything out of it, & leave it to splash itself as it likes.”
Favorite quotes:
“My dear Cassandra
Here I am once more in this Scene of Dissipation & vice, and I begin already to find my Morals corrupted.”
“But I will not torment myself with Conjectures & suppositions; Facts shall satisfy me.”
“I do not want People to be very agreable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them a great deal.”
“My dear Cassandra
Where shall I begin? Which of all my important nothings shall I tell you first?”
“Could my Ideas flow as fast as the rain in the Storecloset, it would be charming. —We have been in two or three dreadful states within the last week, from the melting of the snow &c. — & the contest between us & the Closet has now ended in our defeat; I have been obliged to move almost everything out of it, & leave it to splash itself as it likes.”
November 24, 2012
I must start off by saying I do love Jane Austen. In July I re-read Northanger Abbey during my first month of re-reading, and it made me want to re-read everything of hers soon. I then bought this book of letters and a collection of her juvenilia. I wanted to love this collection, was fully prepared to be captivated by Jane Austen’s life. So it is with some regret I have to say I was a bit disappointed. I had failed to remember that these are private letters, their intended audience only that person to whom they were addressed – usually, though not exclusively Cassandra Austen. It would also appear that the Austen family – possibly not surprisingly – disposed of many of her most private letters in the years following Jane’s death.
The letters cover a period of 21 years and are filled with the minutiae of everyday life. Like so many of Jane Austen’s characters, she and Cassandra spent a lot of time away from the family home, visiting for instance the homes of other members of the family, caring for sick relatives or on purely pleasurable visits to London and Bath. The letters that Jane sent Cassandra then, when they were apart, are filled with family news, local gossip, descriptions of new gowns, and details of balls attended.
“There were twenty dances and I danced them all, & without any fatigue. I was glad to find myself capable of dancing so much & with so much satisfaction as I did; - from my slender enjoyment of the Ashford Balls (as Assemblies for dancing) I had not thought myself equal to it, but in cold weather & with few couples I fancy I could just as well dance for a week together as for half an hour.” (Letter to Cassandra Austen 1798)
I think had there been say fifty pages of such letters – they would have been just charming and interesting enough to be satisfying. However for me there was just a little too much similar content, at times I got a little bogged down by it. That is not to say that there is nothing of interest – there is – and Jane Austen’s wonderful style in itself is an absolute joy. What a marvellous letter writer she was, of course this was a time when gently brought up young women did write a lot of letters. What does shine through so beautifully though is Jane Austen’s deep affection for her sister Cassandra, and indeed her family as a whole. Little in jokes and snippets of a private language used by her and a niece, show us how important she must have been to her family. One can only guess at the loss they must have felt when Jane Austen died at just 41.
One thing I really loved however – and which there wasn’t quite enough of for me – was Jane Austen’s references to her own novels. The novels which she refers to as being her children, and that we, all these years later are still reading and talking about.
“P&P is sold. –Egerton gives £110 for it. – I would rather have had £150, but we could not both be pleased, & I am not at all surprised that he should not chuse to hazard so much.” (Letter to Mary Lloyd 1812)
One thing this collection has done for me is to make me all the more enthusiastic about re-reading the other novels. I’m pretty sure I will read one during my month of re-reading in January.
The letters cover a period of 21 years and are filled with the minutiae of everyday life. Like so many of Jane Austen’s characters, she and Cassandra spent a lot of time away from the family home, visiting for instance the homes of other members of the family, caring for sick relatives or on purely pleasurable visits to London and Bath. The letters that Jane sent Cassandra then, when they were apart, are filled with family news, local gossip, descriptions of new gowns, and details of balls attended.
“There were twenty dances and I danced them all, & without any fatigue. I was glad to find myself capable of dancing so much & with so much satisfaction as I did; - from my slender enjoyment of the Ashford Balls (as Assemblies for dancing) I had not thought myself equal to it, but in cold weather & with few couples I fancy I could just as well dance for a week together as for half an hour.” (Letter to Cassandra Austen 1798)
I think had there been say fifty pages of such letters – they would have been just charming and interesting enough to be satisfying. However for me there was just a little too much similar content, at times I got a little bogged down by it. That is not to say that there is nothing of interest – there is – and Jane Austen’s wonderful style in itself is an absolute joy. What a marvellous letter writer she was, of course this was a time when gently brought up young women did write a lot of letters. What does shine through so beautifully though is Jane Austen’s deep affection for her sister Cassandra, and indeed her family as a whole. Little in jokes and snippets of a private language used by her and a niece, show us how important she must have been to her family. One can only guess at the loss they must have felt when Jane Austen died at just 41.
One thing I really loved however – and which there wasn’t quite enough of for me – was Jane Austen’s references to her own novels. The novels which she refers to as being her children, and that we, all these years later are still reading and talking about.
“P&P is sold. –Egerton gives £110 for it. – I would rather have had £150, but we could not both be pleased, & I am not at all surprised that he should not chuse to hazard so much.” (Letter to Mary Lloyd 1812)
One thing this collection has done for me is to make me all the more enthusiastic about re-reading the other novels. I’m pretty sure I will read one during my month of re-reading in January.
August 7, 2012
I ran across this book at Barnes & Nobles a few years ago and put off reading it until this month. What a pleasant surprise. This is a book of selected letters that Jane Austen wrote to her sister Cassandra.
The letters may not match the idealized view of Jane Austen, but they were anything but uninteresting. In any case the charm of the letters lies in the things Jane wrote to Cassandra. In her letter dated 27 October 1798 we get a glimpse of her dark humorous side. She wrote Cassandra, "Mrs Hall, of Sherborne, was brought to bed yesterday of a dead child, some weeks before she expected, owing to a fright. I suppose she happened unawares to look at her husband."
Another interesting tid-bit I ran across was also in that letter of 27 October 1798. It seems that "when not feeling well, or having trouble sleeping people took a few drops of 'laudanum.' (Now I looked that up to see just what was this cure-all for about everything, and I found out that 'laudanum' is any of various formerly used preparations of opium.) Therefore, I thought this little note about their mother was interesting Jane wrote..."My mother began to suffer from the exercise or fatigue or traveling, and she was a good deal indisposed. She had not a very good night at Staines, but bore her journey better than I expected, and at Basingstoke, where we stopped more than half an hour, received much comfort from a mess of broth and the sight of Mr. Lyford, who recommended her to take twelve drops of laudanum when she went to bed..., which she according did." Later Jane wrote..."I had the dignity of dropping out my mother's laudanum last night." Later in the letter she wrote, "It is now Saturday evening...My mother has not been down at all today; the laudanum made her sleep a good deal, and upon the whole I think she is better."
I guess 12 drops of opium will do that, or I should say 'laudanum.' It would probably make me sleep better too.
I found this book full of history of the Jane Austen family, and if you are a Jane Austen fan, I'm sure you would enjoy reading a different side of Jane. Different from the books we are use to reading written my Jane Austen.
The letters may not match the idealized view of Jane Austen, but they were anything but uninteresting. In any case the charm of the letters lies in the things Jane wrote to Cassandra. In her letter dated 27 October 1798 we get a glimpse of her dark humorous side. She wrote Cassandra, "Mrs Hall, of Sherborne, was brought to bed yesterday of a dead child, some weeks before she expected, owing to a fright. I suppose she happened unawares to look at her husband."
Another interesting tid-bit I ran across was also in that letter of 27 October 1798. It seems that "when not feeling well, or having trouble sleeping people took a few drops of 'laudanum.' (Now I looked that up to see just what was this cure-all for about everything, and I found out that 'laudanum' is any of various formerly used preparations of opium.) Therefore, I thought this little note about their mother was interesting Jane wrote..."My mother began to suffer from the exercise or fatigue or traveling, and she was a good deal indisposed. She had not a very good night at Staines, but bore her journey better than I expected, and at Basingstoke, where we stopped more than half an hour, received much comfort from a mess of broth and the sight of Mr. Lyford, who recommended her to take twelve drops of laudanum when she went to bed..., which she according did." Later Jane wrote..."I had the dignity of dropping out my mother's laudanum last night." Later in the letter she wrote, "It is now Saturday evening...My mother has not been down at all today; the laudanum made her sleep a good deal, and upon the whole I think she is better."
I guess 12 drops of opium will do that, or I should say 'laudanum.' It would probably make me sleep better too.
I found this book full of history of the Jane Austen family, and if you are a Jane Austen fan, I'm sure you would enjoy reading a different side of Jane. Different from the books we are use to reading written my Jane Austen.
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