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Jane Austen: A Life

3.75 of 5 stars 3.75 · rating details · 1,031 ratings · 124 reviews

With the same sensitivity and artfulness that are the trademarks of her award-winning novels, Carol Shields explores the life of a writer whose own novels have engaged and delighted readers for the past two hundred years. In Jane Austen, Shields follows this superb and beloved novelist from her early family life in Steventown to her later years in Bath, her broken engageme...more

Paperback, 192 pages

Published May 31st 2005 by Penguin Books (first published 2001)

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Mar 02, 2008 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Rachel, PA, Abby

I enjoyed this slim biography of Jane Austen. Shields does not manufacture a mysterious past for her, but instead focuses on Austen as a writer. It's a less romantic, but more realistic and respectful approach than movies like "Becoming Jane."

She theorizes that Austen's novels are about a search for a home, written in a time when women's only available path was through marriage. From that came the difficult moral choices of staying true to one's self or accepting financial security through an in...more

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Jan 06, 2009 Antof9 rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2004-read, about-books

It doesn't happen to me very often, but I had to look up a word in this book! In the beginning of Chapter 8, the author uses "palimpsest". Please tell me I'm not the only one going for the Webster's right now :)

Palimpsest: (lit., rubbed again) a parchment that has been written upon previously and that bears traces of the imperfectly erased texts.

Here's how it was used: "Pride and Prejudice can be seen as a palimpsest, with Jane Austen's real life engraved, roughly, enigmatically, beneath its sur...more It doesn't happen to me very often, but I had to look up a word in this book! In the beginning of Chapter 8, the author uses "palimpsest". Please tell me I'm not the only one going for the Webster's right now :)

Palimpsest: (lit., rubbed again) a parchment that has been written upon previously and that bears traces of the imperfectly erased texts.

Here's how it was used: "Pride and Prejudice can be seen as a palimpsest, with Jane Austen's real life engraved, roughly, enigmatically, beneath its surface."

I have been a fan of Jane since I first got P&P sometime between the 3rd and 6th grades. Of course, at the time I had no idea it was "classic literature" -- I just loved it! And have loved it over and over again for many years.

I liked this book -- I even found the Prologue entertaining ". . .the Jane Austen Society of North America, an organization that comprises some of the world's most respected Austen scholars, as well as rank amateurs, like ourselves. . . . There is only minimal incense burning at these meetings, and no attempt to trivialize Jane Austen's pronouncements and mockingly bring her into our contemporary midst. . . (Wherever three or four come together in Jane Austen's name, there is bound to be a trivia quiz.. .)"

I love it that scholars and fans ". . .can't even agree on what to call her. . . . 'Jane' itself feels too familiar an address to apply to the adult writer . . .Ms Austen is unthinkable. Miss Austen? No! (Cassandra, as the older sister, claims that title.) Austen on its own possesses an indelicacy; we know, somehow, that she would have been offended."

One of the reasons I know why we like Jane so much -- "And, at the same time, she was reading. Everything we know about the family tells us that her reading was likely to have been unsupervised and random. Her father's bookshelves would have been open to her, and probably this good-hearted, busy man did not trouble to direct her choices. There existed very little that might be called children's writing, and so she plunged directly into the adult world of letters." This, about someone whose formal education stopped at the age of 11!

For some reason, this description of her family delights me -- perhaps because my family is so sarcastic and witty? "We can only guess that parody was the family flavour, and that the Austens were proud citizens of a satirical age."

I couldn't help but chuckle at this part: "There is a joke among novelists that in order to initiate strong action or to revive a wilting narrative it is only necessary to say: 'And so a stranger came to town.'"

I found this book so interesting, and of course it made me want to read Sense & Sensibility (why have I never?) and find other Jane writing. Although the inscription on her tomb doesn't mention her books, we know and love them, and that's what has lasted. The tribute on her tomb is indeed beautiful: "The benevolence of her heart, the sweetness of her temper, and the extraordinary endowments of her mind obtained the regard of all who knew her, and the warmest love of her intimate connections."(less)

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Dec 06, 2012 Jan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classic-lit

I've read three biographies of Jane Austen lately. One was written by Claire Tomalin, another by Claire Harmon. By far, the book by Carol Shields is the best. Part of the book's success is based on the fact that Shields is a stellar writer herself: Canadian lady of letters, Sheilds won the Pulitzer prize for "The Stone Diaries." Her biography is informed not just by her knowledge of the subject, but by her own writing style, which is more than just pleasing to read. While very well-written, thou...more

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Jul 23, 2012 Mary Simonsen rated it 4 of 5 stars

If you are interested in whether Jane Austen preferred strawberry to raspberry jam, then you will want to look for a biography other than Carol Shields’ Jane Austen, A Life. However, if you want a broad sweep of the life of the early 19th century author, then this slim volume is the perfect cup of tea. Carol Shields, who won the Pulitzer Prize for The Stone Diaries, was asked by Penguin Books to write this biography. Because it was not meant to be comprehensive, I found it an easy read with a ni...more If you are interested in whether Jane Austen preferred strawberry to raspberry jam, then you will want to look for a biography other than Carol Shields’ Jane Austen, A Life. However, if you want a broad sweep of the life of the early 19th century author, then this slim volume is the perfect cup of tea. Carol Shields, who won the Pulitzer Prize for The Stone Diaries, was asked by Penguin Books to write this biography. Because it was not meant to be comprehensive, I found it an easy read with a nice mixture of Jane’s personal life juxtaposed with her writing. From the biography:

We think of Pride and Prejudice as Jane Austen’s sunniest novel, and yet it was written during a period of unhappiness. No letters survived from the year 1797, and this is a clue, though an unreliable one. Cassandra, we know, was recovering from the death of her fiancé, and Jane from her disappointment over Tom Lefroy. The household at Steventon had shrunk. Visitors continued to arrive, but the ongoing bustle of life in the country rectory had faded… Theatricals in the barn were a thing of the past. The Austen parents were growing older, and finances, too, were thinner. Yet from this difficult time sprang a fast-paced, exuberant, much loved novel with a new kind ofheoine, a young woman of warmth and intelligence who, by the flex of her own mind, remakes her future and makes it spectacularly.

I always suspected that Jane’s relationship with Cassandra could not possibly be as perfect as one would think from reading about Pride and Prejudice's Jane and Elizabeth Bennet. In fact, there was the odd disagreement between the two Austen sisters and an occasional terse exchange of letters. Jane’s relationship with her brothers and extended family are a mixed bag. Edward was her favorite, James the least favorite. There is also a fascinating analysis of Jane's years of silence when she wrote very little:

A series of discouragements conspired against her in the middle of her life, and the resulting silence means that everything we know of her during this period is a guessing game.

This would change once Jane’s brother, Edward Austen Knight, provided his mother and sisters with a home at Chawton Cottage. It was in her Hampshire home that First Impressions would become Pride and Prejudice and she would write Emma, Persuasion, and Mansfield Park, and the rest, as they say, is history.
(less)

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Jan 29, 2012 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An excellent biography, not very thick, of Jane Austen. Carol Shields has a delightful voice and I liked her contrasting pictures of Jane Austen the person and the writer. She frequently references letters or other biographies writen by Austen's neices and nephews, giving her work, in my opinion, a more solid standing. I found her knowledgable references to Austen's books facinating and I like her clear, yet enchanting, writing style.
This book might have gotten five stars, as far as biographies...more

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Dec 30, 2011 Mellen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: readingmyunreadbooks

This biography of Jane Austen is short and sweet. The author is a Pulitzer Prize winning writing and she approaches the subject from the point of view of a writer. I liked this comment by the author:

Traditionally Jane Austen's biographers have nailed together the established facts of her life--her birth, her travels, her enthusiasms, her death--and clothed this rickety skeleton with speculation gleaned from the novels, an exercise akin to ransacking an author's bureau drawers and drawing conclus

...more

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Apr 12, 2010 P. rated it 3 of 5 stars

I did not like this book, which at first just appalled me. I seriously regretted the decision to read an Austen bio. Then I realized what appalled me was Shields as she reverse-engineered Austen into a 20th century being that I began to feel was just like herself. As she channels not only Austen but everyone in her life, the book is full of 'must have felts' and worse. Occasionally she tells you what an entire room of people were feeling.

I read it because at 185pgs it was short, although it felt...more

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Aug 05, 2012 Tze-Wen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, biography, owned, e-books, 2012

[This review was originally posted on my blog.]

In this concise biography, Pulitzer Prize winner Carol Shields describes the circumstances that influenced Jane Austen's writing. Shields does not waste time exploring Austen's day-to-day life nor her detailed habits, but succinctly depicts an image of a developing writer and the environment that nurtured her authoring skills. She often refers to James Edward Austen-Leigh's Memoir of Jane Austen and Jane's letters. For those who are interested, she...more [This review was originally posted on my blog.]

In this concise biography, Pulitzer Prize winner Carol Shields describes the circumstances that influenced Jane Austen's writing. Shields does not waste time exploring Austen's day-to-day life nor her detailed habits, but succinctly depicts an image of a developing writer and the environment that nurtured her authoring skills. She often refers to James Edward Austen-Leigh's Memoir of Jane Austen and Jane's letters. For those who are interested, she lists a few important biographies and academic studies at the end of the book.
Jane Austen grew up in a large clerical family with a small boarding school attached to her father's parsonage. A lot of merry distractions were to be had from family theatricals and the hustle and bustle from associating with neighbours. Reverend George Austen - himself a learned man - encouraged (or did not discourage) his daughter's literary pursuit: she was allowed access to his 500-book collection. At home, with six brothers and her sister Casssandra keeping her company, Jane Austen felt most comfortable and happy.
She started writing small stories when she was very young and they were most likely read aloud to or read by her family. Many of these were later elaborated upon and worked into one of her six finished novels. According to Shields, Jane Austen's writing skills were entirely honed at home, having only her family members to reflect on and criticise her work. There were no opportunities for her to discuss the art of writing with fellow authors.
Jane Austen: A Life draws an image of a young woman sentenced to spinsterhood, without a home of her own. Where the young Jane Austen was a happy and carefree creature, the adult version realised that without a decent dowry she would remain dependent on the goodwill of her relatives. Perhaps only through her heroines could she achieve a kind of independence. Jane Austen's class demanded that she were to be chaperoned at all times. This lack of privacy may have deepened her understanding of the small details that propel domestic and village life. Her happiness was found in her many nephews and nieces, the correspondence with Cassandra from whom she was not often apart, and of course her writing. Jane Austen was known to write and rewrite until she deemed her fiction satisfactory. The routines of Jane Austen were largely undisturbed until her ageing parents decided to move out of beloved Steventon and into rented rooms in Bath. A reason for this was their declining financial situation. Shields hints at the ulterior motive of finding suitable husbands for the two single women, but in reality Bath was several decades past its heyday and no longer the place for husband-hunting. She describes how Jane Austen was shocked into silence by their sudden removal from the only home she knew and would only pick up her pen almost ten years later. The years in Bath were not without merit, however, as Shields believes Jane Austen put her observing powers to use, soaking up everything that went on in society, to be spun into her later writing.
In the last chapter of the book, the author discusses the fact that Austen never goes into the details of the physical; she talks about "regular features", "a fair complexion" and women having "not unpretty faces". Yet, as a reader, I did not notice this particular fact until Carol Shields mentioned it. I have not encountered any problems envisaging any of Austen's characters and have even felt them to be full of detail and depth. Such is her power of evocative writing that I never thought of her characters as solely - in Shields' words - "talking heads".
The author of Jane Austen: A Life is evidently an admirer of her work and well-informed. If you are looking for a short biography that is entertaining and never superficial, this will be worth your while. (less)

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Apr 15, 2011 Rebecca Anderson rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Jane Austen Fans

Shelves: challenge-11, non-fiction

After reading Pride and Prejudice I will openly admit I fell in love with Jane Austen as a writer. I was interested in reading more of her work and reading more on her as a woman. The day after having finished her most cherished novel, I went to the library and happened to see this book on the shelf. I thought it was a 'sign,' or at least a clever coincidence, and snatched it up to take out.

This book probably wasn't something I should have started with when Jane Austen's life is concerned. While...more

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Nov 09, 2009 Curtiss Matlock rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography

I found myself quite ambivalent as I attempted to rate this book. Shield's writing is dry and repetitive to the extreme. She has so little voice. By the reading of this biography, I am not at all curious to read anything else that Shields wrote.

That said, I picked up the book because it was small and on the spur of the moment curiosity about Jane Austen. I mean, the woman has people who pay homage to her home and still make movies of her books. Turned out that not very much is truly known about...more

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Jan 23, 2013 Deborah Markus rated it 1 of 5 stars

Amazing that so short a book could be so unsatisfactory for so many reasons. Just a few examples:

Shields insists all throughout the book that Austen "longed" all her life to be married, and that any happiness she managed to find was because she learned to live with disappointment. (Shields also mentions how annoying it is when readers conflate a fiction writer's life with her writing, right after "explaining" how much Austen has in common with the heroine of "Persuasion.")

Hold this book carefull...more

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Aug 06, 2012 Sandra rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Sandra by: Katri

Shelves: auto-or-biographies, in-english, non-fiction, jane-austen-and-related, e-books, read-in-2012

Relatively short and therefore concise biography on Jane Austen. I'm a bit of an Austenite, but I had never actually read a biography on her before. My mom's more of an Austenite than I am, so I had seen many, many documentaries while growing up: I never really had a choice in the matter, though I didn't mind. I therefore never really felt the need to pick up a book on her life. I was already so familiar with it. My mom thought differently. She really wanted to try a Jane Austen biography, so I...more

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Mar 24, 2012 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a short and engaging bio. I particularly enjoyed learning about JA's writing process. One favorite bit of information gleaned from this book is the fact that JA wrote a first, and soon discarded, ending for Persuasion (my favorite JA novel). Happily she replaced her first effort, which Shields describes as a somewhat matter of fact and rushed conversation between Anne Elliott and Capt. Wentworth with the ending we know (and I love). You know, that magnificent scene where Capt. Wentworth...more

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Jun 28, 2012 Melissa Medina rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was a little disappointed in this slim biography. It felt more like a lecture given at a Jane Austen festival than a biography. I felt like I did not learn anything about Jane Austen that I didn't already know. Carol Shields often discussed aspects of Austen's books, claiming insight into Austen's life through her writing. While I understand that little is know of Jane Austen's life (she lead a secluded life, plus her sister Cassandra burned most of her letters upon her death), I feel like the...more

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Nov 02, 2009 Nicole rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography, austen-companion-books

This biography has less of the feel of a list of dates and occurrences to often found in biographies and more of the literature analysis closely tied o the authors life. Rather than simply repeat the story of Jane Austen's life we see how her literature integrates with her life. Ms. Shields innovative analysis gives us points to consider between the series of novels, Jane's personal situation and the surviving letters that show a new interpretation of the relationship between the Austen siblings...more

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Mar 04, 2009 Elynn rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

I enjoyed this biography. It was rather short (almost too short) and there are many more things I would want to know, but given the limited information we have on Jane's life a longer book wouldn't necessarily be more informative.

The book gives a basic history of Jane's life (as much as we know) and especially talks about the publication of the books (includes short descriptions of some of the stories) and how events in the books reflect/ or don't reflect events in her real life.

My issues with t...more

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Jan 16, 2013 Liz rated it 5 of 5 stars

Beautifully clear and spare prose makes this biographical study of Austen a pleasure to read. The distinguishing factor here is Shields' understanding of the novel-writing process -- there is true insight into the ways in which Austen's life nurtured her art, and vice versa. I especially admired Shields' measured interpretations of the available contemporary descriptions and biographical evidence. She resists the temptation to assign a counterpart in the novels to everyone in Austen's actual lif...more

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Dec 10, 2012 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: library

The first “biographies” of Jane Austen I’ve read, but already I’m chafed by the assumptions and dubious deductions. I have my own idea of what Austen was like from what I’ve read so far, and I’m still working on perfecting it — so yes I did learn a little.

The biography annoyed me because of the many assumptions Shields makes. Although she mentions that there is little information, most of which can’t be trusted as truth, she makes statements as though they are fact when I am sure they were deduc...more

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Mar 05, 2013 Paola Herrera rated it 3 of 5 stars

Es la primera biografía que leo de Jane Austen. Me parece que está lleno de suposiciones. La escritura de la biografía es en sí es exquisita por supuesto. Pero la gran falta de referencias y fuentes, hace que sea una biografía poco confiable. Ahora que si se considera este libro como una interpretación de la propia Carol Shields acerca de la vida de Jane Austen, no tengo nada que discutirle.

(translation: It is the first biography of Jane Austen that I read. It seems to me to be full of supositi...more

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Jun 06, 2009 rr added it

One gets what one chooses, at least sometimes. I wanted to read a biography of Jane Austen, but I didn't think I could commit to a longer, scholarly biography this summer, so I read Carol Shield's volume instead. It was conversational and breezy, and it kept me company this week at meal-times, like a lively friend. The shape, size, and feel of the book combined to provide a friendly tactile pleasure, as well. But there's a "probably" or "must have" on almost every page, and I often couldn't tell...more

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Jul 15, 2012 Jane rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography, women-writers, writers-as-subjects

I was extremely disappointed in this book. I wanted to learn more about Jane Austin and I did not feel like I learned that much. I am NOT aJane Austin "groupie" but as an early writer of english literature I felt she was someone I should learn more about. especially since I had read several of her novels and liked them. This book did not make me go out of my way to read Jane Austin. I will continue to read her but this book did not compel me to do so.
I have read several other books in the Penqu...more

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Jan 30, 2009 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

I love any information I can get about Jane Austen, but this biography, short as it was, was painfully redundant -- Not because it's the same information from a different biographer, but because the same information was presented over and over, as though each chapter was written as an independent essay without regard for or reference to the previously presented information, then they were all stitched together as one book.

That said, Shields' love for Jane Austen as a subject of study and a favo...more

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Jun 06, 2012 Arianna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: finished-irp-books

Jane Austen: A Life is a biography of Jane Austen's life. It is the story of how an unmarried woman who was not friends with many people became the author of six novels, and came to have her name known by people all over the world, as a brilliant author. Jane Austen, who was the youngest of seven, was always the writer of the family. She loved to write letters to her friends and family, and she wrote poetry too. She would often write a poem for someone to congratulate them for something, or if...more Jane Austen: A Life is a biography of Jane Austen's life. It is the story of how an unmarried woman who was not friends with many people became the author of six novels, and came to have her name known by people all over the world, as a brilliant author. Jane Austen, who was the youngest of seven, was always the writer of the family. She loved to write letters to her friends and family, and she wrote poetry too. She would often write a poem for someone to congratulate them for something, or if the person had passed away, to remember them. For example, Jane wrote a poem to congratulate her brother, Francis, on his newborn son. She also wrote poems in honor of her friends or family members, when one of them passed away. Jane Austen published all her novels anonymously, so she didn't get recognized as the author of her novels until after her death. Only a few people knew she was the author, such as close family and friends. Her family was very impressed and proud of her novels. When they found out, they were thrilled, and encouraged her to keep writing. “O then. Gentle lady! Continue to write, And the sense of your reader t'amuse & delight”(Shields 147).

I enjoyed reading this biography. It explained the details of Jane Austen's life in a very interesting way. The book talked about how Jane Austen never married or had children, even though she wanted to. It also talked about how even though Jane was very religious, since her father was a pastor, she never mentioned religion in her novels. Although at times the reading was a little slow, the biography was very interesting overall, and I learned more than I already knew about Jane Austen and her life. Overall, this book was very interesting. If you are interested in Jane Austen and want to know more about her life, I suggest reading this book.

I am giving this book a 3 out of 5. At times the book went by at a very slow pace, such as when it was hung up on small details of Jane Austen's life. Although, I did enjoy reading this book. It gave me a lot of knowledge about Jane Austen, more than I knew before I read it. I did enjoy learning about Jane Austen's life. If you are interested in Jane Austen's life, I suggest you read this biography.(less)

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Apr 04, 2013 Rebecca Bugge rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: biographies, jane-austen, georgian-history

I've read all of Jane Austen's books (including the more obscure ones), I've read her letters (Shields may say over and over and over again that there are some that are destroyed - but let that not give you the impression there aren't many left, because there are), I've read several biographies. And I read this book and wondered if this book is about the same woman.

Be that as it may - how we perceive a person, long gone, is always a matter of personal opinions. I do, however, have some issues wi...more

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Oct 08, 2012 Douglas Koehne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography

I am very impressed with this brief biography of Jane Austen. Due to the limited information on her life, a detailed and too analytical book would most likely contain so many assumptions about her thoughts, activities, and surroundings to read more like fiction rather than a telling of what is truly known. Carol Shields does a workmanlike job in this quick read to provide the particulars in Jane Austen's life, mainly from her letters, writings from her extended family, and the few public account...more

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Oct 01, 2011 Rissie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Here’s what I liked:
• The book is short which is in keeping with the amount of information we have about Jane Austen.
• There is a great focus on Austen’s writing and has inspired me to read the rest of her books.
• Instead of inventing details she poses her hypotheses as questions (most of the time). This reminds us, and possibly herself, that there are parts of Austen’s life that will forever be a mystery.

Here’s what I didn’t like:
• The author presupposes that much of Austen’s work is shaped by...more

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Aug 23, 2008 Caroline rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anna Pruett Ellils

Shelves: nonfiction, prose

I'm not usually a fan of literary biographies, because they usually seem to concentrate on the minutiae of writers' lives that have nothing to do with their writing, or they attempt to find "real life" equivalents for everything that the author used in fiction. This concise biography by Carol Shields strikes a great balance. It talks about Jane Austen's life, and how it affected her fiction, in a very practical way -- connecting a drought of several years in her writing output, for instance, wit...more

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Mar 04, 2008 Sita rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: those who wants to find out more about Jane Austen

Shelves: biography

I'm not sure why I'm in a Jane Austen mode, perhaps watching "The Jane Austen Book Club" and "Becoming Jane" back to back puts me there indefinetely ;)

I originally picked this book on a sale as I am quite fascinated by her but idiot that I am, didn't realise that her biography existed, biographies to be exact. So, of course I have to have this book.

I think this one is a good bio of her. It not only describes her life but also discussed her works within the context of her surrounding events. For...more

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Sep 10, 2008 Rachel C. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: jane-austen, non-fic, biography-and-memoir, length-short, canadian-author

I'd never read a biography of Jane Austen despite loving her novels to bits. I suppose I felt that I knew plenty about her from her fiction. Her immortal "daughters" Lizzy, Anne, Catherine et al have a full measure of what must be Austen's own feminist spirit, gentle humor, love of books and, above all, belief in true love.

As biographies go, this one is excellent. Deftly and delicately written, restrained and very respectful of my beloved Jane. Shields gets the maximum mileage out of the sketchy...more

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Mar 03, 2011 Erin rated it 2 of 5 stars

this was not horrible. there isn't a lot to know about jane austen other than some letters and a book that her nephew wrote about her and of course her novels.(i'm actually very curious about the 29 page biography on her by sylvia townsend warner.) i became most interested in the last 1/4 of this book when austen finally published her books. i found several mistakes throughout the book that annoyed me but they were minor mistakes (things i thought that an editor would catch.) what it did inspire...more

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About Carol Shields

Carol Ann Shields was an American-born Canadian author. She is best known for her successful 1993 novel The Stone Diaries, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction as well as the Governor General's Award. Her novel Swann won the Best Novel Arthur Ellis Award in 1988.

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“...she herself loved the character of Elizabeth Bennet. "I must confess that I think her as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print, and how I shall be able to tolerate those who do not like her at least, I do not know.” — 3 people liked it

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