Jane Austen: Real and Imagined Worlds

by Oliver MacDonagh

In this book a distinguished historian explores the novels of Jane Austen, showing how they illuminate English history in the quarter century before 1792 and 1817 and how, in turn, an appreciation of this period in history enriches our reading of the novels. Oliver MacDonagh paints a picture of Jane Austen’s life and personality and of the social and political worlds she inhabited during and immediately after the Napoleonic Wars. Analyzing her letters as well as her novels, he shows how Austen’s experiences and her reactions to events were woven into her fiction. Each chapter combines an examination of Jane Austen’s ideas and conduct in a particular field with a consideration of her treatment of the same subject in one or more of her works. MacDonagh compares the place of the Anglican Church in her life to the role of the Church of England in Mansfield Park , juxtaposes her own family relations to those of the Elliots, Musgroves, and Crofts in Persuasion , and shows how her economic vicissitudes are reflected in the use of money as the moving force in Sense and Sensibility . In the same way, other chapters tackle the themes of girlhood and education, marriage and the contemporary female economy, and local society. In every case Austen’s real and imagined worlds richly illuminate on another, providing new insights for all readers of her work.

Genres: Nonfiction, Jane Austen, Literary Criticism, Literature, Biography, History

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Oliver Ormond Gerard Michael MacDonagh, was a professor of Irish history who made a particular study of the historic relationship between Ireland and the United Kingdom. He was educated at University College and Kings Inns, Dublin, and Cambridge University, and was W. K. Hancock Professor of History at the Institute of Advanced Studies, Australian National University.

Reviews

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

Very interesting novel by a historian and clear fan of Jane Austen’s fiction (he admits that he could easily list greater novelists but that he is captured by Austen’s “alloy of precision and elegance”).

His two-fold aim in the novel is set out in an admirably clear Preface: firstly to see how Austen’s novels can shed light on English history in the period 1792-1817 in which she both wrote and set them; secondly to see how historians’ existing evaluation of this period can illuminate an understanding of the novels. The reader quickly realises that there is in fact a “third leg to the stool” on which the book rests – Austen’s life itself which gives concreteness to history, clearly inspired her novels, but is itself given greater understanding by an examination of her novels and by a knowledge of the social and economic history of the period.

The method he uses is to pick six major themes: Austen’s Anglicanism; her economic condition, knowledge and assumptions; her experience and ideals of families; society and its limitation and inducements; her idea of girlhood; her situation as a poor gentlewoman; the final phase of her life.

He then chooses a book/or series of books to examine these in detail, respectively: Mansfield Park; Sense and Sensibility; Persuasion; Emma; Catharine, Or, The Bower/Northanger Abbey/Pride and Prejudice; Lady Susan/The Watsons/Pride and Prejudice; Sandition.

Only with Emma and Sense and Sensibility did I feel that my knowledge of Austen’s novels matched the encyclopedic expertise that the author draws on - not least as he is often looking for clues in the incidentals and detail of the text (rather than in the main narrative). Not surprisingly therefore my enjoyment of the three chapters featuring these books – in particular an examination of Charlotte Lucas’s marriage choice and of the society of Highbury – was much greater than the rest of the book.

Of course biographies of Austen which are illustrated by and in turn illustrate her novels, are in industry in themselves so that two things really make this book stand out: firstly the deep and professional historical knowledge that the author adds to the book and which forms a fundamental part of its conceit; secondly the timeless “precision and elegance” of the author’s own writing.

[Andrea Hickman Walker]

I really enjoyed this. I've read works on Jane Austen before, and works on the works of Jane Austen before, but this is the best I've seen so far on applying the works of Jane Austen to what it tells us about her life. I particularly enjoy the fact that it (mostly) avoids the argument that the characters in her fiction are drawn from people she actually knew. The exception it makes, of saying that James and Mary Austen may have provided a starting point for the relationship between John and Fanny Dashwood is acceptable to me, because it's clearly stating that there is only a partial resemblance. A lot of the points in this book are ones that I've read elsewhere (and numerous times, for that matter), but they were well-written and thought-provoking, particularly with regards to the interpretation of her novels (a thing I particularly enjoy).

Highly recommended to all Janeites.

[Nichola]

The author claims to not be an expert, but is undoubtedly a scholarly writer. His 6 thesis about the timeperiod when Jane Austen was living and writing her books are extremely well researched and backed by a real understanding of her complete works (much more than the 6 well known novels) and details of her acquaintance and daily living. It was not in anyway light reading, but it did feel like he created some new points of view in well travelled areas.

[Karen·]

I like Jane Austen; I like history, so what is there not to like about this close historical reading of her novels. I found it very rewarding.

[Sarah]

Great book, gave me a lot of good insight and background to Jane Austen's world!

[Cindy]

Author had some interesting insights on the novels themselves (for instance - "Emma" takes place entirely within a small village and has the fewest characters of any Austen novel. It really is a study of society in microcosm), but I've read quite a few Austen bios and this didn't add tons to my understanding of her life.

[Elizabeth]

Somewhat uneven in quality. The author is a historian who loves the work of Jane Austen. He seeks to bring together society as portrayed in Jane Austen's novels, society as experienced by Austen (drawn mainly from letters and memoirs of family), and society as understood by historians. His frequent apologies for writing about literature although not a literary critic are distracting (and missing, strangely enough, from his most ambitious attempts to critique the structure, style, and overall mood of the novels--apparently he only apologizes for attempting literary criticism when not actually providing literary criticism), as is his lengthy justification of periodization by historians (in the penultimate chapter, which would otherwise be one of the stronger ones). Overall, however, good insights, and lots of reminders about why Austen is so appealing as a social observer.