جین آستین

by Marghanita Laski, هوشنگ رهنما (Translator)

Jane Austen sprang from the upper middle class society of late eighteenth century southern England. Orthodox in morals and religion, generally Tory in politics--this was the milieu that she describes so memorably in her novels. Indeed her environment provided her with material ideally suited to her talents: accurate observation of character, wit, dramatic intuition, an ear for realistic dialogue, and a highly disciplined formal sense. These gifts, evident in the early and satirical novels Northanger Abbey and Sense and Sensibility, found their perfect expression in the great books of her maturity, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, and Persuasion. The late novelist and critic Marghanita Laski brings to this illustrated biography the fruits of a long and loving study of Jane Austen, her work, her letters, and her time.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, British Literature, History, Classics

160 pages, Paperback

First published September 28, 1969

About the author

English journalist, radio panelist, and novelist: she also wrote literary biography, plays, and short stories.

Laski was born to a prominent family of Jewish intellectuals: Neville Laski was her father, Moses Gaster her grandfather, and socialist thinker Harold Laski her uncle. She was educated at Lady Barn House School and St Paul's Girls' School in Hammersmith. After a stint in fashion, she read English at Oxford, then married publisher John Howard, and worked in journalism. She began writing once her son and daughter were born.

A well-known critic as well as a novelist, she wrote books on Jane Austen and George Eliot. Ecstasy (1962) explored intense experiences, and Everyday Ecstasy (1974) their social effects. Her distinctive voice was often heard on the radio on The Brains Trust and The Critics; and she submitted a large number of illustrative quotations to the Oxford English Dictionary.

An avowed atheist, she was also a keen supporter of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. Her play, The Offshore Island, is about nuclear warfare.

Reviews

[Kirk · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the book is extremely dated(1969), it is certainly readable and interesting. To quote Mr Knightley regarding Harriet Smith, "I was surprised by the book's conversation". The author certainly gives some opinions that are outside the norm. I think a fact checker might find some errors, especially in the 2nd half of the book. I read a review that complained about the placement of the illustrations. I enjoyed them and didn't care where they were placed. The back cover of the book has the following quote from The Times Literary Supplement "A scholarly and immensely readable account of Jane Austen's life, her family, friends and surroundings. No short biography could be better done." Yes, yes, yes to the first sentence. And no, no, and no to the 2nd sentence. Carol Shields and Margaret Kennedy's short JA bios are better done.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to quite a fascinating account of Jane Austen's life. I was intrigued when I spotted it at the used bookshop. Mainly, because the author is Marghanita Laski and I wasn't aware she wrote a book about Jane Austen. While flipping through the pages, I noticed the other highlight of this book was all the gorgeous illustrations in it that followed the text.

This book has sketches, paintings, watercolors, and drawings of people, places, and artifacts from Austen's life or that she had a connection with. Combined with this treasure trove of Austen history, Laski educated me on quite a few facts from Austen's life. I absolutely loved learning the afterwords Austen had for some of her character. She shared the "what happened next" with family members and Laski accounts for it here. I also haven't read Jane Austen's Letters- so Laski's references and quotes were fascinating to me. I'm hardly an Austen scholar. So some of this might be common knowledge to those that are, but to the novice reader of Austen, this made her come alive.

[Amalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very readable. It contains a brief biography of Jane Austen with 137 black-and-white illustrations. This has more of the detail external to Jane Austen’s life such as, people she knew, places she visited and detailed information about her family and clear portrayals of all her brothers the wives and information about their families. I found it ironic that all the Austen men had their portrayals done by artists where as the three women Mrs. George Austen (mother) , Cassandra and Jane only having pencil sketching, leaving us to still wonder how they really might’ve looked. My feeling signs of neglect ;)

It also contains illustrations connecting to her life and her novels, her drawings, patchwork quilts, important places from the county in which she was born to the room in which she died. As sad as it is, the entire book has only two ‘paintings’ of Jane: the famous engraved portrait developed from Cassandra’s unfinished sketch and a silhouette pasted in the second edition of the Mansfield Park. But that is not the fault of this edition.

Most details of the book reminded me of the BBC version "Miss Austen Regrets", especially things relate to her niece Fanny Knight/Austen. As for the mostly talked 'love story' between Thomas Lefroy and Jane Austen, it’s clear he was in love but I’m not so convinced that from Jane’s side; that this touched her heart deeply or lastingly that her next suitor seems not to have touched her heart at all. As far as romance is concerned the following is included: "I could no more write a romance than an epic poem. I could not sit seriously down to write a serious romance under any other motive than to save my life; and if it were indispensable for me to keep it up and never relax into laughing at myself or other people, I’m sure I should hung before I had finished the first chapter." I seriously do not believe she was in anyway what so ever a bitter spinster who couldn’t marry her one true love.

There are also the notes on Cassandra’s slip-of-tongue about Jane’s love for a young clergyman that died suddenly. So in the end there’s a lot more untold about Jane Austen.

[Zahra Labbafan · Rating 3 out of 5]

این کتاب که زندگینامه ‌جین آستین است برای کسی که کتاب‌هاش رو خونده جذابتره.

[Cassie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I almost gave 4 stars because I like the pictures a lot.

[Nasim.Radfar · Rating 3 out of 5]

اين كتاب همانطور كه از اسمش پيداست زندگينامه جين آستين است.
ًً@&&&&
شرح زندگى او از نامه هايى كه نوشته است.
@&&&
بعد از خواندن آثار او ، بد نيست اين كتاب هم خوانده شود.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting facts-only biography of Jane Austen by the writer Marghanita Laski. This is a nicely, if excessively, illustrated edition that fleshed out what is a very short work. Laski is a writer who has been on my radar for quite a while now thanks to Persephone Books; I read and enjoyed one novel by her that was quite touching (Little Boy Lost). Her voice is a bit quirky in some ways but appealing, and I hope to get to her other novels someday.

[lorinbocol · Rating 4 out of 5]

it's a truth universally acknowleged, that a woman in possession of a good admiration for jane austen must be in want of this book.

[Bettina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gedateerd, maar de illustraties zijn mooi.

[Marjorie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uneven writing quality but I like how it is well-illustrated. With regard to the illustrations I was annoyed by one thing: the author discusses, briefly, how a well-connected politically friend provided assistance to the Austen family and there is an illustration showing this person undergoing trial in the House of Parliament with no information given in the text. I had to look online to find out why he was being tried and what happened next. Mildly annoying and should have been caught in the editing of the book before publication.

[Reading with Cats · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Jessica Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://chroniclesofabooknerd.blogspot...

[Bayan Mashat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really about Jane Austen as much as it's about "her family and where she lived". But still, great appreciated effort/work.

[Bahman Bahman · Rating 2 out of 5]

جین آستین در ۱۶ دسامبر ۱۷۷۵ در استیونسن، همپشر، جنوب شرقی انگلستان، به دنیا آمد. او هفتمین فرزند یک کشیش ناحیه بود. در سال ۱۸۰۱ که پدرش بازنشسته شد، خانوادهٔ آستین به بث نقل مکان کرد. پدرش در سال ۱۸۰۵ از دنیا رفت و جین آستین و مادرش چندبار نقل مکان کردند، تا سرانجام در سال ۱۸۰۹ در نزدیکی التن در همپشر ماندگار شدند. جین آستین در همین محل ماند و فقط چند بار به لندن سفر کرد. در مه ۱۸۱۷ به سبب بیماری به وینچستر کوچ کرد تا نزدیک پزشکش باشد، و در ژوئیهٔ ۱۸۱۷ همانجا درگذشت. جین آستن چند سالی از عمر خود را در شهر باث سپری کرد و این شهر به عنوان محل اقامت او مشهور است. مؤسسه‌ای به نام «مرکز جین آستن» در خیابان «گی» در مرکز شهر باث موجود است که هر سال جشنواره‌ای به نام جشنواره جین آستن در این شهر برگزار می‌کند. رمان‌های جین آستین از پرخواننده‌ترین آثار در ادبیات جهان اند و حدود دویست سال است که نسل‌های پیاپی با کشش و علاقهٔ روزافزون رمان‌های او را می‌خوانند. جین آستین در دوران نوجوانی نوشتن رمان را آغاز کرد. او در شش رمان دربارهٔ زندگی در اواخر قرن هفدهم و اوایل قرن هجدهم نوشت. چهار تا از این کتاب‌ها در یک دوره چهار ساله منتشر شدند که نشان دهنده سرعت نویسنده در نگارش بود. 'عقل و احساس، غرور و تعصب، مانسفیلد پارک و اما' کتاب‌هایی بودند که در زمان حیات او چاپ شد. دو کتاب دیگر او پس از مرگش منتشر شد. کتاب هفتم او هیچ‌گاه به پایان نرسید. جین آستین بر خلاف قهرمان‌های رمانش در طول عمر ۴۱ ساله اش هرگز ازدواج نکرد.