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Jane Austen, Her Life and Letters: A Family Record
Almost one hundred years after the death of Jane Austen, William Austen-Leigh and Richard Arthur Austen-Leigh published "Jane Austen: Her Life and Letters. A Family Record" (1913). The book lovingly details Jane's birth, childhood, adolescence, and maturity; the everyday minutiae of her life, the circumstances in which she wrote her juvenilia and her six novels, and her early death. Using Jane Austen's own letters, additional letters sent between a large and fond family, and family reminiscences, William and Richard Austen-Leigh continued the family tradition of carefully nurturing the literary and personal reputation of a literary icon who also happened to be a most beloved aunt.
456 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1913
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
June 26, 2018
If you want to go beyond the pages published as a biography of Austen, this is the book that you need to study. It might be intriguing as well to know the details which might be overwhelming! A good book at the end.
March 13, 2017
Anything about Jane Austen will snag my attention and of course this one did and I tucked it onto my Kindle for future reading. I was curious to read a book about her that was written by her own relation and not as far removed from her time, but not exactly a contemporary, either.
I'm still a little hazy on William Austen-Leigh's tie to Jane Austen and I think he might be a great-nephew and her oldest brother James' grandson. But again, not for certain there. He makes many references to an earlier Memoir written by another relation that seemed one generation closer.
This is exactly what the title says. Its a family record focused on Jane Austen and her Life leaning heavily on mostly hers, but also other family letters to, from, or about her. The author begins with family history details without going too far back, but a few generations that explain how Jane's parents came to settle in Steventon and raise their family the way they did with a respect for learning, literature, and family connections. The author points out early hints of Jane the writer emerging and also Jane the young lady and woman. There are sections of flowing praise for his relation and family, but the author is generous with facts and his narrative is much of the time simply a provision of where she went, who she saw, and what she did to the best of his knowledge. He doesn't do a lot of speculation on what she thought or felt which was probably a good thing.
The meat of this book was the organization of letters mainly written by Jane with the occasional inserted note of explanation about points in the letters that allows the reader to follow along chronologically letting Jane tell her own story. Her dazzling personality hidden inside her quiet exterior demeanor and homebody is a heady combination. Her letters must have been a much anticipated source of amusement for each recipient. And to think, as another reader pointed out, these existing letters are just the tip of the iceberg so to speak since, after her death, Jane's sister, Cassandra burned several of the letters that she felt exposed her sister's privacy too much.
I am not too proud to admit that I shed tears over a letter between Cassandra Austen and her niece, Fanny Knight regarding Jane's last hours. I did love to see the mention of how the family was at this time and also how Henry and Edward worked to get the last two novels published for her.
Two things that really struck me and I shared with our reading group was that the author pointed out that Jane Austen's first published book, Sense & Sensibility, had a lot riding on it's success for Jane, but also her legacy. Because of the cost to writers trying to be published, if a book didn't succeed then likely there would not be more books forthcoming and Jane couldn't afford to keep trying to publish.
The other thing was that I hadn't realized that Persuasion had an entirely different ending the first time she wrote it. She ended up coming back at it, swapping out her ending chapter for two new chapters that gave us that scene in the Musgrove's parlor at the inn in Bath between Captain Harville and Anne as well as THE Letter.
No Pride and Prejudice or Captain Wentworth's Letter? Thank goodness S&S succeeded and that Jane revised Persuasion.
So, this was a delightful read and now I'm keen to read that Memoir William Austen-Leigh referenced. This is definitely worth it for the Austen lover.
I'm still a little hazy on William Austen-Leigh's tie to Jane Austen and I think he might be a great-nephew and her oldest brother James' grandson. But again, not for certain there. He makes many references to an earlier Memoir written by another relation that seemed one generation closer.
This is exactly what the title says. Its a family record focused on Jane Austen and her Life leaning heavily on mostly hers, but also other family letters to, from, or about her. The author begins with family history details without going too far back, but a few generations that explain how Jane's parents came to settle in Steventon and raise their family the way they did with a respect for learning, literature, and family connections. The author points out early hints of Jane the writer emerging and also Jane the young lady and woman. There are sections of flowing praise for his relation and family, but the author is generous with facts and his narrative is much of the time simply a provision of where she went, who she saw, and what she did to the best of his knowledge. He doesn't do a lot of speculation on what she thought or felt which was probably a good thing.
The meat of this book was the organization of letters mainly written by Jane with the occasional inserted note of explanation about points in the letters that allows the reader to follow along chronologically letting Jane tell her own story. Her dazzling personality hidden inside her quiet exterior demeanor and homebody is a heady combination. Her letters must have been a much anticipated source of amusement for each recipient. And to think, as another reader pointed out, these existing letters are just the tip of the iceberg so to speak since, after her death, Jane's sister, Cassandra burned several of the letters that she felt exposed her sister's privacy too much.
I am not too proud to admit that I shed tears over a letter between Cassandra Austen and her niece, Fanny Knight regarding Jane's last hours. I did love to see the mention of how the family was at this time and also how Henry and Edward worked to get the last two novels published for her.
Two things that really struck me and I shared with our reading group was that the author pointed out that Jane Austen's first published book, Sense & Sensibility, had a lot riding on it's success for Jane, but also her legacy. Because of the cost to writers trying to be published, if a book didn't succeed then likely there would not be more books forthcoming and Jane couldn't afford to keep trying to publish.
The other thing was that I hadn't realized that Persuasion had an entirely different ending the first time she wrote it. She ended up coming back at it, swapping out her ending chapter for two new chapters that gave us that scene in the Musgrove's parlor at the inn in Bath between Captain Harville and Anne as well as THE Letter.
No Pride and Prejudice or Captain Wentworth's Letter? Thank goodness S&S succeeded and that Jane revised Persuasion.
So, this was a delightful read and now I'm keen to read that Memoir William Austen-Leigh referenced. This is definitely worth it for the Austen lover.
April 9, 2017
I finally finished this book which was my March read. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy it, I was finding it hard to read anything of late.
She definitely was a no nonsense sort of person. It was lovely to read something written by her actual family. They didn't sugar coat it in anyway. I thought some of the letters she wrote to Fanny were slightly over the top, dare I say bordering on hysterical. She goes into effusions over Fanny's good kind heart, her looks and her writings. I get she was very fond of her but one or two letters made me cringe a bit.
She also traveled around England a lot. In fact I think she was better traveled than I am today with all our easy ways of going from A to B.
I read the last chapter with a lump in my throat. So sad to read about her last days. She definitely died too early. Just imagine all the classics we've missed out on because of her untimely death.
A very good read and any Austen fan will enjoy it.
She definitely was a no nonsense sort of person. It was lovely to read something written by her actual family. They didn't sugar coat it in anyway. I thought some of the letters she wrote to Fanny were slightly over the top, dare I say bordering on hysterical. She goes into effusions over Fanny's good kind heart, her looks and her writings. I get she was very fond of her but one or two letters made me cringe a bit.
She also traveled around England a lot. In fact I think she was better traveled than I am today with all our easy ways of going from A to B.
I read the last chapter with a lump in my throat. So sad to read about her last days. She definitely died too early. Just imagine all the classics we've missed out on because of her untimely death.
A very good read and any Austen fan will enjoy it.
May 20, 2019
This was another book on my required reading list in preparation for my graduate thesis. It certainly is a family record and it is rather dry.
I must confess that I read this biography with a grain of salt and a constant mental reminder that Jane’s immediate surviving family members edited the sections of her letters they used in their published biography of their aunt Jane.
Since the initial publication of this biography (by her nephew’s son and grandson) many more of Jane’s letters have resurfaced and the truth came to light that even those sections they did publish were revised to portray their aunt in a more positive way.
This particular edition was itself revised and enlarged by Deirdre Le Faye, but I still couldn’t help myself wondering, if I was reading the original or the heavily edited information.
In general, I found the biography lacking spirit, for lack of a better term. It came across as flat; yet attempting to put everything in a lighter mood. Descriptive words such as “the generous”, “the kind” etc. for the various family members, who have given gifts or paid attention to the Steventon Austen family branch.
Many family members, many names, many places were mentioned that made it difficult to keep track of everyone and their respective roles throughout Jane’s life.
In addition, it was confusing trying to figure out who was giving what statement about Jane. Quotes were added without any further explanation and the reader was left to wonder what niece was commenting on what experience they had regarding Jane.
Overall, I am rating this biography two stars, which, according to Goodreads, still means it was ok. And that’s what it essentially is: okay. For those, who have a working knowledge of Jane’s life and her family, this biography might be interesting to trace its roots back to the beginning of Jane’s legacy as shared by her family, although the very first biography was Memoir by James Edward Austen.
There are better and more up-to-date biographies on Jane available, but it’s still worth a look for those rare pieces of information not found anywhere else. I would suggest it to very curious, highly interested, die-hard fans of Jane’s work and life.
ElliotScribbles
I must confess that I read this biography with a grain of salt and a constant mental reminder that Jane’s immediate surviving family members edited the sections of her letters they used in their published biography of their aunt Jane.
Since the initial publication of this biography (by her nephew’s son and grandson) many more of Jane’s letters have resurfaced and the truth came to light that even those sections they did publish were revised to portray their aunt in a more positive way.
This particular edition was itself revised and enlarged by Deirdre Le Faye, but I still couldn’t help myself wondering, if I was reading the original or the heavily edited information.
In general, I found the biography lacking spirit, for lack of a better term. It came across as flat; yet attempting to put everything in a lighter mood. Descriptive words such as “the generous”, “the kind” etc. for the various family members, who have given gifts or paid attention to the Steventon Austen family branch.
Many family members, many names, many places were mentioned that made it difficult to keep track of everyone and their respective roles throughout Jane’s life.
In addition, it was confusing trying to figure out who was giving what statement about Jane. Quotes were added without any further explanation and the reader was left to wonder what niece was commenting on what experience they had regarding Jane.
Overall, I am rating this biography two stars, which, according to Goodreads, still means it was ok. And that’s what it essentially is: okay. For those, who have a working knowledge of Jane’s life and her family, this biography might be interesting to trace its roots back to the beginning of Jane’s legacy as shared by her family, although the very first biography was Memoir by James Edward Austen.
There are better and more up-to-date biographies on Jane available, but it’s still worth a look for those rare pieces of information not found anywhere else. I would suggest it to very curious, highly interested, die-hard fans of Jane’s work and life.
ElliotScribbles
July 17, 2009
I read this book a little each night. It's interesting to read her letters to her family but it isn't a riveting-read-in-a-day book. I really enjoyed a sense of her personality, her charm and her care for her family. The tenderness of her sister Cassandra's letters to her neice Fanny when Jane dies is a testament of the endearing qualities Jane possessed. It's interesting and wonderful to read Jane's descriptive letters to Cassandra while they were apart. Now, we have the phone and email and this beautiful art of letter writing is dying out. Her wit adds a sparkle to the letters. As I read them I felt intimately connected to her. Such personal letters open a person up more than a biography, it gave me a window to this unassuming yet incredible lady. She was an excellent observor of human nature. She sounds like someone that would be a lot of fun to be around. She enjoyed nature and dancing and had a cheerful disposition. She seemed like an excellent listener as well as a quick wit and a charming person. I'm glad I finally got to 'know' the author of some of my favorite 'fun' books.
August 7, 2010
Published in 1913 by descendants of Jane Austen who were born after she died, this book relies heavily on A Memoir of Jane Austen: And Other Family Recollections (1870) by James Edward Austen-Leigh, Jane's nephew who knew her well. There is an unmistakable tender tone to this work. It's written by family members who, though they did not know their aunt Jane personally, are clearly incredibly proud of her and their connection to her, as they should be.
For any Jane fan who wants to know more about her, Jane Austen - Her Life and Letters - A Family Record is a worthwhile read, especially as info about her comings and goings is limited to the stock of extant letters, notes, and recollections we have. I've come across some info and insight here that I've not found in other bios about Jane. At the same time, much has been learned about Austen and her family since the publication of this work nearly a century ago. I followed Claire Tomalin's fantastic bio of Austen with this book, and I think that's the best order in which to read them. They complement each other nicely and together do a good job of fleshing out a fuller picture of our beloved author.
This work lets Jane speak for herself where it can, i.e., many of her remaining letters to her sister Cassandra, her brothers, nieces, nephews and friends are included. Where there are gaps, the authors fill in where they can from family lore and research. If you've not read Jane's letters and you love her novels, you owe it to yourself to read them -- they not only give you a further dose of her great, singular wit, but they also give fascinating insight into her writing process, her participation in the publication of her novels, her interest in people's opinions (good and bad) of her work, as well as glimpses into the rigors and rituals of life in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
As I said, if you want to know more about Austen, I wouldn't start with this work, but it is an indispensable supplement to any background work anyone wants to conduct.
For any Jane fan who wants to know more about her, Jane Austen - Her Life and Letters - A Family Record is a worthwhile read, especially as info about her comings and goings is limited to the stock of extant letters, notes, and recollections we have. I've come across some info and insight here that I've not found in other bios about Jane. At the same time, much has been learned about Austen and her family since the publication of this work nearly a century ago. I followed Claire Tomalin's fantastic bio of Austen with this book, and I think that's the best order in which to read them. They complement each other nicely and together do a good job of fleshing out a fuller picture of our beloved author.
This work lets Jane speak for herself where it can, i.e., many of her remaining letters to her sister Cassandra, her brothers, nieces, nephews and friends are included. Where there are gaps, the authors fill in where they can from family lore and research. If you've not read Jane's letters and you love her novels, you owe it to yourself to read them -- they not only give you a further dose of her great, singular wit, but they also give fascinating insight into her writing process, her participation in the publication of her novels, her interest in people's opinions (good and bad) of her work, as well as glimpses into the rigors and rituals of life in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
As I said, if you want to know more about Austen, I wouldn't start with this work, but it is an indispensable supplement to any background work anyone wants to conduct.
August 16, 2011
This book was very hard to get into because the beginning talks a lot about her family, long before she was born. There were lots of names that I had no idea who anybody was and it was hard to follow how they were all related. There is a family tree in the back of the book, but I still struggled. Once it got to the point where there were letters by Jane Austen it was very interesting. I enjoyed reading her letters and getting a glimpse into how life was back then. I especially enjoyed the chapters about her novels. It was exciting to read about how she wrote her novels and all the support she got from her family and friends. I would recommend this to any Jane Austen fan. It might be a little slow starting, but stick with it and I think you will enjoy it!
July 18, 2017
I'm a little obsessed with Austen's books and I love to read about authors, in general, meaning this book should have been right up my alley. It was for some parts while others were a little dull.
Don't get me wrong. It's always tough to find the right kind of sources for a memoir. To get your hands on a diary or find a bunch of letters. It certainly doesn't get easier if an essential part of the letters are destroyed the moment someone dies.
In general, I like reading memoirs written by family members because besides the hard facts you often are presented with small anecdotes and stories about a beloved family member.
While I loved to get to know Jane a little better I struggled with the overkill of information in the beginning. I understand the importance of getting to know her family because these are the people she spent most of her time with but especially in the first half of the book there were parts that bored me endlessly. I didn't need that much information about her brothers and their adventures on the sea, for example.
Nevertheless, the pace picked up in the second half and I loved to get to know more about the process of writing and publishing her novels. The ending was sweet and sad. In the end, it was a great read with some lengths but still worth it.
Don't get me wrong. It's always tough to find the right kind of sources for a memoir. To get your hands on a diary or find a bunch of letters. It certainly doesn't get easier if an essential part of the letters are destroyed the moment someone dies.
In general, I like reading memoirs written by family members because besides the hard facts you often are presented with small anecdotes and stories about a beloved family member.
While I loved to get to know Jane a little better I struggled with the overkill of information in the beginning. I understand the importance of getting to know her family because these are the people she spent most of her time with but especially in the first half of the book there were parts that bored me endlessly. I didn't need that much information about her brothers and their adventures on the sea, for example.
Nevertheless, the pace picked up in the second half and I loved to get to know more about the process of writing and publishing her novels. The ending was sweet and sad. In the end, it was a great read with some lengths but still worth it.
July 6, 2022
William and Richard Arthur Austen-Leigh include histories of family and connections and explanatory introductions to previously published and unpublished letters and biographical material. Additionally, the authors discuss Austen’s literature and literary career. Although some language and information can be confusing, this family record is a valuable Jane Austen biography.
September 10, 2021
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JANE AUSTEN, HER LIFE AND LETTERS:
A Family Record
(by W. Austen-Leigh and R. A. Austen-Leigh) (1913)
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A further work by some members of another generation of descendants of Jane Austen's brothers, this book is intended to supplement accounts of her life then existing, with more information and a more distant point of view, as the authors state in a very well written preface.
It begins to be so already in the first chapter, chronology of her life. And it continues in the first chapter, adding a wealth of detailed information to the accounts in existence before. It's
Written in a concise manner, it's extremely difficult to select quotes from this, so much of it is worth noting. That's so, despite by now having read memoirs by her nephew, and more than a couple of other biographical accounts of Jane Austen.
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Table of contents
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Preface
Chronology of Jane Austen's Life
Chapter I Austens and Leighs (1600-1764)
Chapter II Steventon (1764-1785)
Chapter III Warren Hastings and the Hancocks (1752-1794)
Chapter IV Family Life (1779-1792)
Chapter VI Romance (1795-1802)
Chapter V Growth and Change (1792-1796)
Chapter VIII Godmersham and Steventon (1798-1799)
Chapter IX The Leigh Perrots and Bath (1799-1800)
Chapter X Change of Home (1800-1801)
Chapter XI Bath Again (1801-1805)
Chapter XII From Bath to Southampton (1805-1808)
Chapter XIII From Southampton to Chawton (1808-1809)
Chapter XIV Sense and Sensibility (1809-1811)
Chapter XV Pride and Prejudice 1812-1814
Chapter XVI Mansfield Park (1812-1814)
Chapter XVII Emma (1814-1815)
Chapter XVIII Persuasion (1815-1816)
Chapter XIX Aunt Jane (1814-1817)
Chapter XX Failing Health (1816-1817)
Chapter XXI Winchester (1817)
Appendix The Text of Jane Austen's Novels
'MANSFIELD PARK'
'EMMA'
'NORTHANGER ABBEY'
Chapter VII Authorship and Correspondence (1796-1798)
'PERSUASION'
Bibliography
A Family Record
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Preface
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"Since 1870-1, when J. E. Austen Leigh[1] published his Memoir of Jane Austen, considerable additions have been made to the stock of information available for her biographers. Of these fresh sources of knowledge the set of letters from Jane to Cassandra, edited by Lord Brabourne, has been by far the most important. These letters are invaluable as mémoires pour servir; although they cover only the comparatively rare periods when the two sisters were separated, and although Cassandra purposely destroyed many of the letters likely to prove the most interesting, from a distaste for publicity.
"Some further correspondence, and many incidents in the careers of two of her brothers, may be read in Jane Austen's Sailor Brothers, by J. H. Hubback and Edith C. Hubback; while Miss Constance Hill has been able to add several family traditions to the interesting topographical information embodied in her Jane Austen: Her Homes and Her Friends. ... "
"During the last few years, we have been fortunate enough to be able to add to this store; and every existing MS. or tradition preserved by the family, of which we have any knowledge, has been placed at our disposal."
"The Memoir must always remain the one firsthand account of her, resting on the authority of a nephew who knew her intimately and that of his two sisters. We could not compete with its vivid personal recollections; and the last thing we should wish to do, even were it possible, would be to supersede it. We believe, however, that it needs to be supplemented, not only because so much additional material has been brought to light since its publication, but also because the account given of their aunt by her nephew and nieces could be given only from their own point of view, while the incidents and characters fall into a somewhat different perspective if the whole is seen from a greater distance. Their knowledge of their aunt was during the last portion of her life, and they knew her best of all in her last year, when her health was failing and she was living in much seclusion; and they [vii] were not likely to be the recipients of her inmost confidences on the events and sentiments of her youth.
"Hence the emotional and romantic side of her nature—a very real one—has not been dwelt upon. No doubt the Austens were, as a family, unwilling to show their deeper feelings, and the sad end of Jane's one romance would naturally tend to intensify this dislike of expression; but the feeling was there, and it finally found utterance in her latest work, when, through Anne Elliot, she claimed for women the right of 'loving longest when existence or when hope is gone.'"
"A third point is the uneventful nature of the author's life, which, as we think, has been a good deal exaggerated. Quiet it certainly was; but the quiet life of a member of a large family in the England of that date was compatible with a good deal of stirring incident, happening, if not to herself, at all events to those who were nearest to her, and who commanded her deepest sympathies."
"Both in the plan and in the execution of our work we have received much valuable help from another member of the family, Mary A. Austen Leigh.[2]
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Chronology of Jane Austen's Life
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Some new information here for those who have already read the memoir by her nephew, such as
"1783
"Mrs. Cawley having moved to Southampton, Jane nearly died there of a fever. Mrs. Cooper (her aunt) took the infection and died (October)."
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Chapter I Austens and Leighs (1600-1764)
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"At the end of the sixteenth century there was living at Horsmonden—a small village in the Weald of Kent—a certain John Austen. From his will it is evident that he was a man of considerable means, owning property in Kent and Sussex and elsewhere; he also held a lease of certain lands from Sir Henry Whetenhall, including in all probability the manor house of Broadford in Horsmonden. What wealth he had was doubtless derived from the clothing trade; for Hasted[4] instances the Austens, together with the Bathursts, Courthopes, and others, as some of the ancient families of that part 'now of large estate and genteel rank in life,' but sprung from ancestors who had used the great staple manufacture of clothing. ... "
"John Austen died in 1620, leaving a large family. [2] [5] Of these, the fifth son, Francis, who died in 1687, describes himself in his will as a clothier, of Grovehurst; this place being, like Broadford, a pretty timbered house of moderate size near the picturesque old village of Horsmonden. Both houses still belong to the Austen family. ... One of his sisters married into the family of the Stringers (neighbours engaged in the same trade as the Austens), and numbered among her descendants the Knights of Godmersham—a circumstance which exercised an important influence over the subsequent fortunes of the Austen family."
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"The young squire and his son held gentle sway at Broadford through the eighteenth century; but much more stirring and able was the next brother, Francis. He became a solicitor. Setting up at Sevenoaks 'with eight hundred pounds and a bundle of pens,' he contrived to amass a very large fortune, living most hospitably, and yet buying up all the valuable land round the town which he could secure, and enlarging his means by marrying two wealthy wives. ... "
"Francis's son by his first wife (known as Motley Austen) rounded off the family estate at [4] Sevenoaks by purchasing the Kippington property. Motley's third son, John, eventually inherited the Broadford estate. Francis's two most distinguished descendants were Colonel Thomas Austen of Kippington, well known as M.P. for Kent, and the Rev. John Thomas Austen, senior wrangler in 1817.
"Both the two next brothers of Francis Austen adopted the medical profession. Thomas, an apothecary at Tonbridge, had an only son, Henry, who graduated at Cambridge, and, through his uncle's interest, held the living of West Wickham for twenty years. His descendants on the female side are still flourishing.
"William, the surgeon, Jane Austen's grandfather, is more immediately interesting to us. He married Rebecca, daughter of Sir George Hampson, a physician of Gloucester, and widow of another medical man, James Walter. By her first husband she had a son, William Hampson Walter, born in 1721; by her second she had three daughters, and one son, George, born in 1731. ... George Austen (Jane's father), who had lost both his parents when he was six years old, continued under the care of his stepmother. However, all that we know of his childhood is that his uncle Francis befriended him, and sent him to Tonbridge School, and that from Tonbridge he obtained a Scholarship (and subsequently a Fellowship) at St. John's College, Oxford [5] —the College at which, later on, through George's own marriage, his descendants were to be 'founder's kin.' ... "
"The Walter family settled in Lincolnshire, where they have held Church preferment, and have also been well known in the world of sport. Phila's brother James seems to have been at the same time an exemplary parson, beloved by his flock, and also a sort of 'Jack Russell,' and is said to have met his death in the hunting-field, by falling into a snow-drift, [6] at the age of eighty-four. His son Henry distinguished himself in a more academical manner. He was second wrangler in 1806, and a Fellow of St. John's. Nor was he only a mathematician; for in June 1813 Jane Austen met a young man named Wilkes, an undergraduate of St. John's, who spoke very highly of Walter as a scholar; he said he was considered the best classic at Cambridge. She adds: 'How such a report would have interested my father!' Henry Walter was at one time tutor at Haileybury, and was also a beneficed clergyman. He was known at Court; indeed, it is said that, while he declined higher preferment for himself, he was consulted by George IV and William IV on the selection of bishops."
"Both these branches of the Leigh family descended from Sir Thomas Leigh, Lord Mayor of London, behind whom Queen Elizabeth rode to be proclaimed at Paul's Cross. He was rich enough and great enough to endow more than one son with estates; but while the elder line at Adlestrop remained simple squires, the younger at Stoneleigh rose to a peerage. The latter branch, however, were now rapidly approaching extinction, while the former had many [7] vigorous scions. The family records have much to say of one of the squires—Theophilus (who died in 1724), the husband of Mary Brydges and the father of twelve children, a strong character, and one who lived up to fixed, if rather narrow, ideas of duty. We hear of his old-fashioned dress and elaborate bows and postures, of his affability to his neighbours, and his just, though somewhat strict, government of his sons. It is difficult to picture to oneself a set of modern Oxford men standing patiently after dinner, in the dining-parlour, as Theophilus's sons did, 'till desired to sit down and drink Church and King.' ... "
"Cassandra's father, Thomas, was the fourth son of Theophilus Leigh. An older and better known brother was another Theophilus, Master of Balliol for more than half a century."
"Cassandra Leigh's youth was spent in the quiet rectory of Harpsden, for her father was one of the more conscientious of the gently born clergy of that day, living entirely on his benefice, and greatly beloved in his neighbourhood as an exemplary parish-priest. ... His peaceful wife, Jane Walker, was descended on her [9] mother's side from a sufficiently warlike family; she was the daughter of an Oxford physician, who had married a Miss Perrot, one of the last of a very old stock, long settled in Oxfordshire, but also known in Pembrokeshire at least as early as the fourteenth century. They were probably among the settlers planted there to overawe the Welsh, and it is recorded of one of them that he slew 'twenty-six men of Kemaes and one wolf.' A contrast to these uncompromising ancestors was found in Mrs. Leigh's aunt, Ann Perrot, one of the family circle at Harpsden, whom tradition states to have been a very pious, good woman. Unselfish she certainly was, for she earnestly begged her brother, Mr. Thomas Perrot, to alter his will by which he had bequeathed to her his estates at Northleigh in Oxfordshire, and to leave her instead an annuity of one hundred pounds. Her brother complied with her request, and by a codicil devised the estates to his great-nephew, James, son of the Rev. Thomas Leigh, on condition that he took the surname and arms of Perrot.[11] Accordingly, on the death of Mr. Thomas Perrot at the beginning of 1751, James Leigh became James Leigh Perrot of Northleigh. ... "
"Northleigh, for some reason or other, did not suit its new owner. He pulled down the mansion and sold the estate to the Duke of Marlborough, buying for himself a property at Hare Hatch on the Bath Road, midway between Maidenhead and Reading. ... "
"George Austen perhaps met his future wife at the house of her uncle, the Master of Balliol, but no particulars of the courtship have survived. The marriage took place at Walcot Church, Bath, on April 26, 1764, the bride's father having died at Bath only a short time before. Two circumstances connected with their brief honeymoon—which consisted only of a journey from Bath to Steventon, broken by one day's halt at Andover—may be mentioned. The bride's 'going-away' dress seems to have been a scarlet riding-habit, whose future adventures were not uninteresting; and the pair are believed to have had an unusual companion for such an occasion—namely, a small boy, six years old, the only son of Warren Hastings by his first wife. We are told that he was committed to the charge of Mr. Austen when he was sent over to England in 1761, and we shall see later that there was a reason for this connexion; but a three-year-old boy is a curious charge for a bachelor, and poor little George must have wanted a nurse rather than a tutor. In any case, he came under Mrs. Austen's maternal care, who afterwards mourned for his early death 'as if he had been a child of her own.'[12]"
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Chapter II Steventon (1764-1785)
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"Steventon is a small village tucked away among the Hampshire Downs, about seven miles south of Basingstoke. ... "
"The surrounding country is certainly not picturesque; it presents no grand or extensive views: the features, however, being small rather than plain.[14] It is, in fact, an undulating district whose hills have no marked character, and the poverty of whose soil prevents the timber from attaining a great size. We need not therefore be surprised to hear that [12] when Cassandra Leigh saw the place for the first time, just before her marriage, she should think it very inferior to the valley of the Thames at Henley. Yet the neighbourhood had its beauties of rustic lanes and hidden nooks; and Steventon, from the fall of the ground and the abundance of its timber, was one of the prettiest spots in it. The Rectory had been of the most miserable description, but George Austen improved it until it became a tolerably roomy and convenient habitation. It stood 'in a shallow valley, surrounded by sloping meadows, well sprinkled with elm-trees, at the end of a small village of cottages, each well provided with a garden, scattered about prettily on either side of the road. ... "
"'But the chief beauty of Steventon consisted in its hedgerows. A hedgerow in that country does not mean a thin formal line of quickset, but an irregular border of copse-wood and timber, often wide enough to contain within it a winding footpath, or a rough cart-track. Under its shelter the earliest [13] primroses, anemones, and wild hyacinths were to be found; sometimes the first bird's nest; and, now and then, the unwelcome adder. ... "
"The usefulness of a hedgerow as a place where a heroine might remain unseen and overhear what was not intended to reach her ears must have impressed itself early on the mind of our author; and readers of Persuasion will remember the scene in the fields near Uppercross where Anne hears a conversation about herself carried on by Captain Wentworth and Louisa Musgrove. The writer had possibly intended to introduce a similar scene into Mansfield Park, for, ....
July 16, 2017
Drawing from Jane Austen's letters/papers to tell her story ensures flashes of humor unusual in most biographies and provides a sense that this is as close to the author as we are likely to get. There are periods of her life, however, with no letters, either because she was with her sister or because the letters were deliberately destroyed to preserve her privacy. There is a lot about her extended family, which is needed to understand her milieu and doings. Who knew she almost went to stay in prison with an aunt waiting for trial on false charges of shoplifting? There is a delightful list she made of comments on her novels, many favorable, but including the woman who thought "S. and S. and P. and P. downright nonsense but expected to like M.P. better, and having finished the first volume, flattered herself she had got through the worst."
March 15, 2017
What a delightful read! Two of the Austen-Leighs (I’m still not quite sure where to place them in the family tree) piece together JA’s life from earlier bios and her surviving letters. She had her fair share of sorrows to face of course, but overall, her life comes across as a pleasant and happy one. In fact, reading her letters, one feels as if one has stepped into one of her books- the atmosphere and how life went on particularly. I quite enjoyed reading her letters- some of her observations could be rather sharp but most are humorous and pleasant. She would certainly be an interesting person to know and correspond with. I was also quite surprised at how eventful her life was with plenty of balls, visits, and calls—not at all the relatively quiet country life I was picturing.
August 24, 2013
Read my review on my book blog: http://quirkyreader.livejournal.com/3...
January 26, 2017
An interesting read if you're an Austen admirer, a great resource if you're a devoted fan, a real snooze if you only read the great writer under duress.
Read
July 27, 2022Review of Jane Austen: Her Life and Letters
By: William Austen-Leigh and Richard Arthur Austen-Leigh
w/ an Introduction by Sarah S.G. Frantz
I rarely cry in books because I need the visual of a movie or show to get my tsars ducts going, but reading the last letter from Cassandra Austen to her niece after Jane Austen died made my vision blurry with tears. There was a memoir written by Jane Austen’s nephew after she died, but this one expands upon that text. We get various snippets of letters from Austen to her family and friends, especially Cassandra. Letter writing was a common pastime for woman during Austen’s lifetime and reading these letters inspired me to get into the habit of letter writing myself. Her letters show her voice in beautiful way. We get her actual thoughts and personality through these letters. She is a snarky, sassy, and a loving person who is completely devoted to her family. They are a delight to read. We don’t get all her letters, because Cassandra burned them out of respect to her sister, but it is understandable. Austen was very private person and wanted to keep her life to herself, which was probably smart, especially considering how people famous people are treated today. She was a beloved aunt and gave advice and guidance to her nieces and nephews. Two of them even tried to write themselves, but after Jane Austen died neither could continue to write. During her lifetime her books were received with varying degrees of praise, but her books didn’t receive their true recognition until after death. As a Jane Austen fan this is a good biography to read.
By: William Austen-Leigh and Richard Arthur Austen-Leigh
w/ an Introduction by Sarah S.G. Frantz
I rarely cry in books because I need the visual of a movie or show to get my tsars ducts going, but reading the last letter from Cassandra Austen to her niece after Jane Austen died made my vision blurry with tears. There was a memoir written by Jane Austen’s nephew after she died, but this one expands upon that text. We get various snippets of letters from Austen to her family and friends, especially Cassandra. Letter writing was a common pastime for woman during Austen’s lifetime and reading these letters inspired me to get into the habit of letter writing myself. Her letters show her voice in beautiful way. We get her actual thoughts and personality through these letters. She is a snarky, sassy, and a loving person who is completely devoted to her family. They are a delight to read. We don’t get all her letters, because Cassandra burned them out of respect to her sister, but it is understandable. Austen was very private person and wanted to keep her life to herself, which was probably smart, especially considering how people famous people are treated today. She was a beloved aunt and gave advice and guidance to her nieces and nephews. Two of them even tried to write themselves, but after Jane Austen died neither could continue to write. During her lifetime her books were received with varying degrees of praise, but her books didn’t receive their true recognition until after death. As a Jane Austen fan this is a good biography to read.
August 2, 2024
This offered an intimate view of an exceptional female novelist who wrote about the lives of women whom shared the concerns and considerations of herself and those around her via her correspondance, particularly with her family; her brothers, sisters, and nieces. One became acquainted with her acquaintances, her writing progress, the reactions of others to what she was writing until the tragedy of Jane Austen’s illness and death. Glimpses of her sources of inspiration were offered in her domestic life; her practical concerns balanced with the needs of her heart which she revealed and urged others to contemplate. Her own feelings along with her family’s about her work made me smile with sympathy while I found myself crying at her sister’s letter to her niece about Jane Austen’s death.
Much of what Jane wrote about in her letters I found as relateable as the situations which transpire in her novels, offering hint of what experiences she might be drawing upon to write. She and her family offered an engaging look of an artist who lived to see a measure of success, suffered difficulties, yet enjoyed a degree of warmth and emotional support.
I feel as if I got to know Jane Austen and her family a little better. I enjoyed making their acquaintance.
Much of what Jane wrote about in her letters I found as relateable as the situations which transpire in her novels, offering hint of what experiences she might be drawing upon to write. She and her family offered an engaging look of an artist who lived to see a measure of success, suffered difficulties, yet enjoyed a degree of warmth and emotional support.
I feel as if I got to know Jane Austen and her family a little better. I enjoyed making their acquaintance.
June 20, 2018
Enjoyable and informative book. I enjoyed how the authors chose to use letters from Austen herself, as well as various family members, to tell her life story. It added legitimacy to the timetable of events and allowed the reader to gain a better understanding of Jane Austen (as a person, aunt, and author).
There were a few strange passages in terms of formatting which made it confusing as to who was writing. However, this problem only pops up a few times throughout the book and does not take away from the overall message.
I recommend if you are a fan of Jane Austen or are interested in learning more about an incredibly famous author.
There were a few strange passages in terms of formatting which made it confusing as to who was writing. However, this problem only pops up a few times throughout the book and does not take away from the overall message.
I recommend if you are a fan of Jane Austen or are interested in learning more about an incredibly famous author.
December 16, 2019
Amazin, amazing biography! One of the best readings of the year! Deirdre Le Faye gives us so much precious informations about Jane and her family that you feel close to the Austens :)
I agree very much with Deirdre about the importance to know and understand the Austen family if you want to understand Jane herself (and her works too). Since she was with them until her death and they also got envolved with her books (her brothers mainly) this give us many rich insights about her life and personality. There are so much information that in the begining it can be overwhelming but you get used soon.
Lovely book and I highly recommend!
I agree very much with Deirdre about the importance to know and understand the Austen family if you want to understand Jane herself (and her works too). Since she was with them until her death and they also got envolved with her books (her brothers mainly) this give us many rich insights about her life and personality. There are so much information that in the begining it can be overwhelming but you get used soon.
Lovely book and I highly recommend!
March 18, 2024
Almost one hundred years after the death of Jane Austen, William Austen-Leigh and Richard Arthur Austen-Leigh published "Jane Austen: Her Life and Letters. A Family Record" (1913). The book lovingly details Jane's birth, childhood, adolescence, and maturity; the everyday minutiae of her life, the circumstances in which she wrote her juvenilia and her six novels, and her early death. Using Jane Austen's own letters, additional letters sent between a large and fond family, and family reminiscences, William and Richard Austen-Leigh continued the family tradition of carefully nurturing the literary and personal reputation of a literary icon who also happened to be a most beloved aunt.
January 15, 2018
It seems rather clear...whatever the reason there was need or want to get rid of some letters between the sisters. My question, after reading several of these, what about the letters to people other than her sister that may speak of these things people are so wanting to know? She mentions writing in a letter to others who she may not have spoken quite as plainly as she would have with her sister, but I have trouble believing there is no one to come forward with other letters from her? In any case...this was as interesting as the others...a few new tid-bits, some repeats.
January 30, 2024
This has been on my to-read list for a while since I love Jane Austen's novels and I biographies/first-hand sources.
This book suffers some simply because of the style. By today's standard it's not structured very well, and my serious historian standards in lacks fact-checking.
I enjoyed getting a glimpse into Jane's life. It made me want to reread Just Jane.
This book suffers some simply because of the style. By today's standard it's not structured very well, and my serious historian standards in lacks fact-checking.
I enjoyed getting a glimpse into Jane's life. It made me want to reread Just Jane.
July 20, 2017
Because I read this concurrently with Jane Austen's unabridged annotated letters, I found this one to be more satisfying. There is a good balance of background about Jane's family and her own activities that helps establish the setting of the letters that are included. Because I read this one on kindle, the footnotes were easily accessible, so they didn't break up the flow of the reading. Overall, an enjoyable experience.
June 9, 2020
An informative biography - very helpful in explaining Jane Austen's family context. Deidre Le Faye is a stickler for giving us accurate information and not given to flights of fancy, so this book lacks passion, but by the end did move me, because I felt I had got to know Jane Austen better, helped by extracts from letters and a few verses.
May 9, 2017
Interesting read. There were a lot of insights to Jane Austen's life. I found myself thinking "hmm, I didn't know that" many times. I really liked speculating whether or not something was an inspiration for her story.
August 21, 2017
This is a REALLY in depth look at Austen's family history. It definitely has more of an academic slant to it and would be beneficial with its large notes and annotation section. Well researched and documented.
August 2, 2018
Clear biography of the author Jane Austen. I would like to read later a more modern biography, perhaps something that reads a bit faster.
August 3, 2018
Jane Austen, Her Life and Letters - William Austen-Leigh
Rating: ★★★
Review coming soon!
Rating: ★★★
Review coming soon!
May 3, 2024
Ended up skimming last 60 pages (about 25% of book). I like Jane Austen's writing, but feel you have to be a hard core fan to really like this book.
December 10, 2020
Excellent resource
June 24, 2014
The book claims to have only one author, Jane Austen; but as she cannot have written about her life long after her death, I’m sure there’s someone else at fault here. Whoever wrote the biographical information in this book declines to be named, but whoever it is clearly wishes he lived in the 18th century. His writing style mimics Jane Austen’s, but I don’t believe whoever wrote this book is actually from that era. He is rather snide at times, too. A quote from Austen’s brother Henry is prefaced, “Henry, by the way, made use of a style that one is thankful Jane did not adopt.” So far as I can tell, there was absolutely nothing wrong with Henry’s writing style. Based on the one letter given for comparison, there was very little difference between the way he wrote and Jane wrote.
The blurb on the back of the book claims it is meant to be an introduction to classic works – I won’t argue with that. The biographical information and the letters themselves are very interesting. As someone with only a passing interest in Jane Austen, but still an admirer of her work, I enjoyed reading about her life. The biography along with the letters gave much needed context as the letters themselves wouldn’t have made much sense without it.
I do have some complaints: First, the punctuation. There isn’t any delineation between quoted letters and the author’s biography. The voice goes from author to Austen to whomever without any notice. It’s not too difficult to tell what is a letter and what isn’t, but some kind of change in font, or quotation marks, or anything would have made the reading a bit clearer.
Second, there are randomly italicized words sprinkled throughout the letters. As italicizing is usually meant to draw attention to a particular word or phrase, some kind of footnote as to why these words were highlighted would have been helpful. As it stands, I was left feeling like the author was winking at me but I have no idea why.
Third, the author alludes to various events and works connected in some way to Jane Austen, but never explains them. We find out eventually a family friend, Warren Hastings, had a trial but never find out why. The author keeps mentioning the Memoir, and the writer of it, but doesn’t explain what or who until much later, and even then I had to google it to figure out what he was talking about (it is a biography of Jane Austen written by her nephew). A person more familiar with Jane Austen’s life may have recognized these allusions, but a book claiming to be a good introductory work should be clearer. A few footnotes would have made this book much better.
I even thought for a while that maybe this book was the autobiography written by her nephew, but as it keeps referring to the Memoir, it can’t also be the Memoir. Having read some of the Memoir, I can say it does lift several passages directly from it.
As a compilation of her letters, this book does its job. As to being anything more, its purpose is a bit confusing.
The blurb on the back of the book claims it is meant to be an introduction to classic works – I won’t argue with that. The biographical information and the letters themselves are very interesting. As someone with only a passing interest in Jane Austen, but still an admirer of her work, I enjoyed reading about her life. The biography along with the letters gave much needed context as the letters themselves wouldn’t have made much sense without it.
I do have some complaints: First, the punctuation. There isn’t any delineation between quoted letters and the author’s biography. The voice goes from author to Austen to whomever without any notice. It’s not too difficult to tell what is a letter and what isn’t, but some kind of change in font, or quotation marks, or anything would have made the reading a bit clearer.
Second, there are randomly italicized words sprinkled throughout the letters. As italicizing is usually meant to draw attention to a particular word or phrase, some kind of footnote as to why these words were highlighted would have been helpful. As it stands, I was left feeling like the author was winking at me but I have no idea why.
Third, the author alludes to various events and works connected in some way to Jane Austen, but never explains them. We find out eventually a family friend, Warren Hastings, had a trial but never find out why. The author keeps mentioning the Memoir, and the writer of it, but doesn’t explain what or who until much later, and even then I had to google it to figure out what he was talking about (it is a biography of Jane Austen written by her nephew). A person more familiar with Jane Austen’s life may have recognized these allusions, but a book claiming to be a good introductory work should be clearer. A few footnotes would have made this book much better.
I even thought for a while that maybe this book was the autobiography written by her nephew, but as it keeps referring to the Memoir, it can’t also be the Memoir. Having read some of the Memoir, I can say it does lift several passages directly from it.
As a compilation of her letters, this book does its job. As to being anything more, its purpose is a bit confusing.
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