Looking for a good Austen biography

[Jessica]

Hi all, I'm looking for a good Jane Austen biography. I had read that many modern biographies are based on letter collections and memoirs by her relatives which were somewhat censored in order to present a more meek image of the most famous Austen. As a result, many biographies perpetuate this bias. Does anyone have any thoughts on this, as well as any biographies that they particularly liked or disliked or any advice on things I should watch out for when reading these biographies? I just got my hands on a copy of Jane Austen: A Life by Claire Tomalin and have started reading that but I'm not far enough into it to form a solid opinion yet.

[Sophie]

I would be interested in this as well actually!

[Kim]

I've read Claire Tomalin's biography of Austen a couple of times and I think it's excellent. It's almost inevitable that any biography of Austen will be based on her letters and the letters and recollections of those who knew here, because that's the source material which is available. However, Tomalin doesn't accept the validity of those sources uncritically.

[Leah]

I read the one by Carol Shields and thought it was very well done. It was a little dry in certain parts, but almost every biographer has that problem.

[Tony]

Elizabeth Jenkin’s Jane Austen: A Biography is a very straightforward biography, a short and easy read. It focuses mainly on her life and relations, not so much on her oeuvre.

My favorite is John Halperin’s The Life of Jane Austen. He wrote about both her life and her works, from the standpoint of a critic. I come back to it time and again.

For a great scholarly treatise on her six novels, I recommend A Jane Austen Education by William Deresiewicz. Not really a biography, in the strict sense.

And if you want an over-the-top, laugh-out-loud study of the novels, Bitch In a Bonnet: Reclaiming Jane Austen from the Stiffs, the Snobs, the Simps and the Saps by Robert Rodi is a no-holds-barred, opinionated, iconoclastic work. I thoroughly enjoyed it, even if I did not agree with everything he wrote. This is the first of two volumes, and I can hardly wait for the second to come out.

…

After reviewing Carol Shield’s Jane Austen, I found that her bibliography at the end of the book offers a good list of worthwhile reading.

[Patricia]

IMHO the one I think best is Jane Austen The Woman by George Holbert Tucker. The life of Jane Austen by John Halperin is good too.
A book that might give you some interesting insight is A Goodly Heritage-A history of jane Austen's Family. What you learn about the people around her gives you some interesting insight into her world.
Hmmm, that Bitch In A Bonnet sounds interesting. Thanks Tony.
Patg

[Tony]

Thanks for the tip, Patricia. I’m always in search of Austen-related works. I found the George Holbert Tucker book on Amazon, used, for about $4 (penny + shipping) and in the process found a couple more:

Mary Lascelles’ Jane Austen and Her Art, and Marilyn Butler’s Jane Austen and the War of Ideas.

[Sophie]

Thanks for those suggestions :)

[[deleted user]]

I read the Tucker book and thought it was excellent.

[Anastasia]

Are there any new recommendations for Jane Austen material. This group hasn't been active for quite some time. I've read the highly recommended books suggested here a few years ago, but are there any new ones?

[QNPoohBear]

The Real Jane Austen: A Life in Small Things is my favorite biography.

Jane Austen at Home is OK but a little dry.

[Juan Manuel]

Elizabeth Jenkins' biography is great, I think, because she was an author herself, even if it's a little dated and hard to find. I'm currently reading Park Honan's biography and would recommend it.

[ClaraBelle]

Juan Manuel wrote: "Elizabeth Jenkins' biography is great, I think, because she was an author herself, even if it's a little dated and hard to find. I'm currently reading Park Honan's biography and would recommend it."

I’m currently reading Jane Austen at Home but it’s boring! My favorite JA bio has been Just Janeand the Becoming Jane movie!