The Complete Works of Jane Austen (Annotated With Biography and Critical Essays)

1752 Pages·2011·5.82 MB·German

by  Austen Jane

The Complete Works of Jane Austen
With Extras (Including Commentary, Plot Summary
Guides, and Biography)
By Jane Austen
Douglas Editions
© 2009
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
The Life and Times of Jane Austen
Emma
Lady Susan
Love and Friendship and Other Early Works
Mansfield Park
Northanger Abbey
Persuasion
Pride and Prejudice
Sense and Sensibility
The Life and Times of Jane Austen
Times of Jane Austen

Austen’s novels illustrate many facets of the social practices and customs of the
landed gentry and the aristocracy of England during the Georgian era. The role
of both men and women, as well as the importance of marriage and the class
system in Georgian England is examined in each of Austen’s novels.
During this time, men lived their lives largely outside the home, while women
lived their lives largely within it. While men were expected to make the money
for the household, women were expected to run the household. Because of this, a
woman could be left penniless if their husband were to pass away before them.
An example of this is illustrated in Sense and Sensibility when the Dashwood
sisters are forced to vacate their home and accept the charity of their distant
relations after their father dies and leaves the home to their half-brother, John.
Any well-bred woman would be ill-prepared for any sort of work outside of the
home, as the skills they would have learned, such as singing, dancing and social
graces, would have been of no use in the working world. A lady’s public persona
and reputation were extremely important, especially when trying to attract a
husband. As women of this status were not allowed to work, their entire
financial future was usually critically tied to the man they married.
Because women were often dependent on men to live, finding a suitable husband
became a sport, if not a full time occupation. Ladies would make good use of
their charm and wit, breeding, fine looks and familial connections to land a good
man. Although a little silly, Emma Woodhouse would have had her pick of
impressive suitors if she were to attend a season in London, what with her
attractive appearance and comfortable financial circumstances.
Women were not always lucky enough to marry for love, as our heroine Emma
does in her namesake novel. In Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth’s friend Charlotte
Lucas accepts Mr. Collins proposal despite not loving him, for fear of becoming
a burden to her brothers. In Northanger Abbey, Catherine’s friend, Isabella, is
guided by money rather than love. Isabella loses interest in James when the
wealthier Captain Tilney appears to be a better prospect.
Marriage was often considered a business deal, and sometimes business deals go
terribly wrong. Wickham’s attempt to elope with Lydia Bennet in Pride and
Prejudice would have allowed him easy access to any money she may have
possessed (as any money belonging to the woman became property of the man at
the time of the marriage). For Mary Crawford in Mansfield Park, marrying a
clergyman as Edmund planned to become, did not meet her financial needs and
expectations, and it eventually became the breaking point of their relationship.
Men and women were expected to marry within their social class. Marrying out
of one’s class could often mean being disowned or disinherited for the wealthier
or privileged party. Examples of this can be found in all of Austen’s major
works: Anne Elliot is persuaded to give up on her love for Captain Wentworth
by Lady Russell in Persuasion; Harriet Smith is encouraged by Emma to forget
Mr. Martin; and Edward Ferrars is disowned by his mother in Sense and
Sensibility once the news spreads that he is engaged to the penniless Lucy Steele.
Most of the romantic entanglements that fill the pages of Austen’s six major
works came about during what is known as ‘The Season’. ‘The Season‘began in
May, at which time the upper crust of society would leave their sprawling estates
in the country to take in the balls and dinner parties in London.
A young woman might look forward to ‘The Season,’ particularly if it was to be
her first. A young lady’s first season was called her ‘coming out’. This usually
occurred following the conclusion of a young lady’s schooling, around the age
of seventeen. Once she had‘come out’ a girl would have officially entered
society and was ready for marriage. The event usually occurred at a ball or party
hosted by her parents. Reference is made to this milestone in a respectable young
lady’s life in Pride and Prejudice. Charlotte Lucas’ younger sister looks forward
to coming out a season or two sooner because of Charlotte’s engagement to Mr.
Collins.
Following ‘The Season’ in London was hunting season, with bird shooting
season and fox hunting season lasting until December. Christmas would
customarily be spent in the country.
Playing cards was a popular pastime, particularly in the off-season. Gambling
became a problem during the Regency period, as illustrated with the depiction of
Wickham in Pride and Prejudice, who wastes a great deal of his wealth
gambling. Other evening activities included reading aloud, conversing with
guests or listening to people perform on the pianoforte.
The influence of the social customs and practices of Georgian England can be
found on every page of each of Austen’s six novels. The Georgian way of life
not only influenced Austen’s life, but also her work.
Family

Jane Austen came from a family belonging to the rural middle-class. A family of
eight children, Austen was the second youngest of two daughters and six sons.
Jane’s family was well known in Steventon, Hampshire, as her father, Rev.
George Austen, was the local rector.
Austen’s father came from a family which had risen in the ranks from the lesser
regarded level of tradesmen to that of educated clergy. He was a respected
member of the community, and made ends meets by tutoring some of the local
boys at the Austen home. The family also owned a working farm.
The Austen family was linked to more fashionable society in several ways. Rev.
Austen, on his own merit, attended Oxford University following a successful run
at Tonbridge School. His clerical position in Steventon was obtained through the
influence of his wealthy relative, Thomas Knight of Godmersham Park (the
Knights, who were childless, later adopted Edward, one of the Austen sons).
Austen’s mother, Cassandra Leigh Austen, had a higher social ranking than
George Austen. Originally a member of the minor gentry, Cassandra “married
down” when she married George Austen.
Another connection to the gentry in Austen’s family was a cousin, Elizabeth
Hancock, who married a French aristocrat, Jean Capotte, Comte de Feuillide.
Capotte was guillotined during the French Revolution, and Elizabeth eventually
returned to England and married Jane’s brother, Henry.
Austen had six brothers: James, George, Edward, Henry, Frank and Charles.
Austen’s eldest brother, James, became a clergyman after studying at Oxford
University. Following his father’s retirement, James took over his duties at the
Steventon parish. Austen was close to James’ eldest daughter, Anna.
There is not much known about Austen’s second-oldest brother, George. George
is believed to have been handicapped or impaired in some respect, and was
looked after outside of the home. George is rarely mentioned in surviving letters,
but evidence suggests that the Austen’s supported him financially.
After George came Edward. Edward was adopted by the Austen’s wealthy and
childless relatives, the Knights. Edward inherited their estate in Kent and took
their surname. Edward’s oldest child, Fanny, was one of Austen’s favorite
nieces.
Henry, the most energetic of the sons, was born next, in 1771. According to
sources, he was Austen’s favorite brother. Henry studied at Oxford and became a
clergyman following a bankruptcy in 1815. Henry was responsible for seeing
that Persuasion and Northanger Abbey were published following Jane’s death,
as well as publicizing Austen as the author of her works.
Frank and Charles, the youngest Austen sons, both fought in the British navy
during the Napoleonic wars, and both became admirals. It is suggested that their
experiences in the navy influenced Austen’s works Mansfield Park and
Persuasion.
Jane had only one sister, Cassandra. Like Jane, Cassandra never married, but
was engaged at one time to the Reverend Thomas Fowle, who died of yellow
fever in 1797 while serving as a military chaplain. Cassandra was Jane’s closest
sibling and friend.
The Austen family were quite involved with the community in Steventon,
largely due to George Austen’s position as vicar of the parish. Jane, like the rest
of her family, was an Anglican. Like his father, Austen’s brother James became
a clergyman with the Church, as did Austen’s brother Henry (although he had
Calvinist leanings).
In terms of Austen’s writing, her family was more than supportive. Her father
bought her a writing desk and paper and even went so far as to approach a
publisher. Her brother, Henry, took responsibility for seeing the publication of
both Persuasion and Northanger Abbey following her death. Her nephew, James
Edward Austen-Leigh, wrote a memoir about Austen, which led to a revival of
interest in Austen’s work more than fifty years after her death.
Jane Austen benefitted from coming from a close-knit and supportive family.
The Austen’s also admired and respected the novel as a literary form. The
Austen family was a family of readers, and would often read to one another
while others performed tasks, such as knitting or mending. It is suggested that
Mr. Austen was especially talented at the skill of reading aloud.
Austen remained close to her family until the end of her life, particularly to her
sister Cassandra, her brother Henry, and her nieces Fanny and Anna. Through
letters and other primary sources in existence today, it is obvious that Austen
admired and loved her family greatly, and that that devotion was generously
returned.
Austen’s Childhood and Education

Austen was born on December 16th, 1775 in Steventon rectory in the county of
Hampshire, England. Within a few months of her birth, Austen was placed in
care nearby with Elizabeth Littlewood, who nursed and looked after the infant
Austen for a little over a year.
As a child, Austen enjoyed the popular pastimes of girls of the time: singing,
dancing, playing the piano and reading (her favorite poet was Cowper). Her
family loved reading novels, and would do so together in the evenings. Of her
family’s favoured pastime, she wrote that they were, “great novel readers, and
not ashamed of being so.” The image of Austen as a proper and accomplished
young girl who excelled at such activities as singing and dancing conflicts with
what some fans and biographers believe her to have been like as a child. The
childhood of Northanger Abbey’s heroine Catherine Morland, who likes to get
dirty and play in the grass and mud, is believed by some to be closer to Austen’s
own childhood, although there is no hard evidence to support this.
It was in Austen’s youth that she began the practice of writing regularly, largely
for her own and her family’s amusement. It is believed that Austen began
writing sometime around 1787 when she was twelve years old. Between 1787
and 1793, Austen wrote what are now referred to as her Juvenilia. Austen
compiled 29 works from this time period, ranging from plays to stories to poems
and bound them into three notebooks. One notable work from this time period
was Love and Friendship, a farcical novel in which Austen parodies the popular
romantic novels of the time. Another work from her Juvenilia was The History
of England, a funny take on the events of England’s past. Austen’s sister,
Cassandra, illustrated the book with thirteen water color miniatures.
While the Austen family loved reading, they also enjoyed acting. Austen’s
family and friends put on a series of comedic plays, such as Richard Sheridan’s
The Rivals in 1783 (Richard Sheridan would later encourage acquaintances to
buy Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, as it was, according to him, one of the
cleverest things he had ever read) and Matilda, by Thomas Francklin (with an
epilogue by Cassandra’s fiancé, Thomas Fowle). The performances of plays,
which became a family custom, were often held in the barn at Midsummer and
in the dining-room at Christmas, when the children were home from school.
Eldest brother James would write the prologues, while Henry and cousin Eliza
Hancock (later to become Madame la Comtesse de Feuillide, and even later,
Henry’s wife) would play the leads. Austen illustrated the preparation of a
family play in her novel Mansfield Park, although unlike Austen, her heroine,
Fanny, detests acting.
Austen’s formal education began in 1782 when she was sent to Oxford with her
sister, Cassandra (and their cousin, Jane Cooper). Although Austen was only
seven years old at the time, and not originally intended to accompany her sister,
her mother explained that, “If Cassandra were going to have her head cut off,
Jane would insist on sharing her fate,” and so Jane was sent as well. At Oxford,
Cassandra and Jane were educated by Mrs. Ann Crawley, and subsequently
moved with her to Southampton the following year.
While there, ‘putrid sore throat’ infiltrated the school and Mrs. Austen went to
the school along with Jane Cooper’s mother to retrieve the girls. Unfortunately,
Mrs. Cooper died of the illness.
The girls were next sent to Abbey School at Reading, a boarding school for girls.
Mrs. Latournelle, an elderly woman, looked after the school in an informal and
kindly manner. Abbey School cost Jane’s father a little less than 40 pounds a
year, and because the Austens could not afford to send both girls to school, they
were back in Steventon by the end of 1786 or the beginning of 1787.
Austen’s father, George Austen, was a classical scholar and would have passed
on a great deal of knowledge to Jane and Cassandra. His library alone, which
was open to the young ladies, would have provided hours of learning for the
enthusiastic young students. Austen’s brothers, James and Henry, also provided
instruction for the sisters.
Ample materials were at Jane and Cassandra’s disposal. Not only did they have
access to over five hundred books in their father’s library, but Reverend Austen
also provided the learners with expensive paper and implements to use for their
writing and drawing. Their niece, Anna, remembered the two rooms that they
were given on the first floor: the small bedroom and a larger dressing-room. She
writes that it was furnished with a “common-looking carpet with its chocolate
ground, and painted press with shelves above for books.” Jane’s piano would
have been there along with her desk and Cassandra’s drawing materials.
Cassandra and Jane were allowed two rooms on the first floor as most of their
brothers were away. For example, their brother Edward had left home for good
by that time, after the Knights had requested to have him stay at their home in
Kent. Mr. Austen agreed, despite fearing that the visit would interrupt his
schooling. To encourage him, Mrs. Austen told him, “I think, my dear, you had
better oblige your cousins and let the child go.” Following the visit, the Knights
expressed an interest in raising the boy themselves and making him their heir, to
which the Austens agreed.
The atmosphere in the Austen household was far more relaxed than perhaps was
the norm. The children were encouraged to share their ideas, and if one were to
disagree with another over a political or social matter, the issue was discussed