“I think I may boast myself to be, with all possible Vanity, the most unlearned, & uninformed Female who ever dared to be an Authoress;” so Jane Austen speaks self- deprecatorily. But such is evidence of her characteristic humor and deep wit. “Jane Austen,” a new biography by Peter Leithart, sheds light onto the person and work of the famous novelist. What Leithart calls Austen’s “playful piety,” is her uncanny ability to not take herself seriously. Spending most of her time editing her own work, Austen wrote nearly entirely for pleasure, fashioning stories for the entertainment of her family. Leading a relatively simple life, Austen never got married, never procured for herself a career (as was the norm for women in that era), and thus left for herself much time to write and story-craft. Her blessing is surely our gain. I myself have never read any of Austen’s novels, but I went out and bought a set after reading this biography. Safe to say, it accomplished its task, and I enjoyed it tremendously. My only criticism (and a small one at that) is that it seemed unnecessarily detailed at times, such as describing precise ongoings of Austen’s extended family, introducing them all in the first chapter. That aside, I give my thanks to Thomas Nelson for giving me this ARC.
2 comments:
I read, a critical book about Austen by Leithart, called miniature and morality. It was good also.
Nice, I'll check that one out.
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