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Binding: PaperbackDewey Decimal Number: 823.7 EAN: 9780192832979 Edition: 3 ISBN: 0192832972 Label: Oxford University Press, USA Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 672 Publication Date: April 03, 1997 Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA Studio: Oxford University Press, USA Editorial Review: Amazon.com Review: Jane Austen famously labeled her literary ambit a "little bit (two inches wide) of ivory." Luckily, her personal travels and those of her family were slightly more extensive, otherwise we should be without her letters. Not only should every Janeite possess them, but also every connoisseur of correspondence. Austen's wit is ubiquitous--even though some protest it edges into waspishness. E. M. Forster, for example, described the letters between Austen and her beloved sister, Cassandra, as "the whinnying of harpies." On September 18, 1796, she tells Cassandra, "What dreadful Hot weather we have!--It keeps one in a continual state of Inelegance.--If Miss Pearson should return with me, pray be careful not to expect too much Beauty..." The dashes and capitalization alone make one long for the days before stylistic rules had so cemented. As for the sentiments! Austen paces her monologues to perfection, making the comic and ironic most out of the smallest incidents. Still, her frustration does occasionally emerge. "I am forced to be abusive," she implodes to Cassandra, "for want of a subject, having nothing really to say." Jane Austen has more than enough to say for lovers of literature and the cultural pinprick. Product Description: Jane Austen's letters afford a unique insight into the daily life of the novelist: intimate and gossipy, observant and informative--they read much like the novels themselves. They bring alive her family and friends, her surroundings and contemporary events with a freshness unparalleled in modern biographies. Above all we recognize the unmistakable voice of the author of such novels as Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility. We see the shift in her writing from witty and amusing descriptions of the social life of town and country, to a thoughtful and constructive tone while writing about the business of literary composition. R.W. Chapman's ground-breaking edition of the collected Letters first appeared in 1932, and a second edition followed twenty years later. Now in this third edition of Jane Austen's Letters, Deirdre Le Faye has added new material that has come to light since 1952, and re-ordered the letters into their correct chronological sequence. She has provided discreet and full annotation to each letter, including its provenance, and information on the watermarks, postmarks, and other physical details of the manuscripts, together with new biographical, topographical, and general indexes. Teachers, students, and fans of Jane Austen, at all levels, will find remarkable insight into one of the most popular novelists ever. Average Rating:
 Rating:  - Quality of actual book could've been much betterI love Jane Austen, so reading through her letters - and getting a glimpse into the mind of such an amazing person - was fantastic. I only want to warn potential buyers that this book is very poorly manufactured. I only got to the second letter before the first page literally FELL OUT - and I'm an avid reader and know how to care for my books - and subsequently more pages have followed. I realize the book is only $9.95 new, but one would expect that it would at least stay 'together' for that price. ... Read More Rating:  - Great, easy readThis little book was great. It contained all the available letters without any later interpretation. The only problem is that the book is cheaply made. Pages immediatly fell out, and the presentation is crappy.Also, if you know nothing of Jane or he family its hard to follow, you may want to get a family tree before reading. Rating: - A Must-buy for Jane's fansIf you're an enthusiastic fan of Jane Austen, then this must be your necessary choice. But if you're just attracted by her book, then don't bother it. It will be quite dazzling with all those names and small details of her life which if you're not familiar with her life will find extremely devasted in reading through. Rating: - An Intimate Glimpse into the Life of Jane Austen...1995's "Jane Austen's Letters" is Austen scholar Deirdre Le Faye's updated edition of R.W. Chapman's earlier collection. Le Faye includes additional Austen letters that have come to light since 1952 and, on the basis of context and additional scholarship, revises the order of the letters. Finally, Le Faye has updated Chapman's footnotes on providence and content. "Jane Austen's Letters" constitute one of the major sources of information on the life of Regency romance writer Jane Austen, ... Read More Rating:  - Terrible treatment of an important collectionI was looking for an unabridged edition of her letters, rather than a selection, and was thrilled to find this; then when I received it, I found it badly bound, the pages falling out as soon as I opened the book, badly typeset, with no footnotes or other explanatory material. The fault is my own, for not looking up the publisher beforehand; I will certainly avoid them in the future. |
