Public-domain ebook
by Austen-Leigh, William; Austen-Leigh, Richard Arthur
Language: en8,502 downloads on Project Gutenberg
Subjects
In: Biographies·British Literature
Public-domain ebook sourced from Project Gutenberg #22536.
The book is a family‑record style biography of Jane Austen, compiled by her nephews William and Richard Arthur Austen‑Leigh. It opens with a vivid recollection of Austen as a child, noting her close relationship with Mrs Lefroy and the encouragement she received, then moves into a detailed genealogy of her parents and extended relatives. The narrative weaves together contemporary letters, portrait provenance, and anecdotes about the Austen household’s theatrical pursuits, offering a picture of the social world that shaped the novelist’s early life. By grounding each observation in documented correspondence and family testimony, the authors aim to present a factual, if affectionate, portrait of the Austen sisters and their milieu.
The voice is that of a nineteenth‑century chronicler, marked by formal prose, extensive citation of letters, and a measured, sometimes reverential tone. Its style reflects the era’s penchant for exhaustive detail and genealogical interest, appealing to readers who enjoy scholarly yet readable family histories, literary scholars tracing the roots of Austen’s fiction, and anyone fascinated by the social networks of Georgian England.
I remember Jane Austen the novelist as a little child. She was very intimate with Mrs. Lefroy and much encouraged by her. Her mother was a Miss Leigh, whose paternal grandmother was sister to the first Duke of Chandos. Mr. Austen was of a Kentish family, of which several branches have been settled in the Weald of Kent, and some are still remaining there. When I knew Jane Austen I never suspected that she was an authoress, but my eyes told me that she was fair and handsome, slight and elegant, but with cheeks a little too full. …
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