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fantasyfan · 09-26-2016, 10:11 AM

A Memoir of Jane Austen and Other Family Recollections

The primary work in this valuable collection is the Memoir by James Edward Austen-Leigh--a nephew of the great author. Though it was written decades after the death of Jane Austen, it remains an immensely valuable first-hand source. It is not a biography in the modern sense at all; rather it is a recollection culled from various family sources emphasizing the genuine love Jane Austen inspired in those who were intimately acquainted with her.

There can be no doubt but that this book recalls a very domestic Jane Austen indeed. It is questionable if JEAL actually understood how great a literary figure his aunt was. He mentions that those who most appreciate her

" . . . see her safely placed . . . in her niche, not indeed amongst the highest orders of genius, but in one confessedly her own, in our British temple of literary fame . . . ."

How far this is from the comment of F. R. Leavis in his first chapter of The Great Tradition:

"Jane Austen is one of the truly great writers, and herself a major fact in the background of other great writers."

and

"She not only makes tradition for those coming after, but her achievement has for us a retroactive effect: as we look back beyond her we see in what goes before, and see because of her, potentialities and significances brought out in such a way that, for us, she creates the tradition we see leading down to her. Her work, like the work of all great creative writers, gives a meaning to the past."

Still we get significant (if edited) insights from her letters. JEAL does include extracts from the very funny "Plan of a Novel, according to hints from various quarters." However, he omits some of the gentle humour shown by Jane Austen even on her deathbed when she composed some comic verses three days before she died. (You can find them in R.W. Chapman's Minor Works as well as the "Plan".)

As to her death, her nephew does convey the bafflement and anguish created by that final illness which took her away at the height of her powers. In all likelihood it was either Addison's or
Hodgkin's Disease--neither of which was understood in the 19th century. A summary of what is known will be found here:

http://mh.bmj.com/content/31/1/3.full

This particular edition of the Memoir also contains a wealth of explanatory and contextual notes as well as illustrations and a family tree.

09-26-2016, 10:11 AM	#14
fantasyfan Wizard Posts: 1,376 Karma: 28116892 Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Ireland Device: Kindle Oasis 3, iPad 9th gen. IPhone 11	A Memoir of Jane Austen and Other Family Recollections The primary work in this valuable collection is the Memoir by James Edward Austen-Leigh--a nephew of the great author. Though it was written decades after the death of Jane Austen, it remains an immensely valuable first-hand source. It is not a biography in the modern sense at all; rather it is a recollection culled from various family sources emphasizing the genuine love Jane Austen inspired in those who were intimately acquainted with her. There can be no doubt but that this book recalls a very domestic Jane Austen indeed. It is questionable if JEAL actually understood how great a literary figure his aunt was. He mentions that those who most appreciate her " . . . see her safely placed . . . in her niche, not indeed amongst the highest orders of genius, but in one confessedly her own, in our British temple of literary fame . . . ." How far this is from the comment of F. R. Leavis in his first chapter of The Great Tradition: "Jane Austen is one of the truly great writers, and herself a major fact in the background of other great writers." and "She not only makes tradition for those coming after, but her achievement has for us a retroactive effect: as we look back beyond her we see in what goes before, and see because of her, potentialities and significances brought out in such a way that, for us, she creates the tradition we see leading down to her. Her work, like the work of all great creative writers, gives a meaning to the past." Still we get significant (if edited) insights from her letters. JEAL does include extracts from the very funny "Plan of a Novel, according to hints from various quarters." However, he omits some of the gentle humour shown by Jane Austen even on her deathbed when she composed some comic verses three days before she died. (You can find them in R.W. Chapman's Minor Works as well as the "Plan".) As to her death, her nephew does convey the bafflement and anguish created by that final illness which took her away at the height of her powers. In all likelihood it was either Addison's or Hodgkin's Disease--neither of which was understood in the 19th century. A summary of what is known will be found here: http://mh.bmj.com/content/31/1/3.full This particular edition of the Memoir also contains a wealth of explanatory and contextual notes as well as illustrations and a family tree. Last edited by fantasyfan; 09-26-2016 at 10:16 AM.