THE REAL JANE AUSTEN:
A Life in Small Things
Who
was the real Jane Austen? A spinster who sat in a vicarage confining her novels
to the small canvas of village life? Or a woman who knew the turbulent world
around her and who took the bold decision to remain unmarried and fashion
herself as a professional writer?
In this new
biography, bestselling author Paula Byrne explores the forces that shaped the
interior life of Britain’s most beloved novelist: her father’s religious faith,
her mother’s aristocratic pedigree, her eldest brother’s adoption, her other
brothers’ naval and military experiences, her relatives in the East and West
Indies, her cousin who lived through the trauma of the French Revolution, the
family’s amateur theatricals, the female novelists she admired, her residence
in Bath, her love of the seaside, her travels around England and her long
struggle to become a published author.
The woman who emerges is far tougher, more socially and politically aware, and altogether more modern than the conventional picture of ‘dear Aunt Jane’ would allow. Published to coincide with the bicentenary of Pride and Prejudice, this lively and scholarly biography brings Austen dazzlingly into the twenty-first century.
The woman who emerges is far tougher, more socially and politically aware, and altogether more modern than the conventional picture of ‘dear Aunt Jane’ would allow. Published to coincide with the bicentenary of Pride and Prejudice, this lively and scholarly biography brings Austen dazzlingly into the twenty-first century.
About the Author
Paula Byrne was
born in Birkenhead, United Kingdom. Her first book, JANE AUSTEN AND THE
THEATRE, was shortlisted for the Theatre Book Prize. Her second book, PERDITA, was
a Richard and Judy book-club pick and a best-seller. Her third, MAD WORLD:
EVELYN WAUGH AND THE SECRETS OF BRIDESHEAD is ‘the fascinating story of a great
house and a great family.’ It was published to rave reviews in 2009 and was
another bestseller. She is married to Jonathan Bate and lives in Oxford, UK.
The Real Jane Austen by Paula
Byrne
RRP: $39.99
| NZ release – end January 2013
ISBN: 9780007358328
e-book available
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