April 15, 2015

Wednesday Writing Wisdom (3) Jane Austen





“For my own part, if a book is well written, I always find it too short.”



Jane Austen
   (1775 - 1817)


Curious facts about:



Since her novels were published anonymously, her identity as the author was not known until after her death.

           For her first love, Austen got a story worthy of one of her novels -- one that in fact has certain things in common with that of Marianne Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility. The object of her love, Tom Lefroy, was the Irish nephew of her close friend Anne Lefroy. Knowing that Tom would lose his inheritance if he married a "nobody," Anne Lefroy hurried Tom out of the county when the romance came to her attention. (Tom later became the Chief Justice of Ireland.)

            The first two of Jane Austen’s novels, Pride and Prejudice and Northanger Abbey, which she submitted for publication were met with disdain by publishers. Pride and Prejudice ( known at that time as First Impression) was dismissed out of hand and returned unopened by Cadell publisher in 1797.  The other, Northanger Abbey, ( then known as Susan)  was bought by Cosby and Co. publishers in 1803. When they didn’t publish it, it was subsequently bought back from them by her brother Henry and it was published by Murray in 1817 after Jane Austen’s death.






6 comments:

  1. She is such a well loved author today and leaves a deep impression on so many writers that it's sad to think she couldn't bask in the limelight a little while alive. Still, what a great legacy. Thanks for a wonderful post, Carmen.

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    1. The very first book written in English was, in fact, Pride and Prejudice. I borrowed it from the University library.
      A shame, too, that her love story never had a HEA finality.
      Thank you for checking the post, Flossie!

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  2. She is such a well loved author today and leaves a deep impression on so many writers that it's sad to think she couldn't bask in the limelight a little while alive. Still, what a great legacy. Thanks for a wonderful post, Carmen.

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  3. Wonderful, talented, gifted author. I wonder what she would have thought of all our praises regarding her stories? Thanks for sharing.

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    1. I totally agree with you, Mary. And again, a pity she became famous and appreciated only late after her death.
      Thank you for checking the post!

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