Memoir of Jane Austen

"The Memoir of my Aunt, Jane Austen, has been received with more favour than I had ventured to expect. The notices taken of it in the periodical press, as well as letters addressed to me by many with whom I am not personally acquainted, show that an unabated interest is still taken in every particular that can be told about her. I am thus encouraged not only to offer a Second Edition of the Memoir, but also to enlarge it with some additional matter which I might have scrupled to intrude on the public if they had not thus seemed to call for it. In the present Edition, the narrative is somewhat enlarged, and a few more letters are added; with a short specimen of her childish stories. The cancelled chapter of ‘Persuasion’ is given, in compliance with wishes both publicly and privately expressed. A fragment of a story entitled ‘The Watsons’ is printed; p. iii and extracts are given from a novel which she had begun a few months before her death; but the chief addition is a short tale never before published, called ‘Lady Susan.’ {0a} I regret that the little which I have been able to add could not appear in my First Edition; as much of it was either unknown to me, or not at my command, when I first published; and I hope that I may claim some indulgent allowance for the difficulty of recovering little facts and feelings which had been merged half a century deep in oblivion." - James Edward Austen-Leigh in the Preface to Memoir of Jane Austen (4 hr 59 min)

Chapters

Preface and Chapter 1: Introductory Remarks--Birth of Jane Austen--Her Family	23:37	Read by Lorie Heinrichs
Chapter 2: Description of Steventon--Life at Steventon--Changes of Habits and C…	33:07	Read by treefingers
Chapter 3: Early Compositions--Friends at Ashe--A very Old Letter--Lines on the…	36:37	Read by Sibella Denton
Chapter 4: Removal from Steventon--Residence at Bath and at Southampton--Settli…	23:26	Read by Sibella Denton
Chapter 5: Description of Jane Austen's person, character, and tastes	18:49	Read by Sibella Denton
Chapter 6: Habits of Composition resumed after a long interval--First publicati…	18:19	Read by Chloey Winters
Chapter 7: Seclusion from the literary world--Notice from the Prince Regent--Co…	31:45	Read by M.C.Y.
Chapter 8: Slow growth of her fame--Ill success of first attempts at publicatio…	13:06	Read by Lee Ann Howlett
Chapter 9: Opinions expressed by eminent persons--Opinions of others of less em…	13:39	Read by JemmaBlythe
Chapter 10: Observations on the Novels	9:03	Read by Sibella Denton
Chapter 11: Declining health of Jane Austen--Elasticity of her spirits--Her res…	27:08	Read by Giles Baker
Chapter 12: The cancelled Chapter of 'Persuasion'	23:11	Read by Kara Shallenberg (1969-2023)
Chapter 13: The last work	20:40	Read by Sibella Denton
Chapter 14: Postscript	7:10	Read by Gesine

Reviews

The original

(4 stars)

katknit

Jane Austen (as is so cogently noted in this volume) gained little notice or fame during her regrettably short life. Likewise, other than her six novels and some letters, little primary evidence exists to enlighten her admirers. Alas, it was common in the 19th century for families to burn all materials believed to be too personal or too revealing. In undertaking to write this "memoir" about the life of his brilliant aunt, J.E.Austen-Leigh undoubtedly followed the mores of the times in protecting her privacy. But the little he tells his readers about his memories of Jane Austen are worth a careful perusal, if only because he knew her. Those who know from her books about the sharpness of her sense of humor and satire will take with a grain of salt her portrayal here as always genteel and decorous. But he does manage to convey a sense of her playfulness, creativity, and inventiveness, and he is justified in referring to her as a genius. Written in a now antiquated style, portions of this slim memoir can be hard going, but it is worth the effort.

Very Informative

(4.5 stars)

Hospitable Georgian

I enjoyed these Memoirs by the relative of Jane Austen. My favorite part were the lost or excluded pages from Persuasion. Quite frankly, I am glad she rewrote them as they were much improved. It was read by a multitude of readers. Some were easier to understand than others but all enjoyable none-the-less! Thank you!