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Product Description
Review
“[In her earliest writings] we see the essential Austen . . . There is a force behind Austen’s farce–an energy which demands expression, an irony which will not be refused, a distinctive vision of life already apparent in the teenage writer . . . What grips one about the early works at every turn is the wit, the fire, the voice, the comic distance Austen sets up between herself and her fictional characters . . . Lady Susan is a classic, and Sanditon might have been Austen’s greatest book, had death not prevented her from completing her final novel.” –from the Introduction by Peter Washington
Product Description
(Book Jacket Status: Jacketed)
Readers of Jane Austen’s six great novels are left hungering for more, and more there is: the marvelous unpublished manuscripts she left behind, collected here.
Sanditon might have been Austen’s greatest novel had she lived to finish it. Its subject matter astonishes: here is Austen observing the birth pangs of the culture of commerce, as her country-bred heroine, a foolish baronet, a family of hypochondriacs, and a mysterious West Indian heiress collide against the background hum of real-estate development at a seaside resort.
The Watsons, begun in 1804 but never completed, tells the story of a young woman who was raised by a rich aunt and who finds herself shipped back to the comparative poverty and social clumsiness of her own family.
The novella Lady Susan is a miniature masterpiece, featuring Austen’s only villainous protagonist. Lady Susan’s subtle, single-minded, and ruthless pursuit of power makes the reader regret that Austen never again wrote a novel with a scheming widow for its heroine.
The special joy of this collection lies in Austen’s juvenilia–tiny novels, the enchantingly funny Love and Freindship, comic fragments, and a (very) partial history of England–romping miniatures that she wrote in her teens. Their high spirits, hilarity, and control offer delicious proof that Austen was an artist “born, not made.”
Readers of Jane Austen’s six great novels are left hungering for more, and more there is: the marvelous unpublished manuscripts she left behind, collected here.
Sanditon might have been Austen’s greatest novel had she lived to finish it. Its subject matter astonishes: here is Austen observing the birth pangs of the culture of commerce, as her country-bred heroine, a foolish baronet, a family of hypochondriacs, and a mysterious West Indian heiress collide against the background hum of real-estate development at a seaside resort.
The Watsons, begun in 1804 but never completed, tells the story of a young woman who was raised by a rich aunt and who finds herself shipped back to the comparative poverty and social clumsiness of her own family.
The novella Lady Susan is a miniature masterpiece, featuring Austen’s only villainous protagonist. Lady Susan’s subtle, single-minded, and ruthless pursuit of power makes the reader regret that Austen never again wrote a novel with a scheming widow for its heroine.
The special joy of this collection lies in Austen’s juvenilia–tiny novels, the enchantingly funny Love and Freindship, comic fragments, and a (very) partial history of England–romping miniatures that she wrote in her teens. Their high spirits, hilarity, and control offer delicious proof that Austen was an artist “born, not made.”
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Most helpful customer reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
An enjoyable volume of miniatures by Jane Austen,
By
This review is from: Sanditon and Other Stories (Hardcover)
For all the people who know already Jane Austen's six published novels, this volume will be another opportunity to admire the genius of the British author. This volume begins with two unfinished novels. Sanditon, begun in the last year of Jane Austen's life, deals with issues unknown in her other novels, like the culture of commerce and hypocondria. The Watsons, begun in 1804, is a work more similar to Jane Austen's most known work. Both writings are delightful. However, perhaps even more delighful are some of the other works on this volume. Lady Susan, a short epistolary novel about a scheming widow, is one of the most ironic and original works by Jane Austen. And last but not least, there is Jane Austen's juvenilia, works created when the author was between fifteen and eighteen years old. These miniatures are a testimony that the humor and mastery of language of Jane Austen was present at an early age. Among the best of the juvenilia are Love and Friendship, the very partial history of England and Jack and Alice. All of this early works (which were occasionally quoted on the film Mansfield Park) present a very sharp humor. There are also at the end poems and three prayers.The excellent edition and introduction by Peter Washington makes this Everyman's Library volume a must for all fans of Jane Austen and English literature.
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Little Bit of Everything,
By Becka-with-a-k (somewhere) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Sanditon and Other Stories (Hardcover)
I read this book beacause I am a Janeite. I had been looking for a volume of Juvenalia, but I bought this instead. It is a must for anyone who likes Jane Austen. It includes her juvenalia (all three volumes), her poetry, two of her prayers, leters, Sanditon, Lady Susan, and The Watsons. I liked the "History of England" and I absolutely adored Sanditon (even though it is just a fragment). There are many fragments in this volume and unfinished works, but they are wonderful to read even though they laeve you wishing that there were an ending. I also noticed that this volume included "Venta" which was written shortly before Jane Austen died. It is full of Jane Austen's delightful satire and includes many pieces which I found delightfully funny. I enjoyed reading Love and Friendship simply because of its wonderful quotes like "run mad as often as you choose but do not faint". I would reccommend this to any Jane Austen fan and even some non-fans. My best friend had never read Jane Austen before and now she is a Janeite for life. One thing that I like about this book is that it is a well-made hardcover book and will not fall apart on me after multiple readings and rereadings!
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.7 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews) 31 of 31 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
An enjoyable volume of miniatures by Jane Austen,
By M. Ramos - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Sanditon and Other Stories (Hardcover)
For all the people who know already Jane Austen's six published novels, this volume will be another opportunity to admire the genius of the British author. This volume begins with two unfinished novels. Sanditon, begun in the last year of Jane Austen's life, deals with issues unknown in her other novels, like the culture of commerce and hypocondria. The Watsons, begun in 1804, is a work more similar to Jane Austen's most known work. Both writings are delightful. However, perhaps even more delighful are some of the other works on this volume. Lady Susan, a short epistolary novel about a scheming widow, is one of the most ironic and original works by Jane Austen. And last but not least, there is Jane Austen's juvenilia, works created when the author was between fifteen and eighteen years old. These miniatures are a testimony that the humor and mastery of language of Jane Austen was present at an early age. Among the best of the juvenilia are Love and Friendship, the very partial history of England and Jack and Alice. All of this early works (which were occasionally quoted on the film Mansfield Park) present a very sharp humor. There are also at the end poems and three prayers.The excellent edition and introduction by Peter Washington makes this Everyman's Library volume a must for all fans of Jane Austen and English literature.
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Little Bit of Everything,
By Becka-with-a-k - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Sanditon and Other Stories (Hardcover)
I read this book beacause I am a Janeite. I had been looking for a volume of Juvenalia, but I bought this instead. It is a must for anyone who likes Jane Austen. It includes her juvenalia (all three volumes), her poetry, two of her prayers, leters, Sanditon, Lady Susan, and The Watsons. I liked the "History of England" and I absolutely adored Sanditon (even though it is just a fragment). There are many fragments in this volume and unfinished works, but they are wonderful to read even though they laeve you wishing that there were an ending. I also noticed that this volume included "Venta" which was written shortly before Jane Austen died. It is full of Jane Austen's delightful satire and includes many pieces which I found delightfully funny. I enjoyed reading Love and Friendship simply because of its wonderful quotes like "run mad as often as you choose but do not faint". I would reccommend this to any Jane Austen fan and even some non-fans. My best friend had never read Jane Austen before and now she is a Janeite for life. One thing that I like about this book is that it is a well-made hardcover book and will not fall apart on me after multiple readings and rereadings!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Benediction,
By Ellison Lowry - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Sanditon and Other Stories (Hardcover)
Jane Austen's now famous unfinished novel is a wonderous read regardless of the fact that she died before she could give it a proper ending. Sanditon tells the story of a family taking a summer holiday at their estate near the shore. While the dynamics of the story are better left for the reader to find out, I simply want to say that it was clear to me upon reading it that Jane Austen was beginning a growth in her journey as a writer. While this final novel may be more in line with her books baring an estate title, Jane Austen here clearly demonstrates a new passage into understanding of her subjects. Her earlier works, I always felt, while awesomely written, were observed with intense stunning detail. In this last novel Jane Austen seems to be more aware of the underlying current of sexuality between her characters and more so than her other novels, begs the question, what happened to these characters?Sanditon exhibits Jane Austen at her finest, it is a shame that time and death does not discriminate who it takes from our world. |
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