Memoir of Jane Austen

James Edward Austen-Leigh (1798 - 1874)

"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

Genre(s): *Non-fiction, Biography & Autobiography

Language: English

Section Chapter Reader Time
Play 01 Preface and Chapter 1: Introductory Remarks--Birth of Jane Austen--Her Family Lorie Heinrichs
00:23:37
Play 02 Chapter 2: Description of Steventon--Life at Steventon--Changes of Habits and Customs in the last Century treefingers
00:33:07
Play 03 Chapter 3: Early Compositions--Friends at Ashe--A very Old Letter--Lines on the Death of Mrs. Lefroy--Observations on Jane Austen's Letter-writing--Letters Sibella Denton
00:36:37
Play 04 Chapter 4: Removal from Steventon--Residence at Bath and at Southampton--Settling at Chawton Sibella Denton
00:23:26
Play 05 Chapter 5: Description of Jane Austen's person, character, and tastes Sibella Denton
00:18:49
Play 06 Chapter 6: Habits of Composition resumed after a long interval--First publication--The interest taken by the Author in the success of her Works Chloey Winters
00:18:19
Play 07 Chapter 7: Seclusion from the literary world--Notice from the Prince Regent--Correspondence with Mr. Clarke--Suggestions to alter her style of writing M.C.Y.
00:31:45
Play 08 Chapter 8: Slow growth of her fame--Ill success of first attempts at publication--Two Reviews of her works contrasted Lee Ann Howlett
00:13:06
Play 09 Chapter 9: Opinions expressed by eminent persons--Opinions of others of less eminence--Opinion of American readers JemmaBlythe
00:13:39
Play 10 Chapter 10: Observations on the Novels Sibella Denton
00:09:03
Play 11 Chapter 11: Declining health of Jane Austen--Elasticity of her spirits--Her resignation and humility--Her death Giles Baker
00:27:08
Play 12 Chapter 12: The cancelled Chapter of 'Persuasion' Kara Shallenberg (1969-2023)
00:23:11
Play 13 Chapter 13: The last work Sibella Denton
00:20:40
Play 14 Chapter 14: Postscript Gesine
00:07:10