Jane Austen

Children's Literature

In 18th century England most girls were raised to become wives and mothers; an education was considered frivolous and unhealthy. The Austen girls, however, were encouraged to expand their knowledge and develop their talents. Jane was a spunky female and began writing at an early age, using a style that poked fun at people and daily situations. At nine, she wrote her own The History of England, which made fun of England's royalty. Her sister, Cassandra, illustrated it with humorous caricatures. Her father tried to get her novel, First Impressions, published when she was fifteen, but it was rejected. She rewrote and renamed it Sense and Sensibility, and had it published when she was 26 years old. Jane based her books on people she knew and developed strong female characters who were just as clever and intellectual as men. Her style, domestic realism, portrayed ordinary people in the real world. This book, part of the "Biography" series, includes the habits, dress and social customs of life in England during Jane's life. It is quick and easy to read and will provide background information for students studying English literature. 2001, Lerner, $25.26. Ages 12 to 18. Reviewer: Janet L. Rose

School Library Journal

Gr 5-9-Austen is one of the most studied of all female authors. Her acute descriptions of rural life in Georgian England allow readers to learn what it was like to be a young woman during that time. To better understand her writings, students should know how society, her family, and her surroundings affected her writing. Easy to understand, this short biography is attractive in format and filled with illustrations, excerpts from letters, and black-and-white portraits. It could be used in conjunction with Daniel Pool's What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew (S & S, 1994) for research into 19th-century social life. Sidebars with information on letter writing, life in England, and other novelists of the period are included. This is a good source for students who might be overwhelmed by a definitive adult biography such as Claire Tomalin's Jane Austen: A Life (Knopf, 1997).-Pat Bender, The Shipley School, Bryn Mawr, PA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.