101 Things You Didn't Know About Jane Austen: The Truth About the World's Most Intriguing Romantic Literary Heroine [Paperback]

Patrice Hannon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 19, 2007 | Series: 101 Things You Didnt Know

Sure, we've read the novels, but what do we really know about Jane Austen herself . . . Who was the Irishman who stole her heart? Why was their affair doomed? Which Austen heroine most resembled Jane herself? Who were the real Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy? In "101 Things You Didn't Know about Jane Austen", readers learn the answers to these fascinating questions and much, much more. As evidenced by the ongoing spate of Austen-inspired films and novels - from the most recent remake of "Pride and Prejudice" starring Keira Knightly to the bestselling novel "The Jane Austen Club" - fans of this celebrated novelist can never get enough Jane Austen. Written in an engaging, easy-to-read format, this lively guide to all things Austen is sure to please romantics everywhere - and just in time for "Becoming Jane", the new film about Jane's own star-crossed love life!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Patrice Hannon, Ph.D. (New York, NY), received her doctorate in English literature from Rutgers University. She is the author of Dear Jane Austen: A Heroine's Guide to Life and Love. Among her publications on British literature is "Austen Novels and Austen Films: Incompatible Worlds", which appeared in Persuasions: The Journal of the Jane Austen Society of North America. She has taught Austen's novels to hundreds of students at several colleges.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Adams Media (January 19, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1598692844
• ISBN-13: 978-1598692846
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #539,771 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #48 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Authors, A-Z > ( A ) > Austen, Jane
  • #55 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Authors
  • #56 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Reference > Fun Facts > Trivia

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice Balance of Popular Interest and Scholarship, December 23, 2007

By 

Kathryn White (Miami, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 101 Things You Didn't Know About Jane Austen: The Truth About the World's Most Intriguing Romantic Literary Heroine (Paperback)

This little book, while infinitely readable, was also packed full of wonderful scholarship. I read the book after I finished the last of the 6 main publications of Jane Austen and found its organization so conducive to bringing together themes and tropes in the novels. Dr. Hannon has found a very fine balance between interesting and salacious details (like the romantic interests in Austen's too-short life) to literary scholarship (most interestingly for me, her discussion of the treatment of parents in the novels, and how they don't paint a very fine picture of marital bliss). With Jane Austen, you either get silly books full of fluff, or boring attempts to keep the work as scholastic as possible, but Dr. Hannon has found a nice way to blend these two situations for both types of readers -- serious scholars and Janeites.

I didn't expect to read this book as a narrative, straight through from beginning to end, but I did, and loved the way information was organized and presented. There is a references page, but very little citation within the text. Most of what I read, though, was familiar, and only really revolutionary in the way it was brought together to concentrate on recurring images, themes, and tropes in the works (including all the Juvenilia and other unpublished/unfinished novels). Section headings include "Bad Boys," "Prudence and Romance," and four sections on "Fine Naval Fervour." Inbetween are also sections frm Austen's life rather than her novels, such as "Arrested for Shoplifting," and "Dedicated to the One I Hate." There is also a ton of accessible information on publishing and the market (from the gothic to marriage market novels). Fine book, and any fan of the the novels or new-to-the-field scholar would find it packed full of fun information and prompts for further study.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Title is misleading, December 5, 2008

By 

Austen Lover (Connecticut) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 101 Things You Didn't Know About Jane Austen: The Truth About the World's Most Intriguing Romantic Literary Heroine (Paperback)

I am surprised at the other glowing reviews. If you've read Austen's six major works, you know probably 90% of what is in this book. It is NOT things you didn't know about Jane Austen (or, as the back cover asserts, "long-kept secrets of literature's leading lady"); rather it is themes/ideas/character traits from all of her books thrown together and sorted. I expected to read trivia about Austen's life; I did not expect most of the book to be about the characters she created. If you were to remove all the quotes from the six novels (never mind the letters and juvenilia ), I'd guess it would reduce the content by half. I'm a huge fan and have read the majors repeatedly, so entire sections on similarities in the characters of different novels was, frankly, boring. To be fair, there were lots of tidbits about Austen's life, but if you've read a biography of Austen, you'll know all of these.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not quite 101 things., September 6, 2009

By 

M. Musselman (Bethlehem, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 101 Things You Didn't Know About Jane Austen: The Truth About the World's Most Intriguing Romantic Literary Heroine (Paperback)

In fact, as a Jane Austen fan since college, I already knew all 101 of these things.

If you're new to Jane Austen and want a glimpse into her life, this book is great. Well written, accurate, intelligently organized. But if you've soaked up everything Jane Austen you can get your hands on, there's no new information in this book. Thus, the 2 starts. I was hoping for something new!