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

by Patrice Hannon (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
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!

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 (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #63,816 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 29 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 "Professional Spender" (Texas) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Austenisims, July 21, 2008

By	Laurel Ann "Austenprose" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

Most biographies of Jane Austen will reveal the quiet life of maiden Aunt Jane, who scribbled in secret, loved to dance, and lived her entire life in the country removed from the chaos of the world. Did you also know that she was also romantic, tragic and mysterious? Patrice Hannon's 101 Things You Didn't Know About Jane Austen: The Truth About The World's Most Intriguing Literary Heroine,is a gem of little Austenisms quite suitable for gift giving. Despite having one of the longest and most misleading titles of any book about Jane Austen of recent memory, the contents are as appealing as the easy to read format. In Jane Austen's 18th-century world, acquired knowledge was considered one of the most powerful and important skills of a polished society. Today we recognize the same benefits, but want our education to be forthright and expeditious. For anyone interested in the knowledge of Jane Austen's life and works in a compact and fact driven format, this book can serve as a great resource and quick reference. Categorized into seven parts Birth of a Heroine, Brilliant Beginnings, Silence and Disappointed Love, The Glorious Years, Heroes and Heroines, Untimely Death, and Austen and Popular Culture: From Eighteenth Century to the Twenty-First, this illuminating guide takes you through all aspects of Jane Austen's life journey and writing experience, revealing common facts, new insights, and minutia. If you are interested, as I was, to know which heroine most resembles the author herself, who were the real Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy and why Jane never married, you will not be disappointed in this bright little book that is well researched, engaging, and incredibly practical.

Laurel Ann, Austenprose

5 of 7 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

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.