Wit & Wisdom of Jane Austen [Hardcover]

Michael Kerrigan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1999

A gift for all Jane Austen fans, illustrated with 19th-century engravings, this anthology contains her views on marriage, the family, money and society

Product Details

• Hardcover: 122 pages
• Publisher: Fourth Estate (February 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1857026012
• ISBN-13: 978-1857026016
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 4.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #929,638 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #92 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Authors, A-Z > ( A ) > Austen, Jane

More About the Author

Though the domain of Jane Austen's novels was as circumscribed as her life, her caustic wit and keen observation made her the equal of the greatest novelists in any language. Born the seventh child of the rector of Steventon, Hampshire, on December 16, 1775, she was educated mainly at home. At an early age she began writing sketches and satires of popular novels for her family's entertainment. As a clergyman's daughter from a well-connected family, she had an ample opportunity to study the habits of the middle class, the gentry, and the aristocracy. At twenty-one, she began a novel called "The First Impressions" an early version of Pride and Prejudice. In 1801, on her father's retirement, the family moved to the fashionable resort of Bath. Two years later she sold the first version of Northanger Abby to a London publisher, but the first of her novels to appear was Sense and Sensibility, published at her own expense in 1811. It was followed by Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), and Emma (1815). After her father died in 1805, the family first moved to Southampton then to Chawton Cottage in Hampshire. Despite this relative retirement, Jane Austen was still in touch with a wider world, mainly through her brothers; one had become a very rich country gentleman, another a London banker, and two were naval officers. Though her many novels were published anonymously, she had many early and devoted readers, among them the Prince Regent and Sir Walter Scott. In 1816, in declining health, Austen wrote Persuasion and revised Northanger Abby, Her last work, Sandition, was left unfinished at her death on July 18, 1817. She was buried in Winchester Cathedral. Austen's identity as an author was announced to the world posthumously by her brother Henry, who supervised the publication of Northanger Abby and Persuasion in 1818.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bravo!Jane Austen!, July 20, 2003

By 

Amanda (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wit & Wisdom of Jane Austen (Hardcover)

Michael Kerrigan had done a good job in extracting funny and witty quotes from Jane Austen novels and letters!I love the pictures illustrated in this pocketsized book!It had divided section and many good advices from Jane Austen point of view.Gosh,she might have been a modern feminist in her time!
It's quite a good guide especially for those who is taking English Literature in A Level.It sure helps me a lot!How about you?