Jane Austen’s Country Life: Uncovering the Rural Backdrop to Her Life, Her Letters, and Her Novels

Biographer Le Faye (Jane Austen: A Family Record) brings her skills to bear on this examination of rural England in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, during Jane Austen’s lifetime—a setting that the Austen memorably depicted in her novels. Notes and letters from Austen’s life mingle freely with passages from her books, showcasing life in the countryside, from the summer beauty of Mr. Darcy’s Pemberley estate to a detailed account of pig slaughter that appears in Emma. The text jumps from novel to novel, which may confuse readers less familiar with Austen’s work. Moreover, Le Faye rarely delves into the narrative context of her examples, so readers looking for literary analysis are likely to be disappointed. However, the book’s friendly, rambling tone belies the thoroughness of its sources: passages from the local newspaper of Austen’s hometown, Steventon, illustrate the problems of rural crime, while historian Gilbert White describes the impact of a volcanic eruption on the weather of the period. The book is richly illustrated throughout with paintings and sketches contemporary to Austen’s writing. Fans will come away with a deeper appreciation for the world in which Austen and her characters lived. 70 illus. [em](June) [/em]