Audiobook · read by volunteers
Memoir of Jane Austen
James Edward Austen-Leigh (1798–1874)
Read by Lorie Heinrichs, treefingers, Sibella Denton, Chloey Winters, M.C.Y., Lee Ann Howlett, JemmaBlythe, Giles Baker, Kara Shallenberg (1969-2023), Gesine · 14 chapters · 4 h 59
About the book
Jane Austen’s novels were admired, but little was known about her life. This Memoir, written by her nephew James Edward Austen-Leigh, was the first full account of her, and it has shaped the way readers have seen her ever since. He describes her family, her birth, the quiet village of Steventon where she grew up, the habits of the time, her early writings and her friendships. He includes letters and extracts from family memories, giving a picture of a modest, observant, humorous woman who wrote at a small table in the family sitting-room. Published in 1870, it is a gentle and affectionate book. In fourteen parts, it will interest all who love her novels and want to know where they came from. A nephew’s affectionate portrait of a beloved author, and a window on the life behind the novels.
Introduction
James Edward Austen-Leigh (1798–1874) was the son of Jane Austen’s eldest brother James. He wrote the Memoir of Jane Austen in 1869, and a second edition appeared in 1871. The book was written with the help of family members, and it remains one of the main sources of information about her life, though modern biographers have corrected and added to it.
The preface explains that the work had been received more favourably than expected, and it goes on to describe the Austen family and the world in which Jane lived. Chapter titles, such as Birth of Jane Austen and Her Family, Description of Steventon and Early Compositions, show how closely the author follows the stages of her life. The tone is that of a family record, discreet and loving. Readers should remember that it presents a carefully chosen portrait, in the manner of its time.
This memoir is short and approachable, and its quotations from letters bring Austen’s voice close. It makes a fine companion to listening to her novels, and the extracts from family papers add to its charm.
The 14 recordings, about 5 hours in all, are shared among a number of LibriVox volunteers. Two chapters stand out for readers of the novels: Chapter 10, Observations on the Novels, and Chapter 12, which gives the cancelled chapter of Persuasion that Austen rewrote before publication. The memoir also includes a chapter on Austen’s person, character and tastes, another on the slow growth of her fame with two contrasted reviews, and one on opinions expressed by eminent persons, so it doubles as a short history of her early reception.
Public domain
James Edward Austen-Leigh died in 1874: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text