I confess, I cheated a bit in my reading of The Real Jane Austen: A Life in Small Things (2013). This biography by Paula Byrne explores Our Jane's life and work through eighteen familiar objects - an East Indian shawl, a card of lace, the cocked hat of an military officer's uniform, a fancy carriage (not so small), a royalty cheque.
Each chapter opens with a brief introduction of an object and uses it to launch into a life sketch of Ms. Austen, her family, her friends, her style of travel, her novels, and events of the times.
One of the most fascinating objects was The Bathing Machine. Not an object used for cleanliness but for a romp in the ocean. This object allowed a female bather to enter a walled cart with four wheels and change into her swimming costume. The cart was pushed into the water and the bather could then descend a few steps and slide into the sea - concealed from public view.
Here is where my cheating came in: I read a few chapters and then just read the introductory information about the rest of the objects. That had nothing to do with Ms. Byrne's writing but just my own level of interest and time.
So I read the chapters that I thought would interest me the most: the Vellum Notebooks which contain Ms. Austen's juvenile writings including her History of England; her Box of Letters which I thought would be correspondence but which turned out to actually be a box of letters - alphabet letters - that were used in games; and her laptop - not like mine all connected to the Internet and such, but her personal small traveling desk that held paper, ink, and pens and could be locked. This lap desk now sits in the British Library and I would love to see it someday.
There are color photos of the objects, along with black and white illustrations and sketches of other items and persons of interest, all of which are a treat. So if you are a Jane Austen fan, please give this book a try. I think you will find it a refreshing look at Our Jane's world.
I definitely need to get to the library today. I have two books on hold (why do they all seem to become available at the same time?) and the DVD of the HBO miniseries John Adams that is overdue and costing me the huge sum of twenty-five cents a day in fines!
The first book waiting for me is The Seventh Sinner by Elizabeth Peters, author of the Amelia Peabody series about the 19th century archaeologist and detective. In this new-to-me series, the amateur sleuth is Jacqueline Kirby, former librarian turned best-selling author. The action in this one takes place in twentieth century Rome.
The second book on hold is The Real Jane Austen: A Life in Small Things by Paula Byrne that I am looking forward to reading...this being the year of Our Jane and all.
I also have a copy of Killer in Crinolines by Duffy Brown that I picked up last week. I met Ms. Brown at the Kentucky Book Fair last November when I bought her pleasant mystery Iced Chiffon. This book continues the sleuthing adventures of Reagan Summerside in Savannah.
I'm off!
If you can bear one more Jane Austen post, then read on.
I stumbled across this article by Kate Hutchings in which she takes a look at ten books to keep Janeites entertained over the summer. The one book that I thought sounded fascinating was The Real Jane Austen by Paula Byrne. The subtitle is A Life in Small Things and the biography takes a look at Austen's life as "revealed through the small things - a scrap of paper, a gold chain, an ivory miniature - that held significance in her personal and creative life."
How refreshing! To examine the author's life through the items that she held dear. I now am next in line on the reserve list for the book from the library.
I wonder what 'small things' a biographer would use to examine my life (not that that is ever going to happen, but I wonder just the same). Would that collection include my fountain pen? the diamond ring inherited from my grandmother? my favorite childhood game of Spill and Spell, its letter cubes still in their original garish orange container?
Oh yes, these are idle thoughts for an idle day.
Have you read this book about Our Jane? What 'small things' would show up in your biography?
