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When James Edward Austen-Leigh's Memoir of his famous aunt was
published in 1870, far from satisfying public curiosity about Jane
Austen as the family had intended, it simply raised a series of new
questions, particularly about Jane Austen's unpublished work, which
had been mentioned only in passing. Austen Leigh was persuaded to
issue a much-expanded second edition in 1871. Here he included for
the first time the complete texts of Jane Austen's novel in
letters, Lady Susan, and the fragmentary novel The Watsons, as well
as a brief summary of her last unfinished work, later known as
Sanditon. At the same time he took the opportunity to revise the
biographical sections of the Memoir partly to include new
information that had come to light since the first edition, so that
all in all the second edition has a significance for Austen
scholars quite separate from the first.
'I doubt whether it would be possible to mention any author of
note, whose personal obscurity was so complete.' James Edward
Austen-Leigh's Memoir of his aunt Jane Austen was published in
1870, over fifty years after her death. Together with the shorter
recollections of James Edward's two sisters, Anna Lefroy and
Caroline Austen, the Memoir remains the prime authority for her
life and continues to inform all subsequent accounts. These are
family memories, the record of Jane Austen's life shaped and
limited by the loyalties, reserve, and affection of nieces and
nephews recovering in old age the outlines of the young aunt they
had each known. They still remembered the shape of her bonnet and
the tone of her voice, and their first-hand accounts bring her
vividly before us. Their declared partiality also raises
fascinating issues concerning biographical truth, and the terms in
which all biography functions. This edition brings together for the
first time these three memoirs, and also includes Jane's brother
Henry Austen's 'Biographical Notice' of 1818 and his lesser known
'Memoir' of 1833, making a unique biographical record. ABOUT THE
SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made
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Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship,
providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable
features, including expert introductions by leading authorities,
helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for
further study, and much more.
PREFACE. The Memoir of my Aunt, Jane Austen, has been received with
more favour than I had ventured to expect. The notices taken of it
in the periodical press, as well as letters addressed to me by many
with whom I am not personally acquainted, show that an unabated
interest is still taken in every particular that can be told about
her. I am thus encouraged not only to offer a Second Edition of the
Memoir, but also to enlarge it with some additional matter which I
might have scrupled to intrude on the public if they had not thus
seemed to call for it. In the present Edition, the narrative is
somewhat enlarged, and a few more letters are added; with a short
specimen of her childish stories. The cancelled chapter of
'Persuasion' is given, in compliance with wishes both publicly and
privately expressed. A fragment of a story entitled 'The Watsons'
is printed; and extracts are given from a novel which she had begun
a few months before her death; but the chief addition is a short
tale never before published, called 'Lady Susan.' {0a} I regret
that the little which I have been able to add could not appear in
my First Edition; as much of it was either unknown to me, or not at
my command, when I first published; and I hope that I may claim
some indulgent allowance for the difficulty of recovering little
facts and feelings which had been merged half a century deep in
oblivion. November 17, 1870.
This book is part of the TREDITION CLASSICS series. The creators of
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intention of making all public domain books available in printed
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tredition donates a portion of the proceeds from each sold copy. As
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save many of the amazing works of world literature from oblivion.
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