The Libraries

Of Interest~

A woman of rare intelligence and humour, Jane Austen's works often parodied the popular novels, historical writings and political posturing of her day.

What made her stories so enduringly successful, however, was her gentle style of poking fun at universal human foibles. We easily recognise ourselves and others in Austen's characters, and strongly identify with her realistic and endearingly imperfect heroes and heroines.

Fortunately, the Internet is replete with online texts of Austen's works, and there are also many rich sources of historical and biographical information.

We hope you enjoy your self-guided tour of Jane Austen's life as you explore all the available avenues.

Featured Work by Author: Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen (from Project Gutenberg) Austen's last published novel, Northanger Abbey, is a tongue-in-cheek version of the popular gothic romance novels of the day. Austen's sharp wit and unmistakable charm shine through the actions of the heroine, Catherine Morland, as she stumbles through social disasters wrought by her own considerable imagination.

Featured Biographical Work: Jane Austen: Her Homes and Her Friends by Constance Hill According to Google Books, this is a "biographical study of the charming author Jane Austen and an attempt to understand how her own individual experiences connect to those of the characters in her novels."

PBS presents Masterpiece Theater's The Complete Jane Austen page complete with trailers of six Austen productions, an Austen biopic (Miss Austen Regrets) and an interview with screenwriter Andrew Davies.

Online Works:

Jane Austen on Project Gutenberg

A Memoir of Jane Austen by JE Austen-Leigh

Jane Austen History: From the Cambridge History of English and American Literature

Jane Austen Information Page from "The Republic of Pemberley"

Austen's Juvenilia: works written between the ages of 13 and 17

Jane Austen Quotes:

“I cannot speak well enough to be unintelligible”

“From politics, it was an easy step to silence.”

“I do not want people to be very agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them a great deal.”

"For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbors and laugh at them in our turn?"

"How quick come the reasons for approving what we like!"

"I have been a selfish being all my life, in practice, though not in principle."