The Library

Remembering Jane Austen

Published July 18, 2016 Submitted by: Jana

Jane Austen died on this day (July 18th) in 1817. Although her death was nearly 200 years ago, Austen’s books remain wildly popular today. The Library has a variety of materials to help you learn more about her life and understand her enduring appeal. Or, check out one of her six novels or their various film adaptations.

Jane Austen's novels

  Film adaptations

Books about Austen’s life and legacy

  Among the Janeites: A Journey Through the World of Jane Austen Fandom by Deborah Yaffe
Deborah Yaffe, journalist and Janeite, explores the remarkable endurance of Austen's stories, the unusual zeal that their author inspires and the striking cross-section of lives she has touched. Yaffe goes where Janeites gather, joining a pilgrimage to historic sites in Britain, chatting online with fellow fans and attending the annual ball of the Jane Austen Society of North America -- in period costume. Part chronicle of a vibrant literary community, part memoir of a lifelong love, “Among the Janeites” is a funny, touching meditation on the nature of fandom.

At Home with Jane Austen by Kim Wilson
With gorgeous photography and illustrations, “At Home with Jane Austen” explores Austen's world, her physical surroundings and the journeys the popular author took during her lifetime.

The Bedside, Bathtub & Armchair Companion to Jane Austen by Carol Adams, Douglas Buchanan, and Kelly Gesch
Whether you've read Jane Austen once or read her yearly, or if you simply yearn to be Elizabeth or Mr. Darcy, this new bedside companion will be a perfect match. Janeite and newcomer alike will revel in the entertaining capsules of each of Austen's beloved novels, along with information on such important subjects as white soup, carriages, what happened at the ha-ha and, of course, all those characters we love to hate.

Jane Austen: A Life Revealed by Catherine Reef
Jane Austen's popularity never seems to fade. She has hordes of devoted fans, and there have been numerous adaptations of her life and work. But who was Jane Austen? The writer herself has long remained a mystery. And despite the resonance her work continues to have for teens, there has never been a young adult trade biography on Austen. Catherine Reef changes that with this highly readable account.

Jane Austen Cover to Cover: 200 Years of Classic Covers by Margaret C. Sullivan
This book compiles two centuries of design showcasing one of the world's most beloved and celebrated novelists. With over 200 images, plus historical commentary, Austen trivia and a little bit of wit, this fascinating and visually intriguing look back is a must for Janeites, design enthusiasts and book lovers of all ages.

Jane Austen's England by Roy and Lesley Adkins
This book explores the customs and culture of the real England of Austen’s everyday existence depicted in her classic novels. Drawing upon a rich array of contemporary sources, including many previously unpublished manuscripts, diaries and personal letters, Roy and Lesley Adkins vividly portray the daily lives of ordinary people, discussing topics as diverse as birth, marriage, religion, sexual practices, hygiene, highwaymen and superstitions.

Jane Austen's Names: Riddles, Persons, Places by Margaret Doody
Margaret Doody offers a fascinating and comprehensive study of all the names of people and places -- real and imaginary -- in Austen's fiction. Austen's creative choice of names reveals her virtuosic talent for riddles and puns. Considering the major novels alongside unfinished works and juvenilia, Doody shows how Austen's names signal class tensions as well as regional, ethnic and religious differences. We gain a new understanding of Austen's technique of creative anachronism, which plays with and against her skillfully deployed realism -- in her books, the conflicts of the past swirl into the tensions of the present, transporting readers beyond the Regency.

Jane's Fame: How Jane Austen Conquered the World by Claire Harman
In “Jane's Fame,” Claire Harman gives us the complete biography -- of both the author and her lasting cultural influence, making this essential reading for anyone interested in Austen's life, works and remarkably potent fame.

The Real Jane Austen: A Life in Small Things by Paula Byrne
In “The Real Jane Austen,” acclaimed literary biographer Paula Byrne provides the most intimate and revealing portrait yet of a beloved but complex novelist. Just as letters and tokens in Jane Austen's novels often signal key turning points in the narrative, Byrne explores the small things -- a scrap of paper, a gold chain, an ivory miniature -- that held significance in Austen's personal and creative life.

 

A Truth Universally Acknowledged: 33 Great Writers on Why We Read Jane Austen edited by Susannah Carson; foreword by Harold Bloom
Why are readers so fascinated by Jane Austen's novels? In essays culled from the last 100 years of criticism, great authors and literary critics of the past and present offer insights into her writing and her unique appeal to readers across generations.

 

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