Posted by Jessamyn on July 08, 1997 at 01:18:48:
In reply to Re: Good idea! Here's a book suggestion posted by Jane E. on July 07, 1997 at 17:45:29
] I found this at my library: "A Reader's Guide to the 19th Century English Novel" by Julia Brown (Macmillan 1985). She is/was an Austen/Eng Lit scholar at Harvard. This 120-page book tries to give the American reader an insight into the society of 19th century England, starting with Austen and continuing through Dickens. It's chapters are divided into 'Class and Money" "Government" etc. and it is very readable and well footnoted. Brown also wrote an Austen book quoted on the jacket of the above, about Austen and her relationship to the social structure of her era. I'll post it later. I tried to locate books like this on Henry's site, but it's hard to wade throught the index.
] Also "Jane Austen in Style" (also published as "Jane Austen's Town and Country Style") which I raved on earlier in the Ramble. Thames and Hudson 1991; can't remember the author.
"Jane Austen in Style" is by Susan Watkins.
Since I'm new to the board I don't know what's been posted in the past, but I certainly recommend "My Dear Cassandra," a selection of Austen's letters to her sister, edited by Penelope Hughes-Hallett, Collins & Brown, 1990. The letters really give you a you-were-there feeling, and Penelope's introductions to each section are very informative. Nice pix, too.
And of course there's always the charming-if-slightly-unreliable "What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew" by Daniel Pool, Simon & Schuster, 1993.
Posting followups to old messages is disabled; instead go to the main index and post a new message which mentions this one.