All my reading challenges seem to be coalescing right now: Nonfiction November, Novellas in November, and #ReadAusten2025. In fact, sometimes I am a little overwhelmed by it all. Here are my reviews of two books I've read this month which fit, or partially fit, into all three challenges:
JANE AUSTEN
Jane Austen in 41 Objects by Kathryn Sutherland
Bodleian Library Publishing, 2025. 209 pages, including index and notes.
Back in October I read a wonderful review of this book by Brona at This Reading Life. She began her review confessing she had dilly-dallied (my words, not hers) writing about the book because she wanted to write something about "e v e r y-s i n g l e-o b j e c t". After reading the book I see why she felt that way. I, too, would love to gush about these 41 objects, some directly and others tangentially, related to Jane Austen. Never fear. I don't have it in me and why should I anyway? After reading this I hope you want to read the book, so you'll find out for yourself.
The covered objects form the breadth of Austen's life, so it is fitting that the book begins with her chronology: from the marriage of her parents in 1764 and ending in September 2017 when JA becomes the face of Bank of England £10 note. The author, Kathryn Sutherland, introduces her book by asking us to "imagine a life story as a house clearance -- that's how for many of us it finds shape, as objects are passed on, memoires stirred and made." Oh boy, do I agree with that sentence after spending the last two months helping my mother muck out her house where she's lived to the past thirty years. My siblings and I bickered over who would get what prized possessions: My older sister got the family clock. my younger sister got the silverware and the beloved Tiffany-style lamp, I got the elephant table, and my brother got whatever he wanted since he was kind enough to not fight us for our favorite objects. Each object held memories for all of us.
The 41 objects are arranged chronologically too, after the 1st object, the only known portrait of Jane Austen done by her sister. Each object is accompanied by a brief description of the object and then what is known to have happened to this object since JA's time. In the case of this well-known graphite and watercolor sketch (4 1/2 x 3 1/8 inches), it was sold at Sotheby's in May 1948 as part of the collections formerly owned by Charles Austen's granddaughters. It was purchased by the NPG, The National Portrait Gallery, in London.
The Chawton House, where Jane, her mother, and her sister were living at the time of Jane's death is now a museum. Many of the objects described in the book are on display there. It is obviously a destination spot for many Janites like myself. And when I do go, I will have a better idea what I am looking at. This house was officially opened to the public in July 1949 and has slowly resumed something of an identity of what it was like when Jane lived there. Some of the objects where actually hiding on the grounds and have been restored to their former spots in the house. For example, a fragment of the green leaf wallpaper when an old stove was moved. The design, now known as "Chawton Leaf", was reproduced by historic specialists and printed using the traditional hand-blocking techniques of old. It now hangs in the dining room.
Another item found on the Chawton grounds was a dried flower spray for the hair found in the rafters of an out-building. Jane and her sister comment about wearing flowers in their hair for some event in one of their many letters sent to each other over the years. Could this be the actual flowers they referred to? As I read about how objects like this were found and authenticated, I sat with my mouth open. It is minor miracle that so many objects known to used by or about a woman who lived 250 years ago can still be traced.
I thoroughly enjoyed every minute exploring the objects in this book and now I commend this book to you. Ask for it at your library.
Challenges: Nonfiction, Novella (short nonfiction is accepted), and Austen-related. a trifecta!
The Friendly Jane Austen: A Well-Mannered Introduction to a Lady of Sense and Sensibility by Natalie Tyler
Penguin Putnam, 1999.
Oh boy, I had fun with this book. Ms. Tyler has done her homework and gives Jane Austen fans what they want...more information about Austen. To begin with she asks the question, How Do We Love Jane Austen? Let Us Count the Ways. The reader then takes a quiz to determine what type of fan school he/she belongs in: Janite; Gentle Jane; Ironic Jane; or Subversive Jane. Not surprisingly, I am a Janite through and through. (And who knew my love of Paul McCartney helps qualify me for this delineation?)
Next up, Part 1 covers Jane's early life and her juvenilia. What was it like living in those days? What about her siblings and parents? Where did she live and why did they move? How did her writing grow and change? All these questions and more were answered in this section. Text would often be broken up with text boxes with information which seemed like little asides. For example, one text box contained the names of famous people who lived during the same time as Austen---Beethoven, William Wordsworth, and Sir Walter Scott being three on the list. Illustrations related to Austen done by relatives are infrequent but add a nice touch. For example, Jane's niece, Anna Lefroy, made a nice drawing of the Steventon Rectory where Jane was born and lived until she was 24. My favorite bits in this section were samples of and explanations of Jane's early writings. Short quotes from her various stories were shared. And a timeline explanation of each of her pieces of "juvenilia" is very helpful to my understanding.
Part II explains each of her major works in detail. In addition to her own research, Tyler interviews college professors with knowledge related to Austen. Each interview is recorded in a short dialogue with the professor answering only one or two questions. For example, Why aren't Austen's novels considered part of Romanticism movement? or Why study Austen? There is a quiz in each of the seven sections in this part. I just took the quiz: Letter Writing in the Novels. The directions were to match the characters that wrote the following letter with its intended character recipient. I did pretty good but didn't know the quote from Sanditon nor did I guess this one. Can you? (Name the book, the character writing, and the character recipient. No cheating.)
"A poor honorable is no catch, and I cannot imagine any liking in the case, for, take away his rants, and the poor Baron has nothing. What a difference a vowel makes!---if his rents were but equal to his rants."
As I reread Sense and Sensibility, Northanger Abbey, and Persuasion this year I found the chapters on those books particularly helpful. See my review of Persuasion where I quote from this book often. After reading the section II out of order I went back and read about her other four books (Sanditon, though incomplete at the time of JAs death, was included.) I had the hardest time reading the chapter about Mansfield Park because so many people don't like Franny Price as a character. A whole list of famous authors writing snarky comments about Fanny was included. Poor Fanny!
I love the book so much I want Natalie Tyler to update it and put it back in circulation so you can all read it, too. I'm guessing your public library won't have a copy of it, but keep your eyes out for it at used bookstores. That is where I found my copy. It contains too much information to take in at once and I know you will want to go back and look up something in it every once in a while.
Challenges: Nonfiction November, Jane Austen-related.
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