Zena Alkayat - Jane Austen: An Illustrated Biography

First published in the United States in 2016
by Chronicle Books LLC.
Text copyright 2016 by Zena Alkayat.
Illustrations copyright 2016 by Nina Cosford.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be
reproduced in any form without written
permission from the publisher. ISBN: 978-1-4521-5053-6 (epub2)
ISBN: 978-1-4521-5794-8 (epub3)
ISBN: 978-1-4521-5793-1 (mobi) Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication
Data available. ISBN: 978-1-4521-5021-5 (hc) First published in the UK by Frances Lincoln Ltd. Chronicle Books LLC
680 Second Street
San Francisco, CA 94107 www.chroniclebooks.com Which of all my important nothings
shall I tell you first?'' Letter, 1808 JANE AUSTEN WAS BORN ON
DECEMBER 16, 1775, IN STEVENTON,
HAMPSHIRE. THE RECTORY WAS ALSO A
WORKING FARM, COMPLETE WITH
COWS, CHICKENS, AND DUCKS, AS
WELL AS WHEAT, BARLEY, AND HOPS.
JANE GREW UP WITH SIX BROTHERS
AND ONE SISTER.

ELIZA
WAS MYSTERIOUS AND STRIKING,
AND HER LIFE WAS AS FANTASTICAL
AS FICTION. SHE WAS MARRIED
TO A EUROPEAN COUNT, SPOKE
FLUENT FRENCH, AND WORE
CONTINENTAL FASHIONS. HER GLAMOUR CAUSED A STIR: THE
AUSTEN BOYS FLIRTED, AND JANE
FOUND A LIFELONG FRIEND. THE AUSTENS LOVED TO
PUT ON PLAYS. THEY INVITED FRIENDS TO TAKE ON
ROLES AND PAINTED SETS AND PROPS
FOR THEIR PRODUCTIONS. THEY ALSO LOVED TO WRITE.
JANE'S MOTHER WROTE VERSE,
AND HER BROTHER JAMES WAS
A SKILLED POET.

JANE PREFERRED
PROSE AND FILLED NOTEBOOKS
WITH WILD AND WITTY STORIES. ALL AROUND HER, PEOPLE WERE
GETTING MARRIED. AND THE SUBJECT
OF MONEY WAS NEVER FAR AWAY. JANE HEARD HOW COUSIN ELIZA
WAS BORN IN INDIA AFTER HER
MOTHER WENT THERE DETERMINED
TO FIND A HUSBAND AMONG
THE ENGLISH TRADERS. CASSANDRA WAS SOON ENGAGED
TO A YOUNG CLERGYMAN NAMED
THOMAS FOWLE. BUT NEITHER
HAD ANY MONEY, AND A MARRIAGE
WAS UNLIKELY TO BE ARRANGED
WITHOUT IT.

BY HER LATE TEENS, JANE HAD
BEGUN WORK ON A NOVELLA. LADY SUSAN'' WAS ABOUT A
SCHEMING WOMAN ON THE
HUNT FOR TWO HUSBANDS, ONE
FOR HERSELF, ANOTHER FOR
HER DAUGHTER. IT DIDN'T TAKE LONG FOR
JANE'S FAMILY TO RECOGNIZE
HER EXTRAORDINARY TALENT.
HER FATHER WAS EXCEPTIONALLY
PROUD AND BOUGHT HER A SMALL
MAHOGANY WRITING TABLE FOR
HER NINETEENTH BIRTHDAY. JANE LOVED TO DANCE AND
ATTENDED BALLS HOSTED BY
THE GENTRY IN THE VILLAGE. THE FURNITURE WOULD BE PUSHED
BACK, A NEIGHBOR MIGHT PICK
UP HIS FIDDLE, AND SOMEONE
WOULD PLAY THE PIANO. To be fond of dancing was a certain
step towards falling in love.'' Pride and Prejudice'', 1813 JANE HAD A GIFT FOR SOCIAL
OBSERVATION AND A SHARP EYE
FOR HUMAN FOLLY.

NOT YET
TWENTY, SHE BEGAN WRITING
HER FIRST NOVEL ELINOR AND
MARIANNE'', WHICH WENT ON TO
BECOME SENSE AND SENSIBILITY''. MEANWHILE THE BATTLES OF
THE FRENCH REVOLUTION WERE
BEING WAGED. ENGLISH CAVALRYMEN
WERE NEEDED AND FOUR OF JANE'S
BROTHERS WERE INVOLVED IN THE
MILITARY AND THE NAVY. COUSIN ELIZA'S HUSBAND WAS
KILLED IN FRANCE, LEAVING HER
WIDOWED WITH A SMALL CHILD. APART FROM A GROWING NUMBER
OF OFFICERS AROUND TOWN,
LIFE IN STEVENTON REMAINED
UNCHANGED. THEIR ATTRACTION TO EACH
OTHER WAS OBVIOUS TO THE