Jane Austen the Woman: Some Biographical Insights

by George Holbert Tucker

Book Overview

By focusing on the woman rather than the author, George Tucker paints a new and welcome picture of Jane Austen: not the spinster recluse of previous biographies, but a vibrant, well-traveled woman who was very much a part of the world in which she lived.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312126883
• ISBN13: 9780312126889
• Release Date: September 1995
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

An Investigation into Jane Austen...

In 1994's "Jane Austen The Woman", George Holbert Tucker targets the family portrait of the famous romance novelist as the quiet, reclusive Aunt Jane, who lived a sheltered and uneventful life. As Tucker documents through a prodigious amount of research, Jane Austen had bigger horizons than some earlier biographers were prepared to conclude. Tucker came to this biography after a previous study of Jane Austen's extended family. In the present volume, Tucker demonstrates how her family connections gave her plausible access to many of the political, military, social, and cultural events of her age. As her surviving letters demonstrate, Jane Austen was a keen and witty observer of the life around her, and made abundant use of her observations in the composition of her novels. Tucker provides a topical rather than chronological approach to Austen's life, with consideration of her various homes, her family members, her romances, her readings, her travels, and her contacts with scandals, religion, and the events of her day. Through his exploration of these topics, Tucker convincingly portrays a woman whose family, friends, and reading habits provided her with much wider horizons than her limited formal education and status as the unmarried youngest daughter of a country cleric might have indicated. "Jane Austen The Woman" contains some interesting insights. For example, Tucker's discussion of why Jane Austen never married includes some very pertinent observations about her lack of a dowery, her fears of the consequences of multiple pregnancies, and the example of her spinster sister Cassandra. Oddly, Tucker seems to have overlooked an obvious reason, that Jane Austen wanted to marry for love. Tucker writes in the style of the experienced journalist that he is. He marshals facts and proceeds to connect the dots. He is however subject to the same limitations of information as other Austen biographers; his willingness to proceed bravely into speculation and assumption will be a mixed blessing for the reader. "Jane Austen The Woman" is highly recommended to serious students of the life of Jane Austen. Those looking for a more conventional biography may find this book to be a challenging reading experience.

insightful information into Jane Austen's life

This is a biography focusing on the personal history of Jane Austen and her environment, i.e. her friends, family, and the social and political atmosphere surrounding her life and her reaction to it. The book states that the author spent fifty years in research for this book referring to original documents written by Jane or her family members and family. Some of these documents have never before been used in previous publications therefore shedding light on new topics not seen in other biographies. Mr. Tucker's approach is a scholarly one with profuse footnotes and a bibliography. He had previously published another book on Jane Austen before this one. The arrangement of the book is a narrative arranged by subject, not a chronological rendering of her life. I found this to be a very satisfying arrangement. A reader can go straight to the subject that interests him or her, instead of having to read chronologically, gleaning bits and pieces of what interests him/her. For those people who have seen the recent movie Becoming Jane, they might want to pick up this book for the real story. Romantic attachments comprises one entire chapter of the book. The book itself is well weighted. It is easy in the hands and written on good quality paper. There are no photos. I would have liked to have seen photos of some of the places the author mentions in the book. He does, however in some circumstances, explain to the reader when he is mentioning specific buildings, what does and does not exist today. Although this book does give insightful information into Jane Austen's life that one is not likely to find elsewhere, it is not an entertaining book. It reads more like a 268 page term paper. But for the ardent fans of Jane Austen who want to know details of her life, herein they can learn them from Jane herself , her friends and family. I came away knowing and understanding Jane a little better. Now when I reread her novels I will know the woman behind the story.

Excellent! New facts and insight on Jane's life

I found this book to be refreshing and quite different from any other biography of Jane Austen which I have read (and I have read many!). Mr. Tucker comes up with a great number of surprising facts that other biographers seem to have missed. The book is also very well-written. It was a disappointment to me to turn the last page and find there was no more. I highly recommend it.