Jane Austen's World

by Maggie Lane

Book Overview

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Jane Austen is one of the world's most popular novelists, a sharp and witty writer whose stories enchant on their own and in numerous film and TV... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1558507485
• ISBN13: 9781558507487
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Adams Media Corporation
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 1.88 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 9.3" x 11.3"

Customer Reviews

Helped me understand Jane Austen's novels better

This is a really great book. I'm a fan of Jane Austen and have read all her novels but there were many things in them that I didn't understand because I didn't know the culture, customs and history of that time. Just one small example--Mr. Darcy hands his letter to Elizabeth Bennett instead of mailing it. Apparently unmarried men and women did not correspond with each other unless they were relatives or engaged to be married. Another example--balls and dances were a primary way for unmarried people to meet and socialize and one of the few ways they could talk alone to each other (while on the dance floor). So the balls/dances in Jane Austen's books are much more significant than I realized. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to understand Jane Austen's novels better.

Beautiful, informative, good introduction

I think Maggie Lane has done an absolutely wonderful job on this Austen collection. It is beautifully illustrated, well set out and a perfect introduction to Austen especially for those fans who have to her through the recent popularity of her books from the movies and telly series.It is a hard cover coffee table sized book so its not something you take to bed with you, quite slim but packed full of good material. It is divided into five chapters which cover everything from Jane Austen the person, to daily life in Regency England and the film adaptations. Each chapter is subdivided into smaller sections which are really just double page spreads on a particular subject. Don't expect an indepth analysis of any particular subject but do expect a very competent summary. Lane includes an Austen chronology of Austen's life - useful and easy to read. The only real objection I have is that many of the pictures used in here are not titled and it is difficult to find out who drew them - the illustrations index in the back is quite small and cluttered.For those of you who are thinking of buying this book second hand, watch out you don't confuse this book with Lane's earlier work on Austen's life. It is an smaller book and is more of an autobiography tracing her life and travels.In short - a really enjoyable book.

A Must for Jane Austen Fans

If you want to know more about Jane Austen or what life was like for her then this is the book. It has an easy to read and understand format. I personally like how each topic is covered in two pages. This book is a must for all you Jane Austen fans. Maggie Lane refers to each of the Austen novels so it helps if you have read them. The book would still be enjoyable even if you haven't read all the novels. The illustrations, photos, and paintings give the book a very polished look. This is a book that I would buy again because I have enjoyed reading it again and again.

A Gentle Persuasion...

Before discovering Jane Austen's World on the shelf at our local library, I was convinced Jane Austen was an acquired taste for the mature biblophile. (Imagine that!) Since I wasn't planning on reading her novels, I thought I should at least know a bit about her life, and such was my reason for taking J. A. World home that day. Not only did it permit me a glimpse of her life, but it painted a fascinating picture of her times. The synopsis of each novel left just enough untold to persuade me to read it for myself. Of course on my next visit to the library, I pulled her novels off the shelf and read them too!

The perfect gift for any Jane Austen fan.

Having bought the book based on its shelf appeal--particularly the full-color stills from my favorite movie adaptations of Austen's novels and the lush photography of England--I was thrilled to find much more information than I expected. From the "Who Is Jane Austen" chapter, with its concise yet thorough biography and family history of Jane, to the "Everyday Life" and "Society and Culture" chapters, this book provides today's reader with the historical/cultural/social backdrop of Jane's novels. Chapters are divided into sub-topics, and each sub-topic fits perfectly into a two-page spread. This was especially appealing because if I had only five or ten minutes to spare for reading, it was easy to find a logical stopping place. This book re-ignited my love for Jane Austen and her characters--and I'm planning to read through all five novels again very soon.