Jane's Fame: How Jane Austen Conquered the World - Hardcover

Harman, C.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1847672949 ISBN 13: 9781847672940

Publisher: Canongate, 2009

Synopsis

Award-winning biographer Claire Harman traces the growth of Jane Austen's fame, the changing status of her work and what it has stood for - or has been made to stand for in English culture - in a wide-ranging study aimed at the general reader. This is a story of personal struggle, family intrigue, accident, advocacy and sometimes surprising neglect as well as a history of changing public tastes and critical practices. Starting with Austen's own experience as a beginning author (and addressing her difficulties getting published and her determination to succeed), Harman unfolds the history of how her estate was handled by her brother, sister, nieces and nephews, and goes on to explore the eruption of public interest in Austen in the last two decades of the nineteenth century, the making of her into a classic English author in the twentieth century, the critical wars that erupted as a result and, lastly, her powerful influence on contemporary phenomena such as chick-lit, romantic comedy,

About this title

Book Description

The first book about Jane Austen to dissect the industry around her - a completely original approach to one of Britain's most enduring popular novelists

From the Back Cover

'Fascinating' Evening Standard
'Witty' Daily Telegraph
'Exhilarating' Literary Review
'Wonderful' Daily Mail

Part biography and part cultural history, this splendid book not only tells the captivating tale of Jane Austen's life, but also her literary legacy. The slow growth of Austen's fame and the changing status of her work and what it stands for in English culture is a story of personal struggle and family dynamics as well as a history of critical practices and public taste. Jane's Fame is essential reading for anyone interested in Austen's life, works and unshakable appeal.

'Jane's Fame is an exhilarating look at the rise of the Divine Jane's worldwide influence. Harman charts its course with wit and style, as well as scholarly precision, making this a book that no Austen addict will want to resist.'
Mark Bostridge, Literary Review

'Splendid . . . there is no doubt that Harman is the first to treat this fascinating subject in an accessible, lively manner unshackle by academic jargon. There is much to enjoy in this book . . . it's the quality of the insights and the interpretations that make this book such a good read.'
Paula Byrne, Sunday Telegraph

'An extraordinary book, crammed with scholarship and glittering with trivia . . . A fantastic compendium of
absolutely everything relating to Austen.'
Elspeth Barker, Independent on Sunday

About this edition

• Publisher: Canongate
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1847672949
• ISBN 13: 9781847672940
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 342