"Sono molto lusingata dalle lodi che hai dispensato alla mia ultima lettera, perchè scrivo solo per la fama, senza alcuna prospettiva di emolumenti pecuniari" (Jane Austen)

Pettegolezzi su nascite, morti e matrimoni; minuzie su stoffe, prezzi e moda: c'è tutta la freschezza e lo humour della migliore Jane Austen, in queste lettere indirizzate perlopiù all'amatissima sorella Cassandra. Ho avvertito l'eco dell'affettuosa tenerezza tra Elizabeth e Jane Bennet, ma, soprattutto, l'ironia pungente dell'indimenticabile Lizzie. Qualche freddura:

- "Mrs Hall ha partorito un bimbo morto ieri, alcune settimane prima del termine, a causa di uno spavento. Immagino che, involontariamente, le sia caduto lo sguardo sul marito".

- "È veramente molto gentile da parte della zia invitarci di nuovo a Bath; tanto gentile, che non merita che la contraccambiamo accettando l'invito".

- (parlando di un suo corteggiatore) "Pare assolutamente improbabile che venga nello Hampshire, a Natale, e quindi è probabilissimo che la nostra indifferenza presto sarà reciproca, a meno che la sua ammirazione, che all'inizio pare sia nata dal fatto che non sapeva nulla di me, non si rafforzi non vedendomi".

- "A Kingsdown Hill abbiamo incontrato.... il Dr. Hall in lutto così stretto che o sua madre, o sua moglie o lui stesso devono essere morti".

Fascinating.

It gives a great insight into Jane Austen's character and also what Cassandra Austen may have been like. Very interesting.

"I have lost a treasure, such a Sister, such a friend as never can have been surpassed, —She was the sun of my life, the gilder of every pleasure, the soother of every sorrow, I had not a thought concealed from her, & and it as if I had lost a part of myself."

It would be grossly unjust to pretend I know Jane the way Cassandra did. However, in at last finishing this volume, knowing I have now read every word the dear creature wrote (which remains to us, anyway), I cannot but feel in some small way that I've lost a friend. For months I read a letter before bed nearly every night, feeling comforted after the stress of the day that still Jane Austen was there, with her good sense, frank humour, lively wit, and deep affection for her family. Two hundred years removed, I feel more of a kinship with this woman than with any of my classmates.

I started this book October 10, but my pace in reading rapidly decreased as I neared the end of the book. Though I like to finish things, I did not want to be done with Jane.

As you'd imagine, Austen can be quite funny and witty (without ever being cruel) as in her writing and has no patience for people's nee to be foolishly performative in society. I think perhaps because she and Cassandra were so close and were so often together, those letters (maybe 85% of the total) contain less of substance and are just the bits of news they'd missed out on telling each other when they were apart. The other letters, to her nieces mainly, and occasionally to admirers of her books, have more real substance to them and are more composition pieces than thrown together news. Overall, glad I read these.

The formatting in this Kindle edition could use some touching up, but it's nothing too ghastly. Some words are smashed together, but you can make do. There are worse formatting sins floating out there in the Kindle world.

I've been meaning to read Jane Austen's letters since 2008 by my reckoning. I had a difficult time getting into her letters throughout the years, despite my love for her and her works, and I think I owe a lot of that to maturity. I was 17, 18 then. I am 30 now, struggling with my own bouts of "rheumatism" and chronic illness, and quite fond of my own adopted "niblings" (and wine, like our girl Jane). I see her letters to her own nibling, her beloved niece Fanny, and smile at the advice given, the situation that's all too familiar when one's heart is broken after falling in love for the first time. Pretty timeless stuff right there.

Jane's letters sparkle in their own right. They're quite funny, actually -- she was hilarious. I only wish we could know what were in the letters that her sister destroyed.

The readability of these letters depends on your own personal tolerance of the epistolary format and daily minutiae. Thankfully, these are letters. You don't have to go charging through this like a wrecking ball; you can chip away letter by letter at your own leisure.

Casi todas las cartas de Jane Austen, "casi" porque algunas no fueron recuperadas. En ellas conocemos un poco a la autora de "Orgullo y prejuicio" como también sus pequeños amores que tuve en su vida. También recopila cartas de Casandra Austen, su única hermana, quién la acompaño en sus últimos días que estuvo con vida.
Su testamento y demases imágenes de la época también son parte de éste libro.

"Pasamos por Bifrons y pude contemplar, con melancólico placer, la residencia de aquel a quien durante algún tiempo adoré tiernamente".

Citas: http://hechaensilencio.blogspot.com/2...

I love immersing myself in Jane Austen's world and pretending like I'm sharing it with her over a warm cup of English Breakfast.

I was unaware that these letters were published and while I am saddened by the thought that they were not all retrieved I am excited at the little peek into her daily life. Maybe her hum-drum will spice my every day up just a bit.

As a lover of all things Austen, it was a treat to read her letters and gain an insight into her life and thought processes. Her observations of others and situations are always to the point and, bearing in mind that she never intended anyone but the recipient of the letter to read her comments, can sometimes be rather shocking in their bluntness or callousness. However, I will bow to the commentary of her nieces and nephews who all claim she was a very kind and thoughtful person, and assume that what at first appears to be unkind is actually only her ironic humor at work, just directed at real people rather than fictional characters.

“To sit in idleness over a good fire in a well proportioned room is a luxurious sensation.” Couldn’t agree more. Happy birthday Jane.

Jane Austen could kidnap me and lock me in her attic and only give me pages of her books and I would THANK her for it. Every single one of her books was life-altering and my Roman Empire (im still waiting for my Mr. Darcy) so I can’t wait to read this!