The Lost Books of Jane Austen by Janine Barchas review – how Austen's reputation has been warped

A deliciously original study of the cheap editions of Pride and Prejudice and other novels – ignored by literary scholars – casts new light on her readershipJane Austen aficionados think that they know the story of their favourite author’s posthumous dis-appearance and then re-emergence. For half a century after she died in 1817, her books were little known or read. A few discriminating admirers such as George Henry Lewes and Lord Macaulay kept the flame of her reputation burning, but most novelists and novel readers were oblivious to her. Then, in 1869, her nephew James Edward Austen-Leigh published a memoir about her and the public got interested. Her novels started being republished and widely read. She has never looked back.Janine Barchas’s The Lost Books of Jane Austen puts us right. Her book about books is a beautifully illustrated exploration, indeed compendium, of the popular editions of Austen’s novels that have appeared over the last two centuries. This includes those decades when Austen was supposedly lost from sight. The first chapter is a “vignette” on a copy of Sense and Sensibility, published in 1851 for George Routledge’s Railway Library (books suitable for reading on the train). It cost one shilling and was bought for the 13-year-old Gertrude Wallace, the youngest daughter of a Plymouth naval officer. It is the first of many examples of cheap and popular editions of Austen’s work that kept it alive for ordinary readers and that literary scholars have... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2019-12-11 07:30:31 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "The Lost Books of Jane Austen by Janine Barchas review – how Austen's reputation has been warped"


First-Quarter Bestsellers

Prince Harry’s memoir has sold more than a million copies since its January release, making it the #1 book in 2023 so far. But the year is still young, and Colleen Hoover and Dav Pilkey are hot on Harry’s heels. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-04-07 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Book Deals: Week of April 10, 2023

Actor Millie Bobby Brown sells a debut novel to William Morrow, and S&S buys a memoir from Sheila Johnson, cofounder of BET. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-04-07 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


On Literary Celebrity

Caryl Phillips on being chosen as a Best of Young British Novelists in 1993 and the nascent culture of literary celebrity. The post On Literary Celebrity appeared first on Granta. Continue reading at Granta

[ Granta | 2023-04-06 11:41:47 UTC ]
More news stories like this


On Judging Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists

A.L. Kennedy on being chosen for, and judging Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists. The post On Judging <em>Granta</em>’s Best of Young British Novelists appeared first on Granta. Continue reading at Granta

[ Granta | 2023-04-06 11:32:41 UTC ]
More news stories like this


On the Anxieties of Translation

Ned Beauman on his translation into Assamese, and where being named one of Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists took him. The post On the Anxieties of Translation appeared first on Granta. Continue reading at Granta

[ Granta | 2023-04-06 11:24:19 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Finding “Enough”: A Conversation with Nicole Chung, by Renee H. Shea

Finding “Enough”: A Conversation with Nicole Chung, by Renee H. Shea Interviews [email protected] Mon, 04/03/2023 - 21:13 Writer and editor Nicole Chung is the author of the best-selling memoir All You Can Ever Know (Catapult, 2018), the story of... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2023-04-04 02:13:03 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Lit Hub Daily: April 3, 2023

“Transness emerges at the sight of other trans people living happily in the world.” Rafael Frumkin on top surgery, the beauty of the trans body, and building a world to feel safe in. | Lit Hub Memoir How Fabio Pusterla discovered a lifelong love of poetry (translated by Will Schutt). | Lit Hub... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-04-03 10:30:39 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Catherine Lacey: ‘That constant nervous Twitter energy repels me’

The American novelist, whose latest work is a fake biography of an avant-garde artist, on growing up in Mississippi and why her fiction has ‘never actively involved cellphones or the internet’Catherine Lacey, 37, is the author of three previous novels, including The Answers, currently being... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-04-01 17:00:01 UTC ]
More news stories like this


How Nicole Chung rewrote her memoir on grief after losing a second parent during COVID

Nicole Chung was writing a memoir about losing her father; then her mother died. She discusses COVID, U.S. health care and her revised memoir, 'A Living Remedy' Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-03-31 13:00:51 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Ghostwriter to the Stars: Who Is J.R. Moehringer?

J.R. Moehringer has been one of the biggest names in celebrity memoir since long before he ghostwrote Prince Harry's memoir Spare. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-03-28 10:34:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Book Review: ‘How Not to Kill Yourself,’ by Clancy Martin

After 10 attempts and years of suffering and addiction, Clancy Martin describes facing the darkness in his raw memoir “How Not to Kill Yourself.” Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-03-26 09:00:11 UTC ]
More news stories like this


This Week's Bestsellers: March 27, 2023

Oprah's Book Club's latest pick, 'Hello Beautiful,' has a big first week. Plus, Paris Hilton's memoir is a hit, and 'The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse: The Animated Story' gets an Oscar bump. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-03-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Another Prince Harry book? 'Spare Us!' gives his memoir the parody treatment

Prince Harry's tell-all memoir 'Spare' is getting a parody spoof with 'Spare Us! A Harrody' to be released next month. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-03-23 19:59:45 UTC ]
More news stories like this


This Is Going to Hurt and The Responder lead in 2023 Bafta TV nominations

NHS drama starring Ben Whishaw and Martin Freeman’s portrayal of troubled policeman each garner six awards nominationsBafta TV awards 2023: full list of nominationsThis Is Going to Hurt and The Responder jointly lead the 2023 TV Bafta nominations after being shortlisted in six categories. Adam... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-03-22 07:43:06 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists

‘The issue was the first of its kind. Trust me, it said. I know what I am talking about. These young writers are the future of literature. Watch. History will prove me right.’ A history of the list, with reflections from Bill Buford and other editors. The post <em>Granta</em>’s... Continue reading at Granta

[ Granta | 2023-03-21 19:02:26 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Richard Milward: ‘I hid my writing like a secret vice’

The novelist on his latest book, a Charles Manson-inspired work written in slang, his love of the band Mogwai and the trials of sorting post for Royal MailRichard Milward, 38, grew up in Middlesbrough and lives in London. He is the author of three previous novels: Apples, published when he was... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-03-18 18:00:17 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The collaborative spirit behind Netflix’s From Scratch success

Cocreator Tembi Locke shares the culture of vulnerability that turned her memoir into a universal story. Dr. Winteringham, Via Ortolano, Dott, Ronaldo Muscarella.Read Full Story Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2023-03-18 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Jailed in Egypt at 17, He Wrote to Survive and to Share His Long Ordeal

Sentenced as a teenager to 15 years for “unlawful assembly,” Abdelrahman ElGendy started recording the abuses of prison life. The idea of someday publishing his memoir gave him a reason to live. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-03-17 09:00:36 UTC ]
More news stories like this


How the Salvadoran diaspora became a literary juggernaut

From a bestselling migration memoir to an acclaimed novel of suburbia, political poetry and essays and on and on, Salvadoran writers are having a big moment. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-03-16 13:00:22 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Lit Hub Daily: March 15, 2023

A more interesting autofiction: DK Nnuro examines how Black writers are “appropriating” their way into a literary movement. | Lit Hub Criticism Is the “first job” memoir dead? Bryony Lau makes the case for new narratives of work. | Lit Hub Criticism “If Don Draper is a metaphor for white... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-03-15 10:30:59 UTC ]
More news stories like this