Reference Books
1. Le Faye, D. (1995). Jane Austen’s Letters. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Originally published in 1932, Jane Austen’s Letters sheds a light on the personal life of Jane Austen through her letters to family and friends. Prior to this publication, primary source material of Austen’s was rather limited. Most of the materials were unattainable to the public as they were housed in archival or private collections. Additionally, many of Austen’s private letters were destroyed by her family, specifically her sister, Cassandra. It is estimated that out of the thousands of letters that existed only about 150 survived.
However, this source changed all of that by providing worldwide access to the existing private letters of Jane Austen. Through these letters, readers can learn about the daily life and communities where Austen lived. The new edition composed by Deidre Le Faye features a chronological arrangement scheme and annotations of each letter. The new edition also includes a biographical, topographical, and general index. Scholars and Jane Austen enthusiasts should refer to this resource for primary source material regarding Austen.
2. Barchas, J. (2012). Matters of fact in Jane Austen : History, location, and celebrity. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
An innovative departure from typical Austen scholarship, this work by Janine Barchas focuses on the names and locations within Jane Austen’s novels. Barchas argues that the names Austen featured within her novels correlated to famous people of her time. For instance, the names of Tilney, Woodhouse, Eliot and others are traced to real-life figures within the Regency Era. It had long been suspected, but never sufficiently proven that Austen’s characters were based in reality. Barchas essentially begins the scholarship on this topic. Thoroughly researched from archival material, this well written and captivating take on Austen’s work offers Jane Austen enthusiasts and scholars an interestingly new perspective on all things Austen. For those wishing to read some of the current literature on Jane Austen, this book is essential.
3. Gilson, D. (1997). A bibliography of Jane Austen. Winchester: St Paul's Bibliographies.
At 949 pages, this is the definitive bibliography on Jane Austen. Best suited for scholars, collectors, and college students this source is an excellent resource for accessing details of the printing history and early editions of Austen’s novels. The bibliography is also useful as a tool for locating reference works within the topic of Austen studies. Originally published in 1982, by Oxford University Press, this bibliography features information on original editions, American editions, translations, biography, minor works, and letters. The bibliography also includes works of scholarship and criticism relating to Austen’s works. Another interesting feature of the bibliography are the sections of the books owned by Austen. This section reveals that Austen was an extensive reader especially within the subjects of history and literature. Moreover, the new addition, 1997, features current scholarship on the screen adaptations of Austen’s work.
4. Copeland, E., & McMaster, J. (1997). The Cambridge companion to Jane Austen. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
The Cambridge Companion to Jane Austen, provides researchers with an introduction and guide to the current scholarship available on Jane Austen’s works. This edition begins with a brief chronology of Austen’s life, and an analysis of the major six novels including: Northanger Abbey, Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, and Persuasion. The rest of the companion features discussions on Austen’s minor works, letters, and style. Examinations of class, religion, and politics are also provided. The companion ends with further reading suggestions and an index. Anyone wanting an overview of the literature found within Austen studies should refer to this source.
Journal Articles
5. Neubauer, B. (2015). This old maid: Jane Austen and her spinsters. Midwest Quarterly, 56(2), 124-138.
In this article, Neubauer examines the role spinsters played in Jane Austen’s novels, and how this illuminated the greater societal thought of the time in Regency Era England. In essence, the thought that an unmarried women’s fate was of becoming ‘redundant’ within society and experiencing a loss of status. To illustrate, Neubauer focuses on four characters in Austen’s novels and shows how spinsterhood played a significant role in the decisions they made. She examines the characters of Charlotte Lucas, Anne Elliot, Emma Woodhouse and Miss Bates. Moreover, she shows how each of these characters either embraced spinsterhood or overcame it. She does this by comparing and contrasting the heroines with each other. For instance, one of these characters out of fear of spinsterhood enters into a loveless marriage for financial security. The others make different choices based upon their societal ranks, situations, and feelings. By reading this article, one can begin to understand the constraints woman faced during Jane Austen’s Era.
6. Reiff, M. (2016). The “Fanny Price Wars”: Jane Austen’s enlightenment feminist and mary wollstonecraft. Women's Studies, 45(3), 275-290.
This article explores the role of Fanny Price within Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park. In the beginning, Fanny Price’s unfavorable reception in Austen’s time and contemporary society is examined. It is noted that she is widely regarded as one of the most unlikable of Austen’s heroines, due mostly to her conservatism and moral superiority. Within this article, the author attempts to re-brand Fanny Price as an embodiment of Enlightenment feminist ideals present within Mary Wollstonecraft’s A vindication of the rights of women. Reiff argues that Jane Austen was influenced by these ideals and created Fanny Price as a result of this influence. She provides evidence such as Fanny Price’s transformation and independence through the education of her mind and exercise of her body. She then compares this to Wollstonecraft’s rhetoric within A vindication of the rights of women. Various occasions within Mansfield Park features this independence, for instance the Lover’s Vows incident, Fanny’s reaction against objectification, and her rejection of Henry Crawford’s marriage proposal. All of these instances show a commitment to enlightenment feminist ideals present at the time. By reading this article, one can encounter different perspectives on the character of Fanny Price.
7. Posusta, R. (2014). Architecture of the mind and place in Jane Austen's Persuasion. Critical Survey, 26(1), 76-91.
Posusta argues within this publication that Jane Austen’s novel, Persuasion creates an issue of physical and physiological space. Specifically, seen through the novel’s heroine, Anne Eliot. Posusta mentions that Eliot is detached and constricted by space in the beginning of the novel at her home in Kellynch. Her circumstances combined with an overbearing father and sister contribute to this constraint. Anne Eliot then gradually expands her spaces of occupation by removing herself to another sister’s residence in Uppercross. Eventually, Anne breaks free of the limited space she occupies until she is not defined by space at all, as illustrated at Lyme Regis and Camden Place. The concept of space within this argument comes out of a history of gendered rooms and restricting a woman’s privilege of space during the Regency era. Posusta recounts this history and shows how Anne Eliot’s character rebels against it.