Persuasion. Northanger Abbey (Two Novels)

Jane Austen

Jan 2008 · Mondial

About this ebook

In 1798, Jane Austen (1775-1817) began to write "Susan", which was the first draft of "Northanger Abbey". In 1803, she sold it to a London publisher, who did not issue it. In 1816, Austen succeeded in recovering the manuscript. She then worked upon it further; yet, she was still doubtful whether she should publish it or not, and, at last, it was posthumously published in two volumes in 1818, at the same time as "Persuasion". --- "Northanger Abbey" follows seventeen year-old Catherine Morland and family friends Mr. and Mrs. Allen as they visit Bath, England. General Tilney, the father of friends she made at Bath, invites Catherine to visit their estate, Northanger Abbey, which Catherine expects to be ancient and mysterious... --- The other posthumous novel, "Persuasion", was begun in the spring or summer of 1815 and finished in July, 1816, the last two chapters being written a little later, to take the place of the original last chapter, which did not satisfy the author. The tone of the novel, as a whole, is graver and tenderer than that of any of the other novels by Jane Austen, but woven in with its gravity and tenderness is the most delicate and mellow of all Jane Austen's humour. It is the love story between motherless Anne Elliot, daughter of Sir Walter Elliot, and the ambitious young naval officer Frederick Wentworth....

About the author

Jane Austen's life is striking for the contrast between the great works she wrote in secret and the outward appearance of being quite dull and ordinary. Austen was born in the small English town of Steventon in Hampshire, and educated at home by her clergyman father. She was deeply devoted to her family. For a short time, the Austens lived in the resort city of Bath, but when her father died, they returned to Steventon, where Austen lived until her death at the age of 41. Austen was drawn to literature early, she began writing novels that satirized both the writers and the manners of the 1790's. Her sharp sense of humor and keen eye for the ridiculous in human behavior gave her works lasting appeal. She is at her best in such books as Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), and Emma (1816), in which she examines and often ridicules the behavior of small groups of middle-class characters. Austen relies heavily on conversations among her characters to reveal their personalities, and at times her novels read almost like plays. Several of them have, in fact, been made into films. She is considered to be one of the most beloved British authors.