Book details
Jane Austen and Her Times
Inspect the stored metadata, editorial profile, authors, categories, and local EPUB state.
Stored record
Metadata
- Gutenberg ID
- 52622
- Title
- Jane Austen and Her Times
- Language
- en
- Book source
- Project Gutenberg
- Description max 80 words
-
This volume explores the social world of Jane Austen, blending biographical detail with vivid depictions of late 18th-century English life. It examines her experiences with country balls, Bath society, and fashionable dress, offering insight into the customs that shaped her novels.
- Summary up to 500 words
-
In *Jane Austen and Her Times*, G. E. Mitton offers a vivid reconstruction of the social world that shaped Jane Austen's literary genius, focusing on the vibrant scenes of Steventon and Bath. The text meticulously corrects historical misconceptions, particularly regarding the Cooper family. It clarifies that the cousins Jane knew were the children of her aunt, Jane Leigh, not the son of her uncle, a distinction often blurred by later biographers like Lord Brabourne. Mitton details the evolution of ballroom customs, tracing the shift from the formal minuets and cotillions of the 1790s to the emerging waltz, which was not generally danced until 1814. He illustrates the strict etiquette of the era, where a single dance commitment often dictated the entire evening, contrasting this with the more flexible partner-changing rules of later decades. The narrative also covers fashion trends, such as the extravagant fruit-wearing fad that reached grotesque extremes, contrasting it with the practical simplicity of Jane's own muslin gowns and caps. Through letters and contemporary accounts, the book reconstructs the atmosphere of country assemblies, the dangers of highwaymen on poor roads, and the lively interactions in Bath's Assembly Rooms. Ultimately, the work demonstrates how Austen's keen observation of these social rituals, dances, and fashions provided the rich local color and authentic dialogue found in her enduring novels. Mitton highlights how Jane's mind, half unconsciously, stored up the little words and gestures of the persons around her, drawing from this storehouse to create scenes that delighted unnumbered people yet unborn.
- LLM editorial rating
- 4.2/5
- Download URL
- https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/52622.epub.noimages
- Local file path
-
data/epubs/pg52622.epub - Downloaded at
- 2026-08-13 18:09 UTC
People
Authors
- G. E. Mitton
Classification
Categories
- Classics
- Biography