“A lifeof usefulness, literature, and religion, was not by any means a life of event,”wrote Henry Austen of his spinster sister Jane. This image of the sequesteredauthor persisted for years. But contemporary scholars have reappraised: “dearAunt Jane” as an independent and worldly-wise woman who wielded a sardonic pen.She continues to fascinate, 200 years after the publication of Pride andPrejudice. This is the charm of a new biography from Paula Byrne, a Britishauthor, who breathes yet more life into Austen and her works by considering theobjects that populated her days.
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Eachchapter is organized around a single thing. Some are Austen’s possessions, suchas a topaz cross she received from her brother. Others are simply from theperiod, such as a barouche (an upmarket carriage), which helps to illustratehow well-traveled she was and transport indicates status in her novels. In Northanger Abbey Catherine Morland findsa trip in Henry Tilney’s curricle erotic, whereas she is nonplussed by JohnThorpe’s gig. Broadly chronological, this thematic approach offers a revealingpicture of Austen and a lively social history.
Austen’sformative years are the most interesting. Three vellum notebooks contain her“Juvenilia” – the stories and poems she wrote as a teenager. Her “greatestgifts are here in embryo”, writes Ms Byrne, clearly relishing Austen’s satireand lack of restraint. The young author lampooned famous figures and offeredparodies of sentimental novels. But she reserved her choicest words of wit forher sister Cassandra. When they were not living together they correspondedfrequently, and Austen often tried out different voices – “gossipy, jokey,affectionate” – to make her laugh.
Duringthis time the movements of the family followed the flows of inheritance; avexatious matter that drives Austen’s narratives. Old maids and mothers wereoften housed by rich cousins; a child might be made heir to childlessrelatives. An East Indian shawl introduces Aunt Phila – who at 21 sailed toBengal in order to find a husband – and her daughter, Eliza. A romantic figure,and presumably illegitimate, Eliza first married a man who fell under theguillotine in the French Revolution, and later married Austen ’s brother Henry.This coquettish cousin is fictionalized as Mary Crawford in Mansfield Park. Austen also drew onHenry’s militia experience for her depiction of flirtatious redcoats in Prideand Prejudice. Her midshipman brothers helped inform reference to the navy.
Thebook’s liveliest passages are about city life and romance. Austen frequentlyvisited London and lived in Bath for years. She was probably not a beauty – notonly one authenticated portrait exists. But her wit and intelligence lured manya suitor. None of them stuck, but many are recalled with mirth in her letters.
还原一个真实的简·奥斯汀
“她的一生裨益于他人，与文学和宗教为伴，而无任何大起大落，”对终身未婚的妹妹，亨利·奥斯汀如此评价道。简的这种隐居作家形象持续了多年。然而当代的学者重新评价了“亲爱的奥斯汀姑姑”，将其视为笔锋辛辣、深谙尘世智慧的独立女性。《傲慢与偏见》问世两百年后，她依然令人着迷。这就是英国作家宝拉·伯恩新近为奥斯汀所著传记之魅力。作者从简·奥斯汀时代的流行物品入手，为她及其作品注入了新的活力。
传记的每一章都围绕着一件物品展开。有些是奥斯汀的私人物品，例如她从哥哥那儿得到一个黄宝石十字架。而另一些物品则是那个时代的代表物，例如四轮四座大马车(一种高档马车)，足以展现她游历之广，以及交通工具在其作品中所代表的身份地位。在《诺桑觉寺》中凯瑟琳·莫兰觉得坐着亨利·蒂尔尼的双马双轮马车“情”趣盎然，而面对约翰·索普的轻便双轮马车时却不知所措。作者用这种大刀阔斧按时序展开的主题式记传方式，为我们展现出简·奥斯汀的真实形象，勾勒出一幅鲜活的社会历史图景。
奥斯汀写作的成型期最耐人寻味。三本羊皮纸记录了她的“少女之作”——她在青少年时期写的故事与诗歌。伯恩女士很欣赏此时的奥斯汀那种讥讽语调和无拘无束风格，称奥斯汀“无与伦比的天赋在此已见端倪”。此时年轻的奥斯汀嘲讽当时鼎鼎有名的人物，戏仿感伤小说，而把连珠妙语全留给了姐姐卡桑德拉。姊妹两不住在一起时，频繁通信。奥斯汀经常试图用“嚼舌的、诙谐的、亲切的”等各种不同语气博姐姐一笑。
这一时期，在继承了大笔遗产之后，奥斯汀家几度迁居，也正是这种搬迁所造成的种种困扰促成了奥斯汀的叙述风格。在奥斯汀的笔下，老姑娘和单身母亲们往往寄居在有钱的堂亲家中，孩童可能会成为没有子女的亲戚的继承人。一条东印度围巾引出了费拉阿姨和她女儿伊莱扎的故事——为觅夫婿，费拉阿姨21岁去了孟加拉。而伊莱扎这位浪漫人物可能是个私生女。她第一次所嫁的丈夫在法国大革命中被送上了断头台，后来她又嫁给了奥斯汀的哥哥亨利。这个轻佻妖冶的嫂子后来被塑造成《曼斯菲尔德庄园》里的玛丽·克劳福德。奥斯汀还从哥哥亨利的民兵生涯中汲取素材，在《傲慢与偏见》里描绘了轻浮的英国军人形象。她那些曾有过海军经历的兄弟们则为她描写海军生活提供了相关的参考资料。
本书最精彩逼真的篇章是对城市生活和浪漫轶事的描述。奥斯汀频繁地出访伦敦，并旅居巴思多年。从仅存的一张得到认证的肖像看，她可能并不算美人，但她的聪明才智吸引了众多的追求者。尽管无一人长久，但在简的书信中，他们给她留下的回忆大都充满欢声笑语。
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