The Memoir of my Aunt, Jane Austen, has been received with more favour than I had ventured to expect.
James Edward Austen-Leigh in the Preface to Memoir of Jane Austen
James Edward Austen, the son of Jane’s eldest brother James, was Jane’s fondest nephew. When he was 11 years old, he discovered from his school friends at Winchester College that his aunt was the author of two novels he had enjoyed. He was so delighted with the news that he penned a poem and sent it to her.
To Miss J. Austen
No words can express, my dear Aunt, my surprise
Or make you conceive how I opened my eyes,
Like a pig Butcher Pile has just struck with his knife,
When I heard for the very first time in my life
That I had the honour to have a relation
Whose works were dispersed throughout the whole of the nation.I assure you, however, I’m terribly glad;
Oh dear! just to think (and the thought drives me mad)
That you made the Middletons, Dashwoods, and all,
And that you (not young Ferrars) found out that a ball
May be given in cottages never so small.
And though Mr. Collins, so grateful for all,
Will Lady de Bourgh his dear Patroness call,
‘Tis to your ingenuity he really owed
His living, his wife, and his humble abode.
It was Edward to whom Jane wrote letters to in the last months of her life, comforting him, and reassuring him that she would be well.
After her death, it was Edward that wrote A Memoir of Jane Austen that contained pieces of stories, poems and letters she wrote. It received mixed reviews from the family and the public, however, as Jane’s popularity has grown, so has the popularity of her Memoirs.
QUICK LINKS:
Read more about Edward and his Memoirs at the Jane Austen House Museum
You can read A Memoir of Jane Austen for free on any device through Project Gutenberg
