Rare book dealer Rebecca Romney loves Jane Austen, and books in general. After purchasing the 18th century novel “Evelina” by Frances Burney as part of a lot of old books, Romney starts to realize that many of the female authors and works explicitly referenced in the novels and letters of Jane Austen are unknown, or barely known to her. Why is this? Austen is an amazing writer, smart and famously astute. What are the chances that she loved reading…well, garbage that’s not worthy of anyone’s time? Slim to none, Romney decides.
This is the premise of “Jane Austen’s Bookshelf.” Romney sets out on a journey to learn about and collect the women writers who influenced Austen. In the process, she explores some fascinating questions–how is a literary canon formed? Who gets to be part of a canon, and who is excluded, and why? How does a writer go from being compared to Shakespeare or Wordsworth to being pretty much unknown in the course of a century or two? How did Shakespeare become known as basically the greatest English writer, and was he always considered as such? Was Jane Austen always considered one of the best English writers? What roles do sexism, racism, etc. play in canon formation? What makes a book worthy of entry into The Canon? Should we be reading from The Canon?? Why are people so obsessed with Samuel Johnson???
Learn this and more in “Jane Austen’s Bookshelf”! Romney is a literary nerd who knows more about old literature than your average Josephine, but she is never a snob, which keeps this book fun and modern.
Recommended for: Janeites; people who would simply say that they like Jane Austen but resist the term “Janeite” (*slowly raises hand*); history buffs; those interested in rare book collecting and old books; those interested in 18th and 19th century literature; people interested in “the classics”, the canon, and canon formation; people interested in social science, sexism, feminism, and other -isms.