In January of 1817 Jane Austen began a new work which she entitled The Brothers. By mid-March however, the eleven completed chapters were paused and never finished - most likely due to her advancing illness.
The current title, Sanditon was used amongst the Austen family, although both remaining copies of the manuscript are marked Untitled. James Edward Austen-Leigh, one of Jane Austen’s nephews, referred to the work in 1871 — the first that it was mentioned in public — with a summary and quotations when he released a second edition of his Memoir of Jane Austen and in 1925 it was published as Jane left it under the title, Fragment of a Novel, which was edited by R.W. Chapman.
“Those who tell their own story, you know, must be listened to with caution. When you see us in contact, you will judge for yourself.”
Mr. Parker
Numerous attempts have been made through the years at imagining the rest of the story, beginning with Jane’s niece, Anna Lefroy. The unfinished novel now known as Sanditon was definitely a different premise than most of Austen’s other works. The seaside resort setting with emerging themes of business ventures, health and hypochondria, greed and ambition were newer areas for Jane Austen’s writing and it would be fascinatiing to see how she would have developed and completed this storyline!
Beloved author Jane Austen was born December 16, 1775 in Steventon, Hampshire in England to a rector father from an old and well-respected family of wool merchants who had fallen into poverty and a mother from the prominent and highly-connected Leigh family. George Austen received a modest income from the living to the Steventon parish and depended on assistance and support from relatives along with farming and the tutoring of young boys who boarded in the Austen household.
Although money was ever an issue, the Austen household was filled with intellectual conversation, amused considerations of social and political interests and easy debate. Their home was frequented with visits from friends and family with news of travels, fashionable life in London and Bath - all of which Jane digested and which ultimately found their way into her works.
In the midst of a very affectionate family, Jane and her sister Cassandra in particular had a deep and devoted relationship and hated to be apart. Other than a few relatively short stays at boarding schools, they were primarily educated by reading at home with some guidance from their father and older brothers. Her father always gave her unrestricted access to the library and provided both Jane and her sister with drawing materials and paper for writing.
Jane loved to write and experimented with different “voices” and mediums. She filled bound notebooks with parodies of current historical writing or the wildly romantic fiction of the day (which she disliked). She wrote poems, short stories, comedic plays and began trying the drafting of novels - all of which is now referred to as her Juvenilia.
It wasn’t until her 30s that Austen began to anonymously publish her works. She, her mother and her sisters had settled with her brother Edward in the village of Chawton within his Hampshire estate and Jane Austen began her most serious period of readying some existing manuscripts for publication. She published four well-received novels during her time there.
Most published writers of her day were men but Jane Austen brought a new voice to her literature of the day. She presented the everyday and the ordinary life of a woman of her station in Britain. She didn’t delve into the political or fill her works with the crimes or wars that were a part of her day and time, but wrote about the simple plight of the single female in a world that left her materially dependent on others.
It is the lasting greatness of Jane Austen’s works that - regardless of the century, continent or person - we can each find ourselves in her carefully constructed characters. We have all most likely had our Willoughbys or Henry Crawfords - but if we are very blessed, we sometimes find our Edwards, Darcys or our Colonel Brandons to be our companions.
Sir Edward’s great object in life was to be seductive. With such personal advantages as he knew himself to possess, and such talents as he did also give himself credit for, he regarded it as his duty. He felt that he was formed to be a dangerous man, quite in the line of the Lovelaces Sir Edward’s great object in life was to be seductive.
The Narrator
We don’t know as much as we would like about Jane Austen - her life, her thoughts, her loves.… Her sister, Cassandra was a fierce protector of Jane, and is thought to have destroyed over two thirds of Austen’s letters before her own death, leaving only about 160 letters for our study - none of which were written before Jane turned 20. Some of the redacted letters that remained even had sections cut out and ultimately revealed extremely little about what she thought about her family, her friends, politics and religion.
It is possible, however to hear Jane Austen’s heart in her published works and not only that, but her satirical nudges at society, her burden of monetary dependence on others and her appreciation of honor and kindness. She was a ground-breaking writer for her time - yet before she died, none of her works were published in her name.
Jane Austen died at 41 years old is buried in Winchester Cathedral with the inscription:
In Memory of JANE AUSTEN, youngest daughter of the late Revd GEORGE AUSTEN, formerly Rector of Steventon in this County. She departed this Life on the 18th of July 1817, aged 41, after a long illness supported with the patience and the hopes of a Christian. The benevolence of her heart, the sweetness of her temper, and the extraordinary endowments of her mind obtained the regard of all who knew her and the warmest love of her intimate connections. Their grief is in proportion to their affection, they know their loss to be irreparable, but in their deepest affliction they are consoled by a firm though humble hope that her charity, devotion, faith and purity have rendered her soul acceptable in the sight of her REDEEMER.
There is nothing in this original inscription that celebrates her lasting contribution as a profoundly important writer, but simply honors her wealth of value as a beloved daughter, sister and friend.
Among other points of moralising reflection which the sight of this tete-a-tete produced, Charlotte could not but think of the extreme difficulty which secret lovers must have in finding a proper spot for their stolen interviews.
The Narrator
As we revisit our beloved Jane Austen in our Winter Book Breakfast choice of the unfinished Sanditon - a work that has received significant attention over the last few years as a result of the PBS series, which was wildly based on the Austen novel. We have read all of the Jane Austen novels over the years - but not this one! This should be a great addition and give way to interesting discussion! We will be discussing this book on Saturday, January 28th, 2023. This is a shorter work - there is plenty of time to read this one!
