PREFACE.

THE MEMOIR of my AUNT, JANE AUSTEN, has been received with more favour than I had ventured to expect. The notices taken of it in the periodical press, as well as letters addressed to me by many with whom I am not personally acquainted, show that an unabated interest is still taken in every particular that can be told about her. I am thus encouraged not only to offer a Second Edition of the Memoir, but also to enlarge it with some additional matter which I might have scrupled to intrude on the public if they had not thus seemed to call for it. In the present Edition, the narrative is somewhat enlarged, and a few more letters are added; with a short specimen of her childish stories. The cancelled chapter of 'Persuasion' is given, in compliance with wishes both publicly and privately expressed. A fragment of a story entitled 'The Watsons' is printed; and extracts are given from a novel which she had begun a few months before her death; but the chief addition is a short tale never before published, called 'Lady Susan.' {0a} I regret that the little which I have been able to add could not appear in my First Edition; as much of it was either unknown to me, or not at my command, when I first published; and I hope that I may claim some indulgent allowance for the difficulty of recovering little facts and feelings which had been merged half a century deep in oblivion.

NOVEMBER 17, 1870.



CONTENTS.

Chapter I. _Introductory Remarks--Birth of Jane Austen--Her Family Connections--Their Influence on her Writings_

Chapter II. _Description of Steventon--Life at Steventon--Changes of Habits and Customs in the last Century_

Chapter III. _Early Compositions--Friends at Ashe--A very Old Letter--Lines on the Death of Mrs. Lefroy--Observations on Jane Austen's Letter-writing--Letters_

Chapter IV. _Removal from Steventon--Residence at Bath and at Southampton--Settling at Chawton_

Chapter V. _Description of Jane Austen's person, character, and tastes_

Chapter VI. _Habits of Composition resumed after a long interval--First publication--The interest taken by the Author in the success of her Works_

Chapter VII. _Seclusion from the literary world--Notice from the Prince Regent--Correspondence with Mr. Clarke--Suggestions to alter her style of writing_

Chapter VIII. _Slow growth of her fame--Ill success of first attempts at publication--Two Reviews of her works contrasted_

Chapter IX. _Opinions expressed by eminent persons--Opinions of others of less eminence--Opinion of American readers_

Chapter X. _Observations on the Novels_

Chapter XI. _Declining health of Jane Austen--Elasticity of her spirits--Her resignation and humility--Her death_

Chapter XII. _The cancelled Chapter of 'Persuasion_'

Chapter XIII. _The last work_

Chapter XIV. _Postscript_

'He knew of no one but himself who was inclined to the work. This is no uncommon motive. A man sees something to be done, knows of no one who will do it but himself, and so is driven to the enterprise.'