A Modern Quest for Knowledge into a Past World of Literature;
or ... Why did Jane Austen write her Famous Strawberry Party Scene?
Austen and her References to Libraries and Reading
Ch4/2: Jane Austen's References to Library and Reading
This section contains excerpts from Austen's letters in which she mentions libraries and other related topics. The letters have been found by searching Lord Brabourne's online letters on Pemberley.com as this paper is concerned with 'digital searching'; however, once they have been identified, the letters have been compared to the versions in Deirdre Le Faye's Jane Austen's Letters, 4th edition, as Lord Brabourne's versions are erroneous and information may have be omitted or altered. Lord Brabourne altered, for example, Austen's punctuation, corrected her capital letters to lower case and changed & to and. Le Faye, on the other hand, strives to present the letters as true to nature as possible. Le Faye has also worked hard collecting more materials than enclosed in Lord Brabourne's online version; therefore, the index at the back of her splendid book has also been consulted. All possible occurrences have not been covered but hopefully enough to give a rough idea.
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LB stands for Lord Brabourne's version, Brabourne, ‘Jane Austen - Letters - Brabourne Edition’.
DLF stands for Deirdre Le Faye's, Le Faye, Jane Austen’s Letters.
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Search string: "Lord Brabourne" AND "jane austen's letters" AND [search key, e.g. library or subscription]
DLF: Letter 9, p.15.
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My father is now reading the 'Midnight Bell', which he has got from the library, and mother sitting by the fire.
DLF: Letter 12, pp.22-23.
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We have got 'Fitz-Albini'; my father has bought it against my private wishes, for it does not quite satisfy my feelings that we should purchase the only one of Egerton's works of which his family are ashamed. That these scruples, however, do not at all interfere with my reading it, you will easily believe. We have neither of us yet finished the first volume. My father is disappointed—I am not, for I expected nothing better. [...] We have got Boswell's 'Tour to the Hebrides', and are to have his 'Life of Johnson'; and, as some money will yet remain in Burdon's hands, it is to be laid out in the purchase of Cowper's works.
DLF: Letter 14, p.27.
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I have received a very civil note from Mrs. Martin, requesting my name as a Subscriber to her Library which opens the 14th January, & my name, or rather Yours, is accordingly given. My Mother finds the Money. —Mary* subscribes too, which I am glad of, but hardly expected. As an inducement to subscribe Mrs. Martin tells us* that her Collection is not to consist only of Novels, but of every kind of Literature &c. &c—She might have spared this pretension to our family, who are great Novel-readers & not ashamed of being so;--but it was necessary I suppose to the self-consequence of half her Subscribers.
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(* Notice: The Pemberly.com has May and me, respectively)
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DLF: Letter 89, p.238.
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I am now alone in the Library, Mistress of all I survey—at least I may say so & repeat the whole poem if I like it, without offence to anybody.—
DLF: Letter 98, p.268.
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I have read the Corsair, mended my petticoat, & have nothing else to do.
DLF: Letter 104, p.279.
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I like the name "Which is the Heroine?" very well, & I dare say shall grow to like it very much in time—but "Enthusiasm" was something so very superior that ever common Title must appear to disadvantage.—I am not sensible of any Blunders about Dawlish; the Library was pitiful & wretched twelve years ago, and not likely to have anybody's publication.