Jane Austen: A Literary Celebrity

Written by Peter J. Leithart

Narrated by Imogen Wilde

Jane Austen is famous for such books as Persuasion, Pride and Prejudice, and Emma. Now learn about the author’s journey through a life spent making up stories that touched the lives of millions.

Jane Austen is now what she never was in life, and what she would have been horrified to become--a literary celebrity. “Janeia” is the author’s term for the mania for all things Austen. Dive into Jane Austen: A Literary Celebrity and discover:

• how it all began and Austen’s love of poetry
• her early masterpieces and the inspiration behind the stories
• her road to getting published and the health decline that led to her death

This biography is perfect for:

• Jane Austen fans and collectors
• men and women who have enjoyed Austen-inspired films and TV series adaptations
• anyone interested in learning about the varied sides of Austen’s character and the characters she created

Jane Austen: A Literary Celebrity is a fascinating look at a woman who never meant to be famous.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Release date: Aug 30, 2022
• ISBN: 9780785293347

Peter J. Leithart

Peter J. Leithart (PhD, University of Cambridge) is President of Theopolis Institute and serves as Teacher at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Birmingham. He is the author of several books, including?The Kingdom and the Power, Creator: A Theological Interpretation of Genesis 1,?Defending Constantine: The Twilight of an Empire and the Dawn of Christendom, and?Baptism: A Guide from Life to Death.

Reviews for Jane Austen

[ctpress_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Some years ago I did the pilgrimage to Jane Austens house in Chawton (now turned into a little lovely museum). I bought a leaflet biography that introduced me to her - but this is the first real biography of Jane Austen I’ve read - although rather short (150 pages) it does a good job bringing forth some of Austens character traits that were new to me.Two things I will mention here:One: Maybe it’s the serious portrait that remains of her that made me think of her character was more like the timid and serious Anne in [Persuasion] or Fanny in [Mansfield Park], but this biography show how “playful” she was, even late in her live like a giddy schoolgirl making a lot of fun with people - the pleasure she took in dances and playing with her nieces. Two: Her formalized Anglican faith that served as a guide to the Christian morality in her novels. That she wrote prayers for the family evening devotion, the hope she could draw from her faith when family members died and she herself became very sick and died.Peter Leithart did a great job of emphasising these sides of her character. Leithart does not use a lot of time discussing her novels as such (for this focus see his book [Miniatures and Morals], but he quotes extensively from her letters and I appreciated this.

[texicanwife_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Jane Austen From the Christian Encounters seriesJane Austenby Peter LeithartThomas Nelson, Pub. 2009ISBN: 978-1-59555-302-7This is another great book from the Christian Encounters series. Peter Leithart takes us from the very, very young "Jenny" Austen, through the sad embrace of her death in July of 1817.Her literary sense and style are carefully inspected through disection and microscopic scrutiny. We learn that "Jenny" had a sense of humor above all else; this ranged from the price of a pair of carriage horses to the macabre death of others.Her poetic side waxed often, as she wrote of her nephew's birth and again at the death of an old friend, and even regarding her own illness and impending end.Jane Austen had a writing style, and storytelling abilities that preceded the feminist movements that came after her death. She was truly ahead of her time! Young and old, male and female enjoyed her many, though limited, books.I think it is truly Austen's humor that seems to grab Leithart above all else. He writes, "At her best, Jane Austen wrote out of laughter. Her art came from the impish glee of a precocious teenager amused by the follies of the world around her, wanting to get us in on the joke. Her final voice is modulated, deepened, matured by life and its losses; but it is still the voice of the Juvenalia, the joyous voice of Pride and Prejudice, the voice of the narrator of Emma and of the comic passage in the unfinished Sanditon. It is the playful voice whose resonance is enriched by the piety that is always in, with, and under it. It is the voice of the supremely talented, supremely meticulous writer who lived and died as Jenny, whose greatness as a woman and as an artist is the greatness of one who became, and remained, a little child."There is no doubt that Jane Austen as written by Peter Leithart, will become a mandatory read for those who are studying Austen; or for those who love her works purely for the art itself.I highly recommend this read, and give it a five star rating!***DISCLOSURE NOTICE: A free copy of this book was supplied to me for the purpose of review by Thomas Nelson Publishing. No monetary exchange was given. All comments and wording in this review are purely my own. - Cyndi Beane Henry