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Jane's Fame: How Jane Austen Conquered The World (2009)

by Claire Harman(Favorite Author)

3.61 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

1847672949 (ISBN13: 9781847672940)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Canongate Books

review 1: As someone who reads Austen for her ironic wit, I really enjoyed this history of Jane Austen biographies and critical views over the last two hundred years. Harman obviously loves the Austen novels and yet, still looks with a wry eye on the "Jane Austen" of popular culture. She doesn't often express her own opinions out-right, but it's clear at times what she doesn't think much of some manifestations of Jane-olotry, e.g. the proliferation of TV versions of the novels that have little to do with the originals. One of Harman's remarks that struck me is the irony that, while Austen's novels were criticized when they were first published for not mentioning some of the political and social upheavals of the time, Austen and her spin-offs have created the modern impression of R... moreegency England. She feels it is this lack of "contemporary relevance" that helps make Austen so widely read and loved.
review 2: Jane’s Fame is thoroughly researched and presents a broad range of views from scholarly essays to YouTube video montages. The scope of material and responses which the author deals with is impressive. However, although the range of the research makes this book a valuable resource for any Austen scholar or fan, it is also at times its downfall. This book is not geared towards a casual Austen reader. Certainly, the average reader who enjoys the romance of Austen’s novels would find this scholastic endeavor quite dull and even a bit overwhelming. So much material is covered in such a small space that even an interested reader might find it difficult to follow the narrative thread Harman is weaving through the mass of Austen-related information.However, for anyone with a more academic interest in Jane Austen, I would recommend this book as a starting point. Harman references a broad range of scholarly works and resources which could provide starting points for a number of undergraduate and graduate papers on Austen and her novels. In fact, this book often reads like an academic research paper, annotated bibliography, or literary critique. It is no surprise therefore, that Harman is herself an academic. She is definitely writing for an audience of her peers and students in this book.Ultimately, I can understand why I found this book on “remaindered” and sitting on the discount table at a suburban bookstore. The audience for this book is not the sort who picks it up along with a pile of Nora Roberts or Helen Fielding paperbacks. However, it does appear that retailers are attempting to market it in such a way. (For evidence of this, I will note the pastel yellow, chick-lit-esque cover of my edition that so closely resembles those 2006 Hodder Headline re-issues of Austen’s novels mentioned in this book.) The place where this book ought to be sold is in the literary criticism or history/biography section of bookstore in or around a university. There, Harman’s very ambitious chronicle will find its audience. less

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