Park Honan
Through extensive research of diaries, letters, and memoirs by Jane Austen and her family, Prof. Park Honan paints an all-encompassing portrait of Jane Austen and her times in his biography, Jane Austen: Her Life. This 400+ page biography includes family trees, a bibliography, extensive notes, and an index.
Prof. Honan does more than just delve into Austen’s personal life. He explores the social, cultural, political, and economic climate of her time and traces the influences on her writing. He argues it was her family, especially her brothers and her sister Cassandra, who had the greatest influence on her work. She was an astute observer of people, frequently incorporating their words and mannerisms into her writing. And she was an avid reader. As a young woman, she was shy in the presence of strangers, enjoyed parties and balls, but was not averse to making snide remarks about people with whom she had little respect or tolerance. She was happiest when surrounded by family and a close circle of friends.
By situating each of her novels in its social and cultural context, Prof. Honan provides valuable insight into Austen’s work. He analyses her novels and traces some of the words and ideas articulated by her characters to those of real individuals with whom she interacted or whose works she read.
This is a thoroughly exhaustive study of Austen—perhaps, a little too exhaustive because Prof. Honan includes copious details and meandering digressions, many of which have little relevance to either Austen’s life or her work. For example, he delves into extensive details about Britain’s war with France, including several pages of information about various sea battles. He provides lengthy genealogies of even the most minor characters who briefly made Austen’s acquaintance and who had no obvious influence on her life or her work.
Flooded with copious amounts of information, the reader has to sieve through what is relevant and what is of little or no significance to Austen’s life. This is unfortunate because there is much to be admired in the study. But the inclusion of tedious and lengthy details which have no bearing on Jane Austen or her work detract from an otherwise informative biography.
Recommended with reservations.