With only six full-length books to her credit, Jane Austen is still considered one of the best authors in the world. She is also probably one of the best known. For instance, her creations of Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice still resonate in everyday culture. There are big screen and television adaptations of all of Austen’s novels, such as the BBC Pride and Prejudice starring the dashing Colin Firth as Darcy. English actress Emma Thompson won a screenwriting Academy Award for her adaptation of Sense and Sensibility (dir. Ang Lee, 1995).
Austen’s works are, today, still some of the best-loved pieces of literature in the English language. Seeing and understanding her popularity, the Morgan Library and Museum in New York City is featuring A Woman’s Wit: Jane Austen’s Life and Legacy until March 14, 2010.
Jane Austen – A Woman of Words
Not much of Austen's correspondence is still in existence. The Morgan Library and Museum, however, managed to get a hold of some very interesting bits of the remaining letters. One highlight of the exhibit is the unique way Austen maximized the space she had on each sheet of paper. When reporting her life’s events to her sister, Austen filled the pages with description of the people around her. She did this many ways literally and figuratively, including using “crossed letters” or writing at angles to fit more on each page, as to avoid paying higher postal fees.
Austen also enjoyed being creative for no particular purpose. There is even one letter that she wrote to her niece in which each word is spelled backwards.
Along with Austen’s letters in this exhibit, a number of illustrations are featured. Some of these are scenes from everyday London life in the period. Some are lithographs from Austen novels. Social commentary and satire are heavily featured in the novels, and the biting wit is very apparent in this exhibit. Satires on famous people of the time can be seen here as well.
The Novels of Jane Austen
Austen died at age 41. Her six full length novels are (in order of publication):
- Sense and Sensibility
- Pride and Prejudice
- Mansfield Park
- Emma
- Northanger Abbey
- Persuasion
Austen also wrote short stories and authored some fiction that went unfinished at the time of her death.
For an interesting (and somewhat accurate) account of Jane Austen’s early life, check out the film Becoming Jane starring Ann Hathaway as the famous author.
Where to Find the Morgan Library and Museum
The Morgan Library is located in Manhattan on Madison Avenue between 36th and 37th. They are open Tuesday through Sunday. Further information on A Woman’s Wit can be found at their website.
Alicia Linn - Hi! I'm Alicia. I have a degree in journalism from Michigan State University. In terms of writing, I have worked on feature and news-type ...
