Three notebooks of Jane Austen's early writing survive. The pieces probably date from 1786, around the time that Jane, aged 11 or 12 and her older sister and collaborator Cassandra left school. By this point Austen was already an indiscriminate and precocious reader, devouring pulp fiction and classic literature alike. What she read, she soon began to imitate and parody.
Unlike many teenage writings then and now, these are not secrets or agonized confessions entrusted to a private journal and for the writer's eyes alone. Rather they are stories to be shared and admired by a named audience of family and friends. Devices and themes which appear subtly in Austen's later fiction run riot openly and exuberantly across the teenage page. Drunkenness, brawling, sexual misdemeanour, theft and even murder prevail.
Paperback
Shipping is calculated according to weight of goods.
Goods shipped outside the UK may be subject to VAT, Customs fees and clearance fees
