Who was the real Jane Austen? Overturning the traditional portrait of the author as conventional and genteel, bestseller Paula Byrne-s landmark biography reveals the real woman behind the books.In this paperback of the landmark biography, bestselling biographer Paula Byrne uses objects that conjure up a key moment in Austen-s life and work - a silhouette, a vellum notebook, a topaz cross, a writing box, a royalty cheque, a bathing machine, and many more - to unlock the biography of this most beloved author. The woman who emerges is far tougher, more socially and politically aware, and altogether more modern than the conventional picture of -dear aunt Jane- allows. Byrne-s lively book explores the many forces that shaped Austen-s life, her long struggle to become a published author, and brings Miss Austen dazzlingly into the twenty-first century.
