Book Review: The Spirituality of Jane Austen

The Spirituality of Jane Austen

by Paula Hollingsworth

Lion Hudson Plc

Lion Books

Biographies & Memoirs , Nonfiction (Adult)

Pub Date 24 Mar 2017

I am reviewing a copy of The Spirituality of Jane Austen through Lion Books and Netgalley:

In 2017, the 200Th anniversary of Jane Austen’s death was marked, and this book was released.

Paul Hollingsworth offers a celebration of Jane Austen’s strong but gentle faith and explores how that impacted both her life and her writings.  The author reminds us too of the importance of being mindful of the way in which we apply the word spirituality to the way we refer to Jane Austen because it was not a term used in her day the way it is today.  We are reminded too that in England in Jane Austen’s time there was only a small portion of Jews, and Muslims were people far away from England, to her the word religious would have met Christian, and it would have meant Protestant Christianity.

We are reminded too of the importance of family to Jane Austen, but there were differences too, an older brother who was disabled lived away from home, and where as Catherine went away to school at ten, Jane was only seven.

It is learned too that two of Jane’s childhood books survive today, Goody Two Shoes, the book that popularized the term goody two shows,  and Fable Choisies by La Fontaine.

1787  was when Jane truly began to devote her spare time to writing.  She left twenty to pieces of her Juvenile writings, plays stories, and story fragments.  Today they are known as Juvenillia.  The first written when she was twelve, and the last pieces when she was about seventeen.

Jane communicated too through letters, the first one that we are aware of was in 1796 when she was twenty but there’s a good chance there were earlier letters.

We learn too that it was more acceptable for women to publish novels during Jane’s life than it was during the era to follow, the Victorian Era.  We learn too that the first draft of Pride and Prejudice, Austen’s most popular novel was written when she was only 21.

As for Church, Jane Austen attended services regularly at Chawton Church, including twice on Sundays, and if services were not held or weather prevented them for going out the Austen’s held services at home.

I found this book to be excellent, and very informative, a perfect read for fans of Jane Austen.

I give The Spirituality of Jane Austen five out of five stars!