Life in the Country

Jane Austen has enjoyed a resurgence in recent decades as the darling of English literary history—in the past several years, we’ve seen film adaptations of all of her major novels as well as the rise of a whole new generation of Janeites. Though one of the most widely-loved and written about writers in academic history, Jane Austen continues to fascinate and regale us with her comic whimsy and moral depth, making Life in the Country a welcome addition to the Austen canon. Life in the Country features pithy quotations by Jane Austen on life in the English countryside—where Jane enjoyed lengthy stays at the family cottage with her mother and sister—alongside charming silhouette engravings by her nephew James Edward Austen-Leigh, who brought the fine art of the silhouette form to new heights with his dramatic and evocative interpretations of the landscapes and the creatures that made the country home. Edward’s silhouettes vividly evoke the countryside of Austen’s novels and though they have brought pleasure to the Austen family for generations, they remain little-known. This beautifully produced collection makes them available to all of those touched by Jane Austen’s words and opens up an unforgettably alluring new perspective on her world.