Books by Claire Harman
Jane's Fame: How Jane Austen Conquered the World
‘What is all this about Jane Austen? What is there in her? What is it all about?’
Joseph Conrad to H.G.Wells, 1901
When the publisher Thomas Cadell declined an unsolicited manuscript offered to him by a Hampshire clergyman in 1797, he made one of the biggest mistakes in publishing history, for the manuscript was an early version of 'Pride and Prejudice' and the clergyman's daughter was destined to become one of the most recognisable names in literature.
Jane's Fame: How Jane Austen Conquered the World is a history of Jane Austen's fame, the changing status of her work and what it has stood for, or been made to stand for, in English culture in the two hundred years since her death. Starting with Austen's own experience as a beginning author, her difficulties getting published and her determination to succeed, I explore the history of how her estate was handled by her brother, sister, nieces and nephews, the eruption of public interest in Austen in the last two decades of the nineteenth century, the making of her into a classic English author in the twentieth century, the critical wars that erupted as a result and, lastly, her powerful influence on contemporary phenomena such as chick-lit, romantic comedy, the heritage industry and film. Part biography, part cultural history, it's a fascinating story, full of new information and odd anecdotes. I hope it will surprise readers with a new way of looking at this perennially fascinating author.
The book was published in the UK on 2 April 2009 by Canongate Books and was BBC Radio 4's Book of the Week, starting 1 June.
Chris Riddell's cover from the April 2009 issue of The Literary Review
from the reviews of Jane's Fame:
'Wonderful.. not only scholarly but indecently entertaining... her prose rings with good sense, affection and humour' Sam Leith, Daily Mail
‘Rich, incisive’ John Carey, Sunday Times
‘An exhilarating look at the rise of Divine Jane’s worldwide influence. Harman charts its course with wit and style, as well as scholarly precision, making this a book that no Austen addict will want to resist’ Mark Bostridge, Literary Review
‘Fascinating and sophisticated … a sparkling addition to the canon’
Evening Standard
‘Splendid… Harman is the first to treat this fascinating subject in an accessible, lively manner unshackled by academic jargon’
Paula Byrne, Sunday Telegraph
‘Deft, elegant … a happy blend of critical insight and narrative bounce’
Kathryn Hughes, Guardian
‘Pleasingly unstuffy’ John Sutherland, Times
‘Beautifully researched, fascinating’ Lesley McDowell, The Scotsman
'A fascinating compendium of absolutely everything relating to Austen...extraordinary' Elspeth Barker, Independent on Sunday
‘Harman unpicks the cultural and sexual fantasies at the heart of Jane fandom with great skill. … The material [she] has deftly put together makes two things strikingly apparent: no reading of Jane, however seemingly wayward, is a misreading; and Austen’s major effect is to inspire good writing’ Frances Wilson, Daily Telegraph
***REVIEWS***
Sunday Times, 22 March 2009, by John Carey
Daily Telegraph, 27 March 2009, by Frances Wilson
Guardian, 4 April 2009, by Kathryn Hughes
Critical Eye (review of reviews), Guardian 4 April 2009
Sunday Telegraph, 29 March 2009, by Paula Byrne
Times, 28 March 2009, by John Sutherland
Evening Standard Book of the Week 23 March 2009: 'Austen Survives Austen Mania' by Christopher Hudson
The Scotsman, 21 March 2009, by Leslie McDowell
Spectator, 3 April 2009, by Philip Hensher
Literary Review, April 2009, by Mark Bostridge
Daily Mail Book of the Week, 10 April 2009, by Sam Leith
Independent on Sunday, 12 April 2009, by Elspeth Barker
Times Literary Supplement, 26 June 2009, by Claudia L.Johnson
Articles on Jane Austen by Claire available online:
Guardian Review, 12 March 2007 – 'Who's that Girl?' the auction in New York of the ‘Rice Portrait’, a disputed portrait of Jane Austen.
Click here to read article
TLS, 1 February 2008, 'Partiality and Prejudice': the young Jane Austen's obsession with the Stuarts.
Click here to read article
Prospect, April 2009, 'Picking Jane's Brains': the bizarre new Austen horror genre.
Australian edition of Jane's Fame due on 4 May 2009
go to Text Publishing web page
