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Secondary sourceBook1925

The Common Reader: Jane Austen

Virginia Woolf · 1925

An essay by Virginia Woolf, published in 1925, assessing Jane Austen's life, character, and literary art.

A famous later writer's critical assessment of Austen's character and literary achievement.

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What it is

This is an essay about Jane Austen written by Virginia Woolf, published in 1925 as part of her collection The Common Reader.

Why it matters

Woolf, herself a major novelist, reflects on how little direct evidence survives about Austen's private life, since her sister Cassandra destroyed many of her letters. The essay discusses how Austen's personality has been pieced together from gossip, a few surviving letters, and her novels, and offers one influential later writer's judgment of Austen's artistic skill.

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  • Why does Woolf say that most of what we know about Austen comes from

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