Jane Austen’s Literary Ego as Revealed in her Letters: References to her Primary Works

Resumen

Abstract: This work investigates Jane Austen's collected letters, aiming to map references to her novels in order to understand the writer's literary ego. Firstly, references to Susan (or Northanger Abbey) are listed; secondly, Sense and Sensibility is analyzed, later, the two mentions which have been found of First Impressions are explored, along with the references to Pride and Prejudice; fourthly, allusions to Mansfield Park are studied, and, subsequently, mentions of Emma are investigated, followed by a study of Persuasion. In all, Austin's main sources are reviewed through her collected letters, coherently linking the references with her biography. Thus, this paper takes a chronological approach to researching her novels.

 Resumen: Este trabajo indaga en el epistolario de Jane Austen con el objetivo de cartografiar referencias a sus novelas para así descifrar el yo literario de la escritora. En primer lugar, se registran las referencias a Susan (o Northanger Abbey); en segundo lugar se aborda Sense and Sensibility, seguidamente se investigan las dos menciones que se han encontrado sobre First Impressions junto a las referencias a Pride and Prejudice, en cuarto lugar se estudian las alusiones a Mansfield Park, después se analizan las menciones a Emma y en sexto lugar se explora Persuasión. Con todo, se revisitan las fuentes primarias de Austen a través de su epistolario, entrelazando las referencias con su biografía de modo coherente y planteando una investigación de sus novelas en orden cronológico.