In reading Jane Austen’s novels or binge-watching the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, it is easy to forget the historical, material, and political milieu surrounding Austen and her characters. At the time in which these novels were written and published, the French began and ended their first Revolution, Napoleon tried and failed to conquer Europe, and Britain entered into a crisis of monarchical succession after the death of Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales. All of this was taking place as Britain was simultaneously competing to expand and maintain its colonial empire. During this period of tension and violence, rapid changes in print technologies made it easier to produce, access, and circulate print objects within and without national borders. The intensifying rivalry between France and England visibly infiltrated periodicals, journals, and fashion plates passing back-and-forth between London and Paris.
Many of the objects represented and discussed on this site shared the same shelves as Austen’s novels in bookstores, reading rooms, and circulating libraries. This project returns Austen and her novels to those circulating libraries. Restocking the shelves with the archival remains of early nineteenth-century print objects, Jane’s Repository offers new pathways for reading, comparing, and visualizing the historical, material, and political contexts in Austen’s writing.
Jane's Repository 