Jane Austen's transatlantic sister : the life and letters of Fanny Palmer Austen

Title:

Personal Author:

Kindred, Sheila Johnson, 1943- author.

ISBN:

9780773551312

Publication Information:

Montreal : McGill-Queen's University Press, [2017]

Physical Description:

xix, 291 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color), portraits (some color) ; 24 cm

Contents:

From birth to marriage and motherhood, 1789-1809 -- On the move: between Bermuda and Halifax, 1809-1810 -- In Halifax, Nova Scotia: summer into autumn 1810 -- Unsettled: Bermuda and England, 1810-1811 -- Afloat and ashore, 1812 -- Carrying on: challenges and choices, 1813 -- Family obligations, 1814 -- Death and disaster: 1814 and beyond -- Being a naval wife: Fanny Austen's life and Jane Austen's fiction.

Summary:

"In 1807, genteel, Bermuda-born Fanny Palmer (1789-1814) married Jane Austen's youngest brother, Captain Charles Austen, and was thrust into a demanding life within the world of the British navy. Experiencing adventure and adversity in wartime conditions both at sea and onshore, the spirited and resilient Fanny travelled between Bermuda, Nova Scotia, and England. After crossing the Atlantic in 1811, she ingeniously made a home for Charles and their daughters aboard a working naval vessel, and developed a supportive friendship with his sister, Jane. In Jane Austen's Transatlantic Sister, Fanny's articulate and informative letters - transcribed in full for the first time and situated in their meticulously researched historical context - disclose her quest for personal identity and autonomy, her maturation as a wife and mother, and the domestic, cultural, and social milieu she inhabited. Sheila Johnson Kindred also investigates how Fanny was a source of naval knowledge for Jane, and how far she was an inspiration for Austen's literary invention, especially for the female naval characters in Persuasion. Although she died young, Fanny's story is a compelling record of female naval life that contributes significantly to our limited knowledge of women's roles in the Napoleonic Wars. Enhanced by rarely seen illustrations, Fanny's life story is a rich new source for Jane Austen scholars and fans of her fiction, as well as for those interested in biography, women's letters, and history of the family."-- Provided by publisher.

Personal Subject:

Austen, Fanny, 1790-1814.

Austen, Fanny, 1790-1814-Correspondence.

Austen, Charles.

Austen, Jane, 1775-1817-Family.

Corporate Subject:

Great Britain. Royal Navy -- Military life -- History -- 18th century.

Great Britain. Royal Navy -- History -- 18th century.

Subject Term:

Officers' spouses -- Great Britain -- Correspondence.

Officers' spouses -- Great Britain -- Biography.

Officers' spouses -- Great Britain -- Social conditions -- 18th century.

Geographic Term:

Great Britain -- History, Naval -- 18th century.

Genre:

Personal correspondence.

Autobiographies.

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Summary

In 1807, genteel, Bermuda-born Fanny Palmer (1789-1814) married Jane Austen's youngest brother, Captain Charles Austen, and was thrust into a demanding life within the world of the British navy. Experiencing adventure and adversity in wartime conditions both at sea and onshore, the spirited and resilient Fanny travelled between and lived in Bermuda, Halifax, Nova Scotia, and England. After crossing the Atlantic in 1811, she ingeniously made a home for Charles and their daughters aboard a working naval vessel, and developed a supportive friendship with his sister, Jane. In Jane Austen's Transatlantic Sister, Fanny's articulate and informative letters - transcribed in full for the first time and situated in their meticulously researched historical context - disclose her quest for personal identity and autonomy, her maturation as a wife and mother, and the domestic, cultural, and social milieu she inhabited. Sheila Johnson Kindred also investigates how Fanny was a source of naval knowledge for Jane, and how much she was an inspiration for Austen's literary invention, especially for the female naval characters in Persuasion. Although she died young, Fanny's story is a compelling record of female naval life that contributes significantly to our limited knowledge of women's roles in the Napoleonic Wars. Enhanced by rarely seen illustrations, Fanny's life story is a rich new source for Jane Austen scholars and fans of her fiction as well as for those interested in biography, women's letters, and history of the family.

Author Notes

Sheila Johnson Kindred taught in the Department of Philosophy at Saint Mary's University. She writes about Jane Austen's fiction and family, and lives in Halifax.

Reviews (2)

Choice Review

Jane Austen's Transatlantic Sister serves to illuminate where Jane got the naval background for some of her novels. Charles John Austen (1779-1852), Jane Austen's youngest brother, had a distinguished naval career, rising to the rank of rear admiral. He married twice, first (in 1807) to Frances (Fanny) Palmer, who bore him four daughters. Fanny, who died shortly after giving birth to their fourth daughter, is Kindred's subject. (Charles subsequently married his sister-in-law Harriet Palmer, who also bore him four children.) Fanny accompanied her husband during his time at sea, first in North American waters (1807-11); she and their children subsequently spent two years (1812-14) aboard HMS Namur stationed off Shearness, Kent, and it was on that ship she gave birth to their fourth child and died. It was also during these years that she developed a close epistolary relationship with her sister-in-law Jane. Heretofore little had been written concerning Fanny, and Kindred redresses this lacuna, focusing on the "ordinary and extraordinary aspects of [Fanny's] short life and exciting times" at sea and in various ports such as Halifax, Nova Scotia (hence the volume's classification as naval science). The book includes 35 illustrations, appendixes describing Fanny's letters and pocket diary, detailed notes, an enumerative bibliography, and an extensive, helpful index. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers. --William Baker, emeritus, Northern Illinois University

Library Journal Review

Kindred, a Jane Austen scholar and former professor of philosophy at Saint Mary's University, had done extensive research on Austen's brother Captain Charles Austen before becoming interested in his wife, Fanny Palmer (1789-1814). Her investigations began with Fanny's surviving letters, transcribed here for the first time, and reveal a lively and resourceful young woman. Fanny and Jane regularly corresponded and spent time in each other's company. Kindred speculates that this relationship influenced Austen's portrayal of naval wives in her fiction, particularly in Persuasion. Fanny married Charles in 1807. Their marriage lasted through the final major incidents of the Napoleonic War. Fanny was often left waiting on shore, but sometimes traveled on her husband's ship. She had three children and died on board Charles's ship six days after giving birth early to a baby girl who died three days later. VERDICT With an abundance of illustrations, appendixes, extensive notes, and bibliography, this is a fascinating glimpse into the life of a 19th-century naval wife. Fans of Jane Austen are likely to find some interest in the family relationships and the probable model Fanny provided for her fiction.-Stefanie Hollmichel, Univ. of St. Thomas Law Lib., Minneapolis © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Colour section follows page 140
Illustrations	p. ix
Preface	p. xiii
Acknowledgments	p. xvii
Introduction	p. 3
1 From Birth to Marriage and Motherhood, 1789-1809	p. 9
2 On the Move: Between Bermuda and Halifax, 1809-1810	p. 33
3 In Halifax, Nova Scotia: Summer into Autumn 1810	p. 51
4 Unsettled: Bermuda and England, 1810-1811	p. 73
5 Afloat and Ashore, 1812	p. 89
6 Carrying On: Challenges and Choices, 1813	p. 117
7 Family Obligations, 1814	p. 141
8 Death and Disaster: 1814 and the Years Beyond	p. 173
9 Being a Naval Wife: Fanny Austen's Life and Jane Austen's Fiction	p. 192
Appendices
1 Description of Fanny's Letters and Pocket Diary	p. 209
2 Letters about Fanny	p. 214
3 Fanny Palmer Austen's Kindred	p. 218
Notes	p. 227
Bibliography	p. 269
Index	p. 281

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Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (2)

Choice Review

Library Journal Review

Table of Contents