On this day in 1817. . .
Fifty-fifth in an occasional series of excerpts from Jane Austen's letters.
I recently finished reading my eighth biography of Jane Austen, and I’ve barely scratched the surface. By my count, which may well be incomplete, Austen has been the subject of at least two dozen book-length biographies aimed at adult readers, plus another five intended for children.
What’s especially odd about this rabbit-like multiplication of life studies is the slimness of the record on which th