Hold a piece of Regency-era literature in your hands! And not just any literature, but the literature of Jane Austen.
Reproduced on this gorgeously ornate journal is the original handwritten draft of Persuasion by the beloved English novelist.
Jane Austen’s novels (like Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and Emma) continue to be placed on readers’ all-time favourite book lists because of their superb insights into the dynamics of society and human interaction. Persuasion is among her lesser-known works but it benefits from the writer’s more mature outlook as it was composed toward the end of her life.
In most of Austen’s stories we encounter a young female, blessed with natural grace and dignity, yet in danger of compromising herself by yielding to the pressure of societal expectations. By contrast, Persuasion, her last novel, centres on a heroine who succumbed to the stifling effects of society and whose perspective on life shows signs of resignation uncharacteristic of Austen’s protagonists. Eventually though, the young woman does come into her own and finds a match with a virtuous man. Thus, there is a conciliatory closing to the story, much the kind that we are accustomed to in Austen’s books.
The handwritten page reproduced on the cover of our journal is a part of the only known manuscript of Persuasion. It comes from a draft of Chapter 11 that was abandoned in favour of the version that eventually went into print. As a reject, this manuscript stayed in the Austen family until 1925, at which point its guardianship went to the British Library.
We hope this release will allow you to embrace the spirit of Austen as you embark on your own writing journey!
Jane Austen, Persuasion is available as a hardcover journal, pencil case, canvas bag, document folder, and bookmark.
