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A review by kirstypotter
Jane Austen, the Secret Radical by Helena Kelly
4.0
I shelved this as 'to-read' when it was published in 2017; I bought it about a year and a half ago in preparation for my undergraduate dissertation on [b:Emma|6969|Emma|Jane Austen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1373627931l/6969._SY75_.jpg|3360164] but simply didn't have time to read the whole thing; now I've finally been able to read this fantastic book in its entirety!
This is not one of the many biographies of Jane which rely heavily on artistic license and conjectural readings of the scant number of her letters which remain in circulation. Instead Kelly conducts incredibly detailed close readings of each of Jane's published novels to reveal truly revolutionary undercurrents. Reading this book requires a certain suspension of disbelief; indeed a few of the conclusions she draws did seem slightly exaggerated to fit the narrative, even to me, who wrote a dissertation on the radical themes that can be gleaned from Austen. Furthermore her tone can get slightly pompous at times - it's not like she's the first person to conduct alternative readings of her texts. However on the whole this was a very convincing and thoroughly well researched appraisal of Jane's ideas through her novels. The chapter on [b:Mansfield Park|45032|Mansfield Park|Jane Austen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1397063295l/45032._SY75_.jpg|2722329] and its interlinked criticism of the Church of England and slavery was particularly illuminating and shocking. I can't wait to revisit all of Jane's books after reading this!
This is not one of the many biographies of Jane which rely heavily on artistic license and conjectural readings of the scant number of her letters which remain in circulation. Instead Kelly conducts incredibly detailed close readings of each of Jane's published novels to reveal truly revolutionary undercurrents. Reading this book requires a certain suspension of disbelief; indeed a few of the conclusions she draws did seem slightly exaggerated to fit the narrative, even to me, who wrote a dissertation on the radical themes that can be gleaned from Austen. Furthermore her tone can get slightly pompous at times - it's not like she's the first person to conduct alternative readings of her texts. However on the whole this was a very convincing and thoroughly well researched appraisal of Jane's ideas through her novels. The chapter on [b:Mansfield Park|45032|Mansfield Park|Jane Austen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1397063295l/45032._SY75_.jpg|2722329] and its interlinked criticism of the Church of England and slavery was particularly illuminating and shocking. I can't wait to revisit all of Jane's books after reading this!