The Life and Works of Jane Austen

By: Devoney Looser, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Devoney Looser

Born to the ranks of the lower English gentry in 1775, Jane Austen led what some have mistakenly described as an ordinary and unremarkable life - a life that ended all too soon at the age of 41. But from this life, Austen drew inspiration for six novels that all rank as literary masterpieces, including the widely beloved Pride and Prejudice. So, what do we really know about Austen’s life and influences?

With Professor Devoney Looser of Arizona State University, you will get invaluable insight into Austen’s everyday reality in the elegant and tumultuous Regency period and a more thorough understanding of her influence and lasting legacy. Over the course of the 24 lessons of The Life and Works of Jane Austen, you will explore her six completed works, as well as her raucous teenage writings and unfinished novels. You will also get a guided tour of Austen’s world - the politics, social dynamics, major events, cultural markers, and class structures that defined the late 18th and early 19th centuries in Great Britain - and how these elements shaped her life and inspired her work. While there may always be a certain amount of mystery about Austen’s life, this course offers a fuller understanding of her world and how she brilliantly captured it on the page.

Jane Austen’s work was shaped profoundly by the world she lived in, and The Life and Works of Jane Austen offers you the chance to explore this world and to see how the novels Austen published over two centuries ago continue to engage and entertain readers and influence popular culture through countless adaptations on page and screen. Whether you are a fan, a casual reader - or even someone who has always been a little confused by “Austenmania” - this course will illuminate the worlds, both real and imagined, of Austen’s fiction and her astonishing contributions to literature.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 The Great Courses (P)2021 The Teaching Company, LLC

A great listen that will open doors to future great listening!

Having read and enjoyed three of Jane Austen’s books many decades ago, I wanted to revisit them and to explore the rest of her works. While searching on Audible, I stumbled across Ms. Looser’s introduction to The Life and Works of Jane Austen, and decided to start there. It was a great choice!

I found “The Life and Works of Jane Austen” to be the perfect way to enter the world of this famous author. Each and every chapter (or “lesson”) was just the right length; they were all entertaining and held my attention (which is a feat in itself). Ms. Looser’s enthusiasm for the subject is delightful and contagious. She introduces all the major works of Jane Austen and many of the minor ones, and presents a fascinating glimpse into the late 18th and early 19th century world of which Jane Austen was a part. For example, one lesson enlightens us about the many levels of English society, nobility, customs, and expectations. Others address contemporary historical events (e.g., the Napoleonic wars) that formed the context in which Jane Austen wrote. Knowing something about these things greatly enhances the enjoyment of Austen’s novels, and Ms. Looser presents them in such an engaging way.

The only “problem” I have come away from this course with is the decision of which Jane Austen novel to dive into first…

I’ve been a fan of “The Great Courses” for years now, and was delighted to discover that I could access them from Audible.

Interesting info, enthusiastically presented

The instructor's passion for her subject is very clear as she shares a wealth of knowledge about Jane Austen's life and the world she lived in, as well as how that world is reflected in her books. Specific examples from the books are used to show how Austen was influenced by the popular fiction of her day, and how she played with the conventions of late 18th-century literature. I was pleased that the course covers not only the major works we know and love, but also Austen's early writings known collectively as her juvenilia and "Sanditon," the work left unfinished by her untimely death at the age of 41. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in Jane Austen and/or Regency England.

Very informative

The audible was very informative and interesting about the time that Jane Austen lived in and motivated me to read the rest of her writings.

New narrator needed

While the information is great and well presented, I struggled to keep from focusing on the narrator. Her voice comes across nervous and shaky or else she. is. yelling. at. you. with. too. long. of. spaces. It’s unfortunate the narrator’s voice is so distracting. Re-record, please.

pretty basic

Good course - if you've never read any of Austen's books. Glad they released it, bit disappointed. Maybe they could do an entire course for every book...

If you love Jane Austen, LISTEN TO THIS

Wonderful series that thoroughly covers every aspect of Miss Austen and her works. The last episode even looks at pop culture takeoffs. Highly recommended.

A very good insight into Jane Austen

This course provides an excellent overview of Austen’s works and deep insight into the life and times of the writer. She explains countless aspects of her stories that were current during Austen’s life but which have gone out of style, and thus leaves most modern readers unaware of. The instructor is articulate, humorous, and knows how to keep her audience interested.

Excellent

I would definitely recommend this for Jane Austin fans. Especially if you want to better understand the context of the books.

Enlightening and well rounded learning

I loved it. Very interesting and the lessons were easy to follow along with. I learned so much about my favorite author.

Thoughtful insights and fascinating information

I know a lot about Jane Austen, and the time in which she lived, but still found plenty of interest in this course. I very much enjoyed it, and really looked forward to my daily lesson.