For a potted biography of her life, go here -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Austen
Being an English teacher, I'm allowed a bit of literary fanaticism.....
I've always been intrigued by the elements of her life that are frustratingly out of view - her early life - many of her early letters were destroyed by her sister after her death and the rectory in Steventon in Hampshire where she grew up and wrote her earliest drafts was knocked down and has never really been archaeologically studied - until these last few months. If you believe the popular media, a bloke called Tom Lefroy was her only love - romanticised beyond all historical evidence in the film "Becoming Jane" - this ignores the fact that she met up with a man - a doctor, or some sort of medical man - whilst on holiday in Devon around 1801, who was believed to be the one that she had a serious attachment to - but who, it is believed, died. His identity is a mystery. All letters from this time were burnt by her sister Cassandra and the only reason we know that she had a relationship was because of chance remarks made by Cassandra to Jane's niece, Fanny, later in life.
(All pics by me except the Rice portrait and the James Stanier Clarke sketch)
The key sites to visit for an Austen fan are the church of Steventon in Hampshire - St Nicholas -
The site of the rectory in Steventon -
Jane's house in Chawton, where she spent the later years of her short life -
The house - Number 8, College Street Winchester, where she died -
Her grave in Winchester Cathedral -
I visited these sites again in the last week - plus some others, including Godmersham in Kent, which was a new one to me. My full collection of Jane Austen related photos taken over the years are here -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/efsb/colle ... 287705091/
I'm also fascinated by the ongoing debate and intrigue about her appearance -
A lock of Jane Austen's hair -
The controversial Rice portrait -
http://www.janeaustenriceportrait.co.uk/
The controversial James Stanier Clarke sketch -
http://austenonly.com/2011/06/16/the-co ... ne-austen/