love and friendship and other early works

They are believing, not the people of the period but the most nonsensical novels of the period, which even the people of the period who read them did not believe. Those ingenious moderns, who say that the real ladies did faint, are actually being taken in by Laura and Sophia, and believing them against Jane Austen. Laura and Sophia are made ludicrously unlike life by being made to faint as real ladies do not faint. But in truth it is the whole point of this little skit that the swoon of sensibility is not satirised because it was a fact, even in the sense of a fashion, but satirised solely because it was fiction. “Beware of fainting ﬁts … though at times they may be refreshing and agreeable yet believe me they will in the end, if too often repeated and at improper seasons, prove destructive to your Constitution.” Such were the words of the expiring Sophia to the afﬂicted Laura and there are modern critics capable of adducing them as a proof that all society was in a swoon in the ﬁrst decade of the nineteenth century. While 'Love and Friendship' is not as well-known as Austen's later, more famous works, it is still a valuable contribution to her body of work and offers an interesting insight into her early writing style and satirical tendencies.But in any case it may be amusing to those who are thus amused, and perhaps even instructive to those who thus need to be instructed, to know that the earliest work of Jane Austen, here published for the ﬁrst time, might be called a satire on the fable of the fainting lady. The characters are portrayed as being overly dramatic and superficial, highlighting Austen's satirical approach to the genre. The title of the novel is actually somewhat ironic, as the love and friendship depicted in the story are often misguided and ill-fated.

The story follows Laura's attempts to navigate the social scene and find a suitable husband, which leads to a series of humorous and ridiculous situations. The novel is a satirical take on the romantic fiction of the time, with Laura's escapades and misadventures serving as a critique of the societal norms of the day. The story is told through a series of letters between the characters, primarily the protagonist, Laura, and her close friend, Isabel. 'Love and Friendship' is a short epistolary novel by Jane Austen, written in 1790, when Austen was just 14 years old.

This audiobook is an introduction to the life and works of Jane Austen and will provide a glimpse into her world and the literary legacy she left behind. Austen's works are known for their wit, social commentary, and romantic storylines that have captivated readers for generations. Welcome to the world of Jane Austen, one of the most beloved authors in the English language.

Love and friendship and other early works